Talk:Schuko

How does an earth prevent hot contact

This (in the article and a caption by an image):

and establishes protective-earth connection through the earth clips (2) before the line and neutral pins (3) establish contact, thereby preventing users from touching connected pin

doesn't make any sense. How does an earth connection prevent a user from touching a connected pin? Ariel. (talk) 05:09, 8 September 2022 (UTC)

The first clause in the sentence, i.e. the socket covering/blocking access to the well, is what prevents users from touching live pins. I've edited the section to hopefully make it a little less confusing. CHLKS (talk) 16:32, 7 July 2023 (UTC)

Countries that switched to Schuko

Can you give us a list of countries that converted to using the Schuko system of plugs and sockets, and why they did that? For example, what of Italy? Or what about Denmark, the country that is planning to allow the installation of French style Schuko socket (with the pin sticking out the socket groove?) Yes, do mention country where Schuko's now used but not until recently. Thanks.

Since mid 2008 Schuko contacts (Belgium/France design) are allowed in Denmark. I assume this is due to the ever growing international (and/or online) market of cunsumer devices equipped with Schuko plugs. Also, I read somewhere that the entire former Soviet Union is switching to Schuko contacts (German design) due to safety (more amps and earthing). Rick2910 (talk) 21:19, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

What about Italy ? It would be easy to design a wall socket (Schuko with third centre earthing pin) to accept either type of plug although Italian consumers might prefer to retain their (more compact) own plugs. 86.112.93.230 (talk) 12:56, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

I live in Italy, so this is a first-hand report. The Schuko system is part of the official Italian standard. Sockets capable of handling both Italian and Schuko plugs are now quite common; they exist in two versions: with an additional grounding hole for Italian 10A plugs, and a variation with 8-shaped live and neutral holes to also accept Italian 16A plugs. Adapters are also very common, since many appliances come fitted with Schuko plugs. I confirm that Italians generally prefer the national system because of its compactness: a Schuko socket takes twice the space than an Italian one, and may be hard to fit in the small wall boxes found in older homes. In the German-speaking South Tyrol (Italy's northernmost province) the "pure" Schuko standard is prevalent because of cultural and economic ties with Austria; however those sockets, as every socket installed in Italy, must be equipped with safety shutters on live and neutral holes to prevent people (especially young children) from inserting objects into them. E.caberlotto (talk) 10:11, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

The Italian design wins on compactness but by having the earth pin exactly in the middle the designers missed an opportunity to address the polarisation issue and having separate 10 and 16 amp versions confuses the issue further. 2.123.240.251 (talk) 19:09, 17 January 2016 (UTC)

Republic of Ireland

The article mentions that in parts of the country "Schuko was commonly installed until the 1960's". But did it cease being an official standard and if so when ? Ive seen them mentioned in an ESB leaflet during the 1980's (where they were termed "side-earth") but they were an extremely rare sight by then. Much more common in Ireland are Swiss SEV type fuseboxes (rather the UK style cartridge fuses) but since the mid-1980's there has been a trend away from these in favour of tripswitch based consumer units 2.123.240.251 (talk) 14:59, 17 January 2016 (UTC).

220 vs 127 volt - NOT center tapped

The relationship between 220 and 127 volts is that the 220 volts is the phase to phase, or delta voltage, while 127 is phase to neutral / near earth potential. Norway often still uses a system where the 2 pins on these plugs are both phases, not line and neutral. JulianL JulianL (talk) 13:36, 4 January 2022 (UTC)

As an electrical and electronics engineer here is the explanation, it is not obvious.

If 2 phase plus neutral is supplied, as is common in the USA, the voltage between the live conductors is 220 volts and the voltage to earth/neutral is half the voltage between the live conductors, i.e. 110 volts. Because of the very low live voltage, to minimise excessive loss / voltage drop, short wires at the final voltage are required between the domestic premises and step down transformer.

If the supply is 2 conductors of a 3 phase supply, this voltage is called the 3 phase line voltage (LV). The voltage between a 3 phase conductor and earth/neutral is called the phase voltage (PV). In 3 phase the line voltage = phase voltage x square root of 3, i.e. LV = 1.73 x PV or PV = LV/1.73. So if it were part of 3 phase and LV = 220 volts then PV = 220/1.73 = 127V.

This seems a very strange distribution method as phase imbalances could be common. Also the very low phase voltage would require short lines from the transformer to the premises.

In modern Germany and from at least the 1930s in my experience of living in houses from that time with some original wiring, 3 phase and neutral at nominal 230V phase voltage/400V line voltage is supplied domestically. Schuko mains sockets are wired with one of the 3 phase Live conductors and Neutral. It was common practice in Germany to use the neutral as the earth. Metal conduits in the domestic premises would contain the live conductors and the neutral would be conducted by the conduit. At the mains outlets, one of the live outlet contacts and the earth would be connected together to the neutral wire. Many old premises still have such wiring, but it has not been common for decades. Lkingscott (talk) 09:43, 20 December 2022 (UTC)

CEE 7/6 "French" variant.

The article in several places refers to "French" plugs and sockets but according to the museum of plugs and sockets website this variant originated in Belgium. If this is indeed the case the article should stop referring to them as French ? 84.247.43.249 (talk) 10:26, 26 January 2024 (UTC)