6 Business Benefits of AC/DC adapters

If you’re like most people, chances are you have a drawer or a cupboard or a box where random and miscellaneous electrical leads live – and become hopelessly tangled!  Phone chargers, ethernet cables … and almost certainly one, two or three (or more) AC/DC adapters.

But wait: doesn’t AC/DC sing Thunderstruck?  Indeed, band founders Malcolm and Angus got the name when their sister spotted those very initials on a sewing machine, and concluded that it perfectly captured their powerful electric sound.

It stands for “Alternating Current/Direct Current” – and when you dig through your tangled lead drawer, you can fairly easily identify an AC/DC adapter by the “brick” that is attached to the wire and plug.

What does an AC/DC adapter do?

Put very simply, an AC/DC adapter is how you get electricity out of the ‘wall’ and into a device that doesn’t have its own on-board power supply.  It’s how, for example, rechargeable laptops can be so sleek and light rather than needing to be able to get the voltage they need straight from the mains all by themselves.

The ‘AC’ stands for alternating current, meaning the power can flow in either direction – and it’s what is supplied by the power points around your home or business.  And the ‘DC’ stands for direct current, which is a one-way electric current that your particular device requires.

When you’ve got several AC/DC adapters all tangled together in that drawer, though, you’ll quickly discover that they’re not all created equally!  And that’s because different devices demand different voltages – or the specific milliamp Hour (mAh) requirement of the specific device.  Get it wrong, and you’ll either fail to power your device at all, or you could well feel the kind of “zap” that you and your device definitely don’t want to feel!

What are the business benefits of AC/DC adapters?

As we’ve already covered, the biggest benefit of AC/DC adapters is that it makes electrical devices simpler, smaller and lighter.  But from the business perspective, there are plenty of other benefits, too.

1. They’re safe

If you’re designing electrical products, safety is a major concern and hurdle.  But designing a product for an AC/DC adapter means worrying only about the very low voltages required to power the product rather than dealing with dangerous mains current.

2. They’re simple

If an electrical device doesn’t have its own power source, it’s a lot easier to get certified and approved for sale – and it’s a lot easier to design and manufacture, too, because it will be one single, simpler product for as many international markets as you like.

3. They’re cool

By using a separate power source, the electrical components of a device stay cooler, which means a more reliable product that lasts longer.

4. They’re quiet

We’re talking here about disruptive electrical noise, which is common straight out of the mains.  An AC/DC adapter works as an electrical noise filter for all that sensitive circuitry.

5. They’re replaceable

When an on-board power supply fails, that’s a big deal and an expensive trip to the repair shop.  When an AC/DC adapter fails, it’s a very simple and cheap thing to replace it.

6. They’re versatile

If an electrical device has an external power supply, you can easily plug it into a 120VAC (volts alternating current) outlet in North America or Australia’s 240VAC power points – and just about everything in between!

AC/DC adapters: The final word

Whether it’s a 5v, 12v or 12v dc power supply – or just about anything else – that you have or you need, there’s an awful lot of reasons why AC/DC adapters simply make life better and easier.  Now get into that drawer and start untangling!