> I like any connector that you can orient the correct way 
> without looking
> at it while you plug in, without breaking pins.

Add:    And without any prospect of making ANY accidental 
contacts in the process :-) !

eg you can pick the pair up in the dark, place the faces 
togther and rotate them until they self locate and can then 
be pressed or screwed together.

Being able to safely run your finger over the open face 
while there is mains on the connector without any 
(substantial) prospect of shock adds brownie points. Not 
that doing that passes the Darwin test. I've seen some mains 
connectors in some countries where that is not the case - eg 
Taiwan.

NZ 3 pin mains connectors satisfy the above "well enough" to 
allow connection in the dark even though they do not 
positively locate well without some assistance. Plug pins 
are robust enough to pass pin-break requirement. Standing on 
plug will bend pins. Pins are in triangle so orientation can 
be in-the-dark determined. If pins are ever live you have 
already had a major systems failure and may have a personal 
one at this stage. Socket is harder. For round connector run 
finger around outer edge of face to locate outlet pin which 
is furthest from centre. This is ground. You can just do 
braille-test placement of finger on flat face and this has a 
99.99% chance of not delivering a shock, but I'm wary of the 
0.01%. Having located ground, offer up plug at an angle and 
insert tip of ground pin (usually longer)(regs say it should 
be) and then rock connector square and press home. If you 
have misidentified ground (dark dark night or worse) then it 
won't connect and you can start again. When the option is 
available, turning on a light usually helps heaps. All the 
above can usually be done in a few seconds.


        Russell

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