good quality 5 amp 2 pin plug

[nandac]

can somebody suggest a good quality 5 amp 2 pin plug ?

i got one by cona and its quality is so bad. their 3 pin plug is good but 2 pin is pretty much shite.

this plug btw is for the power cord of an amp.

appreciate any suggestions.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Put a 3-pin plug on it.

I don't know if it is difference between Indian and European standards, but few of the 2-pin plugs here seem to fit the two pin sockets. It's worse than the thing with British plugs I mentioned in another thread.

A 3-pin plug will give you a snug fit in a 3-pin socket that is designed for it. You'll be much better off.

 

[nandac]

Put a 3-pin plug on it.

I don't know if it is difference between Indian and European standards, but few of the 2-pin plugs here seem to fit the two pin sockets. It's worse than the thing with British plugs I mentioned in another thread.

A 3-pin plug will give you a snug fit in a 3-pin socket that is designed for it. You'll be much better off.

but the power cord has only two wires. it was originally connected to a uk 3 pin plug with the top pin being a dummy. i had some issues with that with some kind of continuous thud noise coming from the speakers with that plug. so that's why i am wary of using a 3 pin here.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

No problem at all. If the device is not designed to be earthed, just connect the two wires, like it was in the UK plug. That unconnected earth prong can't do anything.

The UK wiring colour codes are

blue: neutral
brown: live
(earth would be green and yellow)

The other advantage of a three-pin is polarity will always be the same. The mains switch on your amp, for instance, will probably break the live wire. If your two-pin is the "wrong" way around, the amp switch will still seem to work, but the circuitry in the amp will be live when it should not be. I really would advise against two-pin plugs for anything except maybe light bulbs and shavers --- and even then, they could make changing a light bulb dangerous.

If you wiring was correct and neat, nothing shorting, and nothing touching that earth pin, the plug could not have been responsible for your thudding. Did you try a different socket? Were you able to try with the original UK plug before removing it?

 

[nandac]

>The other advantage of a three-pin is polarity will always be the same.

and this is true even if the wires were originally intended for a two pin? (ie the top pin is a dummy).

>If you wiring was correct and neat, nothing shorting, and nothing touching that earth >pin, the plug could not have been responsible for your thudding. Did you try a different >socket? Were you able to try with the original UK plug before removing it?

no, i didn't try the uk plug on a different socket. but i have used other amps on the same socket without any issue - but all of them use non-uk plugs.

 

[venkatcr]

Nandac, the Polarity for a two pin and three pin are the same - and Thad has explained this already.

Two pin plugs are not available in the market. Even if you can lay your hands on some, they will be of very low quality. I have replaced all the two pin plugs with 3 pin ones from MK, using the methodology explained by Thad. That is the only way to go.

Cheers

 

[nandac]

Nandac, the Polarity for a two pin and three pin are the same - and Thad has explained this already.

Two pin plugs are not available in the market. Even if you can lay your hands on some, they will be of very low quality. I have replaced all the two pin plugs with 3 pin ones from MK, using the methodology explained by Thad. That is the only way to go.

Cheers

where did you get the mk plug from?

appreciate the feedback.

 

[santhosh]

What brand of sockets/switches have you used in your AV Room. Would be good if you get the same brand so they will have a tight fit.

where did you get the mk plug from?

appreciate the feedback.

BVK Iyengar Road has several shops dealing in MK. Crabtree also makes good quality plugs, available in the same area.



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[nandac]

>BVK Iyengar Road has several shops dealing in MK. Crabtree also makes good quality >plugs, available in the same area.

where exactly is bvk iyengar rd? i just recently found sp road. i am not originally from bangalore and so have only limited knowledge of the city. appreciate the information.

 

[nandac]

venkatcr, btw did you use 15 amp or 5 amp plugs?

and what's the power consumption of your amp(s)?

appreciate the feedback.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Any decent plug will do, but perhaps the tolerances might be better on a higher-premum brand. I'd be content to use Anchor. MK is an international brand, but I have my doubts (due to experiences as per my comments on your other thread) that the quality of the stuff they make/sell in India is as good as elsewhere. Just ask in your local electrical shops: the better ones will stock MK.

Polarity and the three-pin plug: the "dummy" earth pin ensures that the left pin always goes to the left hole, and the right pin to the right hole. With a 2-pin socket, the polarity is unknown.

One other thing you can, maybe should, check is the polarity of the socket. It is far from unknown for them to be wired wrong. However, if you are unused to this work, please get an electrician to do it for you. This is for the safety of your equipment, but most important is the safety of you!

Do not put off listening to your amplifier just because you can't find an ideal brand of plug. Any plug will get you going. If you have major problems like you mentioned before, this is not plug-induced: you should look elsewhere for the cause.

PS... I'd prefer 15-amp, but there are other issues. You should not change a 6-amp socket to a 15-amp socket if the cabling is not heavy enough to carry that load. Basic safety issue.

PPS... I am not an electrician --- I just picked up the practical basics along the way.

 

[santhosh]

Nanda,
If you have an accessible 15 Amp point near your equipment, you should definitely make use of it as it us better for audio. Make a distribution box (similar to a junction box) and connect all your equipment to the distribution box.

Things to watch out for:
Ensure that point has not already been tapped for running an A/C or Geyser.
15 Amp points are usually not connected to the UPS. If this is a requirement for you, this can be worked out too by your electrician.


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[nandac]

>If you have an accessible 15 Amp point near your equipment, you should >definitely make use of it as it us better for audio. Make a distribution box
>(similar to a junction box) and connect all your equipment to the distribution >box.

but if the amp's power consumption is only 200 watts and apparently even a 5 amp socket/plug is capable of handling 1000 watts plus, why should a 15 amp plug be used?

i am not disputing your advice. but just trying to clarify your practical experience. i am aware that in india electrical dynamics are pretty ambiguous and what is on paper needn't necessarily be what is actual.

btw yes the socket is a 15 amp one and there is no other appliance using it.

and in my opinion when the amp had the original 13 amp uk plug, it seemed to have better dynamics than now with the 2 pin 5 amp plug.

 

[nandac]

>PS... I'd prefer 15-amp, but there are other issues. You should not change a 6-amp >socket to a 15-amp socket if the cabling is not heavy enough to carry that load. Basic >safety issue.

thad, the socket is already 15 amp. it is the plug i am talking about. the amp came with a 13 amp uk plug and i replaced it with a 2 pin 5 amp one. just wondering if i should switch the plug to a 15 amp one. so if the amp's cable was able to handle a 13 amp one it shouldn't have any issues with a 15 amp one, right?

 

[GeorgeO]

Nandac

Any halfway decent electrical shop will carry both MK and Crabtree fittings.If they dont have them, they will get them for you.

 

[santhosh]

Nanda,
Audio equipment as we all know benefit from a good power source. Even when an amp is connected, it will only draw as much power as required. So nothing wrong in using a 15 amp socket, infect better to use.

Advantage if using a 15 Amp point is that it is usually a separate line drawn from the mains and the one socket can take the load of all your AV equipment with a lot more power available on tap (headroom). Also, by making a distribution box from the 15 Amp socket and connecting all your Audio equipment, chances of ground related hum are very less as the ground potential is the same across all your equipment.

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[nandac]

guys, i am talking about the plug and NOT the socket which is anyway already 15 amp.

so is it ok to use a 15 amp plug for an amp which consumes 200 watts? that's the question.

 

[mbhangui]

guys, i am talking about the plug and NOT the socket which is anyway already 15 amp.

so is it ok to use a 15 amp plug for an amp which consumes 200 watts? that's the question.

200w means a current of around 1 A (200/230).

15 A sockets and plugs have a thicker metal/screws used for all conductive parts and hence can safely carry higher currents.

15A plugs and sockets are used in equipments like geysers, refrigerator where the power rating will be > 1000 Watts. 1000 Watts translates to around 5 Amps (1000/230). In such high current equipment any lose contact between the plug and socket will cause heat = (I * I * R) eye-square-R to be generated at the contact points (where I is the current and R is the resistance due to lost contact.).

You can always use a 15A socket/plug for an equipment which consumes less than 5 A of current. But you cannot do the opposite (using 5A socket/plug for equipment consuming around 5A or more)

 

[santhosh]

guys, i am talking about the plug and NOT the socket which is anyway already 15 amp.

so is it ok to use a 15 amp plug for an amp which consumes 200 watts? that's the question.

Yes it is correct to use 15 amp since the manufacturer has used a 13 amp plug.

I am only asking you to connect all your equipment to the same 15 amp point by making a distribution box. All sockets in the distribution box can be 5 amp except the one for the amp.


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[venkatcr]

venkatcr, btw did you use 15 amp or 5 amp plugs?
and what's the power consumption of your amp(s)?

If you look at the distribution of power, in most house, the same cables are used internally for both 15 and 5 amp sockets. In my house, I have wired the air-conditioner separately, and for the rest, I have used what is called 7/20 cables in local parlance.

As other members have mentioned, only a few items such as geysers etc. need a 15 amp socket and plug. Most other equipment can make do with a 5 amp. If you amp say, 13 amp, it is advisable to use a 15 amp socket and plug.

All my audio and video equipment, excepting my Onkyo 875, uses 5 amp sockets and plugs only. The 875 uses a 15 amp socket and plug.

Cheers