Keep Your Old Power Adapters!!!
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- Опубліковано 23 гру 2024
- Don't let anyone convince you to throw them away. They might not fit anything, they might not even have their connectors anymore. But with a bit of ingenuity, we can power EVERYTHING!!!! MWAAHAHAHAHA
(Feel free to blame me when your significant other gets sick of seeing boxes full of perfectly wonderful AC adapters laying around. That's my holiday gift to you...)
Seriously though, as long as you understand a few basic things about power, you can likely mix-and-match your way into any combination of voltage, amperage, and connector-age you might need.
Also, to purchase a print of that awesome comic from the artist, go here: www.art.com/pr...
#nerdlings #power #TheyAreNotGarbageStopSayingThatYouMonster
Just a note, there is a lot of nuance to the barrel sizes. They generally get larger as power increases, but not always consistently, and not in a one-for-one voltage/amperage/barrel ratio. The good news is that while putting a barrel connector rated for lower power on a power supply rated for higher would be bad - the connector that *fits* into your device is ideally designed for the amount of power it draws. So it should be OK to splice it onto an adapter even if it’s an adapter capable of providing more amperage. (Cuz the device won’t draw more than its connector can handle, ideally)
All that said, I am not a doctor. Or lawyer. Or licensed electrician. So be careful, and only use adapters made specifically for your devices, etc. This video is for educational purposes only, and, um… don’t try this at home?
Your advice at the end - I didn’t read it. My house has burnt down - thx 😂
So if a laptop power adapter/supply has the warning, "For use with information technology equipment only", I can just ignore that warning and use it to power anything as long as voltage matches, amps, and polarity are satisfied? Ex. using it to power any and all LED monitors, that certainly will not fall under the "information technology equipment" umbrella, and many other examples.
@deependz3231
I am not en electrical either. However, I can tell you that if the power supply doesn't change voltage like some usb-c charger then you should be fine as long as the ampere is enough for your device.
@@Orange-Jumpsuit-Timealways read the back pf the device you want to power.
They have stickers or its engraved into the plastic, where the wire is coming out from. Same on all the adapters.
The big block end that plugs into the wall usually has a sticker with all the input and output that that adapter provides. Input power is usually 110/120 volts and the output is whatever volts and amps it says.
If the information is missing, you take a chance at messing up the thing you want to power.
Really funny and refreshing! Smile
When you get a new item, label the charger so you know which one to use later.
Should have read that 30 years ago..
Yep. I just taped up 2 cords, black electrical tape with a "flag" hanging out. Find a silver sharpie (or white tape) and you're good.
At work, I also labeled removable battery packs because we had dozens of different electronics that had them. Also, the charging docks.
Boy do I wish I had been that smart!
We all know it, but none of us do it... Or, we're always going to do it... later...
I've been trying to convince my wife that I'm not a hoarder, I'm a parts monger.
How long have you been monging parts? 😂
@@iskrajackal9049 Ever since I was little. LOL
@@Counselor77 🤣🤣👍
Maybe the 27v charger you found with matching barrel, was the actual charger she lost. Huh.
Let's face it, 'losing' her charger and then saving the day by 'finding' a suitable replacement in your junk pile is a smart way to end the "honey, why don't you get rid of all this crap" nagging forever 😂😂😂
Bippity boppity boo, you left your charger behind, now it’s mine too!
Exactly. My experience is they almost never match, but sometimes it happens. Of course, have I had50 chargers and 50 devices, I would find matching ones.
But he said it was of a higher amp rating. I can't recall ever having a device come with a power supply that could provide more amps than the device was designed to draw. The only one I have that kinda does that is a 12V 2A PSU that came with 2 UV led strips. It also came with a splitter for the PSU so you could plug in one or both led strips and the PSU could power them supplying either 1 or 2 Amps at the same time. Even thought the strips were discrete and could be use independently they were sold together as 1 "device" with a power supply designed to provide the exact amount of amperage that it needed.
I love this. It confirms that I am far from being the only one saving these power supply's.
So your wife’s 27v charger got lost and you happened to have one in your closet that you have no idea which device it originally powered. Hmmm.
Lol that's what I thought.
Exactly the information I was looking for. Thanks a lot for sharing!
I have a huge beach ball sized angry nest of wires and adapters going back since the 90s that talks back to me when I feel like chucking it into the trash saying “you’ll need me after the apocalypse.” 😂
Same 😂
Better hang on to that generator too or they will be only good as tiny boat anchors since your wall outlet won't be providing A/C. After the apocalypse they will be converted to providing N/C.
Stole the massager charger. Wife in trouble looking for charger. Magically produces suitable charger from cupboard. Next level wife management.
Problem is they keep expecting that level of service.
@bipl8989 trouble is there never any level of service that will satisfy them
@@nihilistic7840hey guys don’t be nasty! You have foibles you’re not even aware of😉
Stop dating Prince’s mother! 😜
I tape a label on each power supply body denoting which device it is for. Saves lots of time.
Great idea!
I like to write the volts and amps on them with a silver Sharpie… in a size I can see (without magnification)
I always plan to do thus. I think those white write on anything pens work too
Yes silver is a great idea
Power tools have high voltages
Also a good idea to figure out whether the output is isolated. The symbol is a square within a square. In theory you can link isolated otputs together in series to build up the voltage you need - just like batteries.
The best info is always in the comments.
Unbelievable! I’ve got a storage bin of 20-30 power supplies ( including a 27vdc!) I’ve kept only because I’m not sure if I still have the device or not! I’m so glad to know I’m not alone. I’m a “keep everything organized tinker” and love to fix 😮anything broken or not working. It was frustrating to decide how to organize the power supplies, but I decided to organize by plug since that is the primary need! Thank you for helping me know I’m not a horder , or nuts!
Throw em away? Dude I've been saving them for over 30 years.
😂😂😅😅 same here 😅
Yup, I have an army in storage
Scrap them for cash.
I totally agree! I have a large box of power supplies, sorted by voltage range in large ziploc bags. I can't tell you how many times I've gone in there to find specific power supplies.
Your 120 volt a/c to 12 volt a/c adapters are for low voltage garden lights. The reason being is if you run d/c voltage through the underground wires you will cause the wiring to corrode.
Why is this?
@@pavel9652electrolysis
They are also sometimes used in power supplies for modular synthesizers
Thank you. Interesting.
@@pavel9652
Electrolysis
The AC power supplies are great when you need AC for electronics projects.
thank you, i was confused if i needed to match the amperage or not and this has solved my problem
You should have searched about the amp requirement !
How did you search this video?
❤❤ trough Jesus crist I do believe all thing's are possible
Unfortunately current matching does matter.
A larger power device with a higher current rating will output a higher voltage when the current drawn is less than the rated maximum output current. Voltage output specs for a power output device are correct for when the current output is at it's maximum.
Often a device will not work with a larger power transformer because the device is only drawing a small current and the resulting output voltage is too high.
@@johnnash4420 that's a poorly designed power supply... to let the voltage change based on the load ... most modern power supplies are regulated
@@vegetablepolice1yes but we’re talking about some rules of physics that Jesus set in place, to use with brains he gave us, so don’t just plug and pray ! (Oh that’s quite good, I must remember that one!!😊)
@Shawn Powers: I have tons of powers adaptors from dead or retired devices. I never discard them yet many people who dispose of a piece of equipment include the adaptor assuming it's unique to that item. I've found these days dc 5v or 12v have kind of become the standard like on computer power supplies. I would say 6v is the third most common voltage but the likes of 7.2/5v or 9v not so much now or days. I've done many adaptor splicing, soldering and heat shrink conversions. I needed a 5v 1amp adaptor recently for an audio converter (optical toss link to rca) but all my compatible 5v adaptors didn't have the correct jack so I chopped it off leaving enough wire for reuse later on and then did the same for a 9v which had the correct jack and now I have the required 5v 1amp power supply with the correct barrel. I keep the doner adaptors bare end for future repurposing either soldering on the correct jack if or when required or using a chopped off one.
Is that a metric or imperial Ton?
I do that too.
The first Brick is perfect for analog modular Synthesizers.
27V Power Supplys are mainly used by old Laptops.
And if your polarity of your Barrel Jack Wallwart is wrong you can snap off the connector, reverse its polarity and solder it on again. Use shrinking tubes to seal the solderjoints and make them look professional
Bingo!
I have never seen a laptop that used 27V input. And I have worked in IT since the 80s. I must have missed that brand or model, please tell me . I am eager to learn.
Great tips, I also have boxes of wall power supplies. One thing I did notice is that even if the PS states 9 VDC 1 amp, I measured 11 VDC, that is under a No-Load condition. I've guessing some devises may be a little more tolerant with higher voltages. Thanks for the video.
The extra few volts is to allow for activation of the charging. Like your car runs at 12V but charges at 14V.
You have just stopped me from making a terrible mistake... I was so close, mere months away from maybe actually thinking about clearing out some of my adapters.
Thank you.
I will wind them gently and stow them safely.
If you need the space for $20 you can get a variable 0-24V (or 48V for more money) DC power supply from Amazon with 40 different adapters. There are especially handy if you fix laptops that often don't have the original power supply. So many times I've gone though my big box of laptop power supplies and while I had many with the correct power rating the connecter the laptop expected was some weird ass one I've never seen before, or it had a standard 5.6mm connector but it needed 27V and I only had 24V or 48V and nothing in between.
@@trippmoore I actually picked up one of those a while back, They're class! "Shnitpower" brand. Well handy
@@thevanvirgin Yep that one is the shnit
Indeed, found the usefulness of orphaned AC-DC PSUs long time ago. Good stuff to replace similar faulty power supplies and for DIY projects. Mind supported voltage and current though.
The barrel size goes up with the power/amps needed.
Do watch out for old ones as the capacitors will go bad not only with use, but time as well.
It’s funny, I always debate on how far down the rabbit hole to go. I should pin a comment in case someone is less kind in their response. (The capacitor thing is interesting, and something I haven’t run into. But thanks for the info!)
@@shawnp0wersthe internal circuitry of these power adaptors have changed over time - Capacitors deteriorate over time & years in use - so adaptors will go “pop” eventually - & its the capacitors which is more than likely the first failure. It’s a huge rabbit hole & yes you should suffer & go down them all! 😂 Start with UA-cam’s re fixing switch mode power supplies / replacing capacitors. You’ll love it!
@messageobliquespe100
Yes. Capacitors seems to be the first point of failure for alot of power supply. Along with fuses maybe
In my experience the 15V adapters are for charging the (nowadays) older style car jump starter packs that have a beefy SLA battery inside.
As an electronics hobbyist, theese are in-valuable when I need a quick and dirty way to power up experiments. Theyr'e also good for powering projects. For instance the home made amplified speakers I'm listening to this on are powered of an old laptop adapter!
Yep! Got a bag and a box full of an assortment. Use to scrap them with all my metals scrap. Yes, I occasionally rummage through them when I need one, and often find what I need. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for that! I didn’t realize that there was a positive/negative indicator on the adapter. I was always using a meter to figure out which was which.
There are exceptions to these rules. For example, I have Wahl beard trimmer with a 50mA power adapter that came with a warning to not use a different adapter including one that can supply more current. I assume they cheaped out on a chage controller and just rely on the low current to charge slowly and then trickle charge when the battery is full.
That is... diabolically cheap, lol. I can't even imagine how long it would take to charge if the battery were fully depleted. And yeah, you are right, that would be a valid exception to the rule. It's a really annoying situation, to be honest, because especially if it's a Lithium Ion battery -- not having even a rudimentary charge controller seems like a bad idea in general.
@shawnp0wers Fortunately (according to an Amazon review from someone who said they tore it down) it's a couple of low-end NiMH AAs inside. Can't remember what the specified charge time is but I leave it on charge for many hours but not overnight.
even if it say it supplies lets say 12v, it rarely is 12v it can vary greatly, I've had 12v adapter output 20v, so if you appliance is sensitive to the voltage you should check the output with a voltmeter
The voltage they give is usually with respect to the current being drawn.
this is such a useful video, thank you
I was explaining this to my grandma a few years ago. I was asking her what is the voltage requirement on the device and what does it say on the wall adapter, what is the amperage on each, and then the kicker that she got lost on was the polarity of the plug and on the device.
Great advice. I've been collecting them for around 10 years now.
I agree with you. You never know if you might need one for what it was intended or to power something completely different.
💪🇺🇲🤘
Love the picture of Mr. Rogers in the background. ❤
I have been doing this and have collected boxes of them over the decades.
But I watched the video because you said in the beginning you would tell us the reason why we should keep the old adapters, and I thought you had a special reason for the average people.
I am very technical so I can do all that you mentioned in the video. But you didn't specify your audience in the video, so the assumption is for the average person. Maybe I don't know this, but are you assuming that the average person knows how to measure and test the voltage, current and plug sizes? And especially the polarity?
What about slicing, soldering on a new connector or a pig tail with a connector (wire to wire)? What tools do they need? And how to learn the hand skills?
I have been doing this for 40+ years and I still find soldering wire and the connector cumbersome and time consuming. Are you saying that it's worthwhile for an average person to do this themselves without any experience?
Have you considered any alternative means for an average person, such as hunting down a replacement adapter on the market? eBay is full of used ones for cheap prices, for example.
I thought you had a very unique reason for this and it turned out to be a self fulfilling prophecy for yourself.
Nothing wrong with your video or your content per se. I just don't really see the point as it only preaches to the converted (like me).
Idk, i don't want to keep some _unregulated_ PSUs. If not drawing the stated current, it can output higher or lower voltage and pop things.
Some switch mode psus also make irritating whining or fizzing sounds.
Some connectors have reversed polarity.
Of course you can always bare wire things or attach new connectors.
Thanks for the video, Shawn! It's been a year now since this video was made, and I wanted to share something I've observed. Fewer and fewer devices are being packaged with AC power supplies, even if the device has a USB-C "PD" port for additional power. Manufacturers are now just making these devices with USB ports, expecting you to use an existing adapter and a USB cable. Even old Apple adapters still work fine, even if you have to source a USB-A > USB-C charging cable.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, very very helpful, I do keep all of my old adaptors and you have just confirmed I have not been wasting space, have a great Christmas
Question, so if a device says it'll take .5 amps, but you plugin a 4amp, it generally won't cause any damage?
Correct. A device will take what it needs, amp-wise.
Thanks for explanation. Would to great if you had included comments if it's possible to convert the barrel power adapter as micro USB power adapter as I have quite a few barrel power adapters that I'm not using and I'm in need of more micro USB adapter to power small devices (e.g. Raspberry Pi).
Would I be right in thinking that chargers for battery devices have overcharge modules specific to the type of bettery? When I’m using a different charger to charge battery devices I keep an eye on it and disconnect when I’m happy it’s charged enough due to safety concerns
What if I want to power a device from a DC barrel port on my solar charge controller?
Truly! What we really need is a few dozen more barrel connector types and sizes; they put even iPhones to shame for lack of compatibility 🐒💨
tHank you for the video and advice.
I've tried the 12v adapters as battery chargers for car batteries. I'm experimenting.
( If you drive by my house and only see a foundation....and a bunch of chargers over the lawn......it Kaboooomed )
Although keeping some transformers may be useful, this seems largely to be an excuse for clutter and disorganization. As someone else pointed out, a good rule would be to label these to what they're for as soon as possible. Then try to keep it with the device it powers. Then toss the transformer when you toss the device. Thankfully, many new devices are using more standardized usb-c or other USB chargers, reducing the clutter of non-standard power brick needs. If you feel the need to cover a variety of devices, there are switchable transformers available that put out 3, 4.5, 6, 9, 12 volt with multiple plugs that can be aligned to + or - center, and voila one transformer could work for multiple devices. Do you also have a drawer full of old serial and parallel computer cables? You might have noticed they're no longer in use. Most of us probably have clutter, I have some nostalgic clutter myself, but at some point we need organization and labeling, and then to know when to let go
So how sensitive is actually the voltage matching: Will 18.5 V be OK for 19 V or vice versa? Just to get an idea about the challenge (I probably have a good bunch of adapters ranging from 18 V to about 19.5 V).
Is there value in AC adapters ? Like maybe lotting them up or are certain ones wanted more than others...I know, this is such a weird question but I am just curious. I've got tons of them lol
Well *I* find value in them. My wife may not agree... LOL
(Generally those with a larger amperage are more useful, but I keep them all, hehehehe)
Ummmm…. Prob not enough value to make you a big hit with the girls imho! 😂 but you might make a local nerds day whose needs one in an emergency!
Finally, someone saved my brother a call. 🤓🤣
thanks for saving me for cleaning out my closest 😊. Question: can I cut off the barrel connector damaged right at the transformer and connect the wires to a green + and - power barrel connector?
I wired a Lenovo laptop 20v adapter into my solar charge controller and was surprised to see that it worked fine. I assumed the charge controller would try to pull too many amps, but it stayed at the Lenovo adapter's max rating around 4.5amps. How can I tell which device was limiting the current?
Just sent this to my wife who has ‘insisted’ I get rid of all those old electrical things (thankfully she hasn’t thrown out the huge bag yet). Thank you for this very relevant explanation. Are you able later to do another post about how & where you carefully catalogue your collection? Thanks.
Could you have wired the 15v &12v in series to get 27v?
Nothing in the video about checking the output of bricks. Sometimes they go bad and don't supply the rated voltage/current. Those you can send to the e-waste bin at the recycling center.
Many times the wires you snip and try to figure out which is positive, the wire with some kind of stripe (usually printed in white or yellow) is typically POSITIVE. The unmarked is usually NEGATIVE. That is what the dotted or solid stripe on your wire means. Also, still please check with a multi-meter. It is just a good clue to help.
Also positive wire has writing stamped on it.
It’s the opposite of what you said.
The striped wire is negative.
Say something runs on 12v is that like a flat voltage or does it vary from like 11.8-12.2v?
Can you run a 12v item straight off a car battery or can you run a converter to take in 12-14.1 volts and output a constant 12volt because wouldn’t a charging voltage of 13.8-14.2 from a car battery kill a say laptop that’s input voltage is 12v?
5:04 hmm, “because my closet full of power supplies is vast…” - did you just inadvertently admit to absconding the power supply and then giving your wife a replacement to justify your closet full of power supplies!? Well played good sir, well played. 😂
I'm gonna trust what you say solely based on the fact that you have a picture of Mr. Roger in the background 😁.
Lol!!
And green hair!
Bought a multi-headphone amplifier off eBay for cheap because they didn't have the power supply. It was to use as the office studio, and I just *knew* I'd find an 18v adapter with the right barrel size somewhere in a bin... And I frickin' did.
Thank you for this. My puppies ate through almost every power supply cord in the house. I have others. This fixes everything.
Several old power supplies got "old" and even not being used for long just broke. 12V one for example did deliver only 9V instead. Another one 24V have shown 25V, that is still fine, but dropped to 13 at use, and the current used was actually way lower than it should have capable of.
So - you actually need to throw them away sometimes.. not every time, but better check it before usage.
Most people have replaced landlines with mobiles. Old cordless phone make great battery chargers. They usually take two AAs or AAAs.
What if my adapter says 12v, but instead it delivers 15.7v??
Is it damaged?
So... I can give you a wishy-washy "maybe", but also probably not.
The frustrating part is, there's often a variance with transformers due to several reasons. Since they step down from household main voltage, they have to assume (in the US) that incoming voltage could be anywhere from around 105V up to 125V. If you measure your receptacles, you'll probably find your house sits somewhere in that range. (usually between 110 and 120, but I've seen 108V and 122V pretty frequently)
So if a device steps down the voltage by 10 (a 12V power supply makes the math really easy here), if the voltage is 120V at the wall, it will be 12V at the other side. But if the voltage is actually 108V, when stepped down it will be like 10.8V, which might not be enough to power the device. PLUS, there is voltage loss on the wire, which has worse losses the lower the voltage. So if 10.8V is coming out of the transformer, after it travels 8 feet down the wires, it might only be 10V, which is a significant drop in what the device is expecting.
It is certainly possible to add circuitry in order to make sure the correct voltage is coming out of the transformer, but more circuitry means more expense. So very often, devices will operate within a voltage "range", and transformers will try to "hit the middle" of that range.
I realize that was a lot of un-asked-for explanation, but yeah. 15.7V is pretty high for a 12V rated transformer, but it's possible it's just working as designed. And most 12V devices would probably be fine with that voltage, but admittedly it's getting a bit higher than I'd be comfortable with.
@@shawnp0wers is there a way to refurbish the adapter? It's a Microsoft adapter from 1997 so it's not the easiest to find.
@@luter82 Honestly, it might be working perfectly fine. If you have another, or know someone with one similar -- you could test it to see how close it is.
If someone else measures, have them check their mains voltage too, and you could compare the ratio of your mains vs 15.7, and their mains vs their transformer. Truly, that extra voltage might have been by design to make sure it delivers at least a certain voltage.
LOL -- ok, I was logged in with one of my other channels. But the response was from me, and holds true.
(lol, I can only imagine you're like, "WTF is a birdfeeder channel replying for?!?")
@@nerdlingbirdtopia I have just received an answer from a guy online that says that his delivers 16.1v.
Total nonesense. Why would you write 12v if then it's not. Just to confuse things?? 😂
Don’t know if you’ve experienced this but I’ve noticed that modern [last 5 years or so] power adapter, seem to put out more than the printed/required voltage. Example: I purchased a 9VAC [yes, AC] 1300mA adapter and before plugging it to the device, I tested it with a multimeter just to be sure and it was actually putting out +/-12VAC. This has happened to me, more than a few times. And it worries me because I know that, a device will dictate how much amperage it will take BUT voltage is like the pressure exerted upon a circuit, and to me [and my limited electronic knowledge] 3 extra volts being forced into a device, I would think, will overwork said device or at the very least, it’s voltage regulator, which in turn will shorten the life of the device or/if it doesn’t destroy it before. And some will say that voltage regulators can handle +/- 5Vs of difference, but I’m not an electric engineer so I wonder how safe, power adapters are nowadays… any thoughts?
I think this might be partially to make sure there is a minimum voltage for devices requiring it. Some houses (here in the US) have voltage less than 110V at the outlet. But 9 -> 12 is a pretty big jump. Unless maybe you're one of the houses with above 120V? (My daughter's house has 124V at the outlet, which is weird)
But it's anyone's guess, to be honest...
When connected and drawing current, the terminal voltage will decrease in proportion to the current being drawn. That is due to the internal resistance of the voltage source. Same with a battery. Like how you can measure a car battery and it might say 12 volts, but when you draw current from it the voltage cannot supply that much current and the voltage will drop.
I like to make garden guards out of old bits and pieces. My Nelly the Gnasher is 12 feet tall made of car springs and electrical boxes. Her eyes are old headlights with the bulbs replaced with leds. Her hair is electrical conduit, the flexible kind, and there is a colored led on the on each end. Medusa like hair. She holds a giant chainsaw in one hand.
Her power to all the leds comes from a dc power block, when I built her 30 years ago an online forum said I could wire unlimited leds to this single adapter. Because of the low power draw.
She is a bit famous actually, Pokémon go somehow found her on private property and had her as one of their points. Briefly as I raised hell with them for coming on private property.
Oh, she was still glowing when we packed her up and moved. She is waiting, safely crated until I find the perfect spot for her. Leds are amazing.
So how do I charge a massager that I bought abroad. Comes with its own charger that takes 220v and output is 5v.
Just find an adapter that has a matching output. Depending on the connector, you might have to cut the barrel connector off and attach it to the new adapter...
The good news is that if it's 5V output, just find a cellphone charger with enough amperage and you should be golden.
Good advise, I have boxes full sorted into voltage, they always come in Handy
Best 3 I ever bought (2 were Targus)- 1 was 12-24 Volts & could output up to 90 Watts @ 0.5 up to 2.5 Amps, one was 24-60V & could output 230 Watts @ 2.5 to 8Amps, & both were mode switching international power supplies, worked with international sockets, & weren't much bigger than a standard laptop power supply for the time. It also came with 8 different jack adapters- the only disadvantage is the normal 2 pin type won't work if you lose the ones it came with, like I did as sadly they were proprietary- you have to resort to cable cutting. The last was an old Radio Shack 1.5 to 12V @ 1.2 Amps that could be switched between 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 7.5, 9, & 12v. All of them are almost 20 yrs old & still work fine. The 90Watt Targus is powering a HP Thin client, as it was the only plug I had that met the unusually weird power requirements it had.
No wife will ever thank you for storing power supplies in your closet.
I do and it drives the lady crazy.
I suspect most power "bricks" aren't regulated. While it might have a voltage written on the label the actual voltage supplied could be a fair bit higher, especially if the current draw is lower than the thing the power brick was actually designed for. A few volts over might be fine, but you never know. Just something to keep in mind. It's why I use a regulated 9V power supply for my guitar pedals.
Hi Shawn, I have British model railways here in Toronto. I purchased a Hornby Select DCC Controller, unfortunately I don’t have the power cord. The unit requires 15 Volt and a particular barrel connector.
Any suggestions would be helpful
Thank you
I always keep my power plugs they come in handy for what you explaining been doing this at 10 years old now I'm 42 years friends and family thought I was hoarding wire nope cause when you lose your adapter plug I can match something up to work
Hi Shawn, Greetings from Bhutan.
It's a nice informative video you got there.
I've been having issues with not being able to get the connector head required for my Vox VT20X even though I have many rightly powered adaptors.
My question is : Is it possible to bypass the connector head and connect the adaptor directly to the guitar amp internals ?
Thank you.
I have a garland that's wall plug and I want to change to battery, is it posible and please tell me how. Thanks
Thank you for your video. I'm trying to light up a led poll light and I never know which adapter goes with what device. Can I fry the light by putting the wrong one on. 🤷🏼♂️✌🏼️
May I ask two questions:
1)
Why specifically does “polarity” matter and what really is this idea of polarity?
2)
Why exactly does the voltage have to be same? (I understand amps pull don’t push so amps is safe regardless of what they are). But as for voltage what specifically could happen if it’s lower or higher ?! Why don’t they make devices for volts to pull and not push also?
Polarity determines the direction in which current flows. It's from positive to negative (electron flow from negative to positive) and in DC devices current flows only in one direction so polarity matters.
A simplified way of understanding Voltage and current (amps) is that Voltage is the energy provided to an electron or Charge whereas current or amps is the number of such charges flowing thru. The energy provied is fixed if a divice operates on x volts and if you supply a lower volts it will not work and if you supply it with higher volts it will be damaged as it is not designed to handle so much energy.
@@mriduldixit8793 thanks! So given what you said - why is it dangerous to use a charger that has a Power rating= Power rating of device being charged but if the voltage is higher and the current is lower on the charger, to make P = P, then it’s dangerous?
Can you build a device that plugs into anything, ups the power until the device is happy and then displays the correct adaptor specifications.
TLDR: give your wife her vibrator's cord back 😂
Been doing this for years. Have them in sandwich bags labeled with voltage and amperage.
That 15v supply may be for a modem or router, they tend to be weird for some reason.
Thank you for a clear explanation! Also, the light in your video is very nice, what kind of equipment do you use?
😂 now the vibrator works!
Do you know where the margin of safety is for these power supplies? With amplifiers and volts. For example, can you die from 5 volts and 5 amps?
No.
We buy storage units and we have found conservatively at least 500 power adapters. I pick through and keep only ones that have high amp ratings. Goodwill gets the rest.
I actually just used a old proprietary dc comcast charger cord with a box on it for my hp monitor. I was just about to throw it away too but it matched my specs perfectly besides the end it had on it. I was able to make the cord alot longer in the process too.
"we should never throw them away mu ha ha ha"
"my collection is vast and wonderful"
Dude you crack me up.
Great for your average everyday device but some require a very clean dc supply.Some of those cheap Chinese supplies particularly the branded copies give a rippled dc voltage which can be dangerous.
The cool thing I learned about power supplies is that you can connect a 9 volt and a 12 volt (pick your voltage) in series to get a 21 volt power supply or two 9 volt power supplies to get 18 volts.
Thanks (from Australia) for this advice: I have a usb hub and the power supply died. It uses a 5V 3.5 to 3.8 A power supply. I am now using a 5V 2.5A supply that runs the hub okay but it gets pretty warm when used for a long time. I turn it off when not in use or I'm not there: I'm afraid that because it is underrated on the Amp side that it might burn out the power supply or catch on fire if left on too long?
Yes, premature failure is a possibility, as well as a fire. It would be best to situate the transformer away from anything flammable. If you have an old computer fan you could use it to cool the unit.
Not true about polarity always needing a multimeter…A lot of times the wire will have a white on black line or one of the two adjoined wires will be scored to delineate positive and negative. A lot of times I’ve found that if the wires go into the converter, they do not twist or go different directions, so the side of the wire corresponds to the wall prong it lines up with.
Shawn, Hey, I'm here in the states so you already know I'm using Common-US, 117VAC/60Hz AC adapters they are rated as "Class2" no, not class ll -- but "Class2" and there's a big difference in their applications. With Class2 you are suppose to be as close to the power as possible.
Three adapters all rated at 12VDC, 1.0A, 12W. They came with 7'ft of 22ga. pigtails. Can I cut the adapters open and change the pigtails to 16ga wire so I can run over the 7'ft mark??? with my adapters you run into voltage drops over 7'ft. But If I understand right and my math formulas are correct, 16ga pigtail will allow a max run of 48'ft. and continue sustaining the 12VDV 1.0A 12W. Yeah, I could run 117VAC extension cords but that's sloppy, However, (Legally --NFPA Sec. 590.3 (B), clearly states there is a 90-day limit on temporary power cords. Get rid of the cord or install a permeant fixture. I could install an outlet but that's added expense and time and working in tight crawlspaces. Any suggestions???
Yes, changing to thicker wires would certainly help. But if you still get too much loss, what people often do is get a power supply with slightly higher voltage. Be sure to test the voltage at the end of the wire either way.
Raspberry pi power supplies are often over-voltes to 5.1 or 5.2 volts to make sure the pi gets the full 5v.
@@shawnp0wers Thank you for taking the time to reply, very much appreciated!!! ~Don
Thanks. I was wondering about supply that matched all the things but voltage. It was 9 volt and device was 6 volt. Your video helped me. Thank you! 😀
Man o man ! We have a box full of these did not know what to do...at least have some knowledge about those...exactly what we had problem with as you described...thsnks for this video.
I was just starting to believe that charger connections were starting to be standardised when I ordered some new headphones which have arrived with a different fitting to the equivalent previous model.
Fantastic video. Thanks for the info!
I think that 27v charger that fit perfectly was the charger that came with the massager
But the manufacturers are generally not in the habit of giving you a power supply that can provide more amps than the device requires because it would increase the cost which they would either have to eat or charge more and be outsold by their competition. It's a lose lose situation and any company that did that would not be in business for very long.
@trippmoore unless the design or stock of that supply was already there and the setup for building a whole new power supply with the lower amperage wasn't going to be profitable for them. It's a scale issue
My number one reason for saving old supplies is not even the fact I can replace a broken one with it. That has happened, but not often. My numero uno reason is that I like to make LED lights. Both decorative and actual table lamps etc. It is very convenient to have a ready to go approved high voltage AC power supply and make the low voltage side myself to match. You can also often buy or even get free old laptop supplies for your high current draw designs from fleamarkets, or a local electronics repair guy who is drowning in these units. Just a tip 😊
Funny. Yes, I have all my power adapters and need to throw them away. But I will tell my wife what you are explaining in the video "but I might be able to use one some day!"
I think newer power devices are much smaller and much more efficient, and some let you pick the voltage you want. It might be nice to clear out all the old stuff in my opinion and get a smaller set of quality devices you can use for anything
I feel so much better. I cannot find it in myself to through away old chargers or cables. I keep old audio cables even.
Good advice. Look closely before you buy a mixer or anything that relies on a PS. The input plugs can and will vary. Get beefy ones for better and tighter bass.
How do you check the polarity on a device? Usually only the power supply has all the specs, there's little if any information on the device.
The obvious answer of course is to check the original power supply, if it's broken and you're replacing it. But that doesn't help you if you lost it or somehow end up with a device and never had the original power supply in the first place.
You may be able to look up that sort of info online, but even with current devices that's really hard to find, the product manual if you can find it will at most have basic specs like the voltage and amps it runs on, but usually it won't even have that, it's certainly not going to tell you the polarity of the connector. Only the power supply itself will have that info, and often it's in very tiny molded printing that you can barely read in person and certainly not in a photo..and most companies have useless customer support that won't know anything.
So without access to an original charger, I can't think of any way to determine the polarity without taking the device apart, and even then I'm not sure I'd know how to tell, but maybe it will be labeled on the circuit board or by the wire colors.
If anyone else has other ideas, I'd like to know..
the problem with those adaptors is that for each one you happen to need some miraculous day, you have already accumulated about 10 of them... LOL