can anyone help out a luddite with an electricity question?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

My girlfriend who is the geek around here is away for a few days with her family winter camping and I have a stupid question google can't answer.

There is this computer networking box I bought open at Bestbuy that says 12 volts and 1 amp. The AC adaptor that just looks generic says 12 volts and 2 amps.

My understanding of electricity ends with "its the amps that kill you" - can I use this thing?

I would rather not go back to the store looking like an idiot - I also don't want to burn the house down.

[Turbineguy]

1. No problem

If the network box uses 1 amp and the adapter can handle 2 you're all set.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. thanks

I appreciate the rapid answers.

[Kutjara]

2. The rating on the adapter is the maximum draw it can handle.

Don't worry that it will "push" 2 amps at your networking box and fry it. Instead, the box will "draw" only one amp from the adapter.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. Thanks,

it seems their is an expert on everything around here,

[Speck Tater]

5. Here's an analogy that makes it clear.

You can plug a 1200 watt microwave oven into the wall socket, so that wall socket is able to deliver 1200 watts. (With a 10-amp fuse in your fuse box) But when you plug in a 40 watt light bulb does that same socket try to push 1200 watts through your 40 watt bulb? Nope. Think of the wall socket as being able to supply as many watts as you want to draw out (up to the limit set by your fuse box) but the device plugged into the wall will only actually draw out what it needs, and not a single watt more.

If you try to pull 20 amps through a 10 amp fuse box the fuse will blow. If you try to draw 2 amps through a 1-amp adapter, the adapter will melt down. But there's never any harm in drawing less than the limit a source can handle. In fact, by drawing only 1 amp through a 2 amp adapter, that adapter will run cooler. If you want really cool operation, use a 4-amp adapter to run your 1-amp device. Then the adapter is running at 1/4 capacity and will remain cool as a cucumber.

[POAS]

6. Reminds me of a funny story

A service person for a compressor company who was at our shop trying to figure out why on a hot summer day in a room with too little ventilation their 50 HP motor kept tripping the heater coils.

After checking the amp load on each of the 220v/3 phase lines he proudly proclaimed that he had the answer. It was the power companies fault. They, he proclaimed, were feeding us too many amps on one leg of the 3 phase hookup.

[catnhatnh]

7. Good One...

As a former polyphase winder I would expect that motor to be delta connected.....star wound would more normally show 2 legs drawing high unless caught early.....

[POAS]

8. I wonder how long he lasted at that job?

We even had to call in a repair tech from the power company who told him his power draw was well within spec but the guy insisted the power company probe was faulty and it was their fault for putting to many amps on that leg.

The power guy just closed up his meter and left without further comment.

[Thothmes]

9. Its the amps that kill you

True statement, if I remember correctly from Avionics A school, it take about 1 milliamp across your heart to stop it cold.