Sockets are one of the most important devices in electricity, which we mention only when there are not enough of them to connect the next purchased household appliance.
That's when we mention electricians who can increase their number. But before that, you need to first choose a socket, so to speak, according to your taste and color.
Probably, there is no need to talk specifically about the importance of electrical contact in the "plug-socket" system. for the home electrical network. Anyone who has used household electrical appliances should be well versed in this matter. Reliability of electrical contact in the "plug-socket" system is almost completely determined by the design of the contact group in the outlet. This means that the quality of the sockets is decisive for the home electrical network. It is especially important to use high-quality sockets for electrical equipment connected by separate lines to the shield. In this case, it is necessary to use separate socket mechanisms, and not socket blocks.
The question arises, how to distinguish quality sockets from others. As already mentioned, the main characteristic of the socket mechanism is the quality of the contacts.
The most common type of contact occurs when the plug pin is tightened by the elastic properties of the petals of the bronze contact itself. To strengthen the elastic properties, the petals are often, but not always, fitted with a steel semicircular spring. As a rule, there is no steel semicircular spring in cheap sockets. Try to avoid buying such outlets. The reliability of the contact depends primarily on the quality of the material of the contact itself and the steel semicircular spring. Over time, residual deformations accumulate in the petals, and the contact between the plug pin and the socket begins to deteriorate. At the increased contact resistance, heat begins to be released, which again increases the deformation. In the end, either the plug ceases to hold in the socket, or the socket burns.
The second option with a cylindrical spring and a moving contact is much more reliable and durable, but it is much less common. Contacts of this type are used only in the most expensive sockets. However, such contacts were quite common in Soviet-made sockets, and, despite the terrible quality of execution, due to the successful design of the contacts, many of them had a fairly long service life.
The main problem when buying a socket is that the sellers do not have the slightest idea about the design of the socket and even more so about its contacts. As a rule, it is not allowed to disassemble the mechanism when buying. The information materials of the manufacturer also usually do not give a complete picture of the design of the contacts. Of course, you can buy one mechanism and disassemble it, but this is not a cheap and troublesome method. We can only hope for the brand. Any expensive socket mechanisms of world brands have high reliability and a long service life with any contact design. Therefore, if you need reliable sockets, do not save.
