2 gang 3.1A double USB / double 13A switched socket - reduced to €8.50 woodies

dodzy

A steal at this price.

https://www.woodies.ie/masterplug-2-gang-13a-switched-socket-with-2-x-usb-1133844

GhostyMcGhost

€15 BOGOF in maplin recently which is great for €7.50

This is a great price too and will pick some up. The 2 that I got were very handy

I just bought a new house, shame these aren't a standard but no doubt they will be in future

Atlantic Dawn

Great deal and a decent brand, seems to be plenty in stock around too.

Wheety

These good for fast/turbo charging?

Would also free up a couple of sockets behind tv.

august12

dodzy wrote:

A steal at this price.

Can these replace an existing double socket in a house built about 30 years? Would the existing back do or would I need to purchase the backing separately?

dodzy

august12 wrote: »

Can these replace an existing double socket in a house built about 30 years? Would the existing back do or would I need to purchase the backing separately?

You should be fine. Get one to test but they have a shallow profile.

I have several in my place (built in 93) and zero fitting issues

dodzy

Wheety wrote: »

These good for fast/turbo charging?

Would also free up a couple of sockets behind tv.

3.1A is plenty of umph

Peatys

I'm sure plenty of non electricians are going to be fitting these, so just one word of warning.

When the new one is wired and clamps tightened, position the socket, then check the wires are still clamped tight.
Loads of times I've seen cables come loose after positioning the socket.

august12

dodzy wrote:

I have several in my place (built in 93) and zero fitting issues

Thanks, do you think the existing backing is ok, I should just purchase the outer part and check if it fits. Sorry, I don't know the technical terms for these.

Atlantic Dawn

Handy guide here on how to install, as always with electrics if in doubt get an electrician...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4LlCqL0Q9I

stevek93

Be careful of these https://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/are-wall-outlets-with-usb-charging-ports-safe/2/

GhostyMcGhost

You should also pick this lad up too

https://www.woodies.ie/onsite-tester-14cm-1034730

Bargainception

Del2005

stevek93 wrote: »

Be careful of these https://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/are-wall-outlets-with-usb-charging-ports-safe/2/

I was thinking similar. Are the circuits in the USB port constantly live or are they switched with the socket? It's not clear from the information that Woodies supply.

SomethingElse

Would these not be using electricity all the time, even when not in use? I assume the voltage has to be stepped down to 5V using a built-in transformer

ED E

I still think these are stupid.

The BS 1363 (UK Plug) hasnt changed since before 1950, USB was only 500mA a decade ago and device currents change from year to year (my 3yr old phone charges at 4.5A but these are only 3.1....). Leave the charging to wall warts and change them every 18mo to meet the new standards.

dodzy

ED E wrote: »

I still think these are stupid.

The BS 1363 (UK Plug) hasnt changed since before 1950, USB was only 500mA a decade ago and device currents change from year to year (my 3yr old phone charges at 4.5A but these are only 3.1....). Leave the charging to wall warts and change them every 18mo to meet the new standards.

Go way outa that. These are perfectly fit for purpose.

August12, I’d say you’ll be fine.

Thor

ED E wrote: »

I still think these are stupid.

The BS 1363 (UK Plug) hasnt changed since before 1950, USB was only 500mA a decade ago and device currents change from year to year (my 3yr old phone charges at 4.5A but these are only 3.1....). Leave the charging to wall warts and change them every 18mo to meet the new standards.

Most use 2A, for standard charging, but fast charging won't work as that is typically an increase in volts. Some do use a lot more amps for fast charging, but this socket will still charge any device decent enough.

4.5A basically means you can only use the original charger if you want to fast charge, as most standards don't use that many AMPS. I think the new Qualcomm quickcharge3/4+ does.

These sockets are also handy for anyone with a Chromecast/Fire stick and want to free up a socket behind the TV. keep in mind that I believe the 3.1A is shared across the 2 USB ports.

Enrico Palazzo

dodzy wrote: »

3.1A is plenty of umph

That's 3.1A shared between the two lines. One is max 2.1A so no fast/turbo charging even if only one line is used.

Mech1

I got 1 fitted it with zero issues, hundreds in stock at Woodies Sallynoggin.

dodzy

Enrico Palazzo wrote: »

That's 3.1A shared between the two lines. One is max 2.1A so no fast/turbo charging even if only one line is used.

It’s €8.50. I’m sure 2.1A is sufficient for the vast majority of people. Seriously, how fast do some people really need to charge their stuff.

DublinDilbert

Fitted one of these myself, they are quite good quality. Also the back of the socket isn't too deep so should work on a standard backing box with few issues.

jamesd

Ordered up a few of these - very handy.

SomethingElse

Are they not constantly using electricity though?

Tails142

Yes they do use power all the time, there is no way to switch them off. They use a couple of watts per hour at a guess.

Electricians don't like them because they can't do their insulation resistance test without removing them.

I have one in the kitchen, they're handy but not essential. I wouldn't go round replacing every socket in the house with them. As someone else said maybe behind the TV or couch, somewhere you'll definitely use it in other words. But yeah, they will probably be obsolete in less than ten years as technology moves on, so get them in fast before it's too late :-D

doozerie

I made the decision some time ago to not install such integrated USB sockets. I looked into it a couple of years ago and the following document was one of very few non-marketing or anecdotal sources of info I could find: LINK

…that doesn’t make for comfortable reading. At the time there wasn’t any widely adopted standard for USB ports integrated into plug sockets, that alone was enough to put me off using them.

Not that standards are a guarantee of anything of course, if I buy something unbranded then I take the claimed standards it proclaims to adhere to with a pinch of salt, but when it comes to safety I err on the side of caution. And potentially low quality (poorly insulated, in particular) USB sockets that are permanently powered on are a risk too far for me. The switches on most, and perhaps all, plug sockets control the plug outlets only, not the USB ports.

I’ve read references to a new standard, IEC 61558-2-16, which sounds like it might cover integrated USB ports, but from a casual search I’ve not been able to find anything useful/decipherable about it (I’m not an electrician so I’m looking for information that even a dummy can understand). I’ve also come across mention of at least one notable brand (MK, I think) integrating a on/off switch specifically for the USB ports into their sockets, but from a cursory look I’ve not been able to find anything further on that either.

I had a look at the MK Electric website and I see that their integrated USB ports push a total of 2A shared across both ports. 2A is quite low these days, which makes me wonder why they are limiting their product to that. Are they concerned about the safety implications of higher output? I’ve no idea, but it’s one more thing that doesn’t reassure me, your mileage may vary.

And apart from safety concerns, USB is changing all the time, the kind of power that devices draw has increased a lot over the years and is still evolving. I’m not sure that I’d want to install a whole bunch of integrated sockets today that might essentially be “out of date” within a few years. Replacing a plug-in charger is easy, replacing an entire integrated plug socket just because of the USB ports is tedious and probably more expensive, replacing multiple plug sockets would be a headache.

Plus there is the environmental factor too. I don’t leave devices in standby mode unnecessarily, I switch them off at the plug socket, the idea of an (unused) USB transformer constantly consuming power bothers me. It may be a relatively small amount of power in itself, but over time that obviously becomes more significant and it’s entirely wasted energy. And multiply that wasted energy by the number of integrated plug sockets of course.

So for the moment I remain unconvinced about USB ports integrated into plug sockets. The one scenario where I might try them is a double socket for the house soon that’ll be controlled by a switched fused unit, so that I can kill power to the entire socket via a switch when it’s not in use. Otherwise I’ll stick with plug-in chargers for now.

There are other options of course, such as this plug-in one that “frees up” the plug socket itself while also providing dual USB ports (chose this one at random, I’ve no idea of its quality, and while this one is not yet released there are versions readily available today): LINK