Hey all,
Got my framework 16 a few months ago and noticed the power adapter has a UK plug but that it’s a moulded one.
Seems like such a simple / easy thing to throw a serviceable plug on the end rather than a moulded one but am I maybe missing something here? Is there a reason why it has to be moulded?
Thanks!
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry, but what’s the difference with a molded UK plug, and what’s the alternative?
It looks like the UK plug has a compartment with a replaceable fuse. And the plug + cable detaches so it’s replaceable as well should it get damaged somehow.
Power Adapter - UK plug
Thanks!
Sorry my naming of these things might not be quite right - what I mean to say is most plugs I’ve seen and used can be disassembled so the plug can be replaced without having to replace the entire wire and infact this is something we were taught in school how to do.
I think the term I was actually looking for was rewireable - if you search google for rewireable uk plugs you’ll see they have screws that can be removed to allow for disassembly.
Well, you can still cut the wire where it enters the plug and wire it into a new plug, losing just a couple centimeters in length. If the plug ever needs replacing, that is. Crimped connectors should last forever if made right.
Oh I know - to be clear the plug I have works fine it’s not damaged or anything.
I just found it amusing that considering the focus on reparability, such a simple thing as a rewireable plug wasn’t used - hence me asking if there was some other reasoning or logic behind it.
The UK plug being rewire-able and fused is kind of an oddity compared to many other electrical systems (not bad, mind you, just designed differently). I’d expect to change the cable (pet damage or worn out) rather than the plug, and in that case, you would have to have a removable plug on the other side of the cable, too. This cable being quite short and standard issue to boot, I don’t see the need to go to great length to make it marginally easier to repair while adding to the cost.
It’ll most likely be for water/dirt resistance. The moulded plugs are fairly resistant to splashes from accidental spills.
It’s probably also a bit of a cost saving measure. If all the cables were rewireable, they would all need to be assembled, which would either have to be done by hand and take time/money, or would have to be automated which would take time/money. By moulding the connector, they can be produced a lot faster and cheaper, and are still modular/replaceable with the “mickey mouse” connector on the power supply brick.
For safety. Old style rewirable plugs don’t meet current safety standards for new products.
Hi @matty_widds,
@Azure , @MJ1, and @Ekkehard_F are all correct in their observations that the cord going to the to the wall for power is molded as opposed to being rewireable. It is done this way for cost, simplicity, and liability.
I remember reading that UK regulations state plugs MUST be fusable under BS1363 (Just googled this in a side window). Commonly there is a 3A RED or 13A BROWN fuse. Other sizes are available though commonly black. This has to do with the way power is supplied as there is a risk of a fault where current can be supplied from both sides and the fuse is a simple failsafe.
Many plus are repairable/rewireable though this is reserved more of the time for appliances, lamps, tools, etc.
It is much easier to find another mains to the IEC C5 {this is the end that goes into the power brick} if the primary cable is damaged.
Portable electronics commonly have molded plugs to prevent foreign matter from getting where it should not in electrical plugs. The trade off though is lack of repairability as you learned in school. At scale though, these cables are produced in such volumes and sometimes will exceed the service life of a rewireable plug simply from not having any wiring potentially exposed to the elements.
Lastly, companies have gone this route as they want to minimize litigation from someone “repairing” a high voltage cable (>75V) when a few pounds/dollars/etc. could have avoided the whole mess altogether.
Thanks to the standardization of power supplies, you can now get a cable for the country you are visiting and as long as it has an IEC C5 connector on the other end; you can plug the power supply from Framework and it will charge the device just like at home.
Welcome to the community! We hope you are enjoying your Framework Laptop as much as the rest of us are.
nah, it is for component price, the molded plug is cheaper to produce.
But I wonder how long ago @matty_widds bought a new appliance, they all come with molded plugs these days. Rewirable plugs are only for replacements.
The mains cable will be a bought-in component from some high volume factory that produces these cables for all the different country destinations that Framework supply their machines to. Having to manually wire a plug onto the cable is an expensive time consuming job.