UK Folding Plug takes home design award, emerges in USB-infused flavor
By Darren Murph 
posted March 17th 2010 5:31PM
posted March 17th 2010 5:31PM
posted March 17th 2010 5:31PM
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Do want!
I give credits to the inventor, I just hate those bulky 3 pins plugs when not in use..
@commenter7 I actually hate it so much that I use a UK to EU adapter followed by a 6 way socket extension for Europlugs at home so I can use devices with Europlugs instead of UK plugs...
@commenter7
I find that the best designs/inventions are always the ones that are simple and invoke the response "Why didn't I think of that!?"
@commenter7
Not to mention being saved from the horror that is stepping on one of our plugs.
@commenter7
I saw this guy on the bbc yesterday morning and he seemed like a really nice unassuming guy as well so extra kudos to him
We need one of these for the states, build the power brick into the plug.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB352LL/B?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY
@spin cycle 29 + tax + shipping? ROFL! Check amazon, wall usb adapters are a dime a dozen.
@spin cycle
so a super flat plug with two usb ports is the same as that -_-
this would get rid of soo many splitters in my house but I live in the USA :(
@JoshC How would it get rid of splitters, unless you cut off the end of your devices cables and spliced on the proprietary slim power connector (which some manufacturers might even void the warranty for such a modification)?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/05/10-usb-power-outlet-leaves-no-plug-behind/
This is a flush option for only $10 US
@JoshC The entire Apple brick is flatter than a UK plug, so yeah, this qualifies as super flat compared to that.
As to the guys voting me down over the price, if you don't like the price, buy something else. I was merely pointing out we already have very small USB power plug adapters in the US, so we don't "need one of these for the states".
Personally, I don't fine the in-wall USB sockets a good idea since the spec for USB power on bricks changes more than once a year and I don't really feel like having to flip off the breaker and rewire my wall sockets every time I get a new device that doesn't work with the old standard. With a plug-in adapter as I linked to (or cheaper alternatives), you just unplug the adapter and plug in a new one when you need to. And you can move the adapter room-to-room easily too.
If you can plug it in when folded, there's no point to the big plug anymore. It was designed with pin separation for safety, and this removes it. So I cannot see how the thin jack or USB device are legal in the UK or will ever be produced. The folding plug itself is fine (and awesome) since you have to fold it out before plugging it in and it has the mandatory separation in that case.
@spin cycle \
Your right the safety regulators of the land would never let connected end get by inspection but then again how could you complete a circuit with them together or ground, it has to fold out look at the other plug to the right is just take the current plug and makes it a lot less annoying and the USB add-on is great.
@spin cycle Surely there's no risk of plugging the the pins in the wrong holes with this configuration (provided it's robustly built) unless it's abused? They're still separated, the only difference is that 2 move now.
As long as the thing is produced well, I really don't think there's much of an issue. The only hesitation I had was about replacing fuses, but it looks like there's a red cover to a compartment for them on second look.
@spin cycle Arcing at 230V is really that much of a problem?
@spin cycle
i thought your plugs were so giant because they need fuses inside, to protect from the freakishly powerful electrical grid? please educate me. i'm serious.
@patches66 I thought something similar, that they needed fuses because of the crappy/dangerous way they used to wire houses in the UK.
@spin cycle
Don't quite understand your post, sorry. How does this destroy the pin seperation?
If you've seen the original video this works perfectly well as a standalone plug and perfectly well if the USB adapter is added.
Yes, the engineering will be difficult but the end benefits would be huge. Quite simply this is a better plug than anything we've got in the UK.
As the article points out, it's not the awards that matter it's when MK or some other really serious manufacturer decides that they can build this.
@Valicore
Individual equipment fuses are a great idea as they add a second level of isolation beyond the fusebox / Circuit breaker. But yes, for years the UK has mandated an extreme approach to electrical safety. Not because the system is "carppy" but because our govt is a bit over cauttious. I'm happy with this approach, and still alive.
The main point is ... WHEN WILL SOMEONE LICEN(C)SE THIS?
MK Get your act together.
@patches66
I'm sure that has something to do with it, but I'm sure it's not the only reason as the fuses themselves are only about 25mm/1in long. I think it's more specifically that the fuses have to be replacable (so removable). Also bear in mind that UK plugs can take far more juice than our mains system puts out and still be safe, so I'm guessing that they were originally designed for industrial use or something. Honestly, I think it's also partly to do with our culture - we REALLY like safety regulations over here (as a culture, not individuals) and I think the UK plug may be a byproduct of that. Regardless, I'd take the UK plug over the American or European ones any day. They're flimsy and too easy to knock out of their sockets (if you trip over a US power cable, it'll pop out of the wall. If you trip over a UK one it almost certainly won't...which to be fair can cause it's own problems - I almost ripped a hole in the wall once, but that was a much poor workmanship as anything else) and your cables coum out horizontally. Ours go down so they're also harder to trip over (although if you're connecting something above the plug it's just as annoying as a US and Euro ones).
/rambling
@TMoney2007 It's not really about arcing. And no, this doesn't preserve separation. The prongs on the UK plug are about 2cm apart so it's more difficult to accidentally bridge them (like with a knife or whatever). When this plug is folded, one of the hot prongs is only about 0.5cm from the neutral. This isn't a problem when the plug isn't plugged in, but if it is plugged in when the prongs folded, it's a problem. So the socket adapter thingy isn't legal, so it doesn't matter who licenses or how much you love it. And don't bitch to me, I don't make the rules either.
You're talking about a country where until recently you couldn't have a light switch in the bathroom (you had to have a pull cord inside or a switch outside) due to worries about wet hands and switches, so arguments that 0.5cm is enough separation are probably futile.
I think the plug is great, as long as as the folded socket is never produced and the fuse in the plug cannot be changed with the plug plugged in, it should be legal to make the plug I think. So bring it on!
@Valicore As opposed to what? The European system? US?
The UK has one of the safest, if not THE safest electrical system in the world.
Shuttered sockets,
Guaranteed earthing on every socket.
Discriminated fusing,
RCD Protection.
@Alphathon "Also bear in mind that UK plugs can take far more juice than our mains system puts out and still be safe, so I'm guessing that they were originally designed for industrial use or something. "
It's because we use 30A ring mains, not used much elsewhere, so we needed to put a lower amp fuse in the plug to provide a 13A or 5A fuse.
The problem with this plug (not the usb one) isn't separation, but durability. A modern impact resistant moulded uk plug can it a tough old object. When plugged in you could smack it very hard without problem. This one has a very thin back, even a slight impact would snap the whole back off , potentially exposing the live circuit. For that reason this will never happen.
flavoUr not flavor... its British :)
Meh, the only problem I have with our plugs is when companies lazily shove power adapters into the same unit, obscuring adjacent sockets (looking at you, Creative), or put the tail leads the wrong way.
Come on Apple, do some good for once and employ this minimalist genius!
the benefit of actually being able to carry more than one uk plug charger with me at a time without sacrificing precious bag space is far too tempting to pass up.
Want. They are so annoying at the moment
Got a patent on it yet? Apple needs something to buy off you ...
This solves a terrible thing about flat backed 3 pin plugs in the UK, standing on them with bare feet in the dark.
very....painful....
those UK pluds are so big, next thing you know Ben Heck be stuffing a PC into them...
I think you posted this exact same thing a while back?
Looks way too flimsy to last long. Plugs are fine as they are imo
He was on BBC breakfast news yesterday, apparently production will begin end of the year.
I prefer the uk 3 pin plug design rather than the Europe 2 pin plug which sinks into the socket (UGLY), the uk plug is also safer than country’s as it is fused., but the uk plug is a bit big this design is fantastic I hope the do manufacture this as well as the USB version.
A dangerous design from an art student.
The BS 1363 standard was introduced in 1947, one of its main objectives was to end child deaths due to electrocution from plugs and sockets, and it has succeeded brilliantly.
There are two very obvious errors in the Folding Plug design (quite apart from whether the moving parts are up to doing the job).
One is that the safety barrier in this design is optional; this is because you do not have to fold out the sides to be able to insert the plug. That is completely unacceptable, safety must be inherent. The standard requires 9.5mm from the pins to the periphery of the plug; this design has 3mm along the length of the rotating part and 0mm at the ends.
The other obvious error is that access to the fuse must be impossible when the plug is in use, this design has the fuse accessible at all times.
The existing design of folding plug on the market, SlimPlug, does not have these problems, the ThinPlug, currently awaiting regulatory approval, has also been designed with safety in mind. Perhaps it is because those two designs come from engineers, not an art student who can create something attractive, but clearly has no understanding of engineering design.
BS 1363 and the Plugs and Sockets regulations are in place to stop dangerous products being foisted on the unwary by the ignorant. The fact that the Folding Plug has been awarded several prestigious design awards tells a very sorry story about the values of our society.