Is there a power adapter that works for all plug type pairs (A to O)?
Why is there no universal travel adapter available for type A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H+I+J+K+L+M+N+O ? (http://www.iec.ch/worldplugs/map.htm#) e.g. a smart device that checks the country it is in and adapts the voltage and the pins with some kind of universal socket.
Or does it exist somewhere? (independent of costs)
(I was looking for an adapter of type D+M and found a gazillion "universal 150+ countries" adapters but none that are really universal) (did not find even one that would support both D+M).
Update
I think this question is not uncommon with customers. But somehow this question is no-where to be found on any of the most famous Q&A sites, which is surprising. So from the answers here-under I see confirmation but still no definitive answer.
- Known: a lot of companies sell world adapters, countless internet sites selling these for "any country", most of them cover the same 150+ countries in the regular regions. Confusing for travellers because often no description is given only a picture. As far as I know no world adapters exist. With as example Type D+M in whatever world adapter out there, and the examples below confirm: it does not exist
- Known: Differences in voltages/frequencies and local safety regulations already apply to existing travel adapters often sold with additional devices and often not. So although no perfect current market. It seems this variable is independent of the question since " it is already so that the market sells unsafe devices"
- The main reason given for not existing is mentioned as a business reason, but without any business research or reference it is hard to quantify. The "why so many" information pages out there (e.g. http://www.iec.ch/worldplugs/why_so_many.htm) covers the " why it historically grew like this in countries " but does not answer the question on why no-one sells a device that is true universal adapter because "any market" has an upper and a lower side so I would expect that somewhere some company would sell a 100% solution on the upper side of the market.
So the answer seems "buy one (or more) for each specific region, no generic adapter exists because of probably business reasons, but no references or research in this market is known. It is not known how much it would costs and it is not known how customers would be interested. It would need to cover A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,M,O single plugs together with a transformer and possible frequency conversion and taking into account safety regulation. Time will tell if anyone ever will create such a product."
Best Answer
Electrical sockets and plugs have more attributes than just the arrangement of pins, the distances between them, pin length and pin form. The different types of sockets and plugs are not only commonly used with, but also designed for different voltages, power limits and different safety requirements. It is simply not possible to safely adapt between arbitrary sockets and plugs unless you know exactly what you are doing, and to be frank, a common consumer does not know what he is doing when dealing with electricity.
Let us for example take a look at the type D and type M connectors. Type D connectors are designed for a maximum current of 5A, while type M connectors are designed for a maximum current of 15A. If you have a type D socket and an appliance with a type M plug, even with a physically matching adapter, you may risk that the socket is overloaded if the appliance draws more than 5A. That may have many interesting side effects, the socket or the wiring may catch fire, or melting insulation may allow access to live conductors and cause electrical shock.
Pictures about "Is there a power adapter that works for all plug type pairs (A to O)?"
What are the different types of power adapters?
Plug Types- Plug Type A. The plug type A (or NEMA-1) has two flat live contact pins, which are arranged in parallel at a distance of 12.7 mm. ...
- Plug Type B. The plug type B (or NEMA 5-15, 3 pin) has two flat live contact pins, which are arranged in parallel. ...
- Plug Type D. ...
- Plug Type E. ...
- Plug Type F. ...
- Plug Type G. ...
- Plug Type I.
Are all power adapter the same?
The right AC adapter for your device is one with matching electrical ratings. The device's input voltage and current must match the adapter's output voltage and current. Check the device's product label or user manual to see its rated voltage and current.What is A Type A plug adapter?
The Type A electrical plug, or flat blade attachment plug, uses two flat parallel pins or blades. It is found in most of North America and on the east coast of South America on smaller devices that do not require a ground connection.How many types of adapters are there?
There are currently 15 types of plug adapters in the world today so you can see, a little research into your needs will save a headache, time and even cost later on. Finally, when deciding on grounded or ungrounded, don't be surprised to find more than one plug listed for almost all countries.More answers regarding is there a power adapter that works for all plug type pairs (A to O)?
Answer 2
I am aware of one such adapter, called Adapter 1, by an American company called MOGICS. Unfortunately it only accepts US plugs:
Otherwise there are plenty of plug adapter kits on Amazon:
It's quite a bit more bulky but I'm guessing you're not constantly moving between distant parts of the world, so one at a time should be more than enough. You may also consider getting a new plug adapter whenever you fly into a new country - they're usually ubiquitous at airports.
Answer 3
Adapting the voltage would require a transformer; they are available and heavy and for most electronics it's not necessary. Kettles and similar heating elements, Oral-B wireless chargers for toothbrushes and such are not dual voltage.
As for the plug shape since you linked grounded plugs as well the answer is really easy because there is only one (perhaps copied by the Chinese and relabeled by Tumi and perhaps others but still) plug shape adapter which can convert grounded adapters universally: the Skross World Traveller Pro. OK, I lied it's a series and Skross also has a Pro Lite series but these are basically the same. Look at the specs and all the shapes it allows for:
It has two parts, first it converts everything to a Schuko:
then it converts a Schuko to everything:
these parts are available and usable separately -- but they can be put together to form a single adapter:
It's ingenious quality Swiss engineering.
If you want two poles only then the Mogics Bagel + adapter that JonathanReez partially linked is indeed the best.
Answer 4
From what I can see, the O plug is only used in Thailand ?
The internet say you could use a C, E and F plug. So, look for those kind of adaptor ?
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska