Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

On Nov 18, 6:35*pm, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

yes

On 11/18/2012 3:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

Yes, but it's worse than that.
Even if the voltages on the label match, it can still result in damaged
goods or overcharged batteries or melted wall warts.
More recent stuff with regulated wall warts is more compatible, but not
always.
Older stuff is a crap shoot.

There's a reason the manual says, "use only the AC adapter we gave you."
YMMV

On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:48:58 -0800, mike wrote:

On 11/18/2012 3:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

Yes, but it's worse than that.
Even if the voltages on the label match, it can still result in damaged
goods or overcharged batteries or melted wall warts.
More recent stuff with regulated wall warts is more compatible, but not
always.
Older stuff is a crap shoot.

There's a reason the manual says, "use only the AC adapter we gave you."
YMMV
GENERALLY the wall wart has a higher voltage than the battery being
charged. A 14.4 volt Lithium battery is charged by a 20 volt power
pack in a Dell computer. An 11.1 volt lithium battery in an HP laptop
is charged by a 16 volt power supply. If the voltage of the pack
matches the voltage of the battery it will NEVER be charged as it
requires extra "pressure" to force the electrons into the battery. The
charge regulation circuitry is built into the computer or vacuum
cleaner or whatever,

On 11/18/12 6:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam


In addition to a Voltage mismatch, a bigger issue is the Amps. The
adapter must have a higher amps rating than the vacuum. Other wise
the adapter can be overdrawn and melt or burn.

wrote in message ...
On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:48:58 -0800, mike wrote:

On 11/18/2012 3:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!)
and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that
an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

Yes, but it's worse than that.
Even if the voltages on the label match, it can still result in damaged
goods or overcharged batteries or melted wall warts.
More recent stuff with regulated wall warts is more compatible, but not
always.
Older stuff is a crap shoot.

There's a reason the manual says, "use only the AC adapter we gave you."
YMMV
GENERALLY the wall wart has a higher voltage than the battery being
charged. A 14.4 volt Lithium battery is charged by a 20 volt power
pack in a Dell computer. An 11.1 volt lithium battery in an HP laptop
is charged by a 16 volt power supply. If the voltage of the pack
matches the voltage of the battery it will NEVER be charged as it
requires extra "pressure" to force the electrons into the battery. The
charge regulation circuitry is built into the computer or vacuum
cleaner or whatever,

It is more then just the voltage you need to make sure that polarity is correct
and that it is DC voltage and not AC some step-down transformers look identical
to DC adapters/chargers and yes all charger may have slight higher voltage
then actual battery.

On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 21:20:31 -0500, Retired wrote:

On 11/18/12 6:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam


In addition to a Voltage mismatch, a bigger issue is the Amps. The
adapter must have a higher amps rating than the vacuum. Other wise
the adapter can be overdrawn and melt or burn.
Actually not necessarily true if it is only used as a charger. The
adapter will charge the battery more slowly - and will not run the
vacuum - but in MANY cases the vacuum will not run when the charger
adapter is plugged in anyway. Neither of the battery operated
mini-vacs I had would run with the adapter plugged in.

"Grumpy" wrote:
wrote in message ...
On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:48:58 -0800, mike wrote:

On 11/18/2012 3:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power
adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!)
and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says
"9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that
an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

Yes, but it's worse than that.
Even if the voltages on the label match, it can still result in damaged
goods or overcharged batteries or melted wall warts.
More recent stuff with regulated wall warts is more compatible, but not
always.
Older stuff is a crap shoot.

There's a reason the manual says, "use only the AC adapter we gave you."
YMMV
GENERALLY the wall wart has a higher voltage than the battery being
charged. A 14.4 volt Lithium battery is charged by a 20 volt power
pack in a Dell computer. An 11.1 volt lithium battery in an HP laptop
is charged by a 16 volt power supply. If the voltage of the pack
matches the voltage of the battery it will NEVER be charged as it
requires extra "pressure" to force the electrons into the battery. The
charge regulation circuitry is built into the computer or vacuum
cleaner or whatever,

It is more then just the voltage you need to make sure that polarity is correct
and that it is DC voltage and not AC some step-down transformers look identical
to DC adapters/chargers and yes all charger may have slight higher voltage
then actual battery.

You forgot to mention, there are three types of dc. Unfiltered, filtered,
regulated.
I don't think the op said ac or dc. Also, if you use a higher rated current
transformer on a unregulated output, the voltage will also be higher with
less load current.

Greg

mike wrote:

On 11/18/2012 3:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

Yes, but it's worse than that.
Even if the voltages on the label match, it can still result in damaged
goods or overcharged batteries or melted wall warts.
More recent stuff with regulated wall warts is more compatible, but not
always.
Older stuff is a crap shoot.

There's a reason the manual says, "use only the AC adapter we gave you."
YMMV

Given that a great many power adapters have only OEM labeling and no
indication of the brand of product they came with it is a really good
habit to mark what the adapter goes with on it in something like a white
paint marker.

"Grumpy" wrote in message
...
It is more then just the voltage you need to make sure that polarity is
correct
and that it is DC voltage and not AC some step-down transformers look
identical
to DC adapters/chargers and yes all charger may have slight higher voltage
then actual battery.


To all that you can add that the charger must match the type of battery.
The older nicads are not that critical, but some of the newer types are are.

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a
long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but
I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V".
Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Depends on where on the vacuum cleaner it says 9.6V because it can be one of
two things:

It could be the voltage of the batteries inside. 8 Nicds would be 9.6V.
It could mean the input voltage of the charger.
You should be able to tell which of the above applies.

In the first case, a 12.5V adapter may be the right one.
In the second case, the adapter is definitely wrong.

One possible way to be sure is to find a product photo and look at the
adapter. Or find a product manual and check the specs.

wrote:
On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:48:58 -0800, mike wrote:

On 11/18/2012 3:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power
adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and
everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but
the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong
adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

Yes, but it's worse than that.
Even if the voltages on the label match, it can still result in
damaged goods or overcharged batteries or melted wall warts.
More recent stuff with regulated wall warts is more compatible, but
not always.
Older stuff is a crap shoot.

There's a reason the manual says, "use only the AC adapter we gave
you." YMMV
GENERALLY the wall wart has a higher voltage than the battery being
charged. A 14.4 volt Lithium battery is charged by a 20 volt power
pack in a Dell computer. An 11.1 volt lithium battery in an HP laptop
is charged by a 16 volt power supply. If the voltage of the pack
matches the voltage of the battery it will NEVER be charged as it
requires extra "pressure" to force the electrons into the battery. The
charge regulation circuitry is built into the computer or vacuum
cleaner or whatever,

Which is not to say that the wall-wart should have a higher voltage rating than
the device. The label on the device and charger shoul match on voltage,
polarity, and AC or DC.

On Nov 18, 9:38*pm, wrote:
On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 21:20:31 -0500, Retired wrote:
On 11/18/12 6:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

In addition to a Voltage mismatch, a bigger issue is the Amps. The
adapter must have a higher amps rating than the vacuum. *Other wise
the adapter can be overdrawn and melt or burn.

*Actually not necessarily true if it is only used as a charger. The
adapter will charge the battery more slowly - and will not run the
vacuum - but in MANY cases the vacuum will not run when the charger
adapter is plugged in anyway. Neither of the battery operated
mini-vacs I had would run with the adapter plugged in.

Why do you say that 12.5V charger will charge a 9.6V device "more
slowly"?

On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:19:36 -0500, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


"Grumpy" wrote in message
...
It is more then just the voltage you need to make sure that polarity is
correct
and that it is DC voltage and not AC some step-down transformers look
identical
to DC adapters/chargers and yes all charger may have slight higher voltage
then actual battery.


To all that you can add that the charger must match the type of battery.
The older nicads are not that critical, but some of the newer types are are.

But the charger in this, as in many other, case(s) us built into the
device and only a "power supply" is external.

On Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:14:55 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Nov 18, 9:38Â*pm, wrote:
On Sun, 18 Nov 2012 21:20:31 -0500, Retired wrote:
On 11/18/12 6:35 PM, wrote:
Hi,

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V". Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Thanks,

Sam

In addition to a Voltage mismatch, a bigger issue is the Amps. The
adapter must have a higher amps rating than the vacuum. Â*Other wise
the adapter can be overdrawn and melt or burn.

Â*Actually not necessarily true if it is only used as a charger. The
adapter will charge the battery more slowly - and will not run the
vacuum - but in MANY cases the vacuum will not run when the charger
adapter is plugged in anyway. Neither of the battery operated
mini-vacs I had would run with the adapter plugged in.

Why do you say that 12.5V charger will charge a 9.6V device "more
slow I didn't if you read what I wrote and what I responded to. I responded to :
a bigger issue is the Amps. The
adapter must have a higher amps rating than the vacuum. Â*Other wise
the adapter can be overdrawn and melt or burn.

My reply that a lower amperage charger might charge slower is
correct.

"Pete C." wrote in message news:50a9a293$0$5298

stuff snipped

Given that a great many power adapters have only OEM labeling and no
indication of the brand of product they came with it is a really good
habit to mark what the adapter goes with on it in something like a white
paint marker.

Good idea! I always mark each power supply with the item it belongs to, the
voltage, AC or DC, regulated or unregulated, amperage and tip polarity. I
use a fine point silver Sharpie and make the same notation on the device the
wallwart is powering because jacks are typically not marked very well. Once
the wallwart gets lost, it's hard to figure out what's needed to replace it
without the markings.

If the voltmeter reads the rated voltage without a load, I assume it's a
regulated unit. So far, when I've had to replace a wallwart I've had no
trouble matching a replacement power supply because I know what each device
needs.

--
Bobby G.

On Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:13:26 -0800, "bob" wrote:

I have a rechargeable vacuum cleaner from which I lost the power adapter a
long time ago. Now I found one (I think!) and it fits and everything, but
I'm not sure. The vacuum cleaner says "9.6V" but the adapter says "12.5V".
Is that an indication that it's the wrong adapter?

Depends on where on the vacuum cleaner it says 9.6V because it can be one of
two things:

It could be the voltage of the batteries inside. 8 Nicds would be 9.6V.
It could mean the input voltage of the charger.
You should be able to tell which of the above applies.

In the first case, a 12.5V adapter may be the right one.
In the second case, the adapter is definitely wrong.

One possible way to be sure is to find a product photo and look at the
adapter. Or find a product manual and check the specs.

Or find the same product in a store, and open the package, but only if
you can reseal it so it looks good.