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Small Appliances

Many small appliances, like cordless telephones and shavers, run on DC power and can be powered from a wall socket by using an AC adapter.

The easiest way to use such an appliance if you cannot use your present adapter (for example, if it is a N. American model requiring 110 v. input) is to buy an AC adapter in Europe. These are usually not expensive, frequently less than €4, and you set them with a switch to provide the right kind of DC power - check the output voltage and polarity before connecting (it is a good idea to use a voltmeter, some are not well calibrated especially at the 12 v setting). They usually come with four or more plugs to connect to your appliance, although some manufacturers use special plugs that are hard to fit - Sony is particularly annoying in this respect.

If your appliance can run on 220 volts (for N. American appliances this should be written on the adapter, usually in the form "Input: 110-230 v AC") then all you need to do is to connect the plug on the adapter to the wall socket. You can usually get a small adapter that lets you, for example, connect a UK plug to a continental socket. However N. American devices often have a polarised plug that is difficult to put into most adapters. For these especially, but for other types of plugs as well, it is often handy to buy an extension cord that matches the plug (i.e., from the country where the device originated), and replace the plug with a continental plug. For more details and some vital warnings, check my section on power cables.

Telephones

I brought several cordless telephones of different brands with me from N. America, and all work fine in Portugal. I purchased inexpensive AC adapters and discarded the original ones. The wall plugs are fully compatible.

Lamps

The screw base on Portuguese bulbs seems to be a standard type, and I have had no trouble using N. American incandescent lamps in Portugal. You have to replace the 110 v bulbs with 220 v ones of course, and change the plugs. I don't know about fluorescent bulbs or halogen lamps though.

Larger Appliances

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