Charging a Samsung Galaxy S4 when staying in Costa Rica

Instructions showing you how to recharge your Samsung Galaxy S4 with a Costa Rican power outlet with Type B Micro USB connector with a three pin Type A power charger and how to charge a Samsung Galaxy S4 using a Type B power adapter.

Costa Rican power outlet

If you are planning to travel it can often be helpful to know in advance if you can use all your electrical devices when you're there. However by not knowing which power socket is used you may end up either bringing unnecessary adaptors or pack the wrong adaptor, leaving you having to buy or borrow a potentially overpriced charger on arrival that might not be compatible. Varying complicated standards and voltages can often be daunting when planning to travel to another country if you've never been there before. With only a handful of different types of standards being used in the world this guide tells you exactly what to purchase in advance to power the Samsung Galaxy S4 in Costa Rica. These guidelines were specifically written to prevent people needing to worry if they can charge the Samsung Galaxy S4 when travelling abroad.When staying in Costa Rica the following useful instructions show how to charge the Samsung Galaxy S4 using the standard B or A type Costa Rican 120 volt 60Hz wall outlets, most Costa Ricans normally use the Type B sockets in their wall outlets. If your Samsung Galaxy S4 does not power up or charges slowly when you are visiting Costa Rica from another region then check that it is compatible with a 110 volt power supply. Electrical devices which come from a country which use a higher voltage such as 240 volts sometimes take longer to charge or won't power up, so check your Samsung Galaxy S4 is dual voltage (marked with 100-240 volts) otherwise you may need to use an additional converter to ensure proper use.

We recommend referring to the Samsung Galaxy S4 instruction manual [2] for more details on the operation of the mobile phone and visit the Galaxy page for more phones by Samsung which can connect to the Costa Rican power outlet.

Charging a Samsung Galaxy S4 in Costa Rica

Can you use a Samsung Galaxy S4 in Costa Rica?

You can connect a Samsung Galaxy S4 to a Costa Rican power outlet by using the correct power adaptor.

What is the best travel charger for a Samsung Galaxy S4 in Costa Rica?

When you are travelling with more than your Samsung Galaxy S4 the best travel power adapter for Costa Rica is a multiple USB adapter which includes swappable plugs like a 4 port USB travel charger. Costa Ricans use two different standards of wall outlets (types B and A) and using a power charger like this will ensure that you are covered for type A. Because these types of chargers come with interchangeable pins and handle from 100 - 240 volts will mean that you can travel to multiple countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa simply by switching the supplied heads. If your type of Samsung Galaxy S4 supports Fast Charge then you'll benefit from much quicker charging times by using one of these types of power adapters plus additional compatibility with certain power demanding devices like tablets. Unlike other adapters having a 4 port charger means you can charge more than one device simultaneously without needing to pack individual travel chargers. By only packing a single international travel charger will help keep the overall weight and size down, making it perfect to fold up in hand baggage while travelling and on hand for recharging your Samsung Galaxy S4 at the airport or on a plane. Due to their space saving versatility these types of adapters can be used at home so when you’re not travelling they can be used overnight charging multiple tablets, smartphones and speakers without using up an additional plug socket.

We recommend searching for a flexible power adapter of this nature online. The multipurpose travel charger illustrated is the 4 Port USB Wall Charger which has been tested successfully for powering multiple USB devices in numerous foreign countries on a daily basis.

Alternative travel adapter for Costa Rica

The 4 port USB travel charger is the most compact option for travellers from any country wanting to recharge devices using USB, but for those also wishing to use their domestic plugs these power converters provide larger but more versatile solutions. All 3 power strips offer surge protection which is necessary for visitors of regions with unreliable power supplies to prevent damage to any connected devices. These power converters come supplied with interchangeable type C, I and G plugs covering Europe, North America, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, China and over 150 countries around the world:

  • BESTEK Portable International Travel Voltage Converter - The BESTEK international travel converter has 4 USB charging ports with 3 AC power outlets and is the best selling portable option for travellers originating from America going to Costa Rica using type B plug sockets.
  • ORICO Traveling Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip - Likewise having 4 USB ports but only 2 AC power outlets the Orico is also aimed at travellers originating from the US using type B plugs. This is a much more cost effective alternative to the BESTEK with just 1 less AC outlet for almost half price.
  • BESTEK International USB Travel Power Strip - This power strip has 2 AC outlets but offers a flexible 5 USB charging ports. This versatile power strip is compatible with both American plugs and popular plug types A, D,E/F, G, H, I, L and N making it ideal for most travellers from around the world visiting Costa Rica. [8] [AD]
What is the best travel charger for a Samsung Galaxy S4 in Costa Rica?

How to use a Type A power charger for recharging your Samsung Galaxy S4 from a Costa Rican power outlet

Instructions showing you how to power your Samsung Galaxy S4 with a Costa Rican power outlet with Type B USB cable with a three pinned Type A power charger.

  1. If you want to charge your Samsung Galaxy S4 using the Costa Rican power outlet you'll need a Type A USB power plug adapter [4] and a USB 2.0 A Male to Micro B cable [5].
  2. Start the process by taking the Type A USB power plug adapter and inserting it into the power outlet. You can recognise this wall outlet by the 2 thin adjacent slots for live and neutral.
  3. Plug in one end of the micro USB Type B connector into the bottom of the USB mains charger and the other end into the multipurpose jack on a Samsung Galaxy S4. You can find the USB Micro connector on the foot of the Samsung Galaxy S4 situated below the Home button.
  4. Switch on the Costa Rican power outlet.
  5. The battery icon which is found in the top corner of the Samsung Galaxy S4 display will display a charge icon with dots underneath to indicate that the device is charging.
  6. If you are using the mobile whilst charging it may take longer to completely recharge the battery. [AD]
How to use a Type A power charger for recharging your Samsung Galaxy S4 from a Costa Rican power outlet

Powering a Samsung Galaxy S4 with a Costa Rican power outlet by using a 3 pinned Type B USB adapter

Instructions showing how to power a Samsung Galaxy S4 with a Costa Rican power outlet with USB Type B cable and a three pinned Type B power adapter.

  1. If you want to supply power to your Samsung Galaxy S4 from a Costa Rican power outlet you will need to use a Type B USB power plug adapter [7] and a USB 2.0 A Male to Micro B cable [5].
  2. Insert the Type B USB power plug adapter into the Costa Rican power outlet. You can recognise this power outlet by two thin slots parallel to each other for live and neutral blades with a single semicircular hole below for the long earth pin.
  3. Connect one end of the USB micro Type B cord into the bottom of the USB mains charger and the other end into the multipurpose jack on a Samsung Galaxy S4. You can find the multipurpose jack on the foot of the Samsung Galaxy situated below the Home button.
  4. Switch on the Costa Rican power outlet.
  5. The battery icon which is found at the top corner of the Samsung Galaxy S4 display will show a charge icon with dots underneath to indicate that the device is charging.
  6. If you are using the phone whilst charging it will take longer to completely charge the battery. [AD]
Powering a Samsung Galaxy S4 with a Costa Rican power outlet by using a 3 pinned Type B USB adapter

See also

  1. Wikipedia - Costa Rican Wikipedia web page
  2. Samsung - Samsung Galaxy S4 instruction manual
  3. iec.ch - Type A power outlet
  4. Type A USB power plug adapter - With its two-blade, ungrounded design, the Type A USB power plug adapter offers a straightforward way to convert electrical outlets in countries like the United States and Canada into USB ports for easy device charging..
  5. USB 2.0 A Male to Micro B cable - Used to connect USB devices which have a USB Mini-B port to computers, power supplies and other devices.
  6. iec.ch - Type B power outlet
  7. Type B USB power plug adapter - A Type B USB power plug adapter conforms to the NEMA 5-15 specifications, featuring 2 parallel flat blades and an extended grounding pin. Rated at 15A and 125 volts, suitable for use in the United States and Canada for converting domestic outlets to USB..
  8. 4 Port USB Wall Charger - A 4-port USB wall charger is an electrical device that provides simultaneous charging for up to four USB-compatible devices. It often includes interchangeable international plug adapters for global use..