Easy Electical Question

[flewitheagles]

Likely Diego will quickly answer this one. I understand that the electrical outlets are simply two round holes about 1 inch / 2.5c apart and parallel to the ground, the same as Germany. Is that correct?

 

[flewitheagles]

Likely Diego will quickly answer this one. I understand that the electrical outlets are simply two round holes about 1 inch / 2.5c apart and parallel to the ground, the same as Germany. Is that correct?

I should have noted that my question was about Portuguese electrical outlets.

 

[Diogo92]

Yeap, that's it mate. You can buy an AC adapter and bring it on, or you can buy one here in Portugal. It's your choice

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[peregrina2000]

I have never bought one of these in Portugal, but I've had to buy several in Spain, and they were not cheap. Because, inevitably, there will be some morning when I am done charging my camera batteries and I pull the charger out of the wall, and the adapter stays in the plug. So now I always carry a few extras with me.

Diogo, are they expensive in Portugal? In Spain I've paid 8-10 euros. But that was in fancy electronic stores, so maybe the tienda de chinos have them for less.

 

[Diogo92]

Well, the Chinese stores sell them for about 3€ or 4€, it depends from what you want.

Of course that if you go to a big electronic supplier, that they will charge it much more then the chinese. However, look for the safety side of the thing: I rather prefer to pay 8€ for a thing knowing that it's secure and certified, than to buy it on a chinese store.

And trust me, that kind of product it's not trustworthy to be bought on a "low cost" place. At the Hotel where I work, if we didn't hade any safety measures on the rooms electrical boards, I think that probably ate least in the last 2 and a half years (the time that I'm already working in there) the Hotel could be burned to ashes in 4 or 5 times just because of chinese products.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[flewitheagles]

Yeap, that's it mate. You can buy an AC adapter and bring it on, or you can buy one here in Portugal. It's your choose

Best Regards
Diogo

Diogo,
My apologies for the spelling error of your name!

 

[Diogo92]

No problem @flewitheagles , it happens a lot, because people are not used to the portuguese variation of the name. Even in Brazil, a country which official language it's Portuguese, they use more the "Diego" than the "Diogo".

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[Diogo92]

Ohhhh, and by the way, the ones with the USB adaptor has @Lise T talked, are great!

 

[lynnejohn]

No matter where I go, I consult a chart like this to make sure I have the correct adapter.

http://www.theroamingboomers.com/the-ultimate-electricity-guide-for-world-travelers/

(Scroll down to the images of the plugs and countries they work in)

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, the Chinese stores sell them for about 3€ or 4€, it depends from what you want.

Of course that if you go to a big electronic supplier, that they will charge it much more then the chinese. However, look for the safety side of the thing: I rather prefer to pay 8€ for a thing knowing that it's secure and certified, than to buy it on a chinese store.

And trust me, that kind of product it's not trustworthy to be bought on a "low cost" place. At the Hotel where I work, if we didn't hade any safety measures on the rooms electrical boards, I think that probably ate least in the last 2 and a half years (the time that I'm already working in there) the Hotel could be burned to ashes in 4 or 5 times just because of chinese products.

Best Regards
Diogo

Hi, Diogo,
The adapters I have bought are all basically a cheap piece of plastic with holes on one side to insert the US plug and a couple of pieces of metal on the other side to plug into the European sockets. They are available in the US for $2.85 at a reputable travel company (Magellans), so that's well below the chinese store price. I am unaware that there are any safety concerns about these things -- but that could just be my ignorance. What kinds of things do we need to look out for?

 

[StuartM]

What kinds of things do we need to look out for?

Electrical goods sold in the EU should have a CE marking to show the design has been tested to the appropriate standard otherwise its illegal to sell them (assuming it is something covered by legislation which most mains powered electrical goods are). It is similar to FCC marking in the US.

However, the ever resourceful Chinese factory owners use a Chinese Engineering (CE) stamp with a remarkably similar logo (but subtly different) to the official CE (conformité Europeene) stamp logo.

 

[jmcarp]

...inevitably, there will be some morning when I am done charging my camera batteries and I pull the charger out of the wall, and the adapter stays in the plug. So now I always carry a few extras with me.

Try taping the adapter and charger together with duct tape or electrical tape. If you have multiple chargers, you'll need multiple adapters, but at least you won't be leaving them behind in the morning rush to get things packed up. With the trend toward more and more devices using USB cables for charging, consider getting a charger with at least two USB female outlets so you can charge multiple devices at once.

 

[Diogo92]

Hi, Diogo,
The adapters I have bought are all basically a cheap piece of plastic with holes on one side to insert the US plug and a couple of pieces of metal on the other side to plug into the European sockets. They are available in the US for $2.85 at a reputable travel company (Magellans), so that's well below the chinese store price. I am unaware that there are any safety concerns about these things -- but that could just be my ignorance. What kinds of things do we need to look out for?

The logo for "Conformité Europeene" it's this one:

The Chinese logo uses a squared normal E, instead of the rounded one.

Best regards
Diogo