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power supply male jacks?

I need an AC power supply for an analog 5 watt telephone. Are the
different sizes and colors of male power jacks fixed to specific power
levels as an agreed on industry standard? That is, if a male jack fits
my phones' female power input, do I have a match for power needed and
power supplied?
 
S

Scott Dorsey

Jan 1, 1970
0
I need an AC power supply for an analog 5 watt telephone. Are the
different sizes and colors of male power jacks fixed to specific power
levels as an agreed on industry standard? That is, if a male jack fits
my phones' female power input, do I have a match for power needed and
power supplied?

No, there is nothing even remotely standard about those damn consumer
"coaxial power" connectors. Make sure that the nameplate voltage and
current on the unit and the wall wart match.
--scott
 
S

St. John Smythe

Jan 1, 1970
0
I need an AC power supply for an analog 5 watt telephone. Are the
different sizes and colors of male power jacks fixed to specific power
levels as an agreed on industry standard? That is, if a male jack fits
my phones' female power input, do I have a match for power needed and
power supplied?

No. It would be nice, but whatever standardization may exist definitely
can't be counted on to keep from frying components. You should not just
check specs closely, but then re-check with a DVM or VOM to be sure
you're safe. Unregulated wall-wart supplies are almost uniformly
over-voltage, depending upon the load of what's being powered to bring
them into the right voltage range.

The jacks, by the way, are the holes; the male things are plugs.
 
S

Steve King

Jan 1, 1970
0
St. John Smythe said:
No. It would be nice, but whatever standardization may exist definitely
can't be counted on to keep from frying components. You should not just
check specs closely, but then re-check with a DVM or VOM to be sure
you're safe. Unregulated wall-wart supplies are almost uniformly
over-voltage, depending upon the load of what's being powered to bring
them into the right voltage range.

The jacks, by the way, are the holes; the male things are plugs.

Except when the jacks have a male pin inside a hole and the plugs, which go
into the hole with the male pin, just has holes. We have gender uncertainty
issues here.

Steve King
 
R

Richard Crowley

Jan 1, 1970
0
No, there is nothing even remotely standard about those damn consumer
"coaxial power" connectors. Make sure that the nameplate voltage and
current on the unit and the wall wart match.

And make sure the polarity is correct, also. Not clear by "AC
power supply" whether you mean one that can be plugged into
the wall, or whether you meant that the phone actually uses some
AC voltage? Of course, if the phone uses AC, then you have no
concern about polarity.

Radio Shack actually has a reasonable selection of different
wall-wart power supply units, and they have a "universal"
system where you can buy the coaxial connector separately.
They have ~50 different plugs on a big ring at the shop where
you can bring your phone and find the one that fits. (BOTH
the inner pin diameter, AND the outer barrel diameter.)
 
if radio shack sez the unit supplies x amps and z volts
then the buyer is reasonably certain this will be true?
a level of maybe performance at a reasonable price?
 
R

Richard Crowley

Jan 1, 1970
0
datakoll wrote ...
if radio shack sez the unit supplies x amps and z volts
then the buyer is reasonably certain this will be true?
a level of maybe performance at a reasonable price?

I would be satisfied. Note that if the PS can deliver more
current than the gadget needs, no harm, no foul. However,
this does *NOT* apply to voltage!
 
F

Frank Stearns

Jan 1, 1970
0
if radio shack sez the unit supplies x amps and z volts
then the buyer is reasonably certain this will be true?
a level of maybe performance at a reasonable price?

Typically unregulated (at least the universal model), so at
lower-than-spec'd current draw from the device being supplied this
means that the voltage will tend to swing up. How much depends on the
actual load; whether this causes a problem or not will also depend on the
device being supplied.

If you're not in a rush and don't mind spending a few dollars more, you
might look at the regulated wall warts available from Mouser, Digikey,
etc. (RS might have such entities, but be prepared to pay way more than
they're worth.) Nice clean power, held pretty close. (Of course, if your
device wants AC, don't do this.)

If you do go the mail order route, the same general comments apply
regarding polarity; you'll also want to get the right barrel size. Many
different size steps there.

Frank Stearns
Mobile Audio

--
 
E

Eeyore

Jan 1, 1970
0
St. John Smythe said:
No. It would be nice, but whatever standardization may exist definitely
can't be counted on to keep from frying components. You should not just
check specs closely, but then re-check with a DVM or VOM to be sure
you're safe. Unregulated wall-wart supplies are almost uniformly
over-voltage, depending upon the load of what's being powered to bring
them into the right voltage range.

The jacks, by the way, are the holes; the male things are plugs.

So, what's a 'jackplug' then ? LOL !

Graham
 
E

Eeyore

Jan 1, 1970
0
Frank said:
Typically unregulated (at least the universal model), so at
lower-than-spec'd current draw from the device being supplied this
means that the voltage will tend to swing up. How much depends on the
actual load; whether this causes a problem or not will also depend on the
device being supplied.

If you're not in a rush and don't mind spending a few dollars more, you
might look at the regulated wall warts available from Mouser, Digikey,
etc. (RS might have such entities, but be prepared to pay way more than
they're worth.) Nice clean power, held pretty close. (Of course, if your
device wants AC, don't do this.)

Just to muddy the waters........

A DC adaptor will often work fine with an 'AC' input.

But you need to know what you're doing.

Graham
 
C

cross I'd

Jan 1, 1970
0
Steve said:
Except when the jacks have a male pin inside a hole and the plugs, which go
into the hole with the male pin, just has holes. We have gender uncertainty
issues here.

I might be tempted to call it androgenous,
certainly not bisexual since it doesn't "go both ways".

rd
 
C

cross I'd

Jan 1, 1970
0
"Scott Dorsey" wrote ...

Richard said:
And make sure the polarity is correct, also. Not clear by "AC
power supply" whether you mean one that can be plugged into
the wall, or whether you meant that the phone actually uses some
AC voltage? Of course, if the phone uses AC, then you have no
concern about polarity.

While the overwhelming majority of these things may be
center pin positive _DO NOT_ make this assumption.
This falls into the "double check" category if you're going
to use a generic or universal replacement PS.

rd
 
L

Laurence Payne

Jan 1, 1970
0
While the overwhelming majority of these things may be
center pin positive _DO NOT_ make this assumption.
This falls into the "double check" category if you're going
to use a generic or universal replacement PS.

Particularly as many units lack reverse-polarity protection. And not
only cheap gear. Give a Sony Walkman Professional reverse polarity and
you're instantly in for a repair bill. Unbelievable, unforgivable but
true.
 
G

Gareth Magennis

Jan 1, 1970
0
Eeyore said:
Just to muddy the waters........

A DC adaptor will often work fine with an 'AC' input.

But you need to know what you're doing.

Graham


And to further muddy them - some equipment that has computing chips and
audio chips (eg an effects unit) that require an AC supply will boot up fine
if you use a DC supply, but will have no audio. This is because the 5 volts
required for the digital stuff will be generated OK but the plus and minus
supplies for the audio will not.


Gareth.
 
G

Gareth Magennis

Jan 1, 1970
0
cross I'd said:
While the overwhelming majority of these things may be
center pin positive _DO NOT_ make this assumption.
This falls into the "double check" category if you're going
to use a generic or universal replacement PS.

rd



Roland and Yamaha use opposite polarities to each other. Do not assume
anything. Ever.




Gareth.
 
E

Eeyore

Jan 1, 1970
0
Gareth said:
And to further muddy them - some equipment that has computing chips and
audio chips (eg an effects unit) that require an AC supply will boot up fine
if you use a DC supply, but will have no audio. This is because the 5 volts
required for the digital stuff will be generated OK but the plus and minus
supplies for the audio will not.

I came across a fingerprint scanner that had that kind of problem once.

Graham
 
A

Arny Krueger

Jan 1, 1970
0
if radio shack sez the unit supplies x amps and z volts
then the buyer is reasonably certain this will be true?

IME, yes.

RS just has their wall-warts custom made by some of the usual suspects. They
tend to be about average quality, which is true of just about everybody
else.
a level of maybe performance at a reasonable price?

Other good sources include Jameco.
 
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