XPost: sci.electronics.basics   
   From: peter2@hipson.net   
      
   On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:13:05 GMT, "Thomas G. Marshall"   
    wrote:   
      
   >   
   >Hugely fundamentally ignorant question.   
   >   
   >If I have an electronics device that claims to take a power adapter of 12V   
   >200mA, and I plug in one rated at 12V 800mA, will the device merely draw the   
   >proper 200mA (because the voltages are matched)?   
   >   
   >Or is there something about PA's that can somehow force too much current   
   >into a device?   
   >   
   >   
      
   It may work, and it may not... Some crappy designs deliver the rated   
   voltage only at (or near) the rated current, and as current drops,   
   output voltage rises. As such a lightly loaded unit may in fact cause   
   damage because of overvoltage.   
      
   Realize that these cheap wall warts are *not* regulated, and the   
   output voltage is approxmate at best in most cases.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)