Why do shaver sockets accommodate round pin plugs in the 115V outlet when countries with 100V to 120V mains supplies use type A plugs with flat pins? Is there a country somewhere with a 100V to 120V mains supply that just so happens to use shavers with round pin plugs?
Look at the 115V outlet. Notice that it will accommodate a plug with round pins as well as a plug with flat pins. The 230V outlet only accommodates a plug with round pins.
Is there a country somewhere with a 100V to 120V mains supply that just so happens to use shavers with round pin plugs?
Brazil uses round pins for both voltages.
There are very few 110/120V countries. A few of them just happen to be very influential, and to imagine that everyone else must use their flat pin mains plugs
There are very few 110/120V countries. A few of them just happen to be very influential, and to imagine that everyone else must use their flat pin mains plugs
A quick search has revealed that Brazil has both 127V and 220V mains supplies and did not have a standard plug and socket until the type N was adopted as standard in 2007. A type N socket will also accommodate a type C plug with two round pins, but were any shavers ever manufactured with a type C plug that ran on 127V?
Is there a country somewhere with a 100V to 120V mains supply that just so happens to use shavers with round pin plugs?
Brazil uses round pins for both voltages.
There are very few 110/120V countries. A few of them just happen to be very influential, and to imagine that everyone else must use their flat pin mains plugs
Yes, but I think that there is pretty much a N-S divide. I recall going in search of some plugs or adaptors. I found a cross between an electrical wholesaler and an old-fashioned hardware shop. I didn't find what I wanted. I don't think that Brasil is as backward as some people think.
A lot of the two pin round plugs are of a greater diameter than the two pin round sockets found in Europe, or indeed the two pin round 5A sockets of yesteryear UK.
Which makes me believe that there is a two pin standard which is for razors and toothbrush chargers. In fact I'm not sure that I can plug our 230v Braun toothbrush charger into a Schuko socket, yet I can plug it into either the 2-pin 230v or combined round/flat pin 120v socket on the inbuilt transformer/dual-socket of our bathroom cabinet.
The UK shaver plug pins are fatter than the rest of the planet - the UK shaver BS 4573 plug has conventional straight round pins ( diameter 5.1 mm)
If you buy the same model of shaver in Germany it looks almost the same but has the universal 2 pin Europlug diameter of 4mm, and tilted towards each other and springy.
The Modern Schucko is 4.8mm, so should not take a UK shaver without a struggle.
The East German schucko, and the soviet bloc standard was 4mm, now re fitting with the modern Shucko. The idea is that as the Russians invade Europe they can plug in their shavers, but in reverse an invasion would fail due to not being able to. Well, that;s what I was told by a slightly drunk East German about 25 years ago.
Brazil officially specifies the IEC 60906-1 (CIA factbook type N) derived plug for earthed appliances as NBR 14136 in 2 variants, a 10A version for 220V with 4mm pins, and a 20A version for 110V with 4.8mm pins.
In reality there is a lot of confusion, and 2 pin stuff in both voltages it is usually Europlug dimensions. It is more complex than a North South divide, and varies very patchily at the changeover regions.
However, for the record, South Africa really is trying to move towards using an unmodified IEC 60906-1 (CIA factbook type N) design with 4.5 mm pins, rated 16A, as far as I know, they are the only country using it properly.
Andy, the issue I'd see with your linked LAP shaver socket would be the inability for aussies to plug in a standard aussie 2 pin plug due to the absence of the angled pin slots on the 230v side
