In Brazil both voltages and sockets (mentioned in the “details” link) are so much of a mess that it makes me irrationally angry.
EDIT - might as well go further.
Voltage-wise, in my city (yup, the mess changes by city!) most households have both 127V and 220V sockets. 220V is typically for heavy duty appliances, like the electric shower. But depending on the city you see only 220V, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some were 127V only.
Now, the sockets. Two round pins? Two symmetrical flat pins? Two asymmetrical flat pins? Three round pins in an equilateral-ish triangle? Three round pins in an obtuse triangle? Yes. I’ve seen all of them. With varied thickness. The standard is the obtuse triangle, but since it was enforced just ~18y ago and imported appliances are common you’ll see plenty aberrations. Or people who have old houses, 2 pins sockets, and rip apart the ground pin from their 3 pins plugs.
But perhaps this bloody mess prevents people from plugging 127V appliances into 220V sockets or vice versa, right? …right? Nope! You’ll see the same sockets mess for both voltages. And for bivolt appliances, too.
Fuck all this shit. Just stick to 220V@50Hz like in Argentina, at least I can have an electric kettle this way. And before someone says “but generators don’t support it”, look at Paraguay dammit, most of its energy is produced in Itaipu, and it’s 50Hz. And speaking on that bloody sockets standard, now you have two options:
Enforce the special snowflake standard harsher and encourage other governments to adopt it. And no, it isn’t even compatible with the Swiss one, even if they look similar.
Ditch it and use the same as some other group of governments; preferably the Schucko, plenty governments enforce it.
[Fun fact to lighten things up: people often call volts “velas” candles here. So e.g. “127V” and “220V” are often called “cem velas” (100 candles) and “duzentas velas” (200 candles) respectively. Confusingly enough some also do it with watts.]
[Fun fact to lighten things up: people often call volts “velas” candles here. So e.g. “127V” and “220V” are often called “cem velas” (100 candles) and “duzentas velas” (200 candles) respectively. Confusingly enough some also do it with watts.]
Never heard this before, brazilian here btw.
All regular sockets in my city are 220V 60Hz. I think only places like hotels have different voltages.
Or people who have old houses, 2 pins sockets, and rip apart the ground pin from their 3 pins plugs.
Yep, my dad can’t stand the ground pin in almost every plug. I had to convince him not to destroy them all.
Velas: perhaps it’s a regional thing, but here in Curitiba I hear it all the time, for both volts and watts. e.g. last week someone asking me if the RGB in my computer was “de doze ou cinco vela” (12V or 5V). Or someone else saying a LED lamp was equivalent to an incandescent lamp of “oitenta velas” (80W).
220V is plain better, as in the video OP linked, you aren’t losing much from it. Odds are hotels in your city only have 127V for appliances guests might bring with them. (Here in Paraná it’s just two cities like this. Everyone else is in the same mess as Curitiba.)
Yep, my dad can’t stand the ground pin in almost every plug. I had to convince him not to destroy them all.
My sister, too. She was in a position to know it better, but… *shrugs*
In Brazil both voltages and sockets (mentioned in the “details” link) are so much of a mess that it makes me irrationally angry.
EDIT - might as well go further.
Voltage-wise, in my city (yup, the mess changes by city!) most households have both 127V and 220V sockets. 220V is typically for heavy duty appliances, like the electric shower. But depending on the city you see only 220V, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some were 127V only.
Now, the sockets. Two round pins? Two symmetrical flat pins? Two asymmetrical flat pins? Three round pins in an equilateral-ish triangle? Three round pins in an obtuse triangle? Yes. I’ve seen all of them. With varied thickness. The standard is the obtuse triangle, but since it was enforced just ~18y ago and imported appliances are common you’ll see plenty aberrations. Or people who have old houses, 2 pins sockets, and rip apart the ground pin from their 3 pins plugs.
But perhaps this bloody mess prevents people from plugging 127V appliances into 220V sockets or vice versa, right? …right? Nope! You’ll see the same sockets mess for both voltages. And for bivolt appliances, too.
Fuck all this shit. Just stick to 220V@50Hz like in Argentina, at least I can have an electric kettle this way. And before someone says “but generators don’t support it”, look at Paraguay dammit, most of its energy is produced in Itaipu, and it’s 50Hz. And speaking on that bloody sockets standard, now you have two options:
[Fun fact to lighten things up: people often call volts “velas” candles here. So e.g. “127V” and “220V” are often called “cem velas” (100 candles) and “duzentas velas” (200 candles) respectively. Confusingly enough some also do it with watts.]
Never heard this before, brazilian here btw.
All regular sockets in my city are 220V 60Hz. I think only places like hotels have different voltages.
Yep, my dad can’t stand the ground pin in almost every plug. I had to convince him not to destroy them all.
Velas: perhaps it’s a regional thing, but here in Curitiba I hear it all the time, for both volts and watts. e.g. last week someone asking me if the RGB in my computer was “de doze ou cinco vela” (12V or 5V). Or someone else saying a LED lamp was equivalent to an incandescent lamp of “oitenta velas” (80W).
220V is plain better, as in the video OP linked, you aren’t losing much from it. Odds are hotels in your city only have 127V for appliances guests might bring with them. (Here in Paraná it’s just two cities like this. Everyone else is in the same mess as Curitiba.)
My sister, too. She was in a position to know it better, but… *shrugs*