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4 Slot Outlet


randynavarro

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Why were non-parallel blades disallowed? Did the plugs slip out more easily or was NEMA trying to limit how much of the hot blade was exposed if the plug wasn't inserted all the way? Or am I being thick and not realizing the obvious?

I've never seen an outlet like the one in Randy's photo, and can't determine if the non-parallel slots are polarized, but I don't see what's dangerous about them.

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Originally posted by Bain

Why were non-parallel blades disallowed? Did the plugs slip out more easily or was NEMA trying to limit how much of the hot blade was exposed if the plug wasn't inserted all the way? Or am I being thick and not realizing the obvious?

They simply hadn't settled on a convention yet. At the time, you could buy plugs with parallel blades or in-line blades. Eventually, the parallel blade configuration became the norm. I doubt that there's any particularly compelling reason why one configuration succeeded.

The receptacle in Randy's picture is like a VCR machine that accepts both VHS and BETA tapes.

I've never seen an outlet like the one in Randy's photo, and can't determine if the non-parallel slots are polarized, but I don't see what's dangerous about them.

It's not any more dangerous that any old receptacle. And it has the bonus of accommodating old parallel-blade plugs.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

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  • 4 weeks later...

I found this old gem in my own house today (my house was built in '26). It was inside a wall, and energized. The interesting things you find when bashing walls down. Now I have another item to add to my box of old knobs, tubes and other things a house nerd would want to keep.

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-Brad

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