Papua New Guinea is a country located in Oceania and if a tourist would want to visit this country, he or she must first know the standard voltage and primary types of electrical outlet and plugs used by the electronic gadgets and appliances.

This information will not only provide more convenience to the tourist but would also help avoid problems in using electronic gadgets and appliances in Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea, the standard voltage is 220-240 volts while the primary type of electrical outlet and plug is the Type I Australian AS-3112.

Also, in Papua New Guinea, a tourist should also prepare adapters and voltage converters. Adapters are used to alter the shape of the plug so that it could be used together with an electrical outlet in Papua New Guinea. There are cases that the shape of the plug is different to the type of electrical outlet, so it is best to always have an adapter around. There is also a universal adapter that could be used together with almost any type of plug and electrical outlet. The universal adapter is recommended for people who are travelling to Papua New Guinea and other countries as well. Another thing to bring in one’s trip to Papua New Guinea are voltage converters like network-transistor converter, step-up and step-down transformer, and combination voltage converter. These are used when the voltage of the electronic gadgets and appliances is not compatible with the voltage used in Papua New Guinea which is 220-240 volts. Most electronic gadgets and appliances made in the United States of America and Canada use 110-120 volts and if a tourist would want to bring that to Papua New Guinea he or she would definitely need a voltage converter.

Type I Australian AS-3112 Adapter, Plug, and Electrical Outlet

Type I non-grounded plug

This plug in Papua New Guinea, features a grounding pin and two flat prongs that form a V-shape. The blade contacts of the Type I Australia AS-3112 are 6.5 x 1.6mm with a phase and neutral blade angled at 30 degrees to vertical at a nominal pitch of 13.7mm. This standard plug of Papua New Guinea, is also polarized and grounded. The Type I Australian AS-3112 electrical outlet and plug is commonly used in Papua New Guinea, and other countries in the Pacific area. It is the standard in most houses in Papua New Guinea, and it is also slightly similar to the Chinese CPCS-CCC and the Argentine IRAM electrical outlet. These three sockets are interchangeable and are classified under the unofficial “Type I” category.

Type I grounded plug

Moreover, the receptacle end of this Type I Australian AS-3112 can accept any standard household plug type in Papua New Guinea, except the Type M South African SABS1661, also known as the Old British BS-546 Large plug. However, there is also an ungrounded version of the Type I plug that only has two flat V-shaped prongs, but theelectrical outlet is always three-pinned. The Type I Australian AS-3112 plug has other variants that include 15 A, 20 A, 25 A, and 32 A.

The batteries of electronic gadgets must be charged through an electrical outlet and when the plugs do not match, an adapter that is compatible with the Type I Australian AS-3112 outlet must be used. Aside from Papua New Guinea, other countries that use the Type I Australian AS-3112 are Argentina, China (mainland except Taiwan), Papua New Guinea, Uruguay, Fiji, and Tokelau (the Union Islands).

Type I adapter

Type I plug

Voltage Converters and Universal Adapters

Voltage Converter

In using an electronic gadget or appliance that has a different voltage requirement than the 110-120 volts used in Papua New Guinea, the best way is by using voltage converters such as resistor-network converters, transformers, and, in some cases, the combination of both. The resistor-network converters to be used in Papua New Guinea 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.

Transformer

If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for cameras, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Papua New Guinea, 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. The last kind of voltage converter in order to use electronics in Papua New Guinea that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Ireland is the combination of a resistor-network converter and transformer. Most of the time, there is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Papua New Guinea.

Moreover, there are certain adapters that would fit particular plugs and these could be bought in hardware stores or electronic shops in Papua New Guinea or before heading there. These voltage converters and adapters will be very handy if a tourist plans a trip to Papua New Guinea and intends to bring along some gadgets that require a particular voltage. There are also universal adapters that could be used with any type of plug and electrical outlet, may it be in Papua New Guinea or another country.