If you have a drawer full of adapters, bricks, and cables, how do you know what fits a device? Here’s how to read the info on the adapter as well as the device you want to power.
Buy your DFJ T-Shirt, Cap, or Coffee Mug at https.//www.dirtfarmerjay.com/shop
Knowing which AC Adapter to use for each device can be confusing - but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, DirtFarmer Jay shows you how to read the “code” on each device (both the adapter and the piece of equipment you want to power) so you can choose the right AC adapter for your gadget.
Once you understand the basic variables of the power supply and the device getting the power, AC Adapter symbols won’t be a mystery anymore.
Let’s start with the AC Adapter itself. Its name tells its function: to adapt/convert AC (Alternating Current) to DC (Direct Current) that most small electronics and electrical devices use.
So, your AC Adapter will generally have the info you need to make the right selection (or in the case of a jumble of cords in a “junk” drawer, match the adapter to the device it came paired with).
The three main pieces of data you need are 1.) the wall outlet power the adapter is designed to be plugged into, 2.) the output of the adapter in DC power (can be expressed in voltage, amps, or wattage), and, 3.), by use of a polarity diagram, what the polarity of the adapter’s charging tip is.
WARNING: Not all adapters give you all this information. Depending on how generous the manufacturer was with the information (or what they were required to provide by law), only some of the information may be on the device. It’s most common to see the polarity symbol, as well as output of the adapter, but not as common on the input. Many times, that can be deduced via where (such as what country) the product was marketed and sold, or the plug configuration (i.e., the plug is different for 110V and 220V outlets or European and North American plug ends).
What’s the worst that can happen if you use the wrong adapter for your device?
Well, the WORST that can happen is you “smoke” your electronic device, ruining it permanently, or making it in need of repair to replace a safety fuse installed to protect the main device from ruination when the wrong power or polarity is applied.
If you damaged your device, there are one of two things that happened. First, you could have supplied too much power to the device and heated circuits and components to the point they failed (this is a kind way of saying “melted”). Second, the polarity supplied may be wrong, which can create a “dead-short” situation. Some devices have a small fuse to protect the main circuitry when this happens, but not all. You may be able to get the device repaired, maybe not.
If the adapter you use supplies too little power, then the device may not work correctly either. You are calling on the device to complete tasks that adequate power is not being supplied for. So, getting it right solves the problem.
So, once you’ve chosen the right adapter for the wall outlet, you need to now see the power output of the adapter, as well as the polarity. If those match the power rating and polarity of the device that you are wanting to power, you should have no problems.
Here is a link for a universal adapter (not for use on computers!) that can be set to output different DC voltages, along with several adapter tips, and even a negative polarity adapter in case you need to switch from positive to negative polarity. This is a good starting place:
Sure, you can keep buying new adapters and devices instead of using what you already have, but that is a waste of money. With what you’ve learned in this episode, you can see if you have the right adapter on hand, and you can JUST DO IT YOURSELF.
Buy your DFJ T-Shirt, Cap, or Coffee Mug at https.//www.dirtfarmerjay.com/shop
Follow us on Social Media to know when we’re building projects or releasing new episodes!
Hey, Dirt Farmer Jay here from DirtFarmerJay.com.
If you're like most people,
you have a drawer full of these puppies
and you're not quite sure which AC adapter
will power the device that you're looking for.
Stay tuned and I'll decipher the code of the AC adapter.
Hey, Dirt Farmer Jay here from DirtFarmerJay.com.
Today, we're gonna talk about AC adapters
and how to decode them.
Before we do though,
if you like the way that we teach
and you like the way we approach,
consider subscribing to our channel.
And when you do, ring the bell
and that way you'll get notified
of new content approximately every Friday.
Also, make sure you check out the description below
because we always give you added bonus material
and more detail than we're gonna cover in the video itself.
Well, let's get to it.
As we said, if you're like most people,
you've got a lot of these AC adapters
and you may have a battery powered device,
a small device,
that you're getting tired of changing out the batteries
or you just like to use the consistency
of a plugin.
But you go to the drawer
and you got a bunch of AC adapters
that got separated from the devices.
And now it's time to match the AC adapter
to the device you wanna power up.
Let's go through this step-by-step
and give you each element you need to know
to get the right adapter for the device.
Well, first of all,
let's talk about what these are called
and what they are doing.
It's called an AC adapter
because it's adapting AC power,
alternating current power,
to DC power,
which is direct current.
You kind of remember the old band name, AC-DC?
Well, it's a good way to remember it.
All right, the first factor to consider is the input power.
In this case, this is used for North America.
This is 110 to 120 volts standard outlet power.
So it's gonna be all the way up to 250 volt as well,
depending on the plug configuration.
But one thing that's gonna be on the AC adapter
is the input power that tells you what's going into this.
And in this case,
input on this is AC 100 to 240 volts,
50 to 60 hertz power,
which is pretty standard in North America.
For our European and other parts of the world,
power supplies are gonna be different there,
but it's gonna tell on the device here
what the input power is.
That's the first thing you need to know
that using right input power.
Now that power is generally alternating current.
Small devices like this label printer don't use AC power.
They use direct current,
and that's what allows them to run either on batteries,
which are DC,
or the power that comes out of the correct AC adapter.
So it needs to convert to DC power.
The second thing you need to know on the AC adapter
is what is coming out of this adapter
when it's outputting power.
So here we go.
Output here is DC, direct current,
nine volts and 1.6 amps right here on there.
So this has told you what power goes in,
what power goes out.
The third thing you need to know is polarity.
That is which way the power flows.
And generally speaking,
all of these devices have a little polarity code
or diagram that you see right here.
And all you need to know,
because they're gonna appear differently,
it's gonna show a plus, a minus.
Sometimes it may be the other way, minus, plus,
but there's a little circle in the middle
with an open side with a C around it.
Let's call it a C.
Whatever side is open, pointed,
whatever symbol tells you what polarity.
So if you have a plus over here, a minus here,
but that little ring opening is to the plus side,
you have a positive polarity device.
And the same is true on the other side.
You have a negative.
It's very important that you get the polarity correct
because a lot of times, if you put the wrong polarity,
you're actually creating a dead short in the device.
And if you plug in the wrong polarity,
you may smoke your device.
And depending on the device and the quality
and the price point of it,
it may have a little fuse in it that blows first
before frying the circuit,
or it may take out the whole circuit.
Just better to get it right to begin with.
The fourth thing you need to know is the tip itself.
And really what you're concerned with here,
just so you know what you're looking at,
one side of the tip has either power flowing out of it
or back into it.
That's where polarity comes in.
And then the inside of the tip is insulated
or separated from the outside barrel.
So you've got power inside here and the return here,
or power flowing out of this side and the return in there.
That, as I said, is polarity.
But the main thing you're looking for
is the tip matching the port
that the device that you're powering.
So there's the port.
There's the tip that matches it.
Now, how do you know though
that this device matches this device?
Well, you can see the codes on this side,
but is there any information
on the device you're putting in there?
Typically, yes.
And in this case, right there,
it'll show what the power that's going in here.
And you can see, this is saying DC power in,
seven to nine volts.
And the way the polarity symbol shows,
it is a negative polarity device.
So the AC adapter needs to match that.
And when you look right here,
this is putting out nine volts.
So it says seven to nine volts input.
So we're within range and it's a negative polarity.
So these two match and I cheat.
I kind of label them.
That might be something you want to do.
So I can always match them when I need to.
So I can always put these two together.
All right, now, there's one other thing you might consider.
And is if you've got a bunch of devices
and you don't want to go through the hassle
of labeling all these or matching them up,
or worse yet, you lost them,
then you can check out a universal adapter.
We provided a link down below
that you can go down and just click on that
and buy it online.
And what a universal adapter does,
it takes in standard input power
from the country that you're in.
So in the United States, again,
110 volt up to 250 volt,
depending on the plug configuration,
50 to 60 Hertz power.
And then you can slide the selector up and down
of what power output it's going to be.
And then at the end of the device right here,
there's a modular section that you change the tips
for two reasons.
One is the size of the barrel to fit the device you need.
And secondly, there's differing polarities
to match what device needs you have.
So you can fix it either way,
either figure it out with what you got,
or you can buy this device below at the link we supplied.
So hopefully you found that to be helpful,
how to demystify AC adapters.
Another thing that's really helpful around the home
are basic electrical testers.
Check out this video here,
where we'll tell you about two testers you gotta have.
And we throw in a bonus third one
that every homeowner should have
to safely work with electricity.
And then check out this other video
that YouTube thinks you're interested in.
Until the next time, this is Dirt Farmer Jay
from dirtfarmerjay.com.
