Power Adapter Question

[snowmansnow]

OK,
I'm hooking up my 36" 6xT5 ATI Sunpower

I've misplaced the 9-12V 300mA adapter that comes with it..

BUT I have a 9V 210mA adapter that powers the fans up.. can I use it or will the fans need to draw more than the 210mA the adapter allows?

B

 

[jbadd99]

You can try, but likely they'll either not run, or won't run at full speed. It's when the mA are more than what the product is rated for you really have to worry.

Radio shack has one that is adjustable for voltages, amperages, and even connectors if you can't find yours.

 

[snowmansnow]

they do run, at what I would consider adequate speed.

I just didn't want to burn something up by having an adapter that didnt feed it enough power.

might be going to wally world later tonight anyhow

 

[ichthyoid]

You never want to provide less current (amperage) than what the load requires. More is ok, as long as the voltage is correct.

It MAY be that the power supply was overrated to begin with.

Personally, I wouldn't bet the bank (or the house) on it though!

 

[rdnelson]

ichthyoid;805681 wrote: You never want to provide less current (amperage) than what the load requires. More is ok, as long as the voltage is correct.

It MAY be that the power supply was overrated to begin with.

Personally, I wouldn't bet the bank (or the house) on it though!

+100000

To clarify, you are not providing current. The current draw is a function of the fans and the power supply needs to be enough to carry that much current. If it is under rated, the fans will run slower and fail sooner, everything will run hotter and fail sooner, etc.....

 

[jef4y]

Contact ReefGeek or look at the ATI specs. The power supply that they send for the fans is generic, so it is likely way over-rated for the load needed by the fans.

 

[skriz]

SnowManSnow;805674 wrote: they do run, at what I would consider adequate speed.

I just didn't want to burn something up by having an adapter that didnt feed it enough power.

might be going to wally world later tonight anyhow

Check the fan and see what it pulls. Multiply that by the number of fans and you have the total power you need to run them. My guess (and only a guess) is that you'll likely be fine. The adapter will be a generic one and may be more than was needed for this particular fixture (they likely use the same adapter for multiple different fixtures will different quantities of fans).

Otherwise, you can get one cheap on amazon or eBay.