Decluttering old AC adapters
January 27, 2021 10:28 PM Subscribe
I have two medium sized bins of old AC adapters that I'd like to get rid of. I don't know what most of them belong to. I'd like to know whether it's probably safe to get rid of them or whether I ought to hold onto them.
One of my new year's resolutions is to try to learn to declutter. Although I'm not as extreme as people on certain television shows, I do recognize hoarding tendencies in myself. I have two medium sized bins of AC adapters that I've accumulated over the past 10 - 15 years. Most have no indication as to what device they originally were intended to be used with. I'm really tempted to just drop off the whole bin at the electronics recycling depot, but I have a nagging worry that I'll be tossing out something important and that it will be difficult to replace once it's inevitably gone and I discover that I really did need it. On the other hand, I really struggle to think of an instance where I've needed to grab one of these and use it, so maybe I'm overthinking it. I don't know enough about the difference sized connections to know if there's an easy way to find a replacement if I need to get one that I've thrown out. As I write this, I realize it's probably a strange question to be asking. I guess I'm just looking to hear whether this appears to be a terrible mistake I'm making in getting rid of these or not.
One of my new year's resolutions is to try to learn to declutter. Although I'm not as extreme as people on certain television shows, I do recognize hoarding tendencies in myself. I have two medium sized bins of AC adapters that I've accumulated over the past 10 - 15 years. Most have no indication as to what device they originally were intended to be used with. I'm really tempted to just drop off the whole bin at the electronics recycling depot, but I have a nagging worry that I'll be tossing out something important and that it will be difficult to replace once it's inevitably gone and I discover that I really did need it. On the other hand, I really struggle to think of an instance where I've needed to grab one of these and use it, so maybe I'm overthinking it. I don't know enough about the difference sized connections to know if there's an easy way to find a replacement if I need to get one that I've thrown out. As I write this, I realize it's probably a strange question to be asking. I guess I'm just looking to hear whether this appears to be a terrible mistake I'm making in getting rid of these or not.
Here's my rule: If the AC adaptor has a brand name like Sony on it that matches something I own, or is otherwise distinctive stylistically I keep it and attach it to the device. I also keep one generic one for each physical plug type, the adaptors actually say what voltages they support on them and they're often compatible with each other if you read the manual. This is only like 4 AC adaptors total.
The rest get thrown away. If you have no idea what they belong to, you will never be able to match them up if you actually need them. Please recycle them now, electronics recycling places are getting a bit harder to find over time so if you don't recycle them now you might end up in the normal trash later
posted by JZig at 11:24 PM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
The rest get thrown away. If you have no idea what they belong to, you will never be able to match them up if you actually need them. Please recycle them now, electronics recycling places are getting a bit harder to find over time so if you don't recycle them now you might end up in the normal trash later
posted by JZig at 11:24 PM on January 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
It won't help you now, but in the future you could label what they go to. A sliver Sharpie is perfect for this.
When was the last time you rooted through the bins and found one you needed? Dump them.
posted by Marky at 12:10 AM on January 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
When was the last time you rooted through the bins and found one you needed? Dump them.
posted by Marky at 12:10 AM on January 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
I use a lot of old adapters for electronics projects and general making-of-stuff. 12V and 5V DC supplies are the most useful. Anything that outputs uncommon voltages (3.6V, 13V, 19V...), or is AC/AC, is unlikely to be re-used, so those go to the recycling. If I didn't use them myself, I'd probably offer them to a local Hackspace.
posted by pipeski at 1:29 AM on January 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 1:29 AM on January 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
Do you have a yet-un-decluttered area that houses or might house AC appliances that they might go to? Or is it just that they might come in handy someday? If the latter, definitely get rid of them. If it’s the former and you want to be really conservative, the one-year-plan above (coupled with sorting through the areas that might have the matching appliances within that year) seems wise.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:35 AM on January 28, 2021
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:35 AM on January 28, 2021
On the flip side, maybe you could take an inventory of the things you think you would possibly connect these things to, and then donate anything isn’t on your list of things that matter. That way you can make the decision from a place of confidence rather than uncertainty.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:14 AM on January 28, 2021
posted by oceanjesse at 6:14 AM on January 28, 2021
A short checklist:
- if they have common connectors, like 5.5mm barrel or 3.5mm jack, they are pretty generic.
- if their output is some standard voltage such as 5V DC, 12V DC or maybe 18VDC or 24V DC they're even more generic.
- ones with uncommon plugs and/or voltages are likely meant for a specific device.
Now the generic ones are easily replaced if you've thrown them out and you find you actually needed it, but on the other hand they're generic, and can be put to use with any device that has a matching power connector and takes the right voltage. So whether or not to toss them depends on one more factor: depending on the age of the adapters they can be switching or conventional/linear. How to distinguish? If you find two or more adapters with roughly the same specs, compare their weight. The one(s) that are markedly heavier are the conventional ones, and if they supply DC, toss them. (I've just checked two utterly generic 12VDC 1A adapters; the conventional one weighs 540g/1lb 4oz, the switching adapter weighs just one-fourth of that). Conventional adapters draw more current at idle, get hotter, and because of that they tend to fail earlier. Toss those.
Note: adapters that supply an AC voltage can not be replaced with some generic switching supply, and whether or not they supply a standard voltage through a standard connector, they are likely meant for a specific device.
posted by Stoneshop at 7:11 AM on January 28, 2021
- if they have common connectors, like 5.5mm barrel or 3.5mm jack, they are pretty generic.
- if their output is some standard voltage such as 5V DC, 12V DC or maybe 18VDC or 24V DC they're even more generic.
- ones with uncommon plugs and/or voltages are likely meant for a specific device.
Now the generic ones are easily replaced if you've thrown them out and you find you actually needed it, but on the other hand they're generic, and can be put to use with any device that has a matching power connector and takes the right voltage. So whether or not to toss them depends on one more factor: depending on the age of the adapters they can be switching or conventional/linear. How to distinguish? If you find two or more adapters with roughly the same specs, compare their weight. The one(s) that are markedly heavier are the conventional ones, and if they supply DC, toss them. (I've just checked two utterly generic 12VDC 1A adapters; the conventional one weighs 540g/1lb 4oz, the switching adapter weighs just one-fourth of that). Conventional adapters draw more current at idle, get hotter, and because of that they tend to fail earlier. Toss those.
Note: adapters that supply an AC voltage can not be replaced with some generic switching supply, and whether or not they supply a standard voltage through a standard connector, they are likely meant for a specific device.
posted by Stoneshop at 7:11 AM on January 28, 2021
As Stoneshop said: the heavy ones are likely conventional, possibly unregulated and may be less useful.
Some devices (more frequently 9 V, for some reason) use centre negative barrel connectors. At least one of those is worth keeping if you have a device that uses it.
I find that I end up with multiples of the same thing. For various reasons I ended up with loads of low-wattage Mini-USB chargers from circa 2005 to 2011. I kept one and threw the rest out.
posted by scruss at 11:22 AM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Some devices (more frequently 9 V, for some reason) use centre negative barrel connectors. At least one of those is worth keeping if you have a device that uses it.
I find that I end up with multiples of the same thing. For various reasons I ended up with loads of low-wattage Mini-USB chargers from circa 2005 to 2011. I kept one and threw the rest out.
posted by scruss at 11:22 AM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
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You can sorta classify them by plug shape, voltage, and polarity (which is + and which is -) , but IMHO, this is what you should do.
Write a date, like today's date on a note and leave it on top of the bin. Each bin gets one.
If you ever go into the bin and took something and use it, update the date. Else, after a year, toss the entire bin.
You can almost always find replacement adapters on Amazon if you need them. It will cost $15-20, and some of the smaller stuff can probably be powered by the "multi-voltage" versions of those power bricks with adapters for multiple sizes of tips. But world had moved onto microUSB, and now, USB-C for power, and the need for power bricks are vastly diminished. Soon we may not need them at all.
posted by kschang at 11:08 PM on January 27, 2021 [5 favorites]