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Subject Topic: Electric socket? Post Reply Post New Topic
01/8/2016 at 10:19pm
 Location: Northamptonshire
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Forgive the newbie question, but I found 2 of these sockets in my van this weekend. Can anyone tell me what they are for please?



-------------
Good times and great adventures await...


02/8/2016 at 11:28am
 Location: Near Alton Towers
 Outfit: Bailey Burgundy S7 H
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At first glance I thought they may be for 12 V DC, however I would have expected one pin to be larger than the other for polarity reasons, with 2 of them I wonder if they could be for stereo speakers?

Dave.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.


02/8/2016 at 11:50am
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If there near a table or a flat surface and are 12v might be a plug socket for a 12v telly ?

-------------
Animals have feelings..

JEFF................


02/8/2016 at 3:11pm
 Location: Lichfield
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
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They look like twin USB ports.


02/8/2016 at 6:48pm
 Location: Northamptonshire
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Thanks for the suggestions.

If it makes any difference, the location is on the side of the 'fridge housing, under the seat/bed.

The ports are too narrow and only half the height, of a USB plug.

It is on a 2008 Polish Freedom van.

I've tried to take more pictures - one showing the USB plug for scale, and the other showing the writing on the socket cover flap - 10A 24V.

Does any of this help point to their purpose?



-------------
Good times and great adventures await...


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02/8/2016 at 8:21pm
 Location: Lichfield
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
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Does any of this help point to their purpose?


        _________________________________________



Yes, because showing the comparison of a USB plug proves that my theory is now ruled out.
I have even searched on Google 'images' for numerous pictures of various sockets and can't find anything at all that resembles it.
The only other theory I can think of is, as the Freedom caravan is Polish whether it's a foreign type of 12 volt socket that's not familiar in the UK?


02/8/2016 at 8:39pm
 Location: West Midlands
 Outfit: Various tents
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Would this plug fit?



02/8/2016 at 9:27pm
 Location: Northamptonshire
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Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 02/8/2016
...whether it's a foreign type of 12 volt socket that's not familiar in the UK?



Could well be. What doesn't make sense to me is why is says "10A 24V" on the flap. Why 24V when 'vans have 12V circuits - just because it's a convenient socket to run 12V through even though the label is wrong?

Quote: Originally posted by Hacksaw Bob on 02/8/2016
Would this plug fit?




Ooh, looks close to the right size. I'll have to measure tomorrow and report back. Would the pins be the same size, or one pin larger than the other for polarity reasons as Pickled Onion mentioned?



Thanks for helping me out with this   

-------------
Good times and great adventures await...


02/8/2016 at 9:50pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Quote: Originally posted by DandB on 02/8/2016
Thanks for the suggestions.

If it makes any difference, the location is on the side of the 'fridge housing, under the seat/bed.

The ports are too narrow and only half the height, of a USB plug.

It is on a 2008 Polish Freedom van.

I've tried to take more pictures - one showing the USB plug for scale, and the other showing the writing on the socket cover flap - 10A 24V.

Does any of this help point to their purpose?





That writing suggests 10Amps 24Volts. I don't think I have ever seen a caravan with a 24 Volt supply, but then I haven't seen many foreign caravans. Have you tried to see if the socket is live?


-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


02/8/2016 at 9:51pm
 Location: West country
 Outfit: Mondeo
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The 10A 24V indicates it is a low voltage socket. it says 24volt because that is what it is rated to not what it is necessarily connected to in the van. it's a standard outlet suitable for 12 or 24volt.

It's the sort of outlet you'd expect for a TV Is it inside the seat box or just in the front face so you an access it from inside the caravan.

We had some sockets which took the plug Hacksaw showed. But they didn't look like these sockets.


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02/8/2016 at 10:05pm
 Location: West Midlands
 Outfit: Various tents
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This is a better view of what seems to be a very similar plug, with apparently identical pins but with L and N marked on the case, so presumably intended for use with polarity-sensitive items, though it's not obvious which way round you'd use them in your sockets.

Might be an idea to put a meter across your sockets to check voltage and polarity?


02/8/2016 at 11:23pm
 Location: Lichfield
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
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Quote: Originally posted by Hacksaw Bob on 02/8/2016
This is a better view of what seems to be a very similar plug, with apparently identical pins but with L and N marked on the case, so presumably intended for use with polarity-sensitive items, though it's not obvious which way round you'd use them in your sockets.

Might be an idea to put a meter across your sockets to check voltage and polarity?



I have these 12 volt plugs in my caravan and you will find that one blade is narrower than the other so they cannot be plugged in incorrectly whereas the socket the OP has indicated the slots are identical.



04/8/2016 at 3:14pm
 Location: Near Alton Towers
 Outfit: Bailey Burgundy S7 H
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Quote:

I have these 12 volt plugs in my caravan and you will find that one blade is narrower than the other so they cannot be plugged in incorrectly whereas the socket the OP has indicated the slots are identical.



I agree with Tango55 on this one, howeve the 24v intrigues me, trucks use 24v DC, I wonder if it ever used a power supply from a truck at some time in it's life? Trucks often have 24v TVs for use in them, you still have the polarity problem unless the cover makes it impossible to reverse the plug.

Dave.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.


04/8/2016 at 7:25pm
 Location: West Mids
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Why don't you simply put a multi-meter over the terminals to check voltage and polarity. If it's pumping out 12v, buy a conventional 12v socket and replace it.
I would suspect that this type of socket had it's own plug that you could only connect one way round (maybe restricted by the lid), but just test it instead of speculation.

-------------
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Every day's a school day!


04/8/2016 at 9:34pm
 Location: Northamptonshire
 Outfit: Freedom Jetstream -
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OK, so I've had a measure, and the slots are at about 14mm centres, and 7 to 8mm high.

(sorry, the sockets are actually inside the seat box, which makes looking, photographing, and measuring, a bit difficult)



I've put a multi-meter across it, and whilst my meter has a hard to read analogue display, it is approximately 12v DC.

Again, thanks for all the replies and suggestions


-------------
Good times and great adventures await...


06/8/2016 at 3:53pm
 Location: Near Alton Towers
 Outfit: Bailey Burgundy S7 H
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That's my 24 volt guess out of the window then. As we've suggested it's a 12 volt socket but I doubt that you will ever get the matching plug that went with it. If you need one, just swap it for a conventional type, if not, ignore or remove them.

Dave.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.



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