Choosing the Correct AC Adapter

Hopefully all your laptops were donated with their AC adapters. If that's the case, you can skip this section. Otherwise, this section will help you find a matching AC adapter for your laptop(s).

All laptops use Direct Current (DC) power to operate. DC is electrical energy that flows consistently in one direction. Our wall outlets use Alternating Current (AC), which varies constantly, but results in a positive flow of current. Laptops can't work on this kind of power, so an AC adapter is required to convert the wall outlet's current to DC power. Many laptops use different styles of connectors so sometimes it can be hard to find the best adapter to fit.

There are several ways to find the correct power adapter for the laptop

1. Get the laptop's model number and check online.
2. Get the power requirements for the laptop. Look for the amperage and the voltage required. You also need to compare the connector head type of power adapter with the outlet hole on the laptop. They need to match to ensure that the adapter can plug into the laptop.

Voltage (V)
Voltage is the amount of potential energy between two points on a circuit which creates power to charge the laptop. If the voltage of the laptop is different from that provided by the adapter, it won't be able to create the correct charge needed to pull the electrical energy into the laptop. Finding the right voltage is also very important to keep the power from shorting out the laptop. A voltage that's too high will overload the laptop's circuits.

Amperage (A)
An ampere is a unit of measure of the rate of electron flow or current in an electrical conductor. The amperage on laptop power adapters needs to match or exceed the amperage required by the laptop.