Electrical Outlet and Voltage Information for Cameroon
Posted by 
May 25, 2012 •
Cameroon is a country located in central Africa and is also called the “African in miniature.” For people who want to spend some time in Cameroon, some of the things they must know are the standard voltage used by the appliances and electronic gadgets as well as the primary types of electrical outlet and plug.
If a tourist in Cameroon wants to use an appliance or electronic gadget, he or she must know that the standard voltage in Cameroon is 220-240 volts with a frequency of 50Hz and the primary types of plug and electrical outlet are Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug and Type E European CEE 7/4.
Aside from the standard voltage and primary types of electrical outlet and plug, a tourist going to Cameroon must also have some adapters and voltage converters ready. Adapters are used when the shape of the plug is different from the shape of the electrical outlet in Cameroon while voltage converters are used when the voltage of the appliance or electronic gadget is not compatible with the voltage of electrical outlet in Cameroon.
Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug Electrical Outlet and Adapter
Type C plug and outlet
The Type C Europlug is also known as the CEE 7/16 (Europlug 2.5 A/250 V unearthed), which is a bit similar, only slightly smaller, to the CEE 7/17 and it is one of the most commonly used electrical outlet and plug in Cameroon. The Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug alters the shape of the appliance’s plug so that it could be used into a “Type C” European CEE 7/16 Class II non-grounded Europlug socket or a Soviet-era Russian GOST 7396 Class II non-grounded socket used in Cameroon. Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug in Cameroon and from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. The pins of the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced 19mm apart.
Type C adapter
In using appliances and gadgets in Cameroon E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlets. In addition, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug is also the most widely used electrical outlet all over continental Europe and in the former Soviet Republics. This plug is also non-polarized and non-grounded. Aside from Cameroon, there are also countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim region, Central and South America, and Caribbean that use this kind of adapter.
Type E plug and outlet
Type C adapter
with the live connection in the left and neutral connection in the right. The specifications of this Type E European CEE 7/4 plugs used in Cameroon are two round pins spaced 19mm apart with a hole for the male grounding pin of the electrical socket. However, the Type E European CEE 7/4 is not compatible with the Type F of Germany, the Netherlands, and other continental countries of Europe because of the round male pin in the socket.
Voltage Converters and Universal Adapters
Transformer
These voltage converters and adapters will be very handy if a tourist would plan a trip to Cameroon and intends to bring along some gadgets that require a particular voltage. There are certain adapters that would fit particular plugs and these could be bought in hardware stores or electrical outlets in Cameroon or before heading there. Another is that there are also universal adapters that could be used with any type of plug and electrical outlet, may it be in Cameroon or another country. Most appliances and electronic gadgets made in the United States of America (USA) have a voltage of 110-120 and using it directly on a 220-240-volt electrical outlet in Cameroon would cause damage to the appliance or electronic gadget, to the extent that it might be totally fried out or might even cause a fire.
Combination Voltage Converter
The resistor-network converters to be used in Cameroon are usually advertised to support as much as 50-1600 Watts and are just ideal to use for short periods of time. The resistor-network converter is also not recommended for digital devices like laptop computers however it is great for lightweight electronics like hair dryers and irons. There is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Cameroon.
If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Cameroon, the ideal voltage converter would be a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating. It could be used for long periods of time but is a little bit heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires. If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Cameroon, the best way is by using voltage converters such as the resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both.
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