So, a few already know … In the last couple of days, I finally decided for a “universal” adapter standard to get rid of my UK, Swiss and European plugs and sockets. I looked at different adapters and the winner is:
Neutrik PowerCon TRUE1 TOP. Amazing how this rolls of the tongue …
The connector is a successor to the tried and tested “PowerCon” – but with some advantages:
- It supports “hot-plugging” (connecting and disconnecting under load)
- It is IP65 rated.
- They come in a “L”-version for cables with a larger diameter. But even the normal sized connectors still fit a 3-core 2.5mm2 H07RN-F cable.
It is also a locking connector like the original PowerCon with male and female connectors and good for up to 16A. But they are a little more expensive. Interestingly, Thomann was the cheapest supplier I could find in Switzerland. Below you find a simple overview with the existing connectors and sockets along with their part numbers (taken from the Neutrik web site).
As you can see, there is no colour-coding for power inlets and outlets any more. Water-proof caps for the (wall) sockets are around 1.50 CHF per cap and therefore relatively expensive.
But what problem was I trying to solve in the first place?
We have AC electricity in our cars, the caravan and the trailers and soon in the barn and shed at the Loch. And we have appliances with UK, Swiss and EU (Schuko, Euro) plugs as well. And a plethora of adapters with the right one always not at hand. It was time to change that.
And the one thing I knew for sure was: I did not want to install UK sockets in the barn and shed. So, my idea was to install some more space-saving sockets. I already had good experience with the original PowerCon connector. However, they are not meant to be switched under load. Something that I definitely wanted to have with my new solution.
I could have sticked to plain Swiss connectors, as most of my appliances are already equipped with it. However, the typical Swiss triple T13 adapters tend to be occupied quite quickly as soon as we use AC/DC adapters or the Schuko fix-adapters. And if you get a quality product from a company like Feller, each triple socket costs around 50,00 CHF to 60,00 CHF. Compared to 3 Neutrik sockets this is way more expensive.
So, instead of researching any further, I quickly made a decision and went for the TRUE1 TOP system (from Liechtenstein). And it seems that I am not the only one with that idea, as I could see from various videos here, here, here and here.
My only real concern is, that after the “true” TRUE1 and the recent successor TRUE1 TOP, there will soon be an even “truer” replacement in the form of another imcompatible connector. But hey, what would one know anyway these days?
So, after last week the first batch of sockets and connectors arrived, this weekend I started with the conversion.
Inside our caravan, I added a couple of Neutrik sockets in the living room. See here:
I then updated the connections on the Toyota Hilux and relaced all the inputs, outputs and appliances. With this I could get rid of quite some adapters (from and to EU, UK, CH, CEE16-1, CEE16-3 etc).
So what do I think so far? I am positively surprised.
- Exchanging the connectors is simple and quick.
- Even the thick 3-core 2.5mm2 H07RN-F cables fit in the connectors.
- All the screws in the connectors are Torx (TX).
- The connectors are not too bulky.
- The adapters I made (e.g. from UK to Neutrik) are all rated for 16A (or 13A if we reuse the existing UK plugs). Travel adapters like the ones from Skross are typically only rated to 7A or 8A.
So, I will keep changing more and more of my appliances and will resurrect this post when I have news on this …
Our Journey to Scotland 