Essentials About Power Plug Adapters

A power plug adapter is used to charge the battery in, or directly power, electronic devices such as digital cameras, laptops, and game consoles. If the power adapter malfunctions, you’ll need to replace it with a well-suited adapter that follows the essential voltage and current requirements of your device. Using a mismatched power plug adapter may damage the device, so it is important to understand the appropriate way to select a replacement.

There are scores of electronic gadgets in households such as cell phones, cameras, and music players. More or less, all of these are run on power adapters, the well-known black, stout wall-plugs (sometimes referred to as “wall-warts”). If you lose these adapters, you can get replacements or similar substitutes. Using a power strip, you can keep them organized. Also, if you use the power strip to turn off the adapters when the devices aren’t in use, you can reduce your electric bill.

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Power plug adapters are available in different shapes, sizes and ratings, but three important factors to be considered are:

Current Rating: Electronic appliances usually consume power between 100 milliamps and 3000 milliamps. The power adapter provided with the electronic appliance will convey enough current.

Voltage: Power adapters usually provide voltage between 3 volts and 24 volts.

Plug Type and Polarity: Nearly all power adapters contain two-conductor plugs. The polarity varies among dissimilar models; some contain a positive inside pin with a negative outside, while others have it the other way around. A multi-use power adapter permits you to switch polarity, so it will work with the widest array of equipments.

Verify the product documents for the specifications of the power plug adapter that you require. If you have a spare power adapter, check the output voltage of the adapter for voltage specifications. The general case is that the voltage of a power plug adapter must be within 10 % of the original voltage of the AC adapter of the appliance. For example, if the voltage requirement of the original adapter of the appliance is 12 volts, then the power adapter you would use is supposed to have a maximum output not greater than about 13.5 volts.

Always verify the wattage necessities of the device. The available wattage of the AC power adapter must not be lower than the mandatory number of Watts. For example, if the appliance requires 75 watts of power, you will need a power adapter that is greater than or equal to the required watts, which may be 80 watts, 90 watts or higher. Make sure the AC adapter plug suits the power port of the device because power adapters are available in different sizes and shapes.

Make sure that the device is charging. The power LED light is supposed to light indicating that power is being delivered to the device. If there is no indication of power, remove the power adapter and plug it again into the power port of the device to make sure that the power adapter is connected appropriately. If this does not resolve the problem, remove the power adapter from the device because the power adapter may not be working properly. Note that even though you can use any well-matched power adapter with your device, it is always best to buy one that is certified and suggested by the device manufacturer. Although a well-matched power adapter may work, it may impose damages on the appliance in due course.

Article Source: ArticleSnatch by Author David Johnson .

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