How does ac adaptor work

An adapter is a type of power supply — a device that provides power to another device — and is used with cell phone chargers or the power cords for gaming systems, for instance. The large block that plugs into the wall is the power supply that converts AC power to the appropriate form for the device.

Other names for this type of adapter include a plug pack or a wall wart. Another place one may find a power supply is in a laptop charger or the power cord for a printer.

In order to keep the power supply from taking up space on a wall and blocking other outlets, some AC adapters have their power supplies in a "brick" that lies on the floor.

This brick-in-line configuration allows for the actual plug to be a normal size to allow more room at the wall outlet. These adapters often have nicknames, such as power bricks. The purpose of a transformer is to convert one AC voltage to another AC voltage. In this case the transformer converts the normal volt AC current in your house down to three volts. The volts comes in on the primary winding on the left. Running down the middle of that winding as well as around the outside is an iron core.

The AC current in the primary winding creates an alternating magnetic field in the iron just as it would in an electromagnet. The other winding, known as the secondary winding wraps around the same iron core. In the secondary winding the magnetic field in the core creates current. The voltage in the secondary is controlled by the ratio of the number of turns in the two windings.

So if the primary and secondary windings have the same number of turns, the primary and secondary voltage will be the same. If the secondary winding has half as many turns as the primary then the voltage in the secondary will be half that of the voltage in the primary. The main advantage for SMPS is that it gives DC supplies that can deliver more power for a given size, cost and weight of the adapter. SMPS is used in many applications such as battery chargers, laptops, vehicles, LED lighting, and other consumer electronics.

Fossil Fuels. Nuclear Fuels. Acid Rain. Climate Change. Climate Feedback. Ocean Acidification. Rising Sea Level. AC adapter Figure 1. An AC adapter used for charging a laptop battery. Figure 2. A half-wave rectifier.