Can a regular AC-DC wall adapter be replaced with a more efficient power supply?

Hi,

I have 3 or 4 devices in my wiring closet that all use 12V. Some of the power adapters are rated for more and some less, lets say for example 200ma,

My first question is, can I buy a larger 12V power supply (regulated) and wire them all in parallel if I add up the sizes (1.5a in my above example)?

My second question is, would a switching power supply produce less heat and work with devices that are typically powered by a wall brick?

Thanks for the help!

Alan

Yes. I'd recommend that you run each thing's 12V cable back to a terminal block at the PS, so they aren't sharing each other's power wires.

Yes, if the output is quiet enough. (and has the current capability).

Have Fun! Rich

On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 01:35:53 +0000, via , Pooh Bear spake thusly:

Using bus bars and wiring from same in parallel, as opposed to running a daisy chain, should alleviate those issues.

There may be issues with common ground connections.

Graham

Yes and Yes

-- Dan Hollands

I think what Pooh Bear was referring to is the connections to the outside world. In the normal situation with the wall-wart, the device is isolated... the maker can choose to tie +12 to the ground of an output connector, for example. If another device ties the supply ground to the output ground (a more normal situation) then there will be smoke if you interconnect these.

Best regards,

Bob Masta dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis

You're correct. There is no way to tell the internal wiring of the unit.

Graham