You are someone who travels a lot , and you may be in the habit of just putting in a plug adaptor on your charger and filling in wherever you go, but this has made many of us forget that there are actually a few different things that you need to keep in mind when plugging any device into a wall socket. There are some useful tips that you need to know before you start your travel. The three main things that you need to be aware of are the plug shape, the voltages and the frequencies.
World Plug Socket:
The plug shapes vary around the world, and so in the USA, for example, they use Type A, which has two prongs, or the plug type B, which is the same with a single rounded prong. And you will find these in Japan as well, while the most of Europe uses two round prongs, with subtle differences, which fall into types C, E, and F. for Indians, the all two-pronged plugs you get here are Type C, they will fit into any of these sockets as well.
The United Kingdom, and some countries like Singapore use Type G, which has two flat prongs laid horizontally, and has one vertical prong, all of which have a squared shape. But in some parts of Singapore you’ll also find Type C, which is convenient for Indians traveling. The Australia mean while uses a Type I plug socket, which is similar to the US plug, but the prongs aren’t vertical but rather angled obliquely, and there is an additional vertical prongs. If you travel to China, you can’t be sure about what sockets you’ll find, as it has a mix of Types A, C, and I.
Different Standards Voltage:
The different countries around the world also have different standards for electricity deliver, the different standards of electricity in the US and Australia are why just bending the cord wasn’t good enough. In the India, the standard is 220V, which is the same as in China, while it’s 120V in the US. And the most of the EU is on 220v-230V, as is the UK, Singapore and Australia. Japan however uses 100V outlets.
And this means that if you’re from India, and you take your gadgets to China or the EU, and get a plug adaptor, you’ll be able to use them right away. But if you take your device to the US, you’re going to give it too little voltage, and you must need a voltage adaptor apart from the plug adaptor. And the good thing is that most chargers can harmonize a range of voltages, so you will only need to worry about fitting into the socket but remember to always check this before plugging in.
A charger that With 100-240V can be safely used anywhere, and you should check this figure whenever you plug in any device in a new country. And the second number is the amperage which shows you how much current is being drawn. In India, we have 5A and 15A sockets, but most of the rest of the world will use a single socket, of between 10A and 16A. But you’re plugging in something with a heavy draw like a radiator or an air conditioner, you probably don’t have to worry about this figure.
Different Type of Adapters:
There are two types of adaptors, one simply compensates for the shape of the socket, while the other will also adjust the voltage. And by checking your devices, you can figure out whether or not you need the latter at all (there’s difference of price and if all your gadgets can be safely plugged in, why waste money on a voltage converter?) and then safely plug in wherever you go, or plug in your imported electronics safely.
The typical travel adaptors start from around Rs. The 180 online, but remember, these do not convert the electrical output. For that, you need a voltage convertor, such as this one you can get in India for Rs.