What do you call this socket?

Hi all,

I have a box of salvaged three phase sockets. They're pretty old and of an all-metal construction. I'd like to mount a pair on my phase convertor (when I've built it) but I don't have any plugs to match the sockets. They have 3 phases, a neutral and an earth, but I don't think they're CEE sockets. As far as I know the 3P+N+E CEE sockets have the pins arranged in a pentagon, whereas these have four pins in a square and the earth in the centre. There's an emblem made from an interleaved "M" and "L" on the front, and you rotate the plug to switch on the power. Here's a picture:

Any idea what they're called? That way I might stand a better chance of finding some matching plugs.

Best wishes,

Chris

They look to me like Hubbell Pin & Sleeve sockets Harvey Hubbell Inc. - (U.L. Std. 498) The small ones like you have appear in a 1982 catalogue in my collection, but only those rated 100A. appear in a later one. Nice stuff, but likely to be pricey and hard to find. MadDog.

Thanks for the message. I did a search online for Hubbell sockets and couldn't find a five pin socket with this pin configuration, but maybe it's out of production like you suggest. Also I should probably have mentioned that I'm in England. Do Hubbell export much to England? I've seen a Hubbell plug once before, but only on equipment made in the US. Does the interleaved "M" and "L" logo fit with it being Hubbell?

Thanks for the help.

Chris

I've used a lot of the Hubbell pin & sleeve stuff. It's made to an IEC standard, and fairly recent. I don't know the logo. ABB and many others should make very similar components. I don't recognize the older rotating type interlock. It's similar to a NEMA design used in the US for welding receptacles in the plant. It's probably obsolete.

Good luck.

Pete Keillor

Here's the UK site:

I didn't check it out, but they probably have a downloadable catalog that will show pictures or pin-out diagrams of all the different sockets and plugs and there are a *lot* of them. IMLE, Hubbel makes very good stuff but be prepared to pay a goodly amount for it.

Mike

Hey Chris,

Looks like a Hubbell or a Pyle, but no guarantee. I will suggest that a "couple of plugs" like that will set you back almost as much as the phase converter!!

For my RPC, I use dryer plugs and sockets. The sockets run less than $10 Canadian each new, and the cords with molded plugs are available at garage sales for about 50 cents to dollar.

Take care.

Brian Laws>Hi all,

Not unless they were importing them from a company with a ML logo rather than build their own tooling... Hubbell is pretty good about putting identity plates or stamped markings on their products so you can identify them, try opening up the receptacles and looking for imprints or tags.

Pin and Sleeve receptacles and cord caps are a current product for industrial and marine uses, but they redesigned them all a while back to an international standard, and many of these have integral safety shutoff switches to prevent connecting the devices under load. (Note the "Rotate For ON" plate on the bottom of your example device.)

. If your devices fall under the old standard, it'll be a better bet to just toss these and start your electrical system with fresh ones - even if you can get new plugs now, you might not in another few years.

Such is the way of the obsolete designs like the Hubbell "Midget Twistlock" and other Non-NEMA designs in the US - the only ones that seem to have stuck are the "CS" or "California Series" twistlocks used mostly for construction-site 50A 120/240V temporary power cords.

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Chris,

Don't worry about trying to match some old socket. Go with some new sockets and plugs as long as they have 4 prongs arnd are heavy enough to carry the current. Better yet, hard-wire it in and get rid of cords on the floor.

I've seen similar in the Hubbel catalogs

Thanks for all the responses. I would buy new sockets, except for one reason. All the parts I've collected for my phase convertor so far are nice, old fashioned gear made from steel and cast iron. I want to preserve this appearance for the whole machine, so I don't want to spoil its looks by mounting a pair of el-cheapo plastic sockets on the front. I'd like to use metal-bodied sockets if I possibly can. Any ideas?

Best wishes,

Chris

They may look plastic (they are), but pin & sleeve plugs and receptacles are anything but cheap. The 62A Class 1 Div. II receptacles with auxiliary contacts were about $800 ea. Plugs were about $50-100. Crouse-Hinds in the US makes a lot of metal body plugs and receptacles. They're probably cheaper, too. I believe they are distributed in the UK as well.

Pete Keillor

Thanks for the information, Pete. I'll check out Crouse-Hinds. I had a look at Hubbell yesterday, but annoyingly I couldn't view their catalogue as they required me to have Internet Explorer!

Chris