Why does an electrical plug need a metal hole

  • Aug 04, 2021
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Every person who at least once held a plug from a European socket in his hands should have noticed that there is some kind of mysterious hole in it. It is quite obvious that it is provided by the designers for a reason. In this case, it would be nice to find out what it is really for, if the sockets do not have any pin to penetrate the strange structural element.

Our sockets do not have a pin. / Photo: hotel-best.ru.
Our sockets do not have a pin. / Photo: hotel-best.ru.
Our sockets do not have a pin. / Photo: hotel-best.ru.

In our case, this hole is mostly useless, since the sockets used in the native spaces simply do not have the same pin that should be inserted. Originally, holes and pins on electrical equipment appeared in France on CEE 7/5 sockets. There they are used to this day. The mysterious pins and holes serve several important functions.

But in some countries, the sockets look like this. / Photo: m.fishki.net.
But in some countries, the sockets look like this. / Photo: m.fishki.net.

The first function is to improve the fixation of electrical equipment elements. When the plug also sits on a pin protruding from the socket, it is much more difficult to pull it out and it is almost impossible to do it accidentally. This function was invented mainly to protect children from electric shock. If you look closely at the plug, you will notice that there are two metal tabs in the hole, which should grip the emerging pin like a vise.

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Grounding is a useful thing. / Photo: tokidet.ru.
Grounding is a useful thing. / Photo: tokidet.ru.

The second important function is grounding. One might even say that in reality it is the first priority. The metal pin protruding from the socket is used for this. True, such equipment is not made in all countries in order to save money or because of uselessness. In addition, the presence of an additional male-female combination does not allow a person to confuse the polarity of the plug, which can be important for some particularly "sensitive" equipment.

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Sockets are very different. / Photo: vystroim.com.
Sockets are very different. / Photo: vystroim.com.

Continuing the topic, read about penny way to turn on a three-phase electric motor from a single-phase 220 Volt network.
Source:
https://novate.ru/blogs/031120/56621/

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