I need an adaptor but am an electricity ignoramus

January 10, 2006 6:09 PM

I can sequence DNA, but when it comes to electricity, I can't tell my AC from my DC. Help me.

I bought an Audiovox XM Radio reciever for Papa Docgonzo from Christmas. Unfortunately, I bought the car kit version, not the home kit version. He primary wants to use the unit in the home or his office. I've searched high and low and can't find the home kit anywhere.

So, the question: The power cord for the vehicle is, obviously, of a kind that goes into the cigarette lighter and then plugs into the unit via a typical plug. Can I buy any adaptor with a plug for a house, or will only an adaptor for this unit work?

posted by docgonzo to technology (7 comments total)

Hmm, would something like thiswork?
posted by adamrice at 6:14 PM on January 10, 2006

Buy an AC to Cigarette Lighter Adapter.
posted by RichardP at 6:15 PM on January 10, 2006

is this what you're looking for?
posted by j at 6:24 PM on January 10, 2006

Look around where the power socket is. It should say something like "6v DC" (or 9, 0r 12), then go to Radio Shack and buy an adapter with the same voltage. They also sell universal adapters, but that could be a pain in the ass since you'll have to swap the plugs around.

You can also any old adapter you have around the house as long as the voltage is the same and the plug fits.
posted by bondcliff at 6:51 PM on January 10, 2006

for "any old adapter", as well as the voltage you should check that it says "DC" (not AC) and that the power rating (a number measured in watts/W) of the adapter is at last as big as the power required by the equipment.
posted by andrew cooke at 8:14 PM on January 10, 2006

RichardP's got it, IMHO. You should be able to buy one of those cigarette adapter things in a bigger, uglier, somewhat more expensive box locally at the store formerly known as "RadioShack", now known as "The Source By Circuit City".

I wouldn't worry too much about the power requirements, we're probably talking like 200 or 300 mA for something like that, nothing that is likely to melt down any cheap adapter you buy (assuming it is the right voltage, which a cigarette adapter almost definitely must be...).

Hey, this is probably it right here.
posted by shepd at 8:25 PM on January 10, 2006

All cars in the US (and everywhere else in the world now) are 12 volts. 6 volt systems went away decades ago.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 11:57 AM on January 11, 2006