On 7/19/2010 5:00 PM BCDrums spake thus:

I am grateful for all these knowledgeable responses.

The device to be driven by the wall wart is a Jensen CD player. It is
supposed to be run with two AA batteries. It is a gift. My six-disc CD
changer died some years ago, and I replaced it with a Panasonic
portable CD player from the '90s that was in a drawer. It had a line
out as well as a headphone jack. It died in '09.

My lovely bride picked up the Jensen for $22 at Target, just to have
something to play CDs on through the living room stereo. I don't want
a battery-driven device, and the Jensen does have an input for a DC
transformer, with the specs as listed previously. The transformer for
the Panasonic player is still there, thought I'd give it a try. If it
works, I will be happy. If it kills the Jensen, oh well. if it burns
down the house, no good! There is no compatible transformer offered
for the Jensen, by the way. What is the point of a $22 CD player if
the power adapter costs as much or more?

So long as the device is labeled as having a diet of 4.5 volts (you told
us this, so I'm assuming this is correct), and the power supply supplies
this *nominal*[1] voltage, it won't kill the CD player or burn down the
house.

I will give it a try and keep an eye on both units for an hour and see
what happens.

Good plan.


[1] "Nominal" meaning what's printed on the wall wart, even if it does
deliver some higher voltage with no load, which it will undoubtedly do,
since it is no doubt an unregulated power supply. There is some leeway here.


--
The fashion in killing has an insouciant, flirty style this spring,
with the flaunting of well-defined muscle, wrapped in flags.

- Comment from an article on Antiwar.com (http://antiwar.com)