Figure-Eight Extension Adapter
Most wall chargers insist on hanging directly from the wall. One white-label USB-C travel charger I found does something much smarter: its interchangeable heads include an IEC 60320 C8 inlet alongside the usual country-specific wall plugs. Fit that head and an ordinary C7 “figure-eight” mains lead plugs straight into it. Apart from Apple’s chargers, it may be the only travel charger I’ve seen that can be used with an extension cable.
The supplied C8 head fitted to the charger.
The C8 inlet is part of the removable head. The ribbed connector behind it merely attaches the head to the charger.
A socket at the end of the cable
That gave me the idea for this adapter. It puts a C8 inlet on one side and an unearthed Australian socket on the other, turning any C7 mains lead into an extension cable for two-pin wall chargers. I mostly use it with low-power adapters while travelling.
The completed adapter, with a C8 inlet on one side and an unearthed Australian two-pin socket on the other.
The little raised smile is a load-bearing ledge. It supports the charger whether it is sitting on top, as shown, or hanging at 90°, so the plug never has to carry its weight alone. It also stops larger chargers pivoting loose.
Here the charger sits on the ledge; when rotated 90°, the same ledge provides a second bearing point against the cantilevered load.
The useful bit is choosing where each end goes. A flat, angled mains plug can fit into a hotel socket hidden behind a bedside table, while the charger and its USB ports sit up where they’re actually needed. No furniture excavation, and no USB cable stretched halfway across the room.
Useful, not approved
This is a personal mains-voltage prototype, not a product. The printed plastic isn’t fire-retardant, it has no fuse or other protection of its own, and I haven’t subjected it to compliance or fault testing. It is only for unearthed two-pin appliances; an earthed appliance must never be connected. I use it only with low-power adapters and only while attended. A low load reduces heat in normal use; it does not make a wiring fault harmless.
Within those limits, it earns its luggage space: the wall plug fits the wall, the charger sits where I need it, and the bedside table gets to stay put.