I know it’s the old round pin we used for phones back in the day but can someone send me a link to the exact one because I’m seeing too many round pin charges of different sizes. Also where do I go for tech help related questions like these? Is this the right community?

  • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.worldEnglish
    431·
    1 year ago

    So that’s a DC power connector, but we’re going to need more info before we can give you specifics.

    For starters, we need to know the polarity. Basically, the pin is going to be one side of the charge, and the sleeve around the circumference is going to be the other. Look for something like this to see what the polarity needs to be. The center dot is the pin, and the C shape is the outer contact.

    Next, we need to know the voltage and amperage. This should be listed somewhere on the device. Most barrel connectors are 12v, but you occasionally see 5v (when they’re powered via USB) or 20v. So that 12v isn’t a 100% guaranteed thing and it’s worth double checking. For amps, you simply need something above whatever the device is listed at. Amperage is basically how much power the device actually uses, and bigger devices will draw more power (and need a bigger power supply.) If it shows that it draws 1A at 12v, then a 12v 1.5A power supply will work, but a 12v 500mA (that’s 0.5A, since each milliamp is 1/1000 of an amp) power supply will overheat.

    Lastly, we’ll need to know the diameter of the barrel. These connectors are standardized sizes, but there are a lot of different sizes. They’re measured in millimeters. So you’ll need some way to measure the connector and see how big it is. Easier said than done.

    If you’re able to figure out the first two parts, (polarity and voltage/amps) you can get a universal power supply (with the appropriate voltage and polarity, and rated for something at/above the device’s listed amperage) that comes with a variety of barrels. Then you can simply find the right size barrel via trial and error.