Insertion plate (key) for European (EU) "SCHUKO" outlet with shuttered contacts

thingiverse

Here is the insertion plate (key) for European (EU) "SCHUKO" outlet with shuttered contacts, a crucial component for safe electrical connections. These sockets are typically colored red and require a specific lever to be pushed into a special hole to open the contacts, making it impossible to plug generic cords into such outlets. The key plate features a special pin that is longer than the two contact pins and is designed to be glued to a plug, preventing it from being used in standard outlets. This differentiation is implemented to separate electric lines safely, for instance, one line with red outlets for computers backed up by a large UPS and another line for generic appliances like lamps, teapots, and refrigerators. Using these special outlets prevents accidental plugging of an electric teapot into the line under UPS, and vice-versa. However, in our office, all sockets (red and non-red) are connected to the same line, rendering the need for special keys unnecessary. Initially, we did not glue key plates to plugs; instead, they were permanently inserted into sockets. Nonetheless, over time, these key plates have been lost, leaving almost half of the outlets in our office difficult to use. To address this issue, I designed a replacement solution. The key plate features a short pin that can be simply inserted into a socket and left there. Alternatively, it still retains the long pin, allowing for gluing to a plug as per the original design.