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Soon I’ll be packing to go to Spain; but, before I can pack, I have to make sure that all my electrical devices – computer, digital camera, MP3 player, etc. – will work with the voltage abroad. In order to be sure that my “gadgets” will work abroad, I did a little research online about the differences between electricity in the USA and electricity in Spain. Here’s what I found out. Maybe this info will be helpful to someone.
Do you need an electric converter or just an adapter?
You may need an electric converter to run your electronic devices in Spain… or you may just need a plug adapter… or you could need both. To find out what option is right for you, you should first ask yourself what different amounts of voltage the device in question accepts. If the device accepts a wide range of voltages, you probably only need an adapter to change the US plug to a Spanish plug. If it doesn’t accept a wide range of voltages, you’re going to need a voltage converter in addition to the plug adapter. Remember the following key points:
- In the USA, our electricity runs on 110 or 120 volts and 60 hertz.
- In Spain, the electricity is usually 220 or 230 volts and 50 hertz (the voltage can vary under certain circumstances).
Anyway, you need to decide what types of voltage your device accepts. Look at the plug/cord for your computer, digital camera, etc. You should see a label like the one below explaining what types of electricity are compatible with the device:
You’re looking for the part of the label that explains what types of electrical input the device accepts (the part underlined in red in the above image). As you can see from the label I’ve posted above, this particular device accepts any voltage between 100 and 240 volts (it says 100-240V). This device also operates on 50 or 60 hertz (the label says 50/60Hz). This device is considered to be dual-voltage.
- If your device accepts 100-240V and 50/60Hz: Your device is dual-voltage which means that it will work with the electricity in the USA and the electricity in Spain without a voltage converter. The only thing you need is an adapter plug to change the USA prongs to Spanish prongs.
- If your device does not accept such a wide voltage/hertz range: Your device is not dual-voltage. You’re going to need to buy yourself a converter that will plug into the wall and change Spanish voltage to American voltage. Most converters also come with a prong adapter, but if yours doesn’t you may need a prong adapter as well so that your American plugs will fit into the Spanish sockets.
A few things to keep in mind:
Most modern laptops and digital cameras are dual-voltage and work in the USA and Spain without much more than an adapter to change from the flat-pronged plugs of the USA to the round-pronged plugs of Spain. But be careful: if you plug a device into the wall in Spain that is not made to accept Spain’s voltage, you’ll blow it up!!! If you are unsure of what you need to power your “gadgets” in Spain, ask an expert. The information here is only meant to give you a rough guide.
Remember, you can buy a voltage converter and/or a plug adapter at any travel store and the clerk can probably help you decide what to buy. Radio Shack may also be a good place to look for this kind of item.
For your information: If you’re wondering what the difference between a Spanish plug and an American plug is, take a look at the picture below. The Spanish plug is on the left and the American plug is on the right. As you can see, in Spain circular prongs are used while in the USA we use flat prongs. This is why an adapter is needed to change American prongs to Spanish prongs.
I hope this post has been helpful to someone! If you can think of something I’ve forgotten or have any questions or comments, please leave them below!
Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com
PS: If you’re interested in finding out a little more about what to bring to Spain (other than voltage converters) you may wish to read my post on packing for a semester abroad in Spain.
at the first sentence it looks like it were correct but if you prove it i cant see the sense of this..
In the grand pattern of things you get a B- for effort. Exactly where you actually misplaced me personally was on the specifics. As people say, the devil is in the details… And it could not be more accurate right here. Having said that, permit me say to you exactly what did work. The text is definitely highly powerful which is possibly why I am taking an effort in order to comment. I do not make it a regular habit of doing that. Next, even though I can see a leaps in reason you make, I am not really convinced of just how you seem to connect your points that produce the conclusion. For right now I will yield to your issue however trust in the foreseeable future you actually connect the facts better.
^ what’s his problem?? weirdo.
anyways, i’m going to spain and this helped me a lot! thank you for taking the time to type this out. dude up there seems to think he’s grading papers. rather, he’s just wasting time.