A power supply for a laptop is a specific type of equipment that very often gets malfunctioned, and when this happens, it is usually not repairable anymore. We are then forced to buy a new model and for price reasons we very often choose universal power supplies instead of dedicated ones. Today we will find out why a dedicated charger can save us valuable data and save visits to the service.
Troublesome issue of universal chargers
The universal power supplies that laptop users so often choose seem a very tempting choice. This is mainly due to their wide availability in many electronics stores and the limited knowledge of users. Such a power supply usually supports a number of voltages, which are commonly used in laptops, and several popular plugs are included in the set. From the practical point of view, such an adapter is a very attractive option – a dedicated power supply will not provide us with such multifunctionality. In fact, however, there is a considerable risk involved.
A very important factor for proper charging of a laptop is the proper parameters of the power supply. When you look at your original power supply, you can read the values marked as “output”. The voltage expressed in volts (V) and the current in amperes (A) express the exact specification of the current that the battery is charging. The universal power supply, as the name suggests, is designed to work instead of many different power supply models, adapting its parameters to the required ones. Usually a voltage switch is used for this purpose, which is very easy to break down, thus putting your laptop at risk. However, these parameters are never the same as in the original or dedicated power supply.
A common danger resulting from using the universal power supply is charging your laptop with too low a current. It happens that the maximum possible current of such equipment is e.g. 4 A, and our laptop needs e.g. 4.74. Such a difference can lead to serious damage to the charger, and what is worse, to the laptop. It also happens that some laptops simply will not work with a universal power supply, even though the parameters are very similar.
What does a dedicated power supply give us?
Dedicated adapters are devices designed to perfectly imitate original models. The voltage and current values are identical, which guarantees safe charging and full compatibility. The accurate reproduction of the original makes it possible to avoid any of the risks we face with universal models. Dedicated power supply provides stable energy, exactly what our laptop needs.
An additional advantage is that such chargers are much cheaper than universal power supplies and simpler in design, making them less prone to failures.
Author: Krzysztof Wołongiewicz
