Here’s the catch: just because the physical plug fits into your device does not mean that the polarity is correct. Example of a polarity indicator. (Image: Three-quarter-ten, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons) I have a Nintendo 3ds that requires 4.6 Volts and 900 mA (you might as well say 1 amp). Older Nintendo DS’s required 5 Volts so I was ok cutting the charger cable and making my own USB charger out of it so I can either charge it in the wall or with a portable charger. Electrically speaking, higher voltage can cause more amps to “flow”. This is one reason why getting the voltage correct on a power supply is so critical, because it can, in a sense, “push” too much electricity through a device and cause it to overheat or be damaged. Can too many amps damage a device? Am I getting this concept wrong? Or is a special cable an impossible vision because the car adapter will only work if it is getting 12V and not 5V?

12V 1.5A Power Adapter Supply, Plug UK 3.5mm x 1 AC to DC 12V 1.5A Power Adapter Supply, Plug UK 3.5mm x 1

The amperage rating of a charger or power supply is the maximum it can supply. A device being charged will only take as much amperage as it requires. If your device needs 0.5 amps to charge, and your charger is rated at 1.0 amps, only 0.5 amps will be used. Power supplies are a crucial aspect of any electrical equipment, providing reliable power to machinery, computers or other technology devices. A power supply changes a source electric current, such as a mains plug, to the correct voltage, frequency and current needed to operate the equipment safely. How do power supplies work? As long as the voltage matches that expected by the connected device, then yes, you can use an AC adapter capable of providing higher amps. Can I use a 5V 2A charger with a 5V 1A device? The problem, of course, is the reverse: if your device needs 1.0 amps, but your charger is rated at only 0.5 amps, then any of several problems could result: Of course I was excited to do it. My thought was that if the Nintendo car adapter charger steps 12 volts down to 4.6 Volts at 900 mA, then this new cable should step 5 volts down to 4.6 at 900 mA. But it did not work.

What is power supply efficiency?

When replacing a charger, this is easy to determine: it’ll be listed somewhere on the old charger. In your case, the old charger supplied 19 volts, so your replacement must also be 19 volts. Sidestep all those unknowns and make sure to get exactly the right voltage from the start. Amperage It’s very important to get the right voltage. Some devices are tolerant of variations and work just fine. Others, unfortunately, are not tolerant at all. Depending on how different the supplied voltage is from what’s required, the device may simply fail, it may work “kind of”, or it may appear to work at the cost of a much shorter lifespan. I got to doing a little more research regarding USB ports and cables have different amperage capabilities. For example USB 3.0 does 900mA, while USB 2.0 does something like 500mA.

12V AC Adapters | RS 12V AC Adapters | RS

I have a USB 3.0 cable, but if it is an exercise in futility then I’m just wasting money on a fantasy. Particularly when it comes to popular circular power connectors, make sure the expectations match. If the device expects the center connector to be positive and the outer ring to be negative, your power supply’s connector must match. There’s no getting around this. And here’s the problem: there’s no way to say what’s enough or too much. It varies from device to device. Some may tolerate a wide range of input voltages, while others are extremely sensitive to even the smallest error. Unfortunately the gauge of the USB 2.0 cable is really a high number (meaning that the wires are few and small). I’m thinking I should redo my cable and use a USB 3.0 cable because I think it may be able to handle the Voltage.As long as the correct voltage is used, a device will draw only the amperage it needs, meaning there will not be “too many amps”. If an incorrect voltage is used — say a higher voltage than the device is rated to accept — then yes, too many amps may be drawn, and the device can be damaged. This is why it’s critical to use the correct voltage. Can I use an AC adapter with higher amps? Yes. Because a) the voltage matches, and b) the amperage provided is greater than that needed, you can use a 5v-2A charger with a 5V-1A device. Is 500ma the same as 0.5 A?

12V 1500mA 1.5A AC/DC 2.1mm Power adapter Power Supply

Most power supplies provide their output on two wires: one labeled (+) or positive, and the other (-) or negative. Which wire is which is referred to as polarity. The amperage provided by your charger must match or exceed what the device being charged requires. Amperage Provided Versus Amperage Required Power Supply or Charger Amperage Rating Thus, as long as you replace your power supply with one capable of providing as much or more amps than the previous, you’ll be fine. In other words, there is nothing wrong with having a charger capable of providing more amps than needed. PolarityWhen I took my multimeter and took a reading on the output of the car adapter from a 5V charger, it was reading 4.14V or 3.8V, and the Nintendo 3DS charger light would blink. We have a wide selection of power supply units (PSUs) for use in various domestic and industrial applications. Our range includes AC-DC power supply adapters and desktop computer power supply suitable for domestic applications, as well as bench power supplies, DIN Rail and panel mount power supplies and switch mode PSU. What is a power supply? A power supply is used to reduce mains or three phase electricity, often at 240 Vac or 440 Vac down to a voltage that is usable, such as 12 Vdc. The PSU also converts the current rating, in the form of AMPS, to a level that is safe for the device that is to be powered. What is the difference between the types of power supplies? If you look closely at the small print on many power supplies, you’ll see they’re rated for anything from 100 to 250 volts. This means most can work worldwide with nothing more than an adapter to account for the physical plug differences — no voltage transformer needed. If I knew what kind of resistor I can buy to solder in with a wire that would be about my only option.