Hi there!
I have a thermal label printer that eats through 4xAAA 1.5v alkaline batteries in 15-30 minutes on average.
I have read of people using rechargeables and getting a low power warning, so my plan is to connect it up to one of the many spare AC adapters I have lying around.
Iām having a lot of trouble working the power needs out though.
Iāve googled for a couple of days and even hit up reddit electronics channel, I still canāt seem to get any decent knowledge.
Also please note, Iām a complete n00b, I only started reading books and watching youtube videos about electronics a couple of days ago. Iām learning as fast as possible.
This seemed like a good beginners projectā¦
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I canāt even actually find what mAh a AAA 1.5v alkaline battery is supposed to rate at, for a āheavy dutyā.
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Even if I do, the time it takes to run down the battery group is not precise, so the calculations would be guess work at best, ( and I canāt even be certain I didnāt get a couple of dud packs, event though they are EveryReady, new from OfficeWorksā¦ )
How do I measure what mA the device is drawing from the battery? Or āshouldā draw. There is no rating on the device. -
I read on Janās great āunderstanding battery capacityā page, that a circuit will only draw as much as it needs from the batteries. Is this true of an AC/DC adaptor too, or will it quite easily potentially pump in too many Volts/mA and fry the circuit? Would I be better off trying to find a 5v or 5.5v adapter just to be safe?
The only two 6v adapters I have run at 320mA and 500mA respectively, which seems a lot, even if the device is sucking 4 batteries dry in 15 minsā¦
Iām assuming I can put a resistor or something in there to choke the mA ?
Assuming I can work out what my target is.
Also any tips on making it āremovableā, so that I can have it plugged in when Iām at home, and running on batteries when Iām out in the garage or somewhere else.
Maybe installing a socket to plug the adapter into would be better than wiring it straight onto the circuit board, so I can just plug in it. I think I have some old electronics with the female for the adapter plugā¦
If anyone has the patience, can help me out, also give advice and recommendations, that would be awesome. if not, Iāll keep on trekkingā¦
Thanks peeps!
Adam.