Holey Plugs, Batman! But... what are they for?
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2021
- The answer may surprise you.
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Maybe some day I'll talk about the fact that all these outlets are technically upside down.
I mean...
That's also a misconception, it's only upside down in some states and uses, it's not standard in the NEC code
Are you on Electrician Talk? I've referenced your videos there. The general consensus is in favor of pin down.
No I'm not on Electrician Talk, but I've noticed that pretty much every commercial building I've run into lately has them installed ground-up, and the printing on every receptacle I've encountered is right side up only when the ground pin is on top. Even the GFCI outlet shown here with the power switch, which is ~ 10 years old, has the "TR" logo upside down because it was installed ground-down.
For the record, I don't care about this, and until manufacturers of 90 degree cords and wall warts start making them to work with ground-up installations I'd still want the standard "face" orientation in my home. But it seems pretty clear that it's frowned upon, if not explicitly wrong.
@@TechnologyConnections it's so when a liquid spills on top of it it touches the ground first, and then the hot or neutral.
My son discovered a great use for the holes. You can insert a small paper clip through both holes at the same time so when dad unwittingly plugs it onto the wall, it emits a bright blue/white flash and scorches the plug, wall plate and wall as well as tripping the circuit breaker all with an incredible but brief sound.
Jesus christ that must have been terrifying for you considering you come from the stone age
RIP son.
@@drewm8502
Absolutely terrifying! :)
The clips are probably generating electrical/current arcs
lmao
"I suppose mayonnaise is an off-white jam..."
Sir, I'm going to have to ask you cease this train of thought *immediately*.
Jam is made from fruit. Mayo is made from eggs.
@@rosskwolfe Eggs are chicken fruit
@blalo'u You didn't stop it soon enough! Next, someone will say it's actually jelly! Oh no!!!
@@g.m.2427 I... can't say that's wrong exactly...
@@g.m.2427 So babies are people fruit?
"I suppose mayonnaise is an off-white jam" is one of the most upsetting sentences I've heard in a while.
But is it an instrument?
@@trickvro definetly
When I was a kid, back in the 1960s, we had a record player that would shock you if the plug was upside down. Touch the tonearm and get shocked. It made playing records an adventure. I don't think we ever told our parents. I haven't thought of that in decades.
In those days, if you lost a kid, you'd just make another one.
@@AnimationByDylanIn my mind, you’d make both another kid and another plug.
Gotta get that sweet sweet US patent.
Edit: for the plug that is….
"Dude, no way I'm watching a 20 minute video on the holes in power plugs." ~20 minutes later. "He got me again!"
Thank you! (See my comment)
The bloopers at the end always make it worthwhile
Yep. Exactly what just happened to me at 2:30 in the morning. He got me again!
@@earthlingjohn Well, I knew the answer and I just couldn't stomach his usual string of puns, so I skipped it.
He's a good guy, but he has a knack for taking 20 minutes to give a 1-minute answer, riddled with countless gut-wrenching puns. Sorry. I chose the other pill this time. #Matrix
"through the magic of buying multiple"
will never get old I swear
It's like cooking shows when they've already made the oven cooked thing.
Except when he does not: ruclips.net/video/udNXMAflbU8/видео.html
@@karl-linusamsler836 a terrible oversight on his part :(
yo this comment chain went places O_O
At
Fun fact, if you have one of those tiny novelty padlocks for a girls' diary, you can lock it through the hole, preventing it from being plugged in.
Weirdly specific...you can just use a zip tie or literally anything else
@@johnf817 um, it's pretty easy to "unlock" a zip tie. What would be the point?
Correct 😊
Those holes are very useful in the construction trade for me. Not only can you lock out a plug, but we own Pro-Lock extension cords which seem to utilize these holes to lock whatever you've plugged into them in place.
Back in the 80s when I was a child, my parents would put a tiny padlock (like the ones used on luggage zippers) through the holes in my TV's power cord as punishment. So I always thought the holes were to prevent unauthorized use of appliances.
Did drabbit make Krav for mits!?
lockouttagout holes
You should have just replaced the plug if you couldnt remove the lock.
@@mernok2001 back then most appliances had fixed power cord.
My parents went a step further and just took the power cord for my PlayStation as punishment in the 90's. Joke was on them however, we had a VCR that used the same polarized C7 connector as the PSX, which I used to game on until they came home from work.
The hole is for the tiny padlock to prevent someone's PlayStation from being plugged in :D
My mom would take the cord to my nes / sega. Haha
I was thinking that as well I know moms who would have done that but we are in the uk so they just cut the plug off
My grandma even locked the TV.
Mom did that once to my ps2 joke's on her my printer used the same cable so i just swapped them
actually, that's not too far off. It's not too common in residential/consumer use, but Lock Out/Tag Out (LOTO) locks are frequently used in industrial settings to ensure that heavy machinery isn't plugged in and turned on while someone's inside doing maintenance.
I have lived in a few rental properties with what I always called “butter plugs” most of them were quite old and probably had dozens of people living there over the decades. And well, as you noted in the end, probably just wear on the sockets. Never to the point where they would fall out without help but they usually weren’t hanging on very well.
The US has so much cheap crap nowadays. I had a unit where one of the light switches was sparking when I tried to turn it on and off. One unit the fuse box was sparking randomly. Apartments use all the cheapest things in them. It’s genuinely terrifying to think about.
What's scarier is a lot of newer homes are also built with cheapest options with the expectation that who ever buys the house will remodel everything, but the buyer isn't informed of just how much they should remodel. This especially seems true for low income houses in cases where the buyer will be less likely to afford the remodel.
@@StaratopiaJust replace them next time you paint the room.
I have encountered sockets where plugs absolutely would not stay in the socket. It's especially problematic with heavier plugs like USB cubes, scent plug-ins, or those big boxes with the lil wire coming out (as you can see, I'm layperson 😅). You plug it in, and it slips right back out without even touching it. I believe I've had some in my apartments (up in Indiana, don't think I've struggled in my place in Georgia, but I've only been here about a year), and I've absolutely struggled in hotels/motels. I think he addressed this in a later video and hypothesized it was due to such frequent use, which I'm inclined to believe. I typically go hunting for a socket that sticks, or I have to get an extending cord and plug everything there. Actually... now that I think about it one of my current extention cords is very buttery (thank you for the new lingo!), and my phone chargers are constantly coming out, and that sucker is parallel to the ground and command stripped to my night stand at head level, so there's no wild angles putting unnecessary strain on the plugs!
Nowadays?? This has always been a problem in the US
Mayonnaise being called an off-white jam has ruined my brain. Lmao 🤣 I love the information TC gives, but the jokes just make this channel peak entertainment ❤️
Is mayonnaise an instrument?
Fun fact: there are extension cords that utilize those holes and will lock with a button on top. They're great with hand tools to avoid accidental unplugging while working
I was just going to comment that! I'm curious if the lock actually indexes with the holes or if it's a tighter friction lock?
Came here to same the same thing, I in fact used it today with my grinder
I've literally never seen these in the US. I had to go to Japan to see them for the first time.
@@rocksntwigs Don't know about the US, but extension cords with locks are fairly common in Canada. Some have the button lock/unlock as Patrick mentioned, and some have a sweep lock.
Came to say the same thing - I've got replacement cord ends that lock into the holes for retention. Works great for power tools in lieu of switching everything over to the superior twist lock plug and outlet.
The opposite of “through the magic of buying two” should be “through the misfortune of only buying one”. 😀
Get the spammer outa here
@@jacksong6226 On desktop: mouse over the comment, click the 3 vertical dots, then "Report". Then choose the reason (I went with spam).
@@AaronOfMpls it is technically considered pornography, spam doesnt even get removed except by the channel's moderation
“Oh well, at least it’s not 240v coming out of there” 😂😂😂😂😂
I definitely love all the information you give and the science you do but god damn, your sense of humor is next level and your deadpan delivery is impeccable!
"Through the magic of buying 2" will never not be amusing to me.
It's better than the full "through the magic of buying 2 and being able to write off both on my taxes" tag line.
"The toads over at NEMA" is an unreasonably good joke.
but nematodes are not reptilians...
@@Ugly_German_Truths Neither are toads...
Toads are amphibians.
@@syriuszb8611 Damn, i wanted to type amphibians ... no idea what i was watching at that moment, the TC video was already finished... must have been good to distract me so much. Meh, won't correct it now you already did.
Not if you're not American and have no idea what NEMA is!
@@paulhaynes8045 The joke doesn't need you to know what NEMA is though. It's literally nematodes, and that's a delicious pun.
In Australia our plugs and receptacles have angled live pins, so they are always polarised correctly since they cannot be plugged in upside down (even if no grounding pin is present) 🙂
And you can bend them so they are not angled to use them overseas!
pretty big tho
I worked at a plant where they put plastic ties through the holes on malfunctioning or under maintenance piece of equipment. Usually with a tag with a initial, date and reason, so the equipment couldn’t accidentally be plugged in.
"It typically takes decades for a receptacle to wear to that point"
*laughs in cheap apartment*
Sameeee
Our house was built in late 2003 - just as all manufacturing moved to China. I've had to replace every receptacle that has seen even moderate use.
Yup.
As someone who recently moved into an apartment with really bad outlets, learn how to replace them. It's honestly really easy if you're even moderately handy, and not at all dangerous if you just turn off the breaker before working on anything (I cannot stress this enough, get an outlet tester. For like $10 you can get a tester that will tell you if an outlet has power and if its wired correctly). The actual parts are like $1-2 each, for like $10 I replaced all the worn out outlets in my apartment, and now none of my plugs are falling out.
Yeeep.
I love the phrase “by the magic of buying several of them…” gets a smile from me every time 😆
I bet you still giggle at peak-a-boo, right?
@@danielduncan6806 *Fun fact:* you don't have to make fun of people for finding something funny just because you don't yourself.
(also it's "peek-a-boo" because your peeking at something, not at a mountain peak)
@@furtislast4920 Heheh, yeah, "peak-a-boo" just sounds like they're abusing sound equipment.
I got a laugh when I heard it, too!
@@danielduncan6806 yes. The answer is yes. 😂
never new this channel existed and is pretty good so far. relaxing tone learning a few things and funny from time to time. I like it
This is the first video that I’ve seen by this creator and I have to say that I was immediately drawn in. The presentation and cadence reminds me a bit of an Andy Rooney segment from 60 Minutes. I’m now subscribed and looking forward to even more great content!
Hmm, now Imma have to go check out Andy Rooney
I actually have an extension cord with a tiny lever which, when turned, pushes a pin through the holes, so whatever is plugged into the cord can't come unplugged. Very handy for electric lawnmowers!
I have a similar extension cord. It locks both male and female sides together so it doesn’t accidentally get unplugged!!
That seems like a safety hazard
@Enderlance why?
@@wolverinechris2 then again, you could also unplug the extension cord itself.
bros got a wired lawnmower lmao
"Mayonnaise is an off-white jam." has "Hot dog is a sandwich" energy.
Well said.
pfft Hotdogs are German tacos
@@cmelton6796 lol, German tacos xD
Hot dogs are sandwiches.
@@cmelton6796 Sandwiches are sauerkraut
Thank you for the reminder that I *really* should get around to replacing the loose outlets in my old room back at my dad's house 👍
I suppose they got a fair bit of use, over around a decade, but I'm still surprised that they're apparently so worn that I've actually had a plug fall out with barely a tug 0_0
Lock out Tag out kits have locks that lock onto plugs using the holes on the plug for putting the device out of service when broken. we used them at work.
15:34 ""I'd welcome any nematodes out there to fill us in on any details" is one of the funniest puns on this channel
Though the subtitles render it as "NEMA toads".
I think I just always assumed that the holes were a cost-saving measure - it's only a bit less metal, but even something like 5% less material used in manufacturing adds up over millions of units.
Those blades are most likely manufactured by a subtractive manufacturing process called punching; a positive shaped punch (looks like the blade) and close-fitting negative die come together from opposite sides of the sheet stock and shear through it faster than you can blink. Subtractive manufacturing means you start with more material than you need to make the part; the extra is waste. Sure, those hole blanks are a tiny bit less material in the useful part, but that waste material required energy use to melt, cast, and roll it into the sheet stock that blade was punched from, and the waste has to be recycled in order to be useful again later, thus requiring application of energy twice before becoming an actual part. Then there's the energy it takes to punch it out, just to "throw it away"; not much energy in the scale of things, but not negligible. It also requires more complicated tooling design to remove the material, which isn't cheap either, in both production and maintenance. Depending on the type of punch press blanking the blades out, the holes may either be a second punching operation, a complicated concentric 2-stage punching die, or a die set through which the material advances, simply being struck twice in different areas of the die. Manufacturing processes always require time and energy to perform, which costs money, so removing that material has to serve a purpose or the energy expended on the feature is a waste of money.
@@ryanschmidt1437 your response makes a lot of sense. is it possible that the material from the holes is simply more valuable than the energy cost of recycling the 'waste' parts created by punching them out? making it more cost effective to punch them out and melt them back down than to buy new material over time?
lol I should have read yours before my reply. I had thought if someone had said thr same as I that he’d have been further down the list. 😁
The saving will vaporize with the cost of the tooling.
assumed manufacturing just before he said it.
Some extention cords have a lever that locks your device together so you don't accidentally lose power by kicking the cord out of the extension cords socket. By using those holes with locking pins activated by that lever.
Thought I knew all about home receptacles. Man, was I wrong!
Great video! Your format is perfect. Don’t change a thing. Very clear with just the right amount of explanation.
As a European, I was wondering at the beginning of the video: "How is it possible I've never noticed US plugs are polarized, i.e. they have blades of different size?" A while later it was clear why: All such plugs I've encountered in person (not many, really) were in phone chargers and similar stuff.
Yeah not all of the two blade plugs are polarized. They’re generally only polarized if needed…A lot of modern supplies don’t require it by design, but some items its done for safety. I can totally see why you’d not notice.
Lol similar comment like mine spotted, after commenting 😅😂
I'm American and never even knew that.
Its hard to notice even if you’re American. Sure we notice the occasional rare plug needs to play the usb game but you don’t really question it. And just quickly forget about it.
Pretty much. It usually applies to things that have a metal chassis and are frequently touched, especially if they have no surrounding external circuitry that regulates current draw. Things like lamps, toasters, old radios, and such.
"...mayonnaise is an off-white jam."
Never say that again.
🤣
_...mayonnaise is an off-white jam._ 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭
YES. Didn't like that.
I didn't wake up today thinking I'd have to contemplate my definition of jams. He can keep that opinion in his pocket.
Then what is it? It's the best explanation I've heard so far, and if you have nothing better to offer... do try to live with the knowledge that I will spread the word of the off-white jam! ;)
@@herrpez you stop that.
Call it a puree, pudding, paste, or a weak flan, but a jam it shall not be. 😜
These mysterious holes are part of the pin production process ( production in product ) these pins are made from a long flat strip. The holes are a part of the feeding system to the stamping mold. They act like a gear feeding the strip into the STAMPING mold, BUT they also guarantee the exact length according to spec. ( length tolerance )
These tricks are often used in mass production.
this.
I think you meant blades. The flat blade plugs have holes at least here in America. I don't think the pin type have holes. I was also thinking of those foreign plug adapters. I think some countries are using pin plugs.
@John60s70s I think he meant bladeish pins. Except for the ground, those are pinish pins. :) 😁
@@John60s70s : In electrical connectors a male contact is a pin, regardless of shape.
Once, I needed a longer electrical cord and didn't have a complete extension cord to use. The cord I had was missing the female socket. So I stripped the wires on the cut end and used the holes on the male plug's prongs as a place to loop them through for a secured connection. I soldered them and wrapped them with several layers of professional electrical tape which is made of rubber and stretches. I've been using it for years. So I found a use for those holes.
Fun fact: Hospital grade receptacles grip the plugs quite a bit tighter than residential or commercial grade receptacles do. Hospitals even periodically conduct a pull test on each receptacle to make sure they are within tolerance.
Makes sense. With all that oxygen occasionally floating around I imagine sparks could be a very bad thing.
You also don’t want various important equipment to unplug accidentally.
they also have a redundant ground wire
Dang, beat me to it! And those 'hospital' receptacles are usually Orange....so you know they are high-retention.
@@dougankrum3328 hospital grade receptacles are indicated with a green circle on their face regardless of face color. To my knowledge the only face color that matters is when they are red which indicates that it is fed from an emergency source of power. The receptacle will still be live when general power is out in the hospital assuming the emergency systems have functioned properly. I think the orange receptacles you are thinking of are isolated ground receptacles which have an orange face with a green triangle indication on the face. These systems have two grounds. One for grounding metal boxes and raceways and one insulated ground going straight to the ground prong on the receptacle. These insulated grounds are generally treated differently back at the panel than your general grounds.
"It's always been like that, no one knows why."
Reminds me of an anecdote.
A little girl, seeing her mother cut off the top ¼ of the Thanksgiving turkey, asked why. The mother said, "I don't know, my mother always did it." After thinking about it, the mother wanted to know, so she called her mother (the little girl's grandmother) and asked. The grandmother said, "I don't know, my mother always did it." After thinking about it, the grandmother wanted to know, so she called her mother (the little girl's great grandmother) and asked. The great grandmother said, "I did it because my baking pan was too small."
Mind if I steal this story for use elsewhere? It's very good
@@Copyright_Infringement Have at it. It's not my joke. There's probably many variations of it, but the punchline is the same.
Ha! Women. They don’t change.
@@Copyright_Infringement I've heard many versions of this story. I'm not sure anyone knows who wrote the original. I also find it ironic that someone with your username would bother to ask.
version I heard is, never leaving stuff in the kitchen without a bowl on top. Daughter doesn't know why, but keeps up the habit through adulthood. One day she asks, and is told "because we had cats".
I am in metal forming and it makes perfect sense to have the holes as a reference point and register to align the blades for molding the housing. A hole is much easier to make and use accurately than the outside perimeter would be.
By using a ball bearing inside the outlet, kind of like how a ratchet locks a socket in place, could be a great way to utilize the holes and keep the plug from being removed accidentally. Then when you want to disconnect from the outlet, just press a button on the face to take the pressure off of the ball bearing, which would allow you to easily remove the plug.
Ball bearings on reasonable stiff springs would hold the plug in the correct position. The ball bearings and springs do not need to conduct the electricity, the usual contacts would be used for that. It would require the same amount of force to remove it as it did to plug it in, so I don't think a release button would be necessary. This could well have been why the holes were created, but the additional cost of adding two ball bearings and two springs to every socket would be why it never caught on. In any situation you should not pull out a plug by holding the wire.
"The toads over at NEMA" is such an incredibly underrated line!
Is it a riff on nematodes?
The video's been out for less than 24 hours... how could any line be underrated?
C. elegans is my favorite species of nematode
@@MrEazyE357 Yes. It's even a setup line for a later payoff
@@jfo738 Is Arabidopsis thaliana your favorite flower? =D
Growing up in a developing country, I always saw those holes being used to hook/attach/tie bare wires for quick connections. I never questioned that purpose until I became fully aware of how dangerous that practice is!
Holes are used to separate tip from the rest of the connector. In other words holes are to create fuses: if wire is shortened and you insert cord into outlet tips make contact and metal around holes melts like fuse.
The us is a developing country, you're from the us?
@@cupuacu4life13
He means like brazil
@@flyingsky1559 owie
I’m younger so maybe it’s different, but we used type n or type c plugs without holes.
The lack of outlits holding onto plugs is definately a huge feature of my childhood home. It's also common on some of my power strips that are less than 5 years old.
Makes it easy to insert test probes to measure resistance of the thing with the plug, also offers a bit of contact cleaning,
Very intersting. I've actually wondered this exact thing before. I tend to agree with your hypothesis that it is a cultural thing, like when Motorola put a fake antenna on their flip phone because they said it didn't look right without it.
Or Buick exhaust ports. Stick em anywhere
Oh it's the iBook Guy
Another example is UHT milk in refrigerators. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, but it doesn't sit well with Americans so they do it anyway. In Europe it's just put on a regular shelf.
@@steeviebops it’s fine on the shelf before it’s opened, but it’s supposed to be refrigerated after opening.
@@mattcrooke8321 Exactly, so it doesn't need to be kept in a refrigerator in the store. Lots of things need refrigerating after opening.
One of the common uses for the hole is in locking vending machines so they can't be unplugged. And yes, outlets with contact bumps very much used to exist. They tear up your plugs with micro arcs.
Yeah I saw the video and remembered that I had an old two prong plug outlet from the 60s in my parts stash, sure enough I found it and tried a plug in it and it clicks into place when inserted. I looked inside and it has the little bumps on the contacts
Even if, it would be extremely easy to do the same with cheap blocade (I assume you need remove or have specialized outlet anyway) and use is so obscure that having dedicated universal solution is still pointless.
I use the holes and a small lock to prevent some things from being plugged in. Simple little lock out/tag out for home things that need repair
@Indiana Gividen Same here. I have a 100' extension cord with a locking lever that I bought maybe 10 years ago. It's a great feature, because it keeps my power tools from getting unplugged at moments that might become problematic.
This video is years old and this has probably already been mentioned, but the holes also save on material. Sure, probably very little, but when you can squeeze a few more units out of a run, it seems like a no-brainer.
When you can get an extra blade every 999 or 9,999 blades, it seems worth it.
For those outlets where the plugs just fall out - those are unfortunately incredibly common in low-income neighborhood houses and manufactured homes. Often the houses are in historic districts, usually with very cost-restrictive regulations on how homes can be upgraded. I've seen that far too many times in too many homes, unfortunately.
I've actually used a Lockout/Tagout kit that had locks that fit over the plug and lock on using the holes, preventing one from plugging it in. Good way to make sure the new guy doesn't try to use a broken grinder.
Correct. Lock out tag out
Certainly the intended use of these holes
Having worked with a hc yes that is what the holes aka connection point interuptors are for
Definitely gotta LockOut/TagOut that hair straightener
That's a good use for that
As a Yuropean, I find these videos absolutely fascinating. Such holesome content.
*Yuropean*
@@ZaHandle Ürøpæan, yes
Yurope is Yuuuuge
@@ktxed my rope is bigger!
@@vidareggum6118 how many football stadiums to the rope ?
I always wondered why Australian plugs have the blades angled inward, and when you mentioned your plugs being polarised a light bulb lit up!
That form factor is used in Australia and in China.
Interesting and consise study on holes in plug pins. One thing to add, UK plugs all have third ground pins and no holes. Keep then coming guys. Thanks. Dave
In my experience, it's so you can twist bare wires through the holes for extra sketchy situations.
Ahh yes that famous picture of a PlayStation 2 being used this way.
I did that all the time in my misspent youth!
To be fair, that's what I've always assumed they are for!
lock out tag out
This comment has me concerned...
When I was a kid, my dad put a mini pad lock through the TV plug to stop us from watching it. This is also how I learned to pick a lock with a paper clip.
There are some commercial plugs that do have index nubs which fit into the holes. It makes the plug legitimately difficult to get out. They're meant to be used for plugs on the ceiling. It keeps cables off the ground so they're not a tripping hazard and the cables can hang down without falling out.
My house had builder's grade outlets from the 90s and in just 20 years they were all worn to the point of not providing any friction to hold the plug... Over the course of a few years I've replaced a handful of them one-by-one until I finally just went and bought a cheap multi-pack... Probably not the best receptacles, but they seem a lot better than the ones we had in there and are working well so far haha. You mentioned that they should last "decades". I don't know if 2 decades is within that expectation, but hopefully these new ones will be a little more durable.
The "mayonnaise is offwhite jam" line made me laugh out loud literally.
Your style of blunt double-meaning-humor and straight faced delivery is unique, refreshing, and makes your videos seem shorter than they are.
I also thoroughly appreciate how in depth you go, leaving no stone of information unturned.
and no outlet unplugged ;)
"The toads over at Nema."
So that's where Nema toads come from.
Makes sense.
Amazing!
LoL! My first thought was it was a reference to the British dish, Toad-in-the-hole, but I have no doubt "nematodes" was his thought.
Anyone remember Doug?
@@jackfrost4408 Patti Mayonnaise was hot!
I actually have an extension cord with a tiny lever which, when turned, pushes a pin through the holes, so whatever is plugged into the cord can't come unplugged. Very handy for electric lawnmowers!
I live in an 1800 house which had old knob and tube electrical the used to be a little metal wall plate with hooks on it so you could hang the cords from the eyeholes . Back in the day they didn't have off and on switches on appliances or devices when you plug them in they were always hot so I'm pretty sure they just use them to hang the wires up to get out of the way and they could quickly just plug it back in plugged it back in when they needed them. I'm pretty sure they didn't have to find the plug head or unwind the chord time they wanted to plug in their toaster cuz it didn't have an off switch
Hi, I noticed that IKEA timer with two flat blades was keyed, i.e. one hole was large. The timer must reverse the polarity of the hot and neutral accordingly. Enjoyed your video. Thanks, Angelo.
I approve this emerging 'Google gives weird received wisdom rather than factual answers' series.
Google is the ministry of truth. Nothing but bullshit.
Goodfact is one thing, but replacing Realfact with Popfact is Badword too far.
@@professorfukyu744 You’re so edgy. Do you have a newsletter?
Google gives you *an* answer, but usually not the *correct* answer.
@@professorfukyu744 This in and of itself is received wisdom and shouldn't be taken seriously. The generalization makes the whole claim weird and wrong
"The todes over at NEMA" is a phenomenal joke
Honestly, my first thought was that I wouldn't be surprised if the entire motivation for creating this video was to be able to finally use that joke.
NEMAtoads meep meep
terrifying pfp
@@ApolloSniperman nematODES but what is a todes? or ist it toads over at NEMA?
@@stefanmenzel263 Toads? Todes? Chodes? At this point, who even knows? Surely not I.
Brit here. Until this video kept coming up (and yes, I've now given in and watched it), I wasn't even _aware_ that (a) US plugs _had_ those holes (b) they were polarised; I think the only ones I've seen have been in adapters or multi-country plugs, which mostly don't.
As for being able to touch the live pins of a partly-inserted plug, ours - both the old round-pin (commonly known as "5A" and "15A"), and the more modern square-pin (BS1363, commonly known as "13A") - had the same problem. A revision introduced in I think the 1970s "shrouded" the part of the "pins" closest to the plug; obviously that means the actual pin was thinner, but by that time, fewer appliances were drawing the full 13A (in fact the plug seems ridiculously oversized for the majority of appliances), so it wasn't the problem it might seem (though for kettles and heaters that still draw the maximum, good quality plugs are needed). I think it's now actually illegal to sell anything with an unshrouded plug, though you may still find some in some second-hand shops. I don't _think_ it would be practical with the already-thinner US pins ("blades"), but it might be possible to add the extra on the outside - but then some older sockets wouldn't accept the new plug blades.
(I did wonder if at some time homes - and workplaces - might start to come with a lower voltage as standard, with the high one for just hight-demand purposes: when that seemed possible, 12V might have worked. [Now probably 5V.] But I guess the extra wiring complexity hit that on the head.)
For manufacturing alignment in molded plugs, having the holes identical across competing pin suppliers is important to get the right size .
One way to reduce the risk of touching live is to sleeve the pins like in the 13A British plug and the 2.5A Europlug . This requires the stem of each pin to be slightly thinner so the sleeved part of the pin is no thicker than the exposed tip, thus with folded-over metal, the stem would be narrow and single layer . The length of the sleeves need to be standarsized by NEMA, while the manufacturing techniques would be shared with all other bladed plug types (Australian, Japanese, Chinese etc.).
I wouldn't say that taking an outlet apart is dangerous, I'd say taking a mounted outlet apart is dangerous. Buy a new one that's not attached to anything and you can mess as much as you want
just turn the breaker off and verify with a tested voltage meter that there is no voltage present
if you put it back together and try to use it as normal it can be dangerous if you fd it up. thus its dangerous
The alleged "bad design" of our plug is just ridiculous. That little stunt at the end, I've never seen anyone do it. I can ruin any plug you show me if I determined to do ridiculous things.
It's just like our allegedly bad 120v standard for appliances. Never seemed to have caused me any trouble in my 50 plus years. The only negative about it is for dumb ideas like electric tea pots. But high power devices can work fine because 240 is an option and most houses have them in certain places where high power devices will be, like a stove where natural gas is not available.
@@theendofit Well you'd have to be an idiot to do that...well...yeah, you're right. Someone WILL do that. lol
Are you crazy?! It could still be filled with electricity!!!
Me: "Why is there a 20 minute video about two holes in plugs?"
Also me: "imma watch the whole thing"
Listen, I have sat and listened to this man read the manual to his microwave for 30 minutes. He has an incredible talent for making the banal interesting and engaging.
@@finalvistas9087 haha absolutely! He has a wonderful talent! His videos pair well with my ADHD. I'll be out in my day, think of something about a mundane object. I get home and find he's got a video on it. A legend.
Sure everyone was thinking the same thing. It’s to bad plugs with out holes look cheap
It has over a million views
Basically.
Just a thought. If I were to unplug a machine that I'm working on (repairing) in the work place, I could pass a tiewrap throught the holes to ensure it's not plugged back in while I'm repairing it.
I have an extension cord that locks what ever you plug to it with a switch. I can only assume it uses the holes to hold the plug in.
Alternative title: Technology Man makes sure all of the outlets in his house are getting some at least once.
Alternative title: Man does not know what jam is.
@@oskarwinters1873 Eggs are technically chicken fruit. They contain a "seed" inside (the actual chick) and and the egg itself contains the seed, kind of like a fruit
I actually discovered the exact wiring error hinted to at 2:05 in my house, when I was (I think) less than 8 years old. My parents, who knew I could be trusted to stay safe, had given me an outlet tester to mess around with. (I was an interesting kid, and I liked things with lights on them.) I proceeded to plug it into outlets all over the house, much like TC did with the lamp cord, only ever seeing both green LED's light up.
That is, until I got to the ones in the basement. When I plugged it into any of those outlets, only one of the green lights turned on, as well as the orange one, which I was excited to see lit up for the first time. "Oh, how interesting," I thought to myself, looking at the sticker with the light combinations to see what it meant. It said that this pattern means "Hot/Neutral Reverse". Now, I had no idea what that meant at the time, but since this was called an "outlet tester", I correctly reasoned that it must mean something was wrong with the outlets. I told my parents, who were previously unaware of this issue. Some time after that, we had an electrician at our house, and one of my parents mentioned this to him. Sure enough, he confirmed (and fixed) the wiring issue.
Oh god I read it wrong, and I thought your parents had gave you and outlet TOASTER, and i was imagining you as a little kid running around the house plugging a toaster in every possible outlet.
@@bernardorodriguez405 wtf I made the same mistake and didn't realize it until I read outlet tester for the second time later in the paragraph
@@bernardorodriguez405 That is adorable
@@bernardorodriguez405 It's an outlet toaster a fancy name for a U-shaped piece of wire?
@@unfa00 I'm gonna say... yes, yes it is.
The holes are used to lock out the plug. A small pad lock that used for suit cases can prevent insertion into the wall socket by putting the shackle of the lock through the hole .
I believe the holes are there to reduce static sparks when plugging and unplugging things. Less point of contact means less chance of getting zapped. Not sure if it's fact or not but I have always assumed it was something to do with that !
"All your years of watching Technology Connections, what have you learned?"
"...Mayonnaise is an off-white jam."
Yes lmao. I really paused it and asked myself if it was really a jam for a minute
Egg jam!
I actually have an extension cord with a tiny lever which, when turned, pushes a pin through the holes, so whatever is plugged into the cord can't come unplugged. Very handy for electric lawnmowers!
"Mayonnaise is an off-white jam" is my new "Sneezing isn't normal"
I never sneeze.
@@TechnologyConnections it's unnatural
As a kid, I remember being told in health class that the reflex to close your eyes when you sneeze is there because if you didn't, your eyeballs would pop out. Which is a hell of a thing to drop on a ten-year-old with seasonal allergies.
@@TechnologyConnections Witch!
@@TechnologyConnections ey VB watchers
very interesting. Any chance of looking into the Australian plugs as there seems to be quite a difference than the US units. cheers
In Brazil we developed a design for the plug that is way more secure. The contact will not get eletricity until the plug is fully inserted into the slot that prevents the contact from being exposed.
Never really thought about this. I always sort of assumed the holes were there as a janky lockout mechanism. When I worked for a pro AV company, in rentals and productions, they'd put a zip-tie through the holes on any light, amp, etc. that was needing repair. Sort of a last resort in case no one realized it was something that didn't work.
There are locks that can fit onto a plug as a lockout/tagout measure, and the locking lugs do fit right into the holes.
That's actually a great application
Sure is a better solution than doing absolutely nothing about it then laughing heartily when the next poor bastard plugs it in and makes a big bang. Ask me how I know....
Yep, AV here too. Most commonly motorized projection screens that were abandoned in place for a large format display instead; unplug the screen and zip tie through, plop back above the tile.
Ditto, we use tamper seal tags on faulty plug in equipment. Do not use until fixed.
"So was that whole sequence." Delivery so dry it belongs in a desert, and made me smile.
You mean, that..."hole" sequence.
_(groan)_
California called; it wants its only notable attribute back.
I actually have an extension cord with a tiny lever which, when turned, pushes a pin through the holes, so whatever is plugged into the cord can't come unplugged. Very handy for electric lawnmowers!
Unfortunately I've encountered lots of worn out receptacles in the many apartments I've lived in. My current apartment was built in 1944 and I still have the original fuse box in operation and one original ungrounded parallel/tandem socket.
Out of curiosity, where do you live? I'm Australian but the idea of an apartment built in 1944 just makes me imagine NYC for some reason.
@@clonkex small town in Canada!
The factory I work in uses them as a lock out tag out mechanism for certain small pieces of equipment. If you put a lock out tag thru the holes it can't be plugged in while being maintained.
"... mayonnaise is an off-white jam" might be the most upsetting thing I've ever heard you say on this or any other channel, even in brief guest appearances like on that losing connection gameshow Tom Scott did that time.
Absolutely. It would be a jelly if anything, because a jam would be mayonnaise with hard boiled egg bits in it
As a child, I once wondered what would happen if I laid a small nail across a partially inserted plug. For the next 10 years I lived with a spot of molten metal splashed onto the hardwood floor to remind me of the answer. Oddly it was a red dot. My parents never grilled me for an explanation.
I stuck a key in a outlet once bc i thought I was a electrician and couldn’t get hurt bc I was a electrician
@@bpeterson3270 well , you must have survived to tell the tale
@@jasonwiley798 idk how but I just remember sticking a key in the outlet and a loud noise
@@bpeterson3270 but are you an electrician tho
I stuck a pair of tweezers into an outlet as a kid. I just remember the bright flash of light lol.
All metal parts on a plug are made on a progressive die. Being tool and die maker for 37 years, looking at the blade on the plug, I can't help but think it is a pilot hole to aid in the accurate advance (progression) through the die. It could also be used as a construction hole to aid location for a secondary operation.
Locking extension cords. I have 2 of them that I lock with a button end to end for my grass whipper. They don't disconnect when locked. Also, locks in drill cord. Very useful.
Can't believe you're the first comment here referencing this. It's common in construction to have locking extension cords, so the don't come apart while dragging your saw or drill around.
As someone who has been to the US as a tourist: Imagine trying to use a well-worn hotel room socket with the weight of a travel adaptor (hard mode: BS 1363 travel adaptor) combined with a typical USB charger. I didn't experience them falling out but the angle was often precarious leading to poor connection or exposing the live pins for extra excitement. And this was with the wall sockets.
When traveling, a small roll of tape with aggressive adhesive has many uses. Duct tape, gaffer's tape, aluminum foil tape.
@@lorenzoboyd6889 Why my, just bend the pins a little like I do.
It will plug as hard as a circuit breaker switch.
that's so smart. just don't bend it too hard or it'll probably lose it's structure
@@lorenzoboyd6889 if I have this problem again I'd probably just get a small trailing extension lead, would take the weight off the socket then
Had similar experience in Japan. Often required some creativity to make it work
I don’t really know when or how I found this channel, but I watch every video now. There’s something really charming about the way you get so passionate over things many other people would call mundane, and the humor and editing is always fantastic. Thanks for everything, I hope you’re having a good day :)
Just broke the seal yesterday with a 45 min video about dish washer soap. Im into it.
As someone who gets weirdly detail oriented about everyday things, I find this channel incredibly cathartic.
@@spugintrntl I know right?
I have all of these questions
and he does too
and then he goes and finds the answer
it's marvelous
I know. Several months ago, the "space heater nonsense" video was blessed by The Algorithm and made its way to my recommendations. I binged the collection in short order.
Charming? Charming? What’s so charming about someone who wines over everything?
They are for holding (locking) the flat tabs when molding the plug with wires during production.
Heat radiates from right angle edges and not so much from flat plates. The holes about double the radiating area of a plug that is drawing a lot of current and heating up. The holes are a fire safety feature.
Yeah, some of my appliance plugs are even water cooled
When I was little my Dad would put those tiny luggage padlocks through the holes of those cables for my PC and game console to prevent me playing games too late into the night.
I learned to just swap the cables.
I learned how to pick (actually bypass) the locks my parents used.
@@derrickfoster644 LPL: Origins
@@Havron only if I kept up with it I could have worked on a pick with LPL or maybe Bosnian Bill.
The locks my parents used were so comically bad that they could easily be opened with a binder clip handle. Or by simply pulling on it.
@@user2C47 I believe I used a cross stitch needle put in till it stopped wiggle back and forth and it would open. Most likely they were master locks
1921: "In the future, we shall drive flying cars and live on the moon."
2021: I'm watching some guy talk about plug holes (OPTIONAL plug holes).
Also 2021: Adam Something posts a video showing why flying cars are not going to happen and would be a terrible idea if they did
US plugs seem old fashioned. I like our Australian 3 pin plugs with an earth. Its a lot harder to fall out with 3 pins. The 2 main pins are on a 45 degree angle so it can only go in one way and its easy to line up.
@@tubester4567 You seen European Schuko plugs? That stuff is inserted in the molded plastic hole of a special shape on the sides, held by two ground prongs on top and bottom AND two normal contacts so it's total of 4 point. I've seen people pull the whole (incorrectly installed) outlet out before that thing gives! :D
@@zlac I see your euro plug and raise you The Great British 3 pin. If things go completely to pot, we'll be able to trade them for their precious metals.
The hole is clearly a performance mod meant to save weight, reduce drag, and thereby increase connection speed, which subsequently reduces the chances of touching the live prong while it's still being seated. JK, I always assumed it was a lockout feature (tie something through it to prevent use), though I have no idea why this would be needed in a consumer space.
In Japan we have some outlet where you can rotate the plug 45° to lock it.
Could be interesting to see how the lock system work.
Maybe they use those holes …
I've seen the locking feature only once in the wild on an extension cord which comes in handy as corded tools don't unplug themselves. Similar to the Coleman Cable 02439 Locking Extension Cord.
I just do a variant of a half-hitch knot to keep things plugged-in to extension cords. Works on even the cheapest cords.
Was looking for someone who already mentioned locking cords, glad to find one. Only thing is it doesn't take long for dirt to get in the mechanism and foul it up.
I put a new locking end on a extension cable for my wired weed wackier.
If only my electric lawnmower had this!
Yeah I have an outdoor extension cord that locks the plug in place using these holes. You have to press a button to remove the plug.
Technology Connections: "Im just speculating, leave your comment below."
Big Prong: "Oh no they're on to us!"
“I suppose mayonnaise is an off-white jam.”
How dare you make me go the rest of my life knowing this order of words.
lock out tag out for safety.
a wire or lock-out clip through holes keeps someone from plugging the electrical device into a hot outlet, preventing electrical shock when working on the device or for a faulty device.
I've seen the holes have a zip tie through them as a safety feature. Basically stopping a child from secretly opening a box item and then just plugging it in.
A few hours ago I bought a blender that had a such a tie going through the plug holes; I removed it with scissors. Weirdly, I watched this entire video without thinking about it, but I remembered it when I read your comment.
I've seen, and have done so myself, taking tiny lockout locks and locking out the plug itself. OSHA seems to accept it, sooooo 🤷♂️
@@robertjenkins6132 I hate it when people destroy perfectly reusable zip ties. Such a waste of plastic.
Living in NZ, where our slots are slanted away from each other and always have a power switch, this is like watching TV from an alternate dimension.
as dankpods said "make it aussie" before bending the plug on a switching supply with pliers.
Is Jacinda Ardin's brother Canada's Trudeau? They look like peas in a pod.. But a very twisted sick evil pod. In India which is 220V we used plug in dip in the cup water boilers to make tea. They energize the cups which were stainless steel so if u accidently touch the cup it doesn't tickle.
@@HappyBeezerStudios I think in the stupid iPod accessories video
You are now entering.. The Twilight Zone
I wonder how much cost savings there is in holed vs non-holed plugs...if it's there for manufacturing, that option seems viable.