Abstract: An electrical outlet receptacle is shown having a thermally responsive switch disposed within the receptacle thermally coupled to components of the receptacle and adapted to interrupt power thereto upon the occurrence of overload or overtemperature conditions in the environs of the receptacle.

Abstract: A thermocouple circuit has dissimilar conductors joined to form a conventional temperature transducer located in a zone to be monitored or controlled. The opposite ends of these conductors are connected to similar metal leads in a capsule located in a stable oven to form a reference junction. The oven also houses an inexpensive integrated circuit operational amplifier which is electrically connected to the similar metal leads to yield a high gain output signal proportional to the weak thermal e.m.f. in the dissimilar conductors. This signal is compared to a preset reference voltage level and the difference signal converted to a temperature correction signal which is in binary form. The oven, the operational amplifier, and the binary signal producing circuitry are all driven by a power source which has as its reference or common potential an isolated voltage level tapped off the shielded secondary winding of an otherwise conventional transformer.