Pre - NEMA standard
plugs and sockets
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The devices shown below were not only used in the US but also in Australia and New Zealand, and possibly elsewhere.
In the US they were replaced by type A and B plugs and sockets when NEMA specification became widely accepted.
Up to the 1950s a mix of old British and various plugs and sockets of American origin were used in Australia and New Zealand. They were gradually phased out in favour of type-I devices when the Australian C112 standard (redefined as AS/NZS 3112) was officially recognized as the Australasian standard (see type-I main page for details), but T" type fittings are actually used in Australia for low voltage applications up to 32V.
The examples displayed here have been collected in New Zealand; see Acknowledgments.

 

T-type socket
T-type plug
T-type plug
T-type and NEMA 2-20P
       
Obsolete type-A plug and connector Obsolete type-A plug and connector Obsolete type-A plug and connector  

1 Perpendicular, or T-slot outlet, rated at 15A, 250V.
2, 3 T-slot plugs. No. 2 has an porcelain base and copper housing. No. 3 has a Bakelite housing.
4 A perpendicular pin configuration is still used in North America for 20A, 250V devices (NEMA 2-20 P or R). However, the old T-slot and modern NEMA 2-20P plugs are not identical and therefore incompatible.
5,6 Pre-NEMA standard flat blade plug and connector.
7 Older North American devices often have two different amperage and voltage ratings. The rating on this connector indicates:
10A - 250V
ARROW (brand name) U.S.A.
15A - 125V
This has to do with a peculiarity of the National Electrical Code from 1923 to the 1950s. Originally, receptacles were rated at 10A 250V, because the NEC limited lighting circuits to 10 amperes. In 1923, the code changed to allow lighting circuits to be fused at 15 amperes; however, the old rule still applied to circuits over 125 volts.

 

Classic NEMA1-15R socket with switches Classic Academy three way cube

8 Classic model of a two-blade (non-grounded) 120V, 15A socket, with switch. The switch at left is an additional light switch.
Nowadays only grounded sockets are allowed, but non-grounded plugs (NEMA 1-15P) are still available for appliances that don't require a ground.
9 Obsolete US 15A, non-earthed 3-way multi-plug (outlets at top, bottom and one side). The 'automatic' wiring of this plug is unique. Details this Academy 3-way Cube are given on a separate page.

 

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