Why are power sockets different around the world?

Why are power sockets different around the world?

The reason why the world is now stuck with no less than 15 different styles of plugs and wall outlets, is because many countries preferred to develop a plug of their own, instead of adopting the US standard. Many Latin-American, African and Asian countries are still in the same situation that Brazil used to be in.

Which country has the best plug design?

The U.K. plug is designed so that the grounding prong is slightly longer than the prongs responsible for transferring current.

What is a universal outlet?

The Universal Power Outlet accepts a broad range of worldwide consumer AC plugs in one single unit, therefore removing the complexity and number of onboard power sockets required.

What country has the safest outlets?

The fuse and sturdy construction prove the British plug is very clearly the safest in the world. But it’s better than that, because the sockets also feature shutters that prevent children from inserting paperclips and getting a nasty shock.

What’s the difference between a standard and universal outlet?

The electrical connections throughout the world are just too different and are not compatible with each other to have a single socket to accommodate each one. A universal socket is, to put it simply, not safe and no electrical national or international standard approves it.

Are universal outlets safe?

“Universal outlets can be outright dangerous for a number of reasons, such as exposure of live pins, lack of required earth ground connection, voltage mismatch or lack of protection from overload or short circuit.

Can I wire a plug without earth?

Earthing. Without the earth wire, if a fault occurs and the live wire becomes loose, there is a danger that it will touch the case. The next person who uses the appliance could get electrocuted . As a result, the casing cannot give an electric shock, even if the wires inside become loose.

Do electrical plugs and voltage standards differ across countries?

If you take a scroll down the page, you will notice that most countries have a well-defined plug and voltage standard. Many Latin-American, African and Asian countries, however, use a motley collection of – often incompatible – plugs and sometimes also the voltage differs from region to region.

Why are there so many different styles of plugs and outlets?

The reason why the world is now stuck with no less than 15 different styles of plugs and wall outlets, is because many countries preferred to develop a plug of their own, instead of adopting the US standard.

What type of plug do most countries use?

Plug, socket & voltage by country. The table shows that in most countries the mains supply is between 220 and 240 volts (50 or 60 Hz); countries that operate on 100-127 volts are greatly outnumbered. The list also reveals that types A and C are the most frequently used electric plugs worldwide.

What happened to the Universal Domestic power plug?

For decades, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) tried to develop a universal domestic power plug, but time and again political and economic issues threw a spanner in the works. In 1986, the IEC finally presented the universal standard plug ( type N ) to the world, but unfortunately the initial enthusiasm had dampened.