AC to DC 12V 1.5A Power Adapter Supply, Plug UK 5.5mm x 2.1mm

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I am an electronics guy and am with Leo on this one. Andrew’s comments are more about the internals of a device being run but the question was about the current rating of a charger. 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?

12 Volt 1.5 Amp Worldwide Power Supply (US/EU/UK/AU) Nebra 12 Volt 1.5 Amp Worldwide Power Supply (US/EU/UK/AU)

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.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: 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. 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. Polarity The device being uses wants to let xx amps through it and wants to take it from the charger. If the charger cannot supply enough of the current that the device wants, if may decide that it doesn’t have enough to run. That is where the pull analogy comes from. 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)

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

Just be careful with some laptops. I know that with my Dell laptops, if the chip in the charger goes bad (the chip that tells the Dell laptop that this charger is the correct charger for the computer), it will no longer charge the battery, and the laptop will draw less power (or amps – but Amps times Volts gives you Watts – or power) – thus slower laptop. Their reasoning, is so you don’t plug a charger in that isn’t rated for your laptop and damage it, but it forces you to only buy the correct Dell chargers, and when that chip goes, even if the charger is working – you no longer can charge, and you have a slower system (even my USB ports wouldn’t produce the correct power output when the Dell isn’t able to read the charger’s chip.)The input line voltage (wall or “mains” power) must be supported but is unrelated to compatibility with the device being charged or powered. 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 For Mr. Keir. I prefer to think of current as volumn and voltage as pressure. An example being a water pipe with a pressure/voltage of 10psi and a diameter(volumn)/current of 1 inch allows so much water through. Increase the volumn/current to 2 inches and it lets 4 times as much volumn through. aka available wattage. ( I think I got that right) Its been a long time…. 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?

12V 1.5A UL Listed 18W AC DC Switching Power Supply Chanzon 12V 1.5A UL Listed 18W AC DC Switching Power Supply

Interesting analogy for volts vs amps. I’d always heard the water hose comparison, voltage is the water pressure, amperage is the amount of water flowing through the hose.

What is the difference between the types of power supplies?

Oh Leo, you’re a great IT guy but not so hot at getting electronics across to beginners. I could agree with your definition of Voltage – the ‘push’ on the electrons that tries to make them move and make a current, but not your definition of Current. The load / laptop / whatever does NOT pull – it lets the current through; faster if the resistance is low, slower if it’s high. Current is how fast the electrons (that carry the charge) are moving. 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. The output amperage must match or be greater than that required by the device being charged or powered. Leo, I agree with your analogy re power supplies. However, your statement that voltage is constant is not correct. If you load up a power supply, you will have losses in the wire that connects the supply (wall wart) to the device. Engineers like to refer to this as I Dell Laptops have that center pin, I forget what the interface is called, but it makes it likely that other chargers won’t work. I bought a higher amp Dell charger to replace my busted one, and it works great, but I had a Dell parts expert guide me to the right choice