Outlet strip with Edison fuse used as a dim bulb tester
 

http://pw2.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios...bulbtester.jpg
Picked this up at a garage sale. An old Japanese outlet strip, 2 pin, using an old fashioned Edison base fuse (the kind you should not put a penny behind of). It's a "Fedtro" model CON-6 Electric outlet control center. Made in Japan. Remove the fuse, and replace it with a light bulb, and now you have a dim bulb tester to test a radio under repair. Use a bulb of wattage of twice the radio's power consumption rating, and if the bulb lights brightly, you have a problem like a short in the radio's power supply (shorted filter cap or such that could ruin a power transformer). I suppose people back in the fuse days could have used a light bulb in place of a blown fuse to tell if they found the fault that blew the fuse. If the bulb stays lit, you haven't found it yet.

A friend, still has and uses one of those outlet strips. It has to be, like 40 to 45 years old.
It actually was made for the Japanese market, as they still use the grounding pigtail coming out of the plug, on some equipment, even though they use a form of NEMA devices. :scratch2:

My friend in Japan says some homes do have regular 3 prong outlets like we have, but not a lot.

I wonder why they'd have the standard 3 prong, but not actively use it. Apparently a lot of outlets aren't polarized either.

Wow I have one of those. Exactly like that. Haven't thought about it in years. Great idea as a dim bulb tester.