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5v 1a vs 5v 2a charging.


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Old 19-07-2015, 12:17
koantemplation
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Does it matter if you charge something that normally uses a 5v 1a charger with a 5v 2a charger?

I've forgotten what some gadgets need to be charged with and don't want to do any damage by using the wrong type of charger.
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Old 19-07-2015, 13:17
Stig
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If you are talking about USB, then I think you are fairly safe.
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Old 19-07-2015, 13:29
chrisjr
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Does it matter if you charge something that normally uses a 5v 1a charger with a 5v 2a charger?

I've forgotten what some gadgets need to be charged with and don't want to do any damage by using the wrong type of charger.
The only thing that is important about the current rating of a charger is that it has to be equal to or greater than the current required by the device being charged. So if the device requires 1A you can use any charger rated 1A or greater. If you use a charger rated under 1A at best it may take longer to charge, at worst it tries to draw too much current from the charger damaging the charger.

The device that the charger is plugged into determines the current drawn from the charger. So if that is 1A it will draw 1A whether you use a 2A or 2,000,000A charger.

The voltage however must be an exact match for the device. So plugging a 10V charger into a 5V device is potentially going to cause far more harm than plugging a 2A charger into a device that draws 1A.
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Old 19-07-2015, 13:35
koantemplation
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Thanks for the info, I feel safer now.
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Old 19-07-2015, 13:50
chrisjr
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Thanks for the info, I feel safer now.
Thing to remember is the current rating given on the label is the maximum it can provide, not what it pokes out all the time.

Do you stop to wonder if it is safe to plug a lamp rated maybe a 1/4 of an amp into a 13A mains socket? No you just do it and assume the lamp will light up not blow up. Same principle. Current is determined by the load not the supply.
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Old 19-07-2015, 13:52
Tassium
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Voltage should match within about 10%

The Amperage (A) on the new charger can be higher.

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If you miss-match the voltage bad things can happen, even destroying the device.
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Old 19-07-2015, 13:57
koantemplation
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I was using my Nexus 7 charger to charge a couple of different gadgets, one of them recommend using a 5v 2a charger, but I didn't realise that the N7 charger was a 5v 2a charger anyway.
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