Yet another Hacker News

Every US Electrical Outlet Explained [video]

20 points zdw 1 day ago 19 comments

TacticalCoder 1 day ago | parent

I'm typically not a big EU defender but it's one of the thing that is really oh-so-much better in the EU: every time I go to the US having to plug stuff into electrical outlet feels like I've been beamed back to the 1950s or something. Plugs don't fit properly: they simply feel loose. Or you need to use super bulky, non-sensical, plugs.

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 Just like they feel when using them: old and outdated.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.

ButlerianJihad 1 day ago | parent

I am unsure if this is a common mindset for Americans, but I personally perceived Europe as rather backward and out-of-date, technologically. I don't know why I got that idea, other than "Europe is more ancient than us" and believing that USA is the nexus and origin of all innovation.

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.

adventured 53 minutes ago | parent

The US technology advantage is in software, hardware, biotech/pharma, AI, some advanced robotics (China is leading in general robotics), quantum, aerospace, military, medtech.

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).

mschuster91 34 minutes ago | parent

As for the TV antenna, centralized European installations tend to have really long cable runs, even more so for cable TV, and there's a wideband PA in the basement.

brudgers 8 hours ago | parent

feels like I've been beamed back to the 1950s or something

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.

morsch 1 hour ago | parent

The European plug design is also ancient, going back to 1929

4dregress 1 hour ago | parent

Our plugs in the UK are by far the best design.

Markoff 1 hour ago | parent

they are, except connectors are extremely bulky, but at least they are compatible with EU outlets as I learned in Malaysia, all you need is pen

nullisland00 1 hour ago | parent

They’re a great caltrop design. In my experience they’re too large and this causes problems with lead management.

cmiles8 55 minutes ago | parent

I would agree the plugs are well designed, but it’s also a space pen when you needed a pencil. Using that massive plug and 240V to charge a phone or power a light bulb is just comical.

The US system sensibly uses 110-120V for most uses and then 240V where it really matters.

palmotea 1 hour ago | parent

> I'm typically not a big EU defender but it's one of the thing that is really oh-so-much better in the EU: every time I go to the US having to plug stuff into electrical outlet feels like I've been beamed back to the 1950s or something. Plugs don't fit properly: they simply feel loose.

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.

eco 1 hour ago | parent

Along those same lines, I still don't really understand why so many people call it 110v and 220v when the US hasn't been those voltages for around 100 years and it's been 120v and 240v for about 60 years (it was gradually stepped up the voltage starting in the 1930s).

CaliforniaKarl 59 minutes ago | parent

> But my understanding is the US 110v thing is kinda limiting, and 220v is way better.

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.

[1]: https://youtu.be/jMmUoZh3Hq4?si=JyZIge5lQXda4D0E&t=811

kalleboo 20 minutes ago | parent

Japanese electrical is better in many ways than the US. We have insulated pin sleeves so kids can't touch electrified pins and whole-home GFCI instead of just one or two outlets in the kitchen/bath. The standard wall switches are also so much nicer.

smnrg 59 minutes ago | parent

> "Or you need to use super bulky, non-sensical, plugs."

Did anyone say Schuko?

mschuster91 36 minutes ago | parent

It's not that bulky (compared to blue and red CEE or the British plug), and what about it is nonsensical?

Markoff 1 hour ago | parent

one of my favorite YT channels together with Technology Connections (though as was mentioned recently, the videos are a bit on the longer side, but I like the form anyway), anything else similar?

unrelated to 1st paragraph - I like as well Mustard, B1M, Wendover Productions

CaliforniaKarl 29 minutes ago | parent

This is not a US electrical outlet, but it's one I've recently become aware of, which folks might find interesting:

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!