Nooby question, but I don't want to screw this up.
I have a clock from a car I want to make into a desk clock. I am assuming it runs off of the 12VDC power in the car, like most accessories do. What kind of power should I set up? How many amps?
I have a clock from a car I want to make into a desk clock. I am assuming it runs off of the 12VDC power in the car, like most accessories do. What kind of power should I set up? How many amps?
Almost no current, maybe a few milliamperes. Any wall wart will work but it's best to err on the side of too little voltage rather than too much. A 9V unit ought to be about right, and they proliferate.
Else you can run it off batteries.
Else you can run it off batteries.
Don't forget if it is drawing too little load, many wall warts are unregulated which means their output can get really high at low loads. So looking for a 12V regulated wall wart would be better.
If it's a vacuum fluorescent or LED display, it'll pull more than just a few mA. I'd try a 1A regulated supply; that's often used for scanners, cable modems, and USB hard drives.
If you're building the clock into a larger case, why not add a lighter jack powered from the 12V. Then you can use car adapters to charge cell phones or MP3 players or GPS or ?.
If you're building the clock into a larger case, why not add a lighter jack powered from the 12V. Then you can use car adapters to charge cell phones or MP3 players or GPS or ?.
Cool idea! I have one of those lying around also. It is an analog clock that is backlit.
Some old analog car clocks used an electric motor to periodically wind up the spring that ran the clock. A more modern analog car clock would use a quartz crystal controlled movement that consumes negligible current, except for the backlighting.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.