Quote:
Originally Posted by al76slc
I know I should know the answer to this question, but I don't.
Let's say I have a portable electrical device (such as a CD player) that can be plugged into a 4.5VDC 200mA wall mount adaptor. If I use a 4.5VDC 1A adaptor, will I blow it up, or cause other damage?
Related: why does an electrical device that uses 2 AA cells (3VDC) require a 4.5VDC wall mount adaptor? Is there a voltage limiter in the circuit? Could I then safely use a 5-6VDC adaptor?
Thanks
Al
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I agree with the above - using a 1A supply should be fine.
But you ask about voltage, and here is where it gets dicey.
you ask if you could use a 5-6vd adapter - I wouldn't try it. Yes, the device has voltage limting to 4.5v - they can design voltage limiting becuase they know that they'll get 4.5 from the adapter they sold you. If you put in 5 or 6, you'd be stressing the voltage limiting beyond what it was designed to do - you'd be taking your chances at frying something.
But maybe not- there isnt that big a difference between the 4.5v adapter and your 5-6v solution. people who have worked with devices like this can correct me here, because there are only so many cheap ways to regulate/limit voltage (especially in small consumer devices that only take 3v to run in the first place)- and those methods might accomadate 5-6v just fine.
And I said cheap - if it costs $.02 more per unit to allow a supply voltage of 5-6v, they probably didnt do it =)
So the short answer is: I don't know, but unless its a real expensive thing you wanna run - try it =)
-John