Can a regular AC-DC wall adapter be replaced with a more efficient power supply?

Hi,

I have 3 or 4 devices in my wiring closet that all use 12V. Some of the
power adapters are rated for more and some less, lets say for example 200ma,
500ma, 800ma.

My first question is, can I buy a larger 12V power supply (regulated) and
wire them all in parallel if I add up the sizes (1.5a in my above example)?

My second question is, would a switching power supply produce less heat and
work with devices that are typically powered by a wall brick?

Thanks for the help!

Alan

 

Yes. I'd recommend that you run each thing's 12V cable back to a terminal
block at the PS, so they aren't sharing each other's power wires.

Yes, if the output is quiet enough. (and has the current capability).

Have Fun!
Rich

 

Yes it's possible but your savings will only be a couple of watts, if that,
and you'll spend $bucks to do it. There are many better ways to conserve
electricity like getting rid of incandescent lamps.

 

There may be issues with common ground connections.

Graham

 

Using bus bars and wiring from same in parallel, as opposed to running
a daisy chain, should alleviate those issues.

 

Yes and Yes

--
Dan Hollands
1120 S Creek Dr
Webster NY 14580
585-872-2606

www.QuickScoreRace.com

 

I think what Pooh Bear was referring to is the
connections to the outside world. In the normal
situation with the wall-wart, the device is isolated... the maker
can choose to tie +12 to the ground of an output connector,
for example. If another device ties the supply ground to the
output ground (a more normal situation) then there will be
smoke if you interconnect these.

Best regards,


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Home of DaqGen, the FREEWARE signal generator

 

You're correct. There is no way to tell the internal wiring of the unit.

Graham