February 28th, 2006
Finally: A Better Electrical Wall Outlet
By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
Rant of the Week: At this very moment I am unable to install my new Slingbox via powerline Ethernet because I don’t have a bare wall outlet that is a) not too far away from my router and b) not already taken by plugs that lead to surge supressors. The one plug I did find just won’t accommodate the shape of powerline adapter, so I am screwed, unless I go out and buy a huge spool of ethernet cable. The same thing happens when I want to charge my phone, laptop, and Blackberry the night before a trip- the chargers fight for space on the wall outlets in my kitchen and I end up having to unplug the toaster, or scatter them throughout the house. Today there’s a little progress to report in the socket side of electricity - a wall outlet where the plug positions can rotate to accomodate today’s larger plugs.
One of the legacy items in every home that just never seems to get updated is the electrical wall outlet or power socket or whatever you call it. Designed in the dark ages before low voltage transformers and other humungous devices became commonplace, we’ve seen an elegant solution for a powerboard in the Powersquid but we haven’t seen an elegant solution to overcome this problem for the wall outlet until this revolutionary re-take by 360 Electrical. The concept is simple – the new wall outlets have receptacles that rotate a full 360 degrees in both directions. The receptacles click and hold in 18 different positions, enabling you to find a way to plug in those big fat problem plugs without eclipsing the next outlet. Source: Gizmag
We Say: Sounds great, but most people are too lazy to do this themselves. Here’s hoping new homes get smarter, or if I could have my dream come true: a huge row of outlets along the baseboard in every room standard.
David Johnston says:
That’s pretty cool. My current surge protector has a plug that can swivel around, making it easy to use the other socket for other things. It’s very nice technology.
February 28th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Ron Ingram says:
Research this out, you will find that this has been around awhile.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:24 am
Mikey says:
I did the Powersquid thing years ago with a hardware store supplied box of standard female 110V sockets (with ground) and a hospital-grade male plug. Inline sliced and spliced them up and then decided it was too bulky. I then had one of those moments that make us all go “DUH”, and came up with the idea of a 12 inch 3 wire extension cord. It has the same end connectors (1 male plug and one four-way female end) and it’s rated the same as a normal extension cord (15A)
Solution: One six position outlet power strip with six of these short extension cords. You do the math, thats right, there are now -24- outlets tied to that one wall outlet. It occupies a place of honor on my workbench: right where I can get at it easily.
Aint Yankee engineering great?
March 1st, 2006 at 6:41 am
Alice says:
Mikey - wish you coudl fix my outlet mess. I think my house it going to blow up.
March 1st, 2006 at 9:05 am
ed3 says:
Be nice if ethernet-over-power adapters had pass-through outlets.
It would also be nice if more “wall warts” simply added 2 or 3 feet of cord rather than hang directly off the outlet. That said, nothing to stop one from using a short ordinary everyday extension cord to accomplish the same effect.
March 1st, 2006 at 11:51 am
Mikey says:
Alice, you think you got it bad…my house is pre-code. That means dang near all the electrical work is now considered non-standard. One very noticable thing, all the outlets are installed -UPSIDE DOWN-.
May not seem like a biggy, but think about it. Anything that plugs into the wall outlet -has- to be plugged in upside down. Not really a problem, but most wall chargers are keyed so they only fit one way.
turning them upside down means they are top-heavy and usually will fall completely off the wall (if there’s any vibration at all like a slamming door or cabinet closing). Those little air freshener plug-ins do not work well upside down.
And theres one more little thing: My home’s so old (pre-1964) I’ve still got screw in fuses! (If it aint broke….don’t fix it)
Modern circuit breakers? We don’t need no stinkin circuit breakers…
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not unsafe, just not current code compliant.
Good thing the reactor in the basement came with it’s own power distibution panel…made my world-wide domination plans just a little simpler.
March 1st, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Alice says:
My house is circa 1890 but it was updated to at least have modern wiring and fuses - wow - you really have a challenge with the upside down outlets. I feel for you!
March 1st, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Alice says:
Posted for a user:
Give this a try…
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?s=SD&T1=121+2570
I now carry one with me for my laptop!
Richard
March 1st, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Mikey says:
then there is this bit of household humor:
http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/shocking-knife-set-157669.php
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:34 am
Mikey says:
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:35 am