maxm50•28d ago

TIL those cheap 'universal' power adapters are a total waste of money

I bought a 5-pack for $15 to fix a bunch of old radios, but the voltage was all wrong and it fried the board on my 1980s Sony. Now I'm out the cost of the adapter and the radio. What's a good way to test a power supply before you plug it into something old?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jennifer28d ago

Grab a cheap multimeter and check the voltage at the plug. You'd be surprised how many of those adapters are labeled wrong.

the_vera28d ago

Honestly, a multimeter is the only safe bet. Tbh you should also check the polarity with it, because getting that backwards can kill old gear too. Ngl I've seen adapters that had the right voltage but the center pin was positive when it should've been negative. Takes two seconds to verify.

lisar141d ago

Wasn't there a story a while back about a guy frying a vintage synth because the adapter label lied? It really stuck with me. That's why I'm totally with you on checking it yourself. A multimeter doesn't cost much and it takes the guesswork out. You just can't trust the printing on those generic power bricks. It's a simple step that saves you from a very expensive mistake.