9V Converters.

[Dave Youngman]

I haven't been by in a while and sorry to be a pain. I'm NOT an engineer & I have a problem.

I want to do some window displays using my collars and hard wiring them (plug in) so I'm not wasting batteries. The collars (www.auroralites.com) run on any 9V battery so I went out and bought a bunch of
120V to 9V converters and I wired one into the battery snap, turned it on ... NOTHING. I have ordered several tyes off the net as well as a couple out of Radio Shack or whatever it's called in Canada now.
Nuffin. Most of these converters state "" Save batteries. Use this converter and power all 9V applications off your house outlet." It just isn't working with the collars.

HELP ... any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

have you checked to see the output of the converters with a voltmeter?

 

[Al_D]

have you checked to see the output of the converters with a voltmeter?

+1

The Almighty DMM is your friend. :)

 

[Dave Youngman]

Naw, just gone on the voltage in/voltage out info on the converter itself. All the ones I've tried show 120V in - 9V output with the "Save batteries. Use this" tag in the descriptor but when I hook up my inverter ...nada ... darkness. And yes, I've tried changing leads.
Ummm DMM?? digital multi meter ? or something else?

Thanks

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Naw, just gone on the voltage in/voltage out info on the converter itself. All the ones I've tried show 120V in - 9V output with the "Save batteries. Use this" tag in the descriptor but when I hook up my inverter ...nada ... darkness. And yes, I've tried changing leads.
Ummm DMM?? digital multi meter ? or something else?

Thanks

Did you say you are hooking this up to an inverter? Some electronics don't like inverters as some inverters put out a square wave version of AC that isn't compatible with the designs expecting sine wave AC inputs.

 

[recycledelectrons]

If you could post pictures, I could try to diagnose it.

Cell phones usually have digital cameras built in, but posting pics might be more difficult than fixing your problem.



A few really dumb suggestions:
(1) Does the outlet have power to it? Can you plug a fan or desk lamp in and see it work?
(2) Does the adapter have an on/off switch?
(3) The collars to work with 9V batteries, right? Are there power switches on the collars?
(4) Do you have something else that runs off a 9V that you can test your 9V power supplies with?
(5) The 9V power supplies are 9V DC, not 9V AC, right?
(6) Do you know any IT guys, computer nerds, engineers, or scientists?
(7) Do the collars work with cheap 9V batteries, or only with some fancy-high-end 9V battery?

 

[Dave Youngman]

OK... thanks for the help. I finally found one that works and bought 12 of 'em. I still can't see the diff and why the other that I bought didn't work. They all seem to state the same : 120 In - 9V out @ 1000ma
Hopefully these will help point of sales. They look GREAT in a store front window at night.

Thanks again.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

OK... thanks for the help. I finally found one that works and bought 12 of 'em. I still can't see the diff and why the other that I bought didn't work. They all seem to state the same : 120 In - 9V out @ 1000ma
Hopefully these will help point of sales. They look GREAT in a store front window at night.

Thanks again.

1000ma? I was thinking you were talking about a low output 9v alkaline battery converter they typically won't do near that much output.

 

[argleargle]

Perhaps we're assuming too much. Salient questions: 120v in, 9v out @1000ma.

Is that 120v AC or 120 DC?
Is the 9v out ac or dc?
Does it require a dummy load plus your auroracollar to pull 1000 milliamps before it works properly? A converter might not work without being hooked to the expected minimum wattage load.
Does the one that works get REALLY HOT?

The other 11 converters might have fried for being powered on without enough load on them. Perhaps they aren't fried yet and will actually work if you hook more load to thim, since they're 1 amp rated. I bet that collar hardly draws anything at all. Maybe that one converter can run many of those collars.

Perhaps the converters were made with tinfoil around a campfire in eastern nowhere? 11 out of 12 DOA is a horrific rate.

Recycledelectrons, that's some great troubleshooting advice you've given.

 

[lwknight]

Did you get the polarity right?
The converter has 1 wire marked with physical ribs or a stripe either solid or dotted but still the positive side is marked somehow.
Also those little transformers are not regulated so the rated voltage is only accurate at rated load. A 9v transformer could output 14 volts at no load and low voltage at high load. Be sure that the transformer is the right size for the job load.

 

[argleargle]

I like how you put it, knight. About 15 years ago, I was helping test a big, ancient power supply/converter and we FRIED it because we forgot to hook a dummy load to the output. It had no self-overcurrent protection or internal ballast. KAPOW! Smoke and everything! Good news: Well, it probably worked when it was brought in. Bad news: It's dead now.

________________________________
Sent from your pc using my keyboard. :)