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Comment by adestefan | Hacker News Reader

It only worked because USB was already the defacto standard.

Now if they could just get a EU wide AC plug/socket standard.

USB was defacto standard for data transfer, especially on PCs, but the /connector/ on the phone side was not at all standards compliant or uniform across makes and models, and up until the passage of that law, it wasn't uncommon for the power port to be separate. Now that is basically unheard of. I'm not saying the law is the only reason for this change, but it is clearly a big factor, yet it is omitted from this article.

Indeed, it was common for a USB-to-proprietary cable to be sold separately for at an additional charge. Now phone manufacturers are forced to resort to software to make it difficult to move data between phones and desktops. ;-)

You'll take BS1363 from our cold dead hands. Or we'll leave them upturned for you to step on.

As a continental who has moved to the UK, I have to agree. BS1363 seems to be the best design:

* it's mechanically sound, as opposed to Europlug which tends to wiggle and Schuko which is sometimes difficult to plug and especially unplug

* earthing is mandatory and the earth pin is guaranteed to connect before the others

* the sockets have shutters which only open after the earth pin has been plugged (good for child safety for example)

* the live and neutral line are shrouded to avoid shocks and the coin problem [0] when the pins are only partially plugged in

* it is polarised, so devices can have the fuse on the live line

* the plug is fused

[0] http://www.trademe.co.nz/media/23333/cpin-insulation-plug-sh...

I think it's still a design that is far larger than it needs to be. You could reconfigure the plug to use blades like the US and be in parallel like the italian plug. Then you can add shutters, shrouded pins, polarized pins and fuses and still be incredibly more compact. On top of it, the design will work well with folding plugs like many camera battery chargers yet still be grounded. That combination seems like the best.

Most of that is good except for the fuse. The only reason for the fuse is because of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_circuit which was only used during copper shortages.

The fuse makes the plug much much larger than it needs to be.

The American size, with some shrouding, would be better. Newer American plugs already have shutters and everything else you mentioned.

Plus, the thing's the size of a grapefruit and usable as an impromptu flail.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug

Why doesn't the Europlug have a ground?

From the link: Europlugs are only designed for low-power (less than 2.5 A) Class II (double-insulated) devices that operate at normal room temperature and do not require a protective-earth connection.

In addition to what 'stevek' wrote; the Europlug was designed so that it would fit many existing, incompatible European plugs.

One of the things that makes the European plugs incompatible is that they ahve different types of earthing. One example is Sweden versus Switzerland. In Sweden, the common socket has earth on the sides of the plug (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuko) whereas in Switzerland the earth is a pin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#Swis...).

By not having an earth, the Europlug fits both the Swiss and Swedish sockets.

Will never happen. But if ever, the Swiss design is imho the best one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#Swis...

"plugs partially inserted into non-recessed sockets present a shock hazard"

A definite plus! I like it.

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