Every US Electrical Outlet Explained [video](youtube.com) |
Every US Electrical Outlet Explained [video](youtube.com) |
Our next data center, for the HPC portion, may end up getting 480 VAC to the rack, with each outlet getting 277 VAC (one phase plus neutral and ground). If you order a generic Dell server, you'll find they now have power supply options for 277VAC.
What's the outlet? The D-Grid 400 (SDG 400). So, there's another outlet to add to the list!
unrelated to 1st paragraph - I like as well Mustard, B1M, Wendover Productions
That and switches (like light switches): not only we've got way more variety in the EU but they also all feel of better quality.
Both electrical outlets and switches in the US do also look old and dated. Just like they feel when using them: old and outdated.
It's just all really weird, nearly anachronistic.
IIRC, the US electrified first. So a lot of its standards are kinda the first attempt, but they've stuck because the switching costs are too great. Other countries had the benefit of being able to improve on an existing system.
But I'm not sure if that really applies to plugs (IIRC British [giant] and Japanese [no grounding] ones are worse). But my understanding is the US 110v thing is kinda limiting, and 220v is way better.
> Plugs don't fit properly: they simply feel loose.
Let me guess: it was in a hotel? Hotel plugs are shit and worn out, because they get used far more heavily than pretty much anywhere else.
> Or you need to use super bulky, non-sensical, plugs.
For what? The only bulky US plugs are for weird things like dryers and electric ovens.
I'd call both the British and the Schuko better. But they both come with tradeoffs. The British plug is huge, in part because of the built-in fuse. The Schuko is aesthetically less clean because the outlet is not flush, and because the plug is reversible you can't design around polarity.
> Let me guess: it was in a hotel? Hotel plugs are shit and worn out, because they get used far more heavily than pretty much anywhere else
All socket types experience wear, but some deal with it much better than others
> For what? The only bulky US plugs are for weird things like dryers and electric ovens
which is mostly a 110V issue. At 220V you can plug a drier into a normal wall outlet
120V is safer (not "safe", "safer"[1]) than 240V. And for the times when 240V (or 208V) is a better fit, we have that available to us relatively easily.
> For what? The only bulky US plugs are for weird things like dryers and electric ovens.
Or the locking plugs, but I think that still fits your point: These are high-voltage and/or high-current things, which aren't being unplugged/plugged too much.
That might because the US was largely electrified by 1950 with the major push before The War during the 1930's via the Rural Electrification Administration. By The War the TVA was up and running and that's where nuclear materials were manufactured for The Bomb.
The US system sensibly uses 110-120V for most uses and then 240V where it really matters.
Did anyone say Schuko?
So, when I arrived in Barcelona and Catalonia, I was pleasantly, mildly surprised that not only had Europe kept pace with us techno-mages in America, but they had some kind of parallel evolution going on, in terms of connectors, interfaces, protocols, etc.
My fiancée was sort of mystified, because my favorite subject of photography was not landmarks or her pretty face, but the circuit breaker box, the rear of her television set, the A/C unit, and any other cool, distinctly Euro-tech instances I could identify around there.
I tried helping her adjust/fix her aerial TV antenna, got zapped a few times; discovered that Catalonian TV antennas are energized with a few volts for whatever reason; decided that Euro-tech is beyond my expertise to tinker with on someone else's behalf, especially a native family.
Thankfully, I didn't have any portable electronics or appliances in my luggage that needed adapters or plugs, but the experience was truly humbling, and eye-opening, and I returned to the United States with a better calibrated worldview.
Competitively the US does well in energy tech and agriculture tech. The US is #2 in wind power, #2 in solar power, #1 in nuclear power, along with being the world's biggest oil & natural gas producer. The US industrial rail system is also an epic scale marvel, while its consumer rail system is pathetic.
It's definitely not elite in most infrastructure (including electrical plugs).