power strip
A multiple socket , plug strip , multiple plug or socket strip provides a connection to the power grid for several electrical devices with standardized plug connections.
To do this, it is connected to a socket and, due to the internal parallel connection , all slots are supplied with power. It thus acts as a distributor in contrast to the pure extension cable, which usually only offers a single connection.
term
In Germany, the multiple socket is technically referred to as a "multiple socket strip". In Switzerland, based on SEV 1011: 2009 / A1: 2012 , which is based on IEC 60884-2-5 , a distinction is made between a wired "socket strip" and a wireless "branch plug".
safety
It is functionally possible to couple multiple multiple socket outlets (MSL) and thus supply a large number of electrical devices with power. However, caution is advised here, as MSL cannot be loaded indefinitely and this has negative effects on the safety of the system.
The use of portable MSL and extension cables as a substitute for an inadequate fixed electrical installation is prohibited in some countries. In Germany, improper use in the sense of DIN VDE 0100 Part 420 Paragraph 4.1 poses a fire hazard in electrical systems. Fixed laying using socket strips is prohibited in Switzerland.
Improper use is also present if too many powerful consumers are connected to the multiple socket lead or a total of more than 3600 watts / 16 amps to a permanently installed mains socket. Another decisive criterion is the total loop impedance for the relevant circuit, which can increase significantly due to contact resistance at additional plug connections. As a result, the short-circuit protection provided by the upstream fuse may no longer be guaranteed, or the short switch-off time of 0.4 s for the TN system required in VDE 0100-410: 2007-06 in Germany cannot be observed. In addition, the consumed power (measured in watts ) must be adapted to the load capacity of the MSL and the circuit.
In Switzerland, the coupling of branch plugs in series is prohibited by the SEV 1011: 2009 / A1: 2012 standard from 2016 and a maximum of four sockets may be installed.
In Germany this is not permitted - only indirectly, derived - namely by the standard DIN VDE 0620-2-1: 2016-01 , which requires the manufacturer to put up warning notices . Accordingly, a device may only be used as intended by the manufacturer. This standard is a test standard for the manufacturers of MSL for domestic use. It is controversial to what extent chaining should therefore be prohibited across the board for all MSL.
There are different types of MSL. Very few are suitable for use in wet rooms or outdoors. If water gets into the multiple socket, it could cause an electric shock and put the person handling the MSL at risk.
MSLs with built-in device fuses are also available, which prevents overloading. Chaining may be permitted for MSL for commercial use (suitable for industrial use) as well as for workstation systems with MSL that are mounted along work tables or in cable ducts .
Inferior products sometimes have inadequate or unconnected protective conductor contacts (PE) or conductor cross-sections that are too small for the connection cable. Certification seals such as GS or TÜV seals are sometimes forged during imports. According to VDE decision paper EK1 393_08 and EK1 370-08, since February 23, 2009 socket strips with a wire cross-section <1.5 mm² are no longer allowed to be awarded the VDE GS (seal of quality). The previously available 1.0 mm² cables regularly exceeded the permissible limit temperatures according to DIN-VDE-0298-300 tables 4A and 4B during tests. The SEV 1011: 2009 / A1: 2012 defines minimum cross sections for power strips and requires overcurrent protection. Others may only be manufactured in Switzerland until December 31, 2015 and sold until December 31, 2018.
Many multiple sockets have built-in child safety locks . Socket strips with shapes and objective motifs that encourage children to play should not receive the VDE GS (seal of approval).
properties
MSL can have the following properties and functions:
- Different number and design of the connections. Schuko sockets, for example, are offered in a version with six instead of just two holes, so that instead of a single Schuko plug, up to two Euro plugs can be inserted.
- Multiple plugs that are plugged directly into a permanently installed socket are referred to as adapter plugs or intermediate plugs according to the VDE and as branch plugs in Switzerland (branch plugs may have a maximum of four connections from 2016).
- Multiple plug with connection cables are in Switzerland as a power strip called
- Built-in overvoltage protection or overcurrent protection
- Built-in switch to turn the power on or off at individual or all slots
- Control of all connected devices via a main device ( master-slave socket )
- Sockets rotated by 45 ° (Schuko) or 90 ° (Schuko and SEV 1011) in order to arrange several angled plugs without mutual hindrance
- Socket strips are also offered with built-in residual current circuit breakers or with overvoltage protection .
Socket strips for use with EDP systems often have sockets rotated by 45 ° (Schuko) or 90 ° (SEV 1011), surge protection, master-slave function and an additional switch. Special versions for use in data centers to supply servers and the like can have additional functions such as remote control via IP networks and recording of consumption per outlet and are referred to as Power Distribution Units (PDUs).
Until the 1990s, MSL for Schuko plugs were mainly offered with sockets whose plug connections were arranged across the bar and where space problems arose with angle plugs and plug-in power supplies . Versions with cans rotated by 90 ° were more expensive because they are more complex to manufacture. It was only later that cans turned by 45 ° were offered, which were widely used within a short period of time.
Branch plugs plugged directly into a permanently installed socket outlet can mechanically overload the wall socket if handled roughly or when the device connection cables are pulled. Branches with several Schuko connections are therefore no longer available in Germany. In other European countries (e.g. in Spain), however, these can still be purchased, including with a TÜV seal.
save energy
Multiple sockets with switches help to save energy by disconnecting all connected devices from the power grid through the switch and eliminating energy consumption through standby mode . In contrast to this, a master-slave socket is itself a standby device in which a constant low current flows.
Quadruple and triple branch plugs for Euro plugs, on the back they have a contour plug for plugging into a wall socket
Multiple sockets that can be used with either one Schuko or two Euro plugs
1U 19 "rack switch gate with eight C13 sockets and eight switches
Narrow C13 / C14 -Y cable (left: adapter to Schuko socket)
See also
literature
- Benjamin Tolke: The CE marking of a multiple socket, student thesis . 1st edition. GRIN Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-638-51428-6 , pp. 31 .
- General safety criteria for adapters, guidelines for manufacturers, distributors and market surveillance from the office of the working committee for market surveillance at the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment, Health and Consumer Protection, December 2007
Norms
- IEC 60364-4-42: 2010 VDE 0100-420: 2013-02 Installation of low-voltage electrical systems, Part 4-42: Protective measures - Protection against thermal effects
- DIN VDE 0620-1: 2013-03 Plugs and sockets for household use and similar applications - Part 1: General requirements for fixed sockets
Web links
- ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: explanation of around 30 types of socket strips )
Footnotes
- ↑ Holger Bluhm: Inadmissible use of portable multiple socket strips. (PDF) Retrieved April 25, 2012 .
- ↑ Exchange of experiences within the framework of the GPSG, request to EK 1 - AD05. (PDF) (No longer available online.) VDE, archived from the original on November 17, 2015 ; Retrieved April 25, 2012 . 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.
- ↑ Exchange of experiences within the framework of the GPSG EK 1 - request to EK 1, GS mark award procedure for the entire socket strip product. (PDF; 36 kB) VDE, accessed on April 26, 2012 .
- ↑ General safety criteria for adapters; Guide for manufacturers, distributors and market surveillance
