- #1
yellowsprung
- 2
- 0
Let me start by stating up front that I am not an engineer, but as far as I could tell, this "outsider" question does not violate the forum rules. I searched (Google and this forum) for an answer, but couldn't find one, and was confident readers of this forum could probably help.
My boss's boss lost the power cable for his HP digital picture frame, and they came to me (I'm young = assumed savvy in all things tech) to see about getting a replacement. So I spent an hour on HP's site finding very little help at all, but what help I got---in the form of PDFs of the user manuals---did not actually specify much about the power cable.
All I know is that it shipped with an "AC adapter, 5V / 1A," but I cannot find anything about the part number, original manufacturer, etc. HP was totally unhelpful on the phone, but with additional Googling I found http://www.impactcomputers.com/ulb-050100.html and http://www.memory4less.com/m4l_itemdetail.aspx?itemid=1448314585&partno=ULB050100, which meets the specifications.
My question is: is it safe to use any (properly constructed) power cable with a device so long as those basic specifications (AC vs. DC, voltage, wattage, amperage, all that) match? Or are there many other factors that could cause my boss's boss's digital picture frame to catch fire (as I'm imagining) if I don't find the *exact cable* intended to be used with that exact model of digital picture frame?
I hope that question is clear and not too laughably simple for the experts! I happy to read either a full technical discussion or just the basic yes/no answer. THANKS!
My boss's boss lost the power cable for his HP digital picture frame, and they came to me (I'm young = assumed savvy in all things tech) to see about getting a replacement. So I spent an hour on HP's site finding very little help at all, but what help I got---in the form of PDFs of the user manuals---did not actually specify much about the power cable.
All I know is that it shipped with an "AC adapter, 5V / 1A," but I cannot find anything about the part number, original manufacturer, etc. HP was totally unhelpful on the phone, but with additional Googling I found http://www.impactcomputers.com/ulb-050100.html and http://www.memory4less.com/m4l_itemdetail.aspx?itemid=1448314585&partno=ULB050100, which meets the specifications.
My question is: is it safe to use any (properly constructed) power cable with a device so long as those basic specifications (AC vs. DC, voltage, wattage, amperage, all that) match? Or are there many other factors that could cause my boss's boss's digital picture frame to catch fire (as I'm imagining) if I don't find the *exact cable* intended to be used with that exact model of digital picture frame?
I hope that question is clear and not too laughably simple for the experts! I happy to read either a full technical discussion or just the basic yes/no answer. THANKS!