In Peru, the standard voltage used by the electronic gadgets and appliances is 220-240 volts with a frequency of 60Hz. Also, the primary types of electrical outlet and plug are Type A NEMA 1-15 / JIS C 8303, Type B NEMA 5-15, and Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug. However, a part of Peru called Talara uses 110-220 volts for the standard voltage and in Arequipa, the frequency is 50Hz. Knowing these information would help a tourist in Peru use his or her electronic gadgets and appliances in a more convenient and safe way. Aside from the information about the voltage, electrical outlet, and plug types, a tourist who is visiting Peru must also have adapters and voltage converters at hand. There are cases when the electrical outlet present in Peru is not compatible with the shape of the plug used by the electronic gadgets and appliances.

There are different kinds of adapters designed for particular plugs and there is also the universal adapter which can be used in almost all types of plugs and electrical outlets in Peru. Adapters work in a way that it alters the shape of the plug so that it will be physically compatible with the shape of electrical outlet present in Peru. Aside from the adapters, there is also the voltage converter which adjusts the differences between the voltage used by the electronic gadget or appliance and the voltage in the electrical outlet. There are electronic gadgets and appliances, especially those that are made in the United States of America, Canada, (110-120 volts) and Japan (100 volts), that use lower voltage, so in order to make these work in Peru that have a standard voltage of 220-240 volts, a voltage converter would be needed.

Type A NEMA 1-15 / JIS C 8303 (North American Non-grounded, Non-polarized)Plug, Adapter, and Electrical Outlet

Type A plug and outlet

The NEMA 1-15 is mostly found in North America and in the east mediterranean area  like Peru. The NEMA 1-15 is also known as the Type A North American/Japanese 2-blade electrical adapter plug and electrical outlet. It also has the technical name North American 15 A/125 V ungrounded. The NEMA 1-15 is a flat blade attachment plug that uses two flat parallel pins or blades. Older designs allow the blades to be inserted either way; however, contemporary  NEMA 1-15 plugs in Peru are designed with the neutral blade wider than the live blade allowing just one way of plugging and ensuring that the polarized plug is inserted appropriately into the electrical outlet.

The new design of NEMA 1-15 changed so much that it will not fit in the old type of NEMA 1-15 electrical outlet in Peru. This is used used for smaller devices that do not really need a ground connection. With the NEMA 1-15 adapter, the receptacle end will accept any standard household plug in Peru, aside from the Type M South African SABS1661 plug, which is also known as the Old British BS-546 Large plug. Although the NEMA 1-15 looks similar to the plugs of the U.S. and Canada and the appliance and electronic gadgets might be manufactured in the said countries, an adapter might still be needed because of the grounding and polarization requirements in Peru.

Type A adapter

In the NEMA 1-15 plug and electrical outlet, grounding is done by the third, round pin located beneath the two vertical blades on the plug. On the other hand, polarization is done by the left vertical blade being taller than the right one. If the plug does have grounding or polarization and the electrical socket does not have one, it would be physically impossible to insert the plug into the electrical socket in Peru. If this happens to a tourist in Peru and there is also no adapter present, that person might not be able to use his or her electronic gadgets and appliances. The NEMA 1-15 plug is also non-polarized and non-grounded which is very important. The blades of this adapter that is usually needed by tourists when they are spending some time in Peru are 6.4mm long, 1.5mm thick, and are spaced 12.7mm apart.

There is also another socket in Peru that is commonly used in Japan, the JIS X 8303 Class II (Japanese 15 A/100 V ungrounded) which is similar to the NEMA 1-15, the only difference from Peru is the stricter dimensional requirements for the plug housing, marking, and mandatory testing and approval.

Type B NEMA 5-15 (North American Grounded)

Type B plug

The Type B NEMA 5-15 in Lebanon is a class I plug that has two flat parallel prongs and a grounding pin, rated at 15 amps. For the specifications, the Type B NEMA 5-15 has blade contacts 6.4mm tall, 15mm thick, and are spaced 12.7mm apart. The grounding pin of this plug in Peru, on the other hand, is 4.8mm in diameter. Although the Type B NEMA 5-15 is grounded, it is not polarized and must be used with care. Moreover, the Type B NEMA 5-15 is often used in North and Central America as well as Japan, and it is also what is used in Peru. It also compatible with any standard household plug in Peru, except the Type M South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. In Japan, this kind of plug and electrical outlet is the standard. Similar to Type A NEMA 1-15 plugs, the NEMA 5-15 in Peru is also one of the most dangerous plugs in the world because the prongs are not insulated. The black covering that is supposed to cover the plug body is lacking hence if the plug is pulled halfway and the prongs are still inserted in the electrical outlet, there might be some accidents like electrocution that could happen in Peru.

Type B outlet

Type B adapter

Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug Electrical Outlet and Adapter

Type C plug and outlet

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 Peru. The Type C CEE 7/16 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 Peru.  Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug in Peru and from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug.

Type C adapter

The pins of the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced  19mm apart. The Type C Europlug could also be safely used with the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug, Type E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlets. Aside from Peru, 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. In addition, the Europlug is also the most widely used electrical outlet all over continental Europe and in the former Soviet Republics. This Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug in Peru is also non-polarized and non-grounded.

Voltage Converters and Universal Adapters

Voltage Converter

If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Peru, the best way is by using voltage converters such as the resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both. Some appliances and electronic gadgets have a voltage of 110-120 and using it directly on a 220-240 electrical outlet in Peru 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. There is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Peru. The resistor-network converters to be used in Peru 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 camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Peru, 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 Peru that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Peru is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer. These voltage converters and adapters will be very handy if a tourist would plan a trip to Peru 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 Peru 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 Peru or another country.