5.2V DC POWER CABLE

[JSP62]

I need some suggestions on where to get myself a 5.2V DC power cable.

I looked online and I am getting prices in the $30 range, which is crazy!

I need one to hook up my VP at work.

Also I am hoping we have some electricity people in here. What would happen if I used a lower voltage, say perhaps a 5.0V, to power my DAP ? Obviously using a higher power would fry my unit, but I am do not know what could happen when using one of lower voltage.

Any suggestions and thought would gratly help.

[delvatron]

Hi

In addition to using the power supply that came with my Pocket Vaio, I also use one that came with my Ipaq (it is more portable). Both seem to do the job and there have been no problems with charging.

Hope this helps

Karl

[JSP62]

Hi

In addition to using the power supply that came with my Pocket Vaio, I also use one that came with my Ipaq (it is more portable). Both seem to do the job and there have been no problems with charging.

Hope this helps

Karl

Karl, can you give me some additional info about your charger? Make/model, output info?

[JSP62]

**bump**

[JustAnUnCoolCat]

Well, what's most important here is..

1. You get the polarity right.

You can NEVER rely on a device to have, by default, any kind of reverse polarity protection unless it's already specified to the devices design (usually a diode employed.., in old-school terms, so that the diode gets ferked in a reverse polarity sit rather than a more expensive component).

2. You pick a PSU with a regulated output, that's within +/- .5V DV of what you need.

In other words anything from about 4.8-5.5V DV should technically be suitable, at a push 6V should be possible, but 4.8-5.5V regulated output should be within the nominal range a device designed to take a 5.2v input can withstand without hassles.

It tends to follow the principle of, using a 4xAA's power example, what would be the safe range of DC input to use to power such a device.

In the 4xAA's substiution case, the nominal range of full-cell voltages runs from 4.8V-6V DC (4.8V full charge output from 4xAA ni-cads, through 6V from a fresh set of 4xAA Alkalines).

In that instance (the 4xAA substitution example), your nominal centre/average there would be 5V - and if you happen to check such equipment powered by that 4xAA combination, the DC input for charging/power tends to be around 5V maybe as high as 6V with in-equipment regulation pulling the 6V down a bit.

So as long as you figure out what's the nominal range for an application, and stick with the nominal average of what's be figured out as min/max voltages, and use the RIGHT POLARITY, it's unlikely to be a case of smoking yer device.

Worse case, by applying that kinda caution is..

1. If the voltage is way too low, you'll get neither charging nor the ability to power the device whilst charging (example playback whilst charging).

2. You'll get one or the the other (charging alone, or charging during playback) if you get the nominal average right.

Very worst case, you'll be resigned to charging only when on ext DC.. and have to rely on the eventually charge internal cell pack for playback.

I had this dilemma when i had to figure out a safe voltage for making a heavy duty external batt pack for my S7000 camera (it's a 4xAA's scenario). To test the nominal average i figured out (5V) i simply borrowed the 5V supply intended for an H300 DAP (regulated and around 2A rated) and plugged that in (it was already, as wired, suitably plugged and polarity correct).

Camera worked fine off that, meaning there was sufficent current and voltage to met demand.

From that, and figuring out what the effective range of current requirement was across the range of use of the camera (the 2A supplied available current on the test setup was way in excess of demand) using any of it's AA cell combinations, i quickly figured out that an available HD cell pack (premade, with DC input for charging, with a 5V output) was totally safe and given the capacity of the pack (i forget now, the original since i have upgraded the unit multiple times to make it demand-capable for many low and high-current demand 5V devices) it would supply adequately and reliably for a suitably useful continous time span for the worse case i'd ever want to run the S7000 for when not using a DC adaptor for.

Ok, none of this specifically answers your query, i admit - but i am sure that if you read the outline principles from above and give it due serious consideration, you will be able to apply the method to figuring out a solution to your scenario.

In your shoes, i'd give it a 5V supply and simply use an available regulated it of not less than 500mA (1A min would be a better starting point since the pocket vaio is, if i recall, HDD based) - given plenty of current available to compensate for a tiny voltage drop (.2V is ferk all).

Where to get a plug etc (wire is easy to find and source).. well, that depends on the DC connector on the deck itself, of which i have no idea what's needed.

Hope it helps

'Tom Kat'

[JSP62]

WOW TOM KAT!!

You have a wealth of knowledge for electical properties. You must be involved in an electrical engineering field no?

So much info for me to digest, I am all dizzy. Thanks, I think I have a better understanding now of where I am and what I shall need.

- If I am correct, I can most likely get away using a 5V DC power cord. That right?

- You spoke of a 'but 4.8-5.5V regulated output' should be acceptable. Can you elaborate on the regulated aspect?

- I was confused when you were talking about POLARITY. Do you speak of the current, between that of AC and DC ?

I am very hesitate and would like to be sure that I am in no 'real' danger of busting my Vaio Pocket by using the 5V DC where a 5.2V DC is required.

Thanks Tom Kat!!

[JustAnUnCoolCat]

Well, i have had a 'little' bit of experience with this kinda stuff :oP

Basically 4.8-5.5V Regulated DC output means essentially that any fixed voltage (voltage regulated) within that range (where 5.0 is the nominal average of the range) will be suitable in almost any instance that i can think of.

Regulated can be worked out, any PSU or DC/DC convertor cable should be specced as being regulated or unregulated - always go, for safety, with regulated types. Unregulated types always output the indicated voltage as rated when you have sufficient load on them (aka enough current is being drawn by attached device/equipment), but when the current being drawn goes low.. up goes the supply voltage, and on say a 1.5-12V DC unregulated supply (240V AC input) on a seriously low current load situation, 12V can appear on a 1.5V setting and i have seen them shoot up to 24V DC output before.

So go for a regulated supply option always :oD

Polarity simply refers to where the postive and negative connections lie on the connecting cable/plug.

If you see something like :-

' - ----- ( +)-------- ' refers to postive to tip or centre (tip for a conventional jack plug, centre for the other kind).

Most equipment these days is postive to tip/centre wired when it takes a jack plug input. Take a look at the supply that came with the unit, it should indicate it's polarity regardless of the plug type it terminates in to feed the equipment.

You cannot do harm by putting too low a voltage input to a piece of kit (the worst that can happen, is the equipment is unstable or shuts down from a low supply situation).

The supply voltage from the OEM supply, is either a centre nominal voltage (aka 5V DC for a piece of equipment using a range of 4.8V -> 6V DC like most 4xAA powered stuff) or it's the max voltage the unit is designed to work with. Usually, it's the nominal .. unless the unit it built to work with a common supply voltage and internally regulates the supply input to feed a much lower voltage rated cell setup.

Put it this way, when it comes to the 4xAA setup substitution (aka substituting DC from a mains/12VDC converted), the 4.8V - 6V DC range with sufficient available current and regulated output (fixed voltage output within 4.8 - 6V DC range) , is a winner solution after you get the polarity right.

I modifed that to 4.8-5.5V DC potential range, in the instance of the Vaio and others (non AA powered stuff) as they often use a cell pack that's more like 3.5V - 5V, so i suggested a slightly diff supply range to suit (remember what i said, too low a voltage supply is not a hazard, too much can be).

For almost certain in most cases, taking a look at the label on the OEM PSU, tells you almost everything you need to know for substituting an alternative supply.

If you happen to know the specs for the battery supply too, then there is no mystery.. just a bit of figuring out - but definately no mystery.

In fact, it's almost more the case that where unusual plug/socket combos are used (aka not jack plug/socket or similar) that what will generate more head scratching is working out what is wired where on the reference plug/socketry you are using as a reference (aka the OEM PSU's DC output cable and plug).

I aint smoked my S7000 camera yet (one of upwards of 500 pieces of personal kit i have subsituted power supplies for) , in fact the only time i smoked a device through a bad supply choice was the time i smoked a calculator by using a cheap unregulated PSU.

In that instance, the smoked calc one, that was where i learnt about the 'the lower the current demand, the higher the voltage rises' trait of unregulated supplies - well, it was a cheapo 2A supply and when you consider the calc's current consumption was less than a tenth of that, an older and wiser soul would have figured it to be a recipe for disaster.

In my defence, i was 12 at the time..., and at 37 with too many years of being older and wiser and more cautious, i still cringe when i think of that incident of smoking the poor calc (they were damned expensive back then....., dunno which i feared more... justifying the mistake or explaining it to my father who bought it for me).

In the flush of youth, even the cat ferked up now and then..., and still does now and then.. but not often :oP

There was the time, again as a kiddie, i mistakenly stuffed 500V DC up a low-voltage device... - the less said about that one.. the better :oP

'Tom Kat'

*Loves the smell of tortured souls being roasted over virtual brimestone, and the sound of popping capacitors in the morning * :oP