socket

Schuko socket (flush-mounted)

Telephone socket, type TAE

Regional distribution of socket types

Lamp socket

Perilex plug and socket for powering an oven or cooker

A socket serves as an electrical connector between lines. It is either permanently installed on a wall ( surface- mounted) or recessed (flush-mounted), or is part of a mobile line coupling, such as table or multiple sockets , or extensions that are intended for mobile use.

A socket is mostly used for the power supply, colloquially exclusively for this application. But phone - and data transmission doses are outlets. Devices are usually supplied with single-phase from 100 to 230 volts or three-phase alternating current (three-phase current) via sockets ; but there are also standardized sockets for direct current . There are also socket systems for supplying higher voltages and currents, such as CHAdeMO for powerful direct current charging of electric cars or plug systems for supplying bucket wheel excavators with up to 20 kV. The connectors are usually standardized, but not always international for historical reasons.

Household socket

Household sockets supply a household with a voltage that is between 100 V and 240 V, depending on the state or energy supplier. The maximum permissible current varies according to the national standard, type of routing or socket type; 10 A to 20 A are common for new installations in most countries. What they have in common is that the fuse usually interrupts the power supply in the event of overcurrent .

A socket used for the power connection in the household is connected (mostly via junction boxes ) to a distributor of the building installation and usually leads one of three outer conductors , the neutral conductor and the protective conductor (see also: single-phase alternating current and three-phase alternating current ).

The live sockets are often also called sockets or couplings if the design is "female" (the socket has contact openings pointing inwards, like a socket). This ensures elementary contact protection.

Plugs are mounted on the device side ; their design is "male" (the contact pins point outwards).

In colloquial terms, the terms socket / coupling and plug should not be mixed up, even if a flexible coupling is often plugged into the plug that is permanently installed in the device as a connection cable.

Before the development of the socket, the first electrical household appliances were screwed into incandescent lamp sockets. Around 1920 there were also lamp plugs, so-called " electricity thieves ". These were intermediate pieces that were screwed between the light bulb and the socket and into which electrical devices could usually be plugged in on both sides.

Smart sockets

For certain applications, intelligent sockets have been developed that automatically disconnect devices from the mains in standby mode in order to avoid unnecessary power consumption.

Other sockets can be remotely controlled in wireless networks, for example via WLAN or DECT . These sockets can then be remotely controlled with application software (app) from a smartphone or tablet PC in the local network or via the Internet .

Designs

So-called flush-mounted sockets are used in installation boxes previously embedded in the masonry . The socket insert is either clamped into the socket with side claws or the base plate of the insert is screwed into the blind holes provided in the plastic socket. The socket cover is then attached to the socket insert with one or two threaded metal screws. Typically, M3 threaded screws approximately 15 mm (10–20 mm) in length are used. Some manufacturers, such as Gira , use screws with an M2.5 thread and a length of (14-) 16 mm.

Web links

Commons : outlet - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: socket - explanations of meanings, origin of words, synonyms, translations

Quick overview of socket types worldwide
WorldStandards.eu - List with information on electrical connections worldwide
filmtechnik-online.de - Mains voltages and plug standards of different countries

Individual evidence

↑ Standard DIN VDE 0620-1 (VDE 0620-1): Plugs and sockets for household use and similar applications - Part 1: General requirements for stationary sockets . The standard also names the cases in which elementary contact protection is not sufficient, and the requirements for increased contact protection are specified. In a number of European countries, increased contact protection according to degree of protection IP XXD is required for household plugs and sockets.

↑ Designation according to the Electrosuisse Technology Museum , cf. Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ Screw socket with socket, around 1920. In: Haustechnik. Technical Museum Vienna. At TechnischesMuseum.at, accessed on October 15, 2019.
↑ ^a ^b Intelligent sockets - making coffee using your smartphone. Stiftung Warentest, April 7, 2014. On Test.de, accessed on November 24, 2019.
↑ z. B. Merten Basis M1 / studio series

[1] Standard DIN VDE 0620-1 (VDE 0620-1): Plugs and sockets for household use and similar applications - Part 1: General requirements for stationary sockets . The standard also names the cases in which elementary contact protection is not sufficient, and the requirements for increased contact protection are specified. In a number of European countries, increased contact protection according to degree of protection IP XXD is required for household plugs and sockets.