Anyone have any experience with running a car radio off AC power? I know I would need to convert AC to DC before sending it to the radio. Is there a certain type of AC/DC converter that I would need? I found a bunch of info via Google that says I can do it with an old computer power supply (I have a few laying around).
Trying to speed up development time. Seriously considering picking up an old/used AppRadio so I don't have to keep running outside to my car to test changes lol.
i use Agilent E3646A
If you have them laying around, I would jumper the turn on pins on a computer power supply and then use any 12v rail (yellow) to power the appradio.
heres something a lot of people dont know most of your electronics in your house are DC supplied those little adapters that plug into electrical outlets then have another that plug into the device convert your ac into to dc.. you can find one at radio shack that puts out 12v's cut the plug off it use a meter to find power and ground. Should cost no more then 10 bucks. also walmart kmart amazon sells ciggeratte adapters for you house and you could always get an old car chager use that and cut the connector of the old cell phone car charger.
or you could use an old computer supply like you stated a meter would be your best bet to make sure its putting out the right voltage and you have pos and neg wired right.
if you have any other wiring questions or anything like that im an aviation electrical tech and deal with wires all day
edit here a link to one
The issue you might run into with using a 12 power supply that was included with your household electronics is that they may not supply enough current, they are usually about 300mAh or so and the AppRadio would need more current than that to run. A computer power supply is more than capable of providing enough power.
now THIS unit from Radio Shack will work for sure and is your best option (or something similar)
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103960
heres something a lot of people dont know most of your electronics in your house are DC supplied those little adapters that plug into electrical outlets then have another that plug into the device convert your ac into to dc.. you can find one at radio shack that puts out 12v's cut the plug off it use a meter to find power and ground. Should cost no more then 10 bucks. also walmart kmart amazon sells ciggeratte adapters for you house and you could always get an old car chager use that and cut the connector of the old cell phone car charger.
No... Those small outlet adaptors almost always output in milliamps, no where near enough for the app radio. Just because it's 12v doesnt mean you can use it, trying to pull 1A+ through one of those would probably start a fire.
Every one I have has put out either one or 2 amps Which I snore than enough to power a radio
Also genius every other outlet is run at usual 1500 milliamperes which equals 1.5 amps more than enough
Every one I have has put out either one or 2 amps Which I snore than enough to power a radio
Also genius every other outlet is run at usual 1500 milliamperes which equals 1.5 amps more than enough
Huh? That adaptor you linked puts out 500mA, that's half an amp (0.5A) aka 6 watts at 12 volts.
That's not anywhere near enough for an AppRadio, which can pull up to 10 amps if powering speakers, just having an iPhone plugged in would probably pull an amp...
There's no way I would plug an AppRadio into a 12v source unless it was good for at least 5 amps.
Whoaps sorry about that didn't realize I put a link up to the wrong one they had one rated at 1.5 to 5 amps lol sorry I should have realized what I thinked to
Thanks for the info guys. Now I just need to find a second AppRadio that isn't too expensive.
Mike ,
I have always ran Car audio indoors via a PSU
I actually use a PSU from a CD/DVD duplicator , It has a switch wired in automatically so i can turn it on and off etc .On a normal PSU you will need to short a few pins i imagine to turn it on and off ! .