Post terminals consist of a central post and a clamp which screws down over the post. The bare end of the wire is wrapped clockwise around the post, and the clamp tightened over the wire.
Class I appliances will have an earth wire. These typically have exposed metal parts, and the earth wire will be connected to these metal parts. In the event of a fault, the earth wire will carry the fault current, causing the fuse to blow.
Typical appliances include washing machines, microwave ovens, kettles and toasters.
The Blue wire connects to the terminal marked N or Neutral.
The Brown wire connects to the terminal marked L or Live
The green/yellow striped wire connects to the terminal marked E or Earth.
The fuse should be sized appropriately. These examples show a 3A fuse, but some high power appliances will need a 13A fuse.
Also known as 'double insulated', these appliances do not have an earth wire. They will either be all plastic construction, or any metal parts will have extra insulation to ensure they do not become live in the event of a fault.
A large number of modern appliances are Class II. Typical examples include garden equipment, power tools, cable TV boxes and table lamps.
The Blue wire connects to the terminal marked N or Neutral.
The Brown wire connects to the terminal marked L or Live
Nothing is connected to the terminal marked E or Earth.
The clamp on this type of plug consists of two flexible pieces of plastic. The flex is simply pressed between them. It is vital that the clamp grips the outer covering of the flex (white in this example), and NOT the individual coloured wires.