Power supplies
-
I recently moved to a new place. The packing/unpacking is a continuous nightmare. There comes a point when your basement/office stops becoming a stock pile, and begins to resemble a basement/office. I finally got to the point where I could hook up my computers and music equipment. So, I unpacked the routers, USB hubs, etc., and soon realized that routers have power supplies (PS) that have the product name on the power supply. It's simple to find the correct power supply for the unit. Unfortunately, the same is not true for numerous USB Hubs, guitar processors, etc. Of course, they all fit wach other, but one PS might destroy another unit if it's used. So, now it's a matter of finding the manuals for each item, and matching the power specs to each PS. Why can't companies be like Linksys and NetGear, who have their names on the PS. Most companies build their product around a 3rd party PS, so having their PS having their name engraved in the plastic is unreasonable. Why not simply have a sticker of some sort on their PS to tell you it works with their unit? So, learn from my headaches. Get some tags and place them on your ambiguous power supplies while you know the item where they are used. This will save you the headache that I'm going through right now.
-
I recently moved to a new place. The packing/unpacking is a continuous nightmare. There comes a point when your basement/office stops becoming a stock pile, and begins to resemble a basement/office. I finally got to the point where I could hook up my computers and music equipment. So, I unpacked the routers, USB hubs, etc., and soon realized that routers have power supplies (PS) that have the product name on the power supply. It's simple to find the correct power supply for the unit. Unfortunately, the same is not true for numerous USB Hubs, guitar processors, etc. Of course, they all fit wach other, but one PS might destroy another unit if it's used. So, now it's a matter of finding the manuals for each item, and matching the power specs to each PS. Why can't companies be like Linksys and NetGear, who have their names on the PS. Most companies build their product around a 3rd party PS, so having their PS having their name engraved in the plastic is unreasonable. Why not simply have a sticker of some sort on their PS to tell you it works with their unit? So, learn from my headaches. Get some tags and place them on your ambiguous power supplies while you know the item where they are used. This will save you the headache that I'm going through right now.
ednrgc wrote:
So, learn from my headaches. Get some tags and place them on your ambiguous power supplies while you know the item where they are used. This will save you the headache that I'm going through right now.
I've been doing this for years.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
-
I recently moved to a new place. The packing/unpacking is a continuous nightmare. There comes a point when your basement/office stops becoming a stock pile, and begins to resemble a basement/office. I finally got to the point where I could hook up my computers and music equipment. So, I unpacked the routers, USB hubs, etc., and soon realized that routers have power supplies (PS) that have the product name on the power supply. It's simple to find the correct power supply for the unit. Unfortunately, the same is not true for numerous USB Hubs, guitar processors, etc. Of course, they all fit wach other, but one PS might destroy another unit if it's used. So, now it's a matter of finding the manuals for each item, and matching the power specs to each PS. Why can't companies be like Linksys and NetGear, who have their names on the PS. Most companies build their product around a 3rd party PS, so having their PS having their name engraved in the plastic is unreasonable. Why not simply have a sticker of some sort on their PS to tell you it works with their unit? So, learn from my headaches. Get some tags and place them on your ambiguous power supplies while you know the item where they are used. This will save you the headache that I'm going through right now.
-
I recently moved to a new place. The packing/unpacking is a continuous nightmare. There comes a point when your basement/office stops becoming a stock pile, and begins to resemble a basement/office. I finally got to the point where I could hook up my computers and music equipment. So, I unpacked the routers, USB hubs, etc., and soon realized that routers have power supplies (PS) that have the product name on the power supply. It's simple to find the correct power supply for the unit. Unfortunately, the same is not true for numerous USB Hubs, guitar processors, etc. Of course, they all fit wach other, but one PS might destroy another unit if it's used. So, now it's a matter of finding the manuals for each item, and matching the power specs to each PS. Why can't companies be like Linksys and NetGear, who have their names on the PS. Most companies build their product around a 3rd party PS, so having their PS having their name engraved in the plastic is unreasonable. Why not simply have a sticker of some sort on their PS to tell you it works with their unit? So, learn from my headaches. Get some tags and place them on your ambiguous power supplies while you know the item where they are used. This will save you the headache that I'm going through right now.
PS tag both the brick and the plug of the power supply. If you only tag one end you're assured of a rats nest sufficiently snarled that pulling on the labeled end to find the other will fail.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
-
I recently moved to a new place. The packing/unpacking is a continuous nightmare. There comes a point when your basement/office stops becoming a stock pile, and begins to resemble a basement/office. I finally got to the point where I could hook up my computers and music equipment. So, I unpacked the routers, USB hubs, etc., and soon realized that routers have power supplies (PS) that have the product name on the power supply. It's simple to find the correct power supply for the unit. Unfortunately, the same is not true for numerous USB Hubs, guitar processors, etc. Of course, they all fit wach other, but one PS might destroy another unit if it's used. So, now it's a matter of finding the manuals for each item, and matching the power specs to each PS. Why can't companies be like Linksys and NetGear, who have their names on the PS. Most companies build their product around a 3rd party PS, so having their PS having their name engraved in the plastic is unreasonable. Why not simply have a sticker of some sort on their PS to tell you it works with their unit? So, learn from my headaches. Get some tags and place them on your ambiguous power supplies while you know the item where they are used. This will save you the headache that I'm going through right now.
most eletrical stuff has a note on it saying what voltage / current the input requires and what polarity the connector is. Some manufacturers have produced PS bricks with opposite polarities in their time as i once discovered while plugging in hub. Voltage and current matched but there was a smell of melting electronics. I do find it baffling that companies don't put stickers on their PS units, but not quite as baffling as the fact that the world hasn't shifted over to a standardised power connector (USB for instance) Russ
-
most eletrical stuff has a note on it saying what voltage / current the input requires and what polarity the connector is. Some manufacturers have produced PS bricks with opposite polarities in their time as i once discovered while plugging in hub. Voltage and current matched but there was a smell of melting electronics. I do find it baffling that companies don't put stickers on their PS units, but not quite as baffling as the fact that the world hasn't shifted over to a standardised power connector (USB for instance) Russ
Russell, a digicam might work with a very small, very tiny connector. That means, the cam can be very small and very tiny. Equipment with several motors, however, might run 24V 3A over their connectors. If you don't want a molten cable, you'll use wire with a bigger diameter, thus a bigger cable, thus a bigger connector (because you have to fit the plug OVER the cable). There ARE actually standard sizes for power connectors, but the needs are so diverse that most people end up having one of each kind.
Cheers, Sebastian -- "If it was two men, the non-driver would have challenged the driver to simply crash through the gates. The macho image thing, you know." - Marc Clifton
-
I recently moved to a new place. The packing/unpacking is a continuous nightmare. There comes a point when your basement/office stops becoming a stock pile, and begins to resemble a basement/office. I finally got to the point where I could hook up my computers and music equipment. So, I unpacked the routers, USB hubs, etc., and soon realized that routers have power supplies (PS) that have the product name on the power supply. It's simple to find the correct power supply for the unit. Unfortunately, the same is not true for numerous USB Hubs, guitar processors, etc. Of course, they all fit wach other, but one PS might destroy another unit if it's used. So, now it's a matter of finding the manuals for each item, and matching the power specs to each PS. Why can't companies be like Linksys and NetGear, who have their names on the PS. Most companies build their product around a 3rd party PS, so having their PS having their name engraved in the plastic is unreasonable. Why not simply have a sticker of some sort on their PS to tell you it works with their unit? So, learn from my headaches. Get some tags and place them on your ambiguous power supplies while you know the item where they are used. This will save you the headache that I'm going through right now.
Odd, most of the stuff I've seen is labelled, though you might have to struggle a bit to read some of them. The device usually has a tag with the FCC/CE info on it, and a symbol that shows a circle with a dot near the voltage rating data. There's usually a +/- symbol somewhere to indicate the polarity. The same info is normally on the molded case of the supply, and it can be a misery to try to read it, especially in the dark. I like the suggestion of putting tags on everything when you first install it; I think I'll start doing that myself!
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"