9 ms·

The Mu - Folding UK 3-pin → USB plug

36 points by moreati 14y ago

tcox 14y ago
I have one. I really like it. It works and feels reasonably sturdy. The only thing I don't like is that the earth pin sticks out when the flaps are closed :-(
moreati 14y ago
This is a 2009 concept, finally becoming a product http://www.reghardware.com/2009/06/24/folding_uk_plug/ http://www.reghardware.com/2009/06/24/folding_uk_plug/
unwind 14y ago
I couldn't find any information about whether or not this contains a fuse ... Isn't that mandatory for UK plugs? Seems quite "daring" to launch something like this for only the UK. Sure, it's a big market, but I hope they're looking at modularizing the plug part internally so they can instantiate the Mu for other markets, too.
- weavejester 14y ago
  It seems rather unlikely they'd be selling this if they didn't comply with UK regulations! I'm also not sure why you think it's daring to launch a product for, in your words, "a big market".
  - unwind 14y ago
    I just meant that while big, it's still more or less one country. But, as other commenters have pointed out, the purpose of the product is to make the clumsy UK plug more managable, so perhaps there is no market in other regions for this product. :)
- frabcus 14y ago
  Umm, it only makes sense in the UK, where we have a very large plug standard.
  - moylan 14y ago
    and ireland. and with all the companies from the usa here i suspect it'll be a popular purchase to save space in a bag. i know i want one or three.
- regularfry 14y ago
  The original idea was fused, I presume this is too.
- rmc 14y ago
  The common UK plug is large and chunky, put them on the ground and someone'll stand on them barefoot. That hurts. This is the sort of thing that people know instantly what the advantages are. Tis great.
casca 14y ago
The only good thing about the UK plug is that it's possible to push a standard 2-pin EU plug into the socket.
- archivator 14y ago
  I've had a plug disintegrate inside the socket. (the metal prongs somehow detached from the plug). So, don't do this! I'd argue that the really good thing about the UK plug is 1) the switches in the sockets and 2) that the devices are all well-grounded. The EU one is usually just 2 contacts, with an optional 3rd one for ground. That's bad, anyway I look at it.
  - mahyarm 14y ago
    I think something like a flat blade 3 pins in a row italian style plug would be the ideal. Flat and square plugs tend to stay in place compared to round plugs and the 3 pins in a row would be space compact, while still providing grounding.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      The reason for the UK triangle is that the orientation is set, so you know which of the supply wires is live and which is neutral - and if the plug is half removed the top exposed pin is ground so if anything fell down onto the socket it wouldn't touch a hot pin Extreme I know - whoever designed the UK plug was obviously paranoid.
      - mahyarm 14y ago
        That would be solved by the 'polarlized' flat pins that the USA has, making the pins covered for part of the rod and making the grounding pin longer.
  - mootothemax 14y ago
    I'd argue that the really good thing about the UK plug is 1) the switches in the sockets and 2) that the devices are all well-grounded There are quite a lot of safety features built in to UK plugs. Other ones I'm aware of are the holes being shuttered until a plug is inserted, and the internal design meaning that if you pull hard enough on the external wire, pulling it out, the internal wires will disconnect in a safe order.
fooooobar 14y ago
I love how you have to drag the shitty image 3 times to get to see the entire 'animation'.
gouranga 14y ago
To quote: "Yes – the Mu® USB Adapter has been tested by recognised certification organisations and has the full pre-requisite approvals for CE certification." What approvals and organisations? Sounds like bullshit. That's the most evasive paragraph ever in the history of time. Proper UK mains plugs are incredibly over-engineered for a good reason. Excellent mechanical stability, no arcing likely, touch-safety, earth pin, built in fuse and TBH you could beat an elephant to death with one. Add to that, the sockets don't like giving the plugs back which is a good thing! That thing is flimsy, requires manual twiddling, has zero earth pin - it's plastic (what is the USB port grounded to?), will break in two minutes flat and fry someone. I very much doubt it's been tested or approved or will be on the market for more than a few weeks. Also, a small added rant: I can see design awards galore splurged all over it. The designers are positively orgasmic over the thing, yet us engineers are crying. Take the hint.
- alexchamberlain 14y ago
  I've just checked 2 phone chargers and a tablet charger. All of them have plastic earth pins. Earth != Ground...
  - celticninja 14y ago
    you dont need to earth it when the power consumption is so low. The plastic pin is essentially to open the covers for the lower 2 pins.
    - alexchamberlain 14y ago
      Correct. I was pointing out to the parent comment that the earth pin isn't used to form the usual circuit.
- __alexs 14y ago
  Class II appliances do not require a metal earth pin, it's there so that you can't electrocute yourself by touching the case. You should also have an RCD or something on your circuits at home anyway which will cut the power very fast if anything bad happens.
antihero 14y ago
Output: DC 5V 1Amp Isn't that going to mean that a lot of devices (iPad?) charge slow? I mean, I think it's more expensive to get rated for higher amp-age but they could have gone for 3 amps, right?
raldi 14y ago
For a smartphone product, their website is remarkably mobile-hostile. Can anyone figure out a way to get their "click and drag" photo navigation to work on an iPhone?
gioele 14y ago
It is a (design-wise) shame that the UK plug design forces adapters to be so big. Europlug USB adapters are much more slicker http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/339903558/_Euro_Plug_USB_Travel_Charger.html http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/339903558/_Euro_Plug_USB_T... .
- beseku 14y ago
  I think that depends on the angle you approach the issue from. Having spent the last three years in Japan after growing up in the UK, I find the general lack of respect towards electricity as a deadly force that is encapsulated in the flimsy plug design quite startling. While the UK plug design is unwieldy in comparison, it also features a huge number of cleverly designed elements intended to provide the utmost protection to the everyday user. Put another way, no. of shocks in Japan: 3 in 3 years. No. of shocks in the UK: 0 in 27 years (16 of which were as a child).
  - lucian1900 14y ago
    Japan may be on the other side of the scale, I also find their plugs look flimsy (as an European). But the UK plug is just an artefact of the dangerous series circuits in many houses built during copper shortages. Such circuits are dangerous anyway, the remaining such houses should be fixed instead.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      There's nothing about ring mains that makes them any more dangerous. The UK pugs probably are needlessly safe - but so are aircraft and cars these days. I can't see a big campaign to remove earth pins, shuttered sockets, fuses and switches to increase the number of accidents getting much public traction!
      - lucian1900 14y ago
        But one could see a campaign to have the same plugs as the rest of Europe, perhaps. They aren't any less safe (especially Schuko ones) to use. The problems are inertia and national pride.
tomgallard 14y ago
In the UK one of the first things most people with any sort of interest in DIY or technology learn is how to 'wire a plug'. Is this a UK specific thing, or is it common in other countries as well?
- excuse-me 14y ago
  In the US it's almost impossible to get a re-wireable plug except for industrial extension leads. Most Americans have no idea which pin is 'live'
  - klodolph 14y ago
    There's no need for Americans to know which pin is live. (The correct answer is "both", by the way.) Americans who do DIY electronics / electrical systems all know that black is hot and white is neutral, bare or green is ground. Plugs come with cables, so there is no need to know which pin is which, and I'm not sure what the benefit of rewiring a plug is except in the very rare case that the plug is damaged. For the record, the bigger prong is neutral, which is exactly what you'd expect.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      True, and all new products in the UK have to have pre-wired sealed plugs now. Although you can still buy replacements plugs - I don't know hoe much longer for. It's just part of the lost art of being able to fix things, now you throw away the Walmart appliance rather than replace a plug. Soon you wont be able to fix your car and will have to scrap it when the dealer decides that support has expired.
oliwarner 14y ago
Regardless of the pros and cons with this and UK plugs in general, £25 for one 1A USB socket is £20 too much. And that's allowing £4 for the gimmick-factor. It's not even that much smaller than the newer micro-USB chargers that Nokia and Samsung have.
rlpb 14y ago
I wonder if this device supports the USB charging port standard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#Power http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#Power). Are D- and D+ shorted? Their FAQ doesn't seem to say.

36 points by moreati 14y ago

tcox 14y ago

I have one. I really like it. It works and feels reasonably sturdy. The only thing I don't like is that the earth pin sticks out when the flaps are closed :-(

moreati 14y ago

This is a 2009 concept, finally becoming a product http://www.reghardware.com/2009/06/24/folding_uk_plug/ http://www.reghardware.com/2009/06/24/folding_uk_plug/

unwind 14y ago

I couldn't find any information about whether or not this contains a fuse ... Isn't that mandatory for UK plugs? Seems quite "daring" to launch something like this for only the UK. Sure, it's a big market, but I hope they're looking at modularizing the plug part internally so they can instantiate the Mu for other markets, too.

weavejester 14y ago
It seems rather unlikely they'd be selling this if they didn't comply with UK regulations! I'm also not sure why you think it's daring to launch a product for, in your words, "a big market".
- unwind 14y ago
  I just meant that while big, it's still more or less one country. But, as other commenters have pointed out, the purpose of the product is to make the clumsy UK plug more managable, so perhaps there is no market in other regions for this product. :)
frabcus 14y ago
Umm, it only makes sense in the UK, where we have a very large plug standard.
- moylan 14y ago
  and ireland. and with all the companies from the usa here i suspect it'll be a popular purchase to save space in a bag. i know i want one or three.
regularfry 14y ago
The original idea was fused, I presume this is too.
rmc 14y ago
The common UK plug is large and chunky, put them on the ground and someone'll stand on them barefoot. That hurts. This is the sort of thing that people know instantly what the advantages are. Tis great.

casca 14y ago

The only good thing about the UK plug is that it's possible to push a standard 2-pin EU plug into the socket.

archivator 14y ago
I've had a plug disintegrate inside the socket. (the metal prongs somehow detached from the plug). So, don't do this! I'd argue that the really good thing about the UK plug is 1) the switches in the sockets and 2) that the devices are all well-grounded. The EU one is usually just 2 contacts, with an optional 3rd one for ground. That's bad, anyway I look at it.
- mahyarm 14y ago
  I think something like a flat blade 3 pins in a row italian style plug would be the ideal. Flat and square plugs tend to stay in place compared to round plugs and the 3 pins in a row would be space compact, while still providing grounding.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    The reason for the UK triangle is that the orientation is set, so you know which of the supply wires is live and which is neutral - and if the plug is half removed the top exposed pin is ground so if anything fell down onto the socket it wouldn't touch a hot pin Extreme I know - whoever designed the UK plug was obviously paranoid.
    - mahyarm 14y ago
      That would be solved by the 'polarlized' flat pins that the USA has, making the pins covered for part of the rod and making the grounding pin longer.
- mootothemax 14y ago
  I'd argue that the really good thing about the UK plug is 1) the switches in the sockets and 2) that the devices are all well-grounded There are quite a lot of safety features built in to UK plugs. Other ones I'm aware of are the holes being shuttered until a plug is inserted, and the internal design meaning that if you pull hard enough on the external wire, pulling it out, the internal wires will disconnect in a safe order.

fooooobar 14y ago

I love how you have to drag the shitty image 3 times to get to see the entire 'animation'.

gouranga 14y ago

To quote: "Yes – the Mu® USB Adapter has been tested by recognised certification organisations and has the full pre-requisite approvals for CE certification." What approvals and organisations? Sounds like bullshit. That's the most evasive paragraph ever in the history of time. Proper UK mains plugs are incredibly over-engineered for a good reason. Excellent mechanical stability, no arcing likely, touch-safety, earth pin, built in fuse and TBH you could beat an elephant to death with one. Add to that, the sockets don't like giving the plugs back which is a good thing! That thing is flimsy, requires manual twiddling, has zero earth pin - it's plastic (what is the USB port grounded to?), will break in two minutes flat and fry someone. I very much doubt it's been tested or approved or will be on the market for more than a few weeks. Also, a small added rant: I can see design awards galore splurged all over it. The designers are positively orgasmic over the thing, yet us engineers are crying. Take the hint.

alexchamberlain 14y ago
I've just checked 2 phone chargers and a tablet charger. All of them have plastic earth pins. Earth != Ground...
- celticninja 14y ago
  you dont need to earth it when the power consumption is so low. The plastic pin is essentially to open the covers for the lower 2 pins.
  - alexchamberlain 14y ago
    Correct. I was pointing out to the parent comment that the earth pin isn't used to form the usual circuit.
__alexs 14y ago
Class II appliances do not require a metal earth pin, it's there so that you can't electrocute yourself by touching the case. You should also have an RCD or something on your circuits at home anyway which will cut the power very fast if anything bad happens.

antihero 14y ago

Output: DC 5V 1Amp Isn't that going to mean that a lot of devices (iPad?) charge slow? I mean, I think it's more expensive to get rated for higher amp-age but they could have gone for 3 amps, right?

raldi 14y ago

For a smartphone product, their website is remarkably mobile-hostile. Can anyone figure out a way to get their "click and drag" photo navigation to work on an iPhone?

gioele 14y ago

It is a (design-wise) shame that the UK plug design forces adapters to be so big. Europlug USB adapters are much more slicker http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/339903558/_Euro_Plug_USB_Travel_Charger.html http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/339903558/_Euro_Plug_USB_T... .

beseku 14y ago
I think that depends on the angle you approach the issue from. Having spent the last three years in Japan after growing up in the UK, I find the general lack of respect towards electricity as a deadly force that is encapsulated in the flimsy plug design quite startling. While the UK plug design is unwieldy in comparison, it also features a huge number of cleverly designed elements intended to provide the utmost protection to the everyday user. Put another way, no. of shocks in Japan: 3 in 3 years. No. of shocks in the UK: 0 in 27 years (16 of which were as a child).
- lucian1900 14y ago
  Japan may be on the other side of the scale, I also find their plugs look flimsy (as an European). But the UK plug is just an artefact of the dangerous series circuits in many houses built during copper shortages. Such circuits are dangerous anyway, the remaining such houses should be fixed instead.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    There's nothing about ring mains that makes them any more dangerous. The UK pugs probably are needlessly safe - but so are aircraft and cars these days. I can't see a big campaign to remove earth pins, shuttered sockets, fuses and switches to increase the number of accidents getting much public traction!
    - lucian1900 14y ago
      But one could see a campaign to have the same plugs as the rest of Europe, perhaps. They aren't any less safe (especially Schuko ones) to use. The problems are inertia and national pride.

tomgallard 14y ago

In the UK one of the first things most people with any sort of interest in DIY or technology learn is how to 'wire a plug'. Is this a UK specific thing, or is it common in other countries as well?

excuse-me 14y ago
In the US it's almost impossible to get a re-wireable plug except for industrial extension leads. Most Americans have no idea which pin is 'live'
- klodolph 14y ago
  There's no need for Americans to know which pin is live. (The correct answer is "both", by the way.) Americans who do DIY electronics / electrical systems all know that black is hot and white is neutral, bare or green is ground. Plugs come with cables, so there is no need to know which pin is which, and I'm not sure what the benefit of rewiring a plug is except in the very rare case that the plug is damaged. For the record, the bigger prong is neutral, which is exactly what you'd expect.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    True, and all new products in the UK have to have pre-wired sealed plugs now. Although you can still buy replacements plugs - I don't know hoe much longer for. It's just part of the lost art of being able to fix things, now you throw away the Walmart appliance rather than replace a plug. Soon you wont be able to fix your car and will have to scrap it when the dealer decides that support has expired.

oliwarner 14y ago

Regardless of the pros and cons with this and UK plugs in general, £25 for one 1A USB socket is £20 too much. And that's allowing £4 for the gimmick-factor. It's not even that much smaller than the newer micro-USB chargers that Nokia and Samsung have.

rlpb 14y ago

I wonder if this device supports the USB charging port standard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#Power http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#Power). Are D- and D+ shorted? Their FAQ doesn't seem to say.