Adaptors and Converters

When the 56 Series™ was released to the NZ market it had a range of 22 items. The 56 Series™ quickly took hold in industrial applications throughout NZ and is widely used today. The plugs are all orange and clear plastic for 230 or 400 volt.‍

Pros

• In use in most industrial applications and businesses throughout NZ
• Readily available, solid construction with some good features like see through sections where you can check the connections for colour codes or loose connections
• Compact design

Cons

• The plug range has too many small sizes 10A, 16A, 20A, 32A, 40A and 50A
• With 3-pin 4-pin and 5-pin options combined with the numerous small amperages the number of plug options can be great
• The biggest size is 50A and this is smaller than the most common mains size of 63A
• Brass contacts without plating can corrode

Commonly called CEE Form, IEC or marine plugs. These are becoming very popular and are made by a number of manufacturers, the IP ratings and the quality can vary greatly so watch out! The CEE plug is commonly found on international equipment and is widely used in marine applications. Caravans use the 16A 230V 3-pin. The colour designates the voltage, blue is 230V and red is 400V. The red 400V plugs come in 4-pin and 5-pin arrangements. Sizes are 16A, 32A, 63A and 125A.

Pros

• Logical jumps in sizes means a large current range with a maximum of 125A 3-phase means you can plug your super-yacht in with one cable
• Readily available locally or internationally
• Quality manufacturers can provide some very high quality plugs
• Options on tinned connections provides good resistance to corrosion
• Extra pilot connections available to monitor if it is plugged in correctly

Cons

• Plugs are larger than the PDL equivalents
• Some brands are poor quality with low IP ratings and no plated contacts