I am in a EU country where it says on the socket 16 A / 250 volt. Can I charge my laptop which takes 100-240 volt / ~1 A?

Solution 1:

The Wikipedia page Mains electricity by country doesn't list any countries with 250 V mains. That's probably socket's max voltage rating. It doesn't mean actual voltage is 250 V.

16 A is max current rating. Electricity sources don't "push" current into devices, but rather devices pull as much current as they need (and the source can provide).

Please note that this "pull as much as needed" rule works only for electric current (the thing measured in amperes [A]). Voltage doesn't work that way, providing voltage out of acceptable range can fry your device.

So 16 A / 250 V basically means that unless your laptop's power supply consumes over 16 amps of power and unless the electricity company provides over 250 V, your socket is guaranteed to not catch fire.

If your laptop is turning off randomly, then you have a separate issue not related to electricity.

Solution 2:

There are two parts to this question. The first part questions the labeling of the plug, and the second, the labeling of the computer power supply.

As to the plug: (16A) This is the receptacle rating. The receptacle must operate safety when this amount of current is passing though it. It can be used for any current below this maximum safely.

(250V) The voltage written onto a socket is the maximum nominal mains voltage. It is typical in industry practice that wiring equipment rated for 220-240 VAC be tested at 250 VAC to allow use on any electrical system (at least that's what I and my industry competitors did). You do not want to pay for separate tests at 220 VAC, 230 VAC, and 240 VAC.

This tells you that the receptacle is acceptable for the purpose you are using. It does not tell you what the nominal voltage is (220, 230, 240 VAC).

And to answer John Dvorak's question, equipment worldwide is tested to standards, and the one I used was ANSI C84.1 ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT - VOLTAGE RANGES which gives the nominal (range A) and temporary (range B) limits for voltages.

ANSI C84.1 Voltage Limits (Service Voltage) Service Voltage Range A Range B Maximum +5% +5.83% Minimum -5% -8.33%

For 120 VAC this gives a maximum sustained voltage of 127 VAC and for 240 VAC systems, 253 VAC. This would be consistent with other standards. Again, most equipment manufacturers would never pay for separate testing and would just test at this maximum voltage.

The EU voltage of 230 VAC +/- 10% is actually written to allow 220, 230, or 240 VAC distribution systems. The actual voltage is one of these three (but supposed to be moving to all 230 VAC) and controlled to the levels of ANSI C84.1 or local equivalent.

As to the power supply: 100-240 VAC says that this can be used at any nominal voltage between 100 and 240 VAC. If it has the UL or CSA symbol on it, it must be tested to the limits of ANSI C84.1 voltages so it has been tested to at least 253 VAC. The European tests are equivalent but I do not have access to many to get the exact values.

~1 A tells me that the current draw is approximately 1 A maximum. At 100 VAC this works out to 100 W but I wouldn't be surprised if it was less than this. 100 Watts at 240 VAC is a little under 1/2 Amp.

Together this tell us that the power supply would have no issues being used with this receptacle.

Therefore to answer your question directly, yes you can charge you laptop on this without issues. Any problem you are experiencing is outside of this area.

Solution 3:

The simple answer is this: Your laptop can be charged using this socket

Switches/sockets list the maximum current and the maximum voltage they can support without burning out (i.e. - safely and without causing damage to themselves or the attached devices). The laptop consumes lesser current than the maximum rating of the socket.

On a side note, most refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, food processors, washing machines and other heavy appliances will also be compatible with this socket. A 16 A rating is good enough in most cases for heavy appliances as well.

As for your laptop turning off randomly, I can't predict the cause. Ideally, unless your laptop is low on battery, fluctuations in supply voltage and current should not cause your laptop to turn off unexpectedly. Or at least that is my best guess.