Skip to main content

How to Choose the Right Power Converter and Adapter while Travelling Abroad

When it comes to travelling or studying abroad, we often tend to overlook the departure guide us about the power converter and adapter to carry. This blog post will be of great help if you have forgotten to look into some major aspects of electricity and you are planning to go for some adapter or converter shopping.
plug-145025_960_720
Here’s what you should look into.

Plug shape

There are various types of plug shapes available all over the world. But the 4 most commonly used plugs are:
  1. American (Type A)
  2. European (Type C)
  3. British (Type G)
  4. Australian/Chinese (Type I)

Amount of Voltage

The normal supply of electricity in the United States is around 110 or 120 volts at 60 Hz frequency. In Europe as well as other parts of the world, it is supplied at 220 volts and 50Hz frequency. Hence, any device between 200 volts and 240 volts might work.

Hertz/Frequency

All the countries use either 50 Hz (Europe/Asia) or 60 Hz (US).  Mostly all electrical devices support both these cycles. It’s just that the type of frequency will affect the analog clocks of the devices. Although you cannot do much about the frequency, it will not cause any hindrance for you.

Should you buy an adapter or a converter?

In order to find out if you need a converter, you should look at the back of the device you are going to use internationally. If it falls within the range of 100 ~ 240V and 50/60 Hz, it will work everywhere in the world provided you have the right power plug adapter. Laptops usually come with a dual voltage feature. In case the voltage and power of your device are compatible with the place you are travelling to, you just have to be careful about buying the outlet prong adapter. If it has single voltage, you will need a step-down converter.
While buying a converter, you should keep voltage and wattage in mind; the information to which can also be found on the device. In case it isn’t available, you can multiply the amps and voltage and the answer you get is the amount of wattage. However, you must ensure that your converter the rating of your device is 10% more than that of your device.
If you are going outside US, it is compulsory for you to have an outlet adapter. In fact, you can buy a universal adapter if you have decided to stay in Mainland Europe or UK.
Always remember that most of the electronic products designed these days have a battery charger that is compatible with the voltage range of 100V to 240V and hence it will work almost everywhere without a converter. Beware of carrying along curling irons and hair dryers as they might cause a fire. It is better to buy such equipment from the place where you are planning to stay.
We hope the above tips were useful to you. Stay tuned for more information on converters and adapter.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the Difference between C13 and C15 Power Cords?

There is an array of power cords available in the market. It can get quite perplexing to choose the one that will fit your needs. In order to know more about them, you must have more information about these cords. This article will acquaint you with   IEC C13   and   IEC C15   power cords   and how they are different from each other. But before that, let us understand what IEC is. IEC stands for International Electrotechnical Commission. Every cord is standardized by IEC before it is introduced in the market. These cords use the letter “C” which is followed by the number in their cords. Let’s get back to understanding the difference between IEC-C13 and C15 connectors. Some of them are mentioned below. Difference of a Notch One of the most apparent differences between the two connectors is the notch on C15 connector. Although C15 looks quite similar to C13, it has a little groove opposite the earth. The IEC-C15 connectors also work in the C14 outlets. But the IEC-C13 connector
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Improve Your Internet Speed

When your internet speed is slow, you start blaming the game. But it is important to find out the root cause behind that. Today, we are here with a list of solutions which you can apply to achieve an ideal internet set up rendering high-speed data. Here’s how you can increase the internet speed: Choose The Mobile Operator Wisely There is a smart way of doing that. Find out the mobile service provider which would give you the fastest service at your preferred locations. Gather a group of friends with various mobile devices and perform a speed test together. You can even organize a speed test meet up where you can visit your friend’s house turn by turn. Note that, it is important to restart the Wi-Fi connection before you run the test. You can achieve faster speeds by even switching the service providers with each other. Fix The Wi-Fi Dead Spots You can run the speed tests in the areas where you use Wi-Fi to find out if it’s a dead spot. If you encounter a problem at that p
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Distinguish Between C5 and C7 Power Cords?

There is no doubt that the functionality of electronic equipment is significantly influenced by the power cords. When you choose to work with electrical appliances, you may have come across several kinds of cords including c5 power cords and c7 power cords .  However, what is crucial is understanding that these two power cords are not the same entirely. They come with significant differences. Wondering what those are? Well, before you pick between these for your electronic gadget, let's discover the difference they both share. What is Meant by c5 Power Cords? The first types of cord are the C5 power cords which are basically three-pronged and are also known as the "Mickey Mouse" connectors. This is because they have a very unusual design and are used for laptops and other compact electronic devices.  These types of power cords connect easily to the power source and come with a Clover shape connector that fastens to the power adapter. One of the main advantages of the c5
Post a Comment
Read more