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Pro Tip: Label Your Wall Warts
Sep 10, 2007 12:12
Remember the good old days, when every device had
a built-in transformer, and power cords were
firmly and permanently attached to the device in
question? If you don't, ask your parents.
Those days are long gone. Today, devices that still have in-unit transformers had detachable power cords, with several different types of connectors. Some non-grounded cords have rounded rectangular connectors with key grooves on one or both sides, and sometimes one end is squared off. Thankfully, most grounded cords have settled on the standard PC-type power supply connector.
Wall warts, however, do not. The semi-ubiquitous power supply for devices that do not have inbuilt transformers seem to be everywhere, and more often than not, they do not bear any sort of mark or label that associates them with the product they power. Most of the time, they are generic devices from a third party, purchased in bulk by the people who sell you your goodies. They usually specify the input and output voltage and wattage. If you're lucky, there will be a diagram or description specifying how the plug is wired for positive and ground.
The same holds true of power "bricks", those power supplies that do not have the electrical prongs directly attached to the transformer housing, but instead have a brick-shaped block of transformer housing with the cord to the device coming out of one end, and typically a detachable generic power cord coming out the other.
If you're anything like me, you probably have a box of these things, and no idea what goes with what. Every time you plug in a device, you dig through your collection of wall warts and power bricks, hoping to rediscover the right one for the device. You can eliminate the guessing by buying a cheap label maker and printing labels to stick to the wall warts and power bricks, that explicitly state what device they're for. That way, the next time you move, or just put something away for a while, you'll know that you can put it back into service with confidence, and without wasting half a day trying to guess which power supply goes with what device (and hopefully without frying something in the process, which is a real danger when the connectors can fit more than one device!)
Those days are long gone. Today, devices that still have in-unit transformers had detachable power cords, with several different types of connectors. Some non-grounded cords have rounded rectangular connectors with key grooves on one or both sides, and sometimes one end is squared off. Thankfully, most grounded cords have settled on the standard PC-type power supply connector.
Wall warts, however, do not. The semi-ubiquitous power supply for devices that do not have inbuilt transformers seem to be everywhere, and more often than not, they do not bear any sort of mark or label that associates them with the product they power. Most of the time, they are generic devices from a third party, purchased in bulk by the people who sell you your goodies. They usually specify the input and output voltage and wattage. If you're lucky, there will be a diagram or description specifying how the plug is wired for positive and ground.
The same holds true of power "bricks", those power supplies that do not have the electrical prongs directly attached to the transformer housing, but instead have a brick-shaped block of transformer housing with the cord to the device coming out of one end, and typically a detachable generic power cord coming out the other.
If you're anything like me, you probably have a box of these things, and no idea what goes with what. Every time you plug in a device, you dig through your collection of wall warts and power bricks, hoping to rediscover the right one for the device. You can eliminate the guessing by buying a cheap label maker and printing labels to stick to the wall warts and power bricks, that explicitly state what device they're for. That way, the next time you move, or just put something away for a while, you'll know that you can put it back into service with confidence, and without wasting half a day trying to guess which power supply goes with what device (and hopefully without frying something in the process, which is a real danger when the connectors can fit more than one device!)
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