Safe Handling of AC/DC Power Adapters — Desktop & Wall-Mount, Vol. 7: "Do Not Reuse Improperly"

We introduce the safe handling of AC/DC Power Adapters — Desktop & Wall-Mount. In Part 7, we feature "Do Not Reuse." We explain the precautions and requests when reusing AC/DC Power Adapters — Desktop & Wall-Mount.

AC/DC Power Adapters — Desktop & Wall-Mount: Do Not Reuse Improperly

We occasionally receive the following types of inquiries from customers:

• The AC/DC Power Adapter — Desktop & Wall-Mount from another manufacturer that came with their device has failed. Can it be replaced with one of your products?
• Can the currently used AC/DC Power Adapter — Desktop & Wall-Mount also be used with another device?

We provide the following explanation in response to such inquiries:

• The AC/DC Power Adapter — Desktop & Wall-Mount included with your device from another manufacturer has been tested and certified by the device manufacturer. Therefore, even if your product has the same rated input/output, we cannot guarantee compatibility or functionality with your device. (For individual customers, we recommend contacting the device manufacturer directly.)
• If you are considering the use of our AC/DC Power Adapter — Desktop & Wall-Mount with your device, compatibility evaluation will be required on the customer's end.

AC/DC Power Adapters — Desktop & Wall-Mount provided by us and supplied with your equipment are selected based on evaluations conducted by device manufacturers regarding compatibility. Therefore, even when reusing a previously adopted AC/DC Power Adapter — Desktop & Wall-Mount with another device, we ask that testing be conducted for each device individually.

Although most of today's AC/DC Power Adapters — Desktop & Wall-Mount use the "switching" method for compactness, light weight, and output stability, many products using the "transformer" method were previously on the market. What were the benefits of the "transformer" method? The answer is “low noise.” (Because there is no semiconductor switching operation like ON/OFF as in the switching method...) As such, transformer-based products were mainly adopted in noise-sensitive applications such as musical instruments, audio, and communication equipment.

An extreme case would be replacing a "transformer" type AC/DC Power Adapter — Desktop & Wall-Mount in a device with one using the "switching" method solely because they share the same input/output ratings and DC connector. In such a case, it is likely the device performance will fall short of expectations.

For these reasons, when device manufacturers adopt AC/DC Power Adapters — Desktop & Wall-Mount, we continue to ask that compatibility with the device be verified. We also urge individual customers not to reuse an adapter with a different device solely based on matching input/output ratings or DC connectors.

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