-1

The goal: I need to be able to play sound on some computers, but the quality doesn't matter much.

The situation: Somehow in our office move, the power adapters for two different sets of speakers got misplaced; now I have two essentially useless sets of speakers, unless I can replace the power adapters...

HOWEVER, I do have some other AC adapters that fit the port (our move was a disorganized mess), but they don't seem to match the specs of the speakers. What should I be aware of if I want to reuse these adapters?

  • Speaker 1: 10 V, 500 mA, 50/60 Hz AC
  • Speaker 2: I can't figure out what spec they're supposed to get, because to the best of my googling they were made in the late 90s and there's no manual posted anywhere online... (Altec Lansing ACS52. The only thing I could find that was even remotely helpful was this archived google image (the original image doesn't even exist, ha!). It's the one on the right, but I can't read it. Speaker image

Other power adapters:

  • 2x 12 V, 500 mA
  • 9 V, 1.5 A
  • 9 V, 1.0 A

What can go wrong if I try to use some of these random power adapters? Should I consider buying a new adapter? Should I just buy some new speakers?

durron597
  • 539
  • 3
  • 7
  • 23
  • 1
    These speakers are cheap enough that they can be replaced for under $20, most likely (if you don't care about quality/volume). I would try to make sure that the power adapter does not output more power than what the speakers are expecting. Worse case, you might fry them. But as stated, if this happens they can be replaced for cheap. – canadmos Mar 31 '14 at 16:53
  • http://superuser.com/questions/247312/laptop-power-supplies-does-current-matter?rq=1 – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 Mar 31 '14 at 16:54
  • We really can't help you without the speakers power requirements. – Ramhound Mar 31 '14 at 16:58
  • Six years later... just 'cause. Here is the detail from that power supply: Good Power Electronics Ltd. PLUG-IN POWER SUPPLY AC-DC ADAPTOR MODEL: GP57151800D INPUT: AC 120 V 60 Hz OUTPUT: DC 15V 1800 mA { negative = ring positive = post } – DGNewell Sep 08 '20 at 03:41

1 Answers1

3

As with any DC power source:

  • Voltage should match (or be very close).
  • Amperage on the source (IE: the adapter) should be the same or larger than what the device purports it requires.
  • The size, shape and polarity of the connectors much match.

If you go too far out of spec, you may/will burn out the power adapter, the device, and in the worst case, the cables start smouldering and you burn down your home. :)

Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007
  • 111,883
  • 19
  • 201
  • 268
  • Thanks. This answer has given me enough information to be able to explain to my boss why we should just buy new speakers. – durron597 Mar 31 '14 at 17:12