Charging the iPhone 5 when planning a trip to Costa Rica

Using the USB Lightning Apple cable and a 2 pin Type A power adapter to recharge your iPhone 5 with a Costa Rican power outlet and how to power the iPhone 5 using a 3 pin Type B power adapter.

Costa Rican power outlet

Varying different voltages and region codes can often be daunting when planning to stay in a foreign country, especially if you've never been there before. This guide has been written to stop you having to worry if you'll be able to charge the iPhone 5 when you are abroad.If visiting Costa Rica these instructions show how to supply power to your iPhone 5 by using their standard B or A type Costa Rican 120 volt 60Hz power outlets, a majority of Costa Ricans will use the Type B plug outlets. You will discover that power supplies will change from country to country therefore we recommend reading the North America page for a complete list of regions and countries. If the iPhone 5 charges slowly or does not power up when you are visiting Costa Rica from another country please check that it is compatible with a 110 volt power supply. Normally devices which originate from a different country which use a higher voltage such as 240 volts sometimes take longer to charge or won't power up, check that your iPhone 5 is dual-voltage (normally indicated by 100-240 volts) otherwise you may need to use an additional converter to ensure proper use. These instructions assume you are running Apple iOS 7 or greater on the iPhone 5.

Charging the iPhone 5 in Costa Rica

Can you use the iPhone 5 in Costa Rica?

You can use the iPhone 5 in Costa Rica by using a power adaptor.

What is the best travel charger for recharging the iPhone 5 in Costa Rica?

If you are travelling to more than one country then the best travel charger for Costa Rica to buy is a multiple USB adapter which includes swappable plugs such as a 4 port USB travel charger. There are two standards of plug sockets in Costa Rica (B and A) and bringing this ensures that you are covered for type A.

Because these types of chargers are supplied with interchangeable plugs and handle from 100 to 240 volts it makes them ideal for over 100 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa simply by changing the heads. If your iPhone 5 can support Fast Charge (not all USB devices will) then you'll benefit from faster charging times by using one of these USB power adapters along with compatibility with certain power hungry devices. Unlike other travel chargers this will allow you to power more than one device simultaneously without needing to buy individual power adapters for your Costa Rican trip or using up additional power sockets. Because you are only packing a single lightweight travel charger will keep the size and weight down, making it perfect to store in hand luggage while travelling. Because of their versatility these types of chargers can be used when back at home so when you’re not travelling they can sit overnight charging multiple tablets, phones and e-readers without using up an additional plug socket.

If you travel regularly we suggest searching for this type of flexible travel charger online; the power adapter illustrated here is the 4 Port USB Wall Charger which has been tested successfully with multiple USB devices in numerous foreign countries.

Alternative travel adapter for Costa Rica

The 4 port USB travel charger is the most compact option for travellers from any country who only have USB devices such as the iPhone 5, however for visitors also wishing to use their domestic plugs these power adapters provide larger but more versatile solutions. All three power adapters offer surge protection which is necessary for travellers to counties with unstable power supplies. These travel adapters are supplied with interchangeable type C, I and G plugs covering Continental Europe, America, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, China and over 150 countries around the world:

  • BESTEK Portable International Travel Voltage Converter - The BESTEK international travel adaptor has 4 USB charging ports with 3 AC power outlets and is the most popular portable power adapter for travellers originating from North America going to Costa Rica using 3 pin type B plug sockets.
  • ORICO Traveling Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip - Also having 4 USB ports but only 2 AC power outlets the travel adapter from Orico is also aimed at travellers originating from America using type B plugs and offers practically the same set of features as the BESTEK with 1 less AC outlet for almost half the price.
  • BESTEK International USB Travel Power Strip - This power strip has just 2 AC outlets but offers a more 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 perfect for most travellers from around the world visiting Costa Rica. [8] [AD]
What is the best travel charger for recharging the iPhone 5 in Costa Rica?

Powering the iPhone 5 with a Costa Rican power outlet by using a 2 pinned Type A USB adapter

Using the USB Lightning Apple cable and a 2 pin Type A power adapter to recharge your iPhone 5 with a Costa Rican power outlet.

  1. To power your iPhone 5 from the Costa Rican power outlet you will need to use a Type A USB power plug adapter [4] and a USB to Apple Lightning cable [5] (usually supplied with your iPhone 5).
  2. Begin the process by taking the Type A USB power plug adapter and inserting it in the Costa Rican power outlet. You can recognise this plug supply by the two adjacent slots next to each other for live and neutral blades.
  3. Then connect the USB end of the Lightning power cable into the bottom of the USB charger and the other end into the Lightning connector on the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 Lightning connector can be found at bottom of the iPhone 5 under the home button.
  4. Switch on the Costa Rican power outlet.
  5. The battery icon which appears in the top right corner of the phone will display a charge icon to indicate that the iPhone 5 is powering up and takes around one to four hours to completely recharge to full capacity. [AD]
Powering the iPhone 5 with a Costa Rican power outlet by using a 2 pinned Type A USB adapter

Powering the iPhone 5 with a Costa Rican power outlet by using a 3 pinned Type B USB adapter

Using the USB Lightning Apple cable and a 3 pin Type B power charger to recharge your iPhone 5 with a Costa Rican power outlet.

  1. To charge the iPhone 5 from a Costa Rican power outlet you'll need to buy a Type B USB power plug adapter [7] and a USB to Apple Lightning cable [5] (usually supplied with your iPhone 5).
  2. Begin the process by plugging the Type B USB power plug adapter into the wall supply. The power supply, technically called the Type B power outlet [6], can be recognised by 2 thin slots parallel to each other for live and neutral blades with a semicircle hole below for the earth pin.
  3. Then connect the USB end of the USB Lightning cable into the bottom of the USB charger and the other end into the Lightning connector on the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 Lightning connector is situated at bottom of your iPhone 5 under the home button.
  4. Switch on the Costa Rican power outlet.
  5. The battery icon which appears in the top right corner of the phone will display a charge icon to indicate that the iPhone 5 is charging which typically takes roughly 60 to 240 minutes to fully recharge to full capacity. [AD]
Powering the iPhone 5 with a Costa Rican power outlet by using a 3 pinned Type B USB adapter

See also

  1. Wikipedia - Costa Rican country wikipedia page
  2. Apple - official iPhone user guide
  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 to Apple Lightning cable - The Apple Lightning cable is a charging and syncing cable for more recent Apple devices and connects compatible iPhones and iPads to a USB port.
  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..