4 ms·

Italian sockets are a fun one. The plugs come in a 10A and 16A versions which are slightly different sizes. Newer sockets will usually take both plugs, but olde

by fy20 5y ago

Italian sockets are a fun one. The plugs come in a 10A and 16A versions which are slightly different sizes. Newer sockets will usually take both plugs, but older sockets take one or the other. The size looks very similar to European Schuko sockets, and if you jam it in, then it will just about fit (without an earth). You can get adapters all over the place, which is the way you are supposed to do it, but for older sockets they don't really hold very well so often come loose. Apparently there are sockets that will take all three, Schuko, 10A and 16A but I never saw those while living there. It's not just to trick tourists though... When you buy electrical products, sometimes they come with an Italian plug, sometimes they come with a Schuko plug.

jaclaz 5y ago
Yes and no. Meaning that nowadays three ways sockets ( Schucko/10 A/16 A) are common enough, but a Schuko (or a three way one) will take two "modules" whilst both the 10 A and the 16 A are narrower and take a single "module". (typically electric boxes in the wall are either a model 503 - three modules - or a 504 - four modules, but these latter oness can only be found in more recent houses), so until the use of 504's became more common, historicallty Schuko's were rare, as it was not possible to have in the same box a bipolar switch+fuse+Schuko (while it was possible to have bipolar switch+fuse+16A) which is/was the proper setup for high power sockets and with a single socket installed, it resulted in looking asymmetrical, see: https://www.elettronew.com/blog/2017/05/11/presa-elettrica-tutte-le-caratteristiche/ https://www.elettronew.com/blog/2017/05/11/presa-elettrica-t... JFYI, recently came out a new kind of socket (not yet very common) that allows in two modules to insert either a Schuko or two 10 A (or 2x16 A or 1x10A and 1x16A): https://www.archiproducts.com/newsletter/dossier/193843 https://www.archiproducts.com/newsletter/dossier/193843 The 10A one is actually compatible with the class 2 (earthless) Europlugs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug Schuko's have larger pins, and it is not a good idea to jam them in a normal Italian 10A plug as the plastic cover of the plug might crack.
selfhoster11 5y ago
As a tourist, Italian sockets always made me furious with those sideways grounding pads/pins. Any UK->EU adapter would be pushed out by those instantly. At one point, in a fit of rage, I ripped them out of the socket of a hostel I was staying at so I could use the socket (I wouldn't ever vandalise public property like that under any circumstances). I like to think that they wouldn't be missed.

by fy20 5y ago

jaclaz 5y ago

Yes and no. Meaning that nowadays three ways sockets ( Schucko/10 A/16 A) are common enough, but a Schuko (or a three way one) will take two "modules" whilst both the 10 A and the 16 A are narrower and take a single "module". (typically electric boxes in the wall are either a model 503 - three modules - or a 504 - four modules, but these latter oness can only be found in more recent houses), so until the use of 504's became more common, historicallty Schuko's were rare, as it was not possible to have in the same box a bipolar switch+fuse+Schuko (while it was possible to have bipolar switch+fuse+16A) which is/was the proper setup for high power sockets and with a single socket installed, it resulted in looking asymmetrical, see: https://www.elettronew.com/blog/2017/05/11/presa-elettrica-tutte-le-caratteristiche/ https://www.elettronew.com/blog/2017/05/11/presa-elettrica-t... JFYI, recently came out a new kind of socket (not yet very common) that allows in two modules to insert either a Schuko or two 10 A (or 2x16 A or 1x10A and 1x16A): https://www.archiproducts.com/newsletter/dossier/193843 https://www.archiproducts.com/newsletter/dossier/193843 The 10A one is actually compatible with the class 2 (earthless) Europlugs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug Schuko's have larger pins, and it is not a good idea to jam them in a normal Italian 10A plug as the plastic cover of the plug might crack.

selfhoster11 5y ago

As a tourist, Italian sockets always made me furious with those sideways grounding pads/pins. Any UK->EU adapter would be pushed out by those instantly. At one point, in a fit of rage, I ripped them out of the socket of a hostel I was staying at so I could use the socket (I wouldn't ever vandalise public property like that under any circumstances). I like to think that they wouldn't be missed.