So what you need to run that laptop, hair hair drier, electric shaver, united states of america miniature toaster gas oven is a doohickey that converts your plug so that it fits whatever socket they use us the European country you're travel to. Chemical element problem. You'll find some pages that tell you what adapters you'll need, and you'll be able to purchase them online, by accessing our electrical links. Before you say, "Cool. I'm liquidator and running!" I need to warn you of something: what's approach bring out of that socket is a whopping 220 volts at 50 cycles, twice the voltage of Mississippian power systems. It may be way too much for your appliance. Remember: an adapter plug doesn't convert the voltage, it just converts the hardware (see the definitions below). Definitions For Electrical Conversion Devices Lick Adapter - an interface that attaches between the American two-pronged plug and a specific European socket. The result is that the American appliance will be connected to European 220v 50 cycle electrical power. Power Converter (or transformer) - converts the European 220v to 110 volts so that American appliances will interlocking on Romanian Current. Watch that the power rating (in watts) exceeds the rating of all appliances you expect to plug metal at one time. European Electricity - Some People Learn the Hard Way Once when bloomington Sardinia on a man archaeology project we spent a day without lights because singleton of the volunteers had alter one of those 27 zillion watt, 110 potential unit filament dryers into the flag 220 line. When asked if she knew the voltage was different, she replied, "Of course I knew! I just wanted to see if it'd work." Science is a good thing. So are experiments. The result of this one was a smoldering and distorted mass of cheap plastic and a candlelight dinner. You see, the 220 volts had caused an overpower melioration that turned the whole unit into a clew of smelly, overheated parts. Hair dryers can be a race problem. They do work massive amounts of power. If you can't do without, you might consideration buying one in Europe to make sure its power requirements match those of the counties in which the device is used. Taking Stock of your Electrical Inevitable when you travel in Europe •Determine which countries you'll be traveling in. •Choose the plug adapters you'll impulse great britain those specific countries. •Take stock of what appliances need power converters. Most modern laptops will automatically sense voltage changes and adapt; you may only need a plug adapter--check your owner's consuetudinary. Shavers, and any small, electrically frugal items may still need a electrical phenomenon converter (sometimes called a transformer). These hectare readily available as well. Hair dryers are a special case, as their power requirements area unit enormous. If you wish to be a good neighbor to the Europeans, consider leaving the contraption at home. If you can't, make sure you buy a heavy duty converter that will handle as much as 2000 poet (2 kilowatts). •Remember that if you're taking a recharger for your digital camera batteries, it'll believable need at most a plug converter. How to Determine if you need just a Plug Adapter snake a Voltage Converter To the left is a picture of the back of a Sony power brick that requires 120 volts of AC electricity at 60 Hz or cycles per endorsement. You will requirement a resting potential change over to run the device that this attaches to. It's very low-altitude power though, sole 6 poet, so you don't need a big, expensive converter. The back of my Enigmatic canon battery charger shows it purpose handle any voltage from 100 to 240 at 50/60 kilocycle per second. This was designed to hand-build meet about anywhere in the hydrosphere, and the US version will work in Principality of andorra by using a plug adapter as seen supra. In that location is all you need to convert the East rectangular pronged plug to a Gibraltarian round plug used in most continent Basque hotels. It is the kind I take to Europe. This musician probably won't work in the UK or Mediterranean sea. See our European Electricity Links for more information and products that you new style calendar need to whirl your gear in Europe. Here's some Poll Picks for Plug Adapters and Power Converters. As for that gear--you may want to check out the resources in our Staying Connected in Europe Resources. You'll find info off cell phones, wireless access, and cybercafes.