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Thread: Electricity question

  1. #1
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    Electricity question

    I have a brand new Coleman lantern that I got from a friend. It has a rechargable battery in it that is dead now. He said he lost the power supply charger for it. It t akes an output of 13.5V and 300ma adapter to charge it. I have collected many power units over the years and have many that I can fit into this slot on the bottom of the lantern. They are many different configurations. What is the range of voltages and ma can I use to charge this lantern without burning down the house?

    Can I get a voltage range and a ma range. I have some that are close like 12V and 300ma and various others. What is more important the V or the ma(milliamps)?
    Thanks for your response.

  2. #2
    Senior Member rockinup1231's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by forjonny View Post
    What is more important the V or the ma(milliamps)?
    Those are two different things, voltage and current. You could think of voltage as electromotive pressure (or perhaps as potential energy, or potential difference). Current is a value representing the rate of flow of electrons in a circuit past a certain point within a given timeframe. That being said, while you want to get within "sane" values for both voltage and current, current will probably be more important to match than voltage, since current represents how much energy is actually flowing through a circuit, and voltage is just potential.

    For example, 2 volts at 300 milliamps won't have much effect on charging your lantern, but 2 volts at 10 amps would likely cause a house fire.

    The skinny on this, if you have a 12 volt adapter that puts out about 300 mA, you'll probably be alright. It might take a little longer to charge, though. If it puts out a little over 300 mA (like 500 mA perhaps, or maybe even 700 mA) you will probably still be okay.
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    Good information on voltage and current so what about Watts? Where do they come into play?
    Thanks for your response.

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