As travelers know, different countries have different outlets. It can be a real pain and it can be costly too if you have to buy special adapters. These countries are not just going to come up with a standard anytime soon either. That’s why this spinning outlet is such a great solution to the problem.
The info is scant on this thing, but it looks like it offers several major plug types which are accessed by spinning the three segments around. Great for hotels, where travelers are always having problems because they can’t charge up their gadgets.
[Gizmodo]
TAGS:
International, outlet, plugs, Rotating Outlet
Now if only you all could mass produce this as a pre-added part into homes being built
Neat idea, but dangerously wrong in execution.
The reason why different countries have different plug shapes is because they operate at different voltages and frequencies.
For example, the standard household power outlet in the US is 120V/60Hz, with 240/60Hz available for larger supplies like dryers and ovens. In the UK, the standard is 230V/50Hz. Other countries use different variations on this theme, such as 120V/50Hz and 230/60Hz.
Imagine if you brought your cell phone charger into a UK hotel, and flipped the outlet around to fit a US mains plug, then plugged in…. you’d start a fire!
You’d have to provide transformer taps that would provide the appropriate service for the plug type. Stepping voltage up and down isn’t that hard, but changing the AC frequency can be.
They would have to put a label on the outlet warning people to check their devices to be sure they can handle the extra voltage. Most gadget chargers will work in any country; one just has to check the voltage input range for the device.