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The screws and outlet boxes were either connected to the neutral, or connected to nothing. Only in some jurisdictions where 2-wire non-metallic cable was restricted and armored cable was required (and still in good condition), do cheater plugs work safely as intended.
In older plug designs both blades were the same width, so the plug could be inserted into the receptacle either way around. Many plugs manufactured since 1948 are polarized ; the neutral blade is 5 ⁄ 16 in or 7.9 mm wide, 1 ⁄ 16 in or 1.6 mm wider than the line blade, so the plug can be inserted only one way.
Most electrical connectors have a gender – i.e. the male component, called a plug, connects to the female component, or socket. Thousands of configurations of connectors are manufactured for power, data, and audiovisual applications. [3] Electrical connectors can be divided into four basic categories, differentiated by their function: [4]
The term plug is in general and technical use in all forms of English, common alternatives being power plug, [1] electric plug, [2] and (in the UK) plug top. [3] The normal technical term (in both British and International English) for an AC power socket is socket-outlet , [ 4 ] but in non-technical common use a number of other terms are used.
"Switched socket-outlets and connectors with or without interlock" applies to self-contained products that combine within a single enclosure, a socket-outlet or connector according to IEC 60309-1 or IEC 60309-2 and a switching device, with a rated operating voltage not exceeding 1000 VDC or VAC and 500 Hz, and a rated current not exceeding 800 A.
Schuko sockets can accept two-pin unearthed Europlug (CEE 7/16) and CEE 7/17. Less safely, Schuko plugs can be inserted into many two-pin unearthed CEE 7/1 sockets and into some sockets with a different form of earth connection that will not mate with the earth contacts on the Schuko plug (e.g., some variants of the Danish socket).
A plug is the connector attached to an electrically-operated device, often via a cable. A socket (also known as a receptacle or outlet) is fixed in place, often on the internal walls of buildings, and is connected to an AC electrical circuit. Inserting ("plugging in") the plug into the socket allows the device to draw power from this circuit.
When a generic power outlet was desired, the wiring could run directly into the junction box through a tube of protective loom and a ceramic bushing. Wiring devices such as light switches, receptacle outlets, and lamp sockets were either surface-mounted, suspended, or flush-mounted within walls and ceilings.