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New skill unlocked! Thank you fellow Fediverse person! (piefed.blahaj.zone)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/casualconversation@piefed.social
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A few months ago, I asked for advice - or I was simply bragging - about cutting the wires of a PC chassi fan, connecting them to a USB wire and thus being able to power the fan with one of my laptop's USB ports. Then, as if sent by the heavens, @onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe said:

If you can, swap out the tape for some heat-shrink tubing. It’s cheap and does a much better job.
I immediately bought a heating gun (?) and heat shrink tubes. Since then, I have been exclusively using that method. It rocks. Today, I bought my first ever digital photo frame, the KD10FR-W. It's some old relic from ten or so years ago, possibly released in 2017 (sources needed). It's a Japanese product that I found at one of my local thrift stores in Sweden. HOW. WHY. Anyway, since it only came with a Japanese plug, I did the thing, and now, it would seem, Bob is my uncle. Nay, blood relative. Wait... Is that the same thing?

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Question/conversation time:

  1. The specs of the frame say: 5V==1500mA. I assume this means "minimum 5V, maximum 1500mA"? How else is my TV's 5V==900mA USB port powering it?
  2. What knowledge or skill have YOU picked up on the Fediverse that you use today? 😊
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[–] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

If electricity was water, Volts would tell you how hot the water was, and Amps would tell you the volume of water required. The device controls the draw so if the device says 3 Amps you can connect it to a 10 Amp supply and it will only draw what you need.

So in your case the 5V is good, it's the USB standard and what your device requires. You are a little underpowered on the current, but it's clearly OK. You might not be using the full functionality of the frame and there may have been some allowance for power loss in the conversion from AC to DC.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    I see. So V and A specs that go under "input" on loads/end devices tell me what it needs to function, not an upper safety limit. Did I understand you correctly?

    Also, I had no idea there is something called conversion loss! Thanks! 😃

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    That's correct. Match the voltage (although there is a bit of a safety margin if you put too high a voltage through it) and the current rating is the minimum for device to function. The device will just draw what you need. I don't know where you are but a typical American home will have 100 or 200 amp service, but you can plug in a radio that draws a few milliamps without a problem.

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