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12V AC Adapter - Convert 110V AC to 12V DC - Customer Questions

Frequently Asked Questions by Oznium Customers

Please tell about the maximum cord length from the led strip up-to the Oznium power adopter so that there isn't much difference in the voltage drop.
You can run 16-50 ft of strip from one adapter with no power loss.
What is the gauge and type of wire did they use for the line?
The wire would be 22 or 24 gauge, insulated wire.
im trying to go from 12 v ac to 12 v dc this part dc120v 3.25oa 110v is what they gave me i need atleast 3 + amps
Sorry, I don't fully understand your question or what you are trying to do.
If I bought the adapter with 1-to-4 Y adapter, could you include four total of those extra cables? So that I could splice four devices onto there...
I am assuming you mean this cable: https://www.oznium.com/replacement-parts/linear-light-power-adapter-wire

They are $2.99 each and would allow you to wire four different strips to the Y adapter.
Any RF issues with this system? I will be installing in close to stereo equiment and wifi for CP's.
We haven't experienced any RF issues with this yet.
I would like to make a lite panel like this (http://www.litepanels.com/1x1_ls_bicolor.php) and I understand that I could use the 5A adapter to run three 16 foot runs of LEDs but I'd like to have some voltage dimming option as it will be used as a video light. Do you sell a voltage dimmer that can be wired in between the adapter and LEDs? Or could you split the wire in 4 lines and add rocker switches so it could be on/off in 25% increments? Thanks! Great site. - by Joe (Columbus, Ohio)
We sell several dimmers here that can be wired between power source and strips:
https://www.oznium.com/switches/led-dimmer-knob
https://www.oznium.com/switches/rotary-led-dimmer
https://www.oznium.com/touch-led-dimmer
I got a 10m RGB led strip, what would be the best adaptor? - by George
The 3.25 or 5 amp will be fine
I have a small 120v fan, ? Can I cut the cord and put alligator clips on it and use it on a 12 batt? The cord says 120v 2.5 amps. Any formula for remembering this or is it completely no possible - by Ryan (North Dakota ice fis)
Sorry, not possible. The adapter steps down the power to 12V DC.
On your older leads that I used to get is this PSU centre positive? Just wanted to know if it would damage the LEDs or vice versa? - by Andy (Braintree, United Ki)
No, it works fine with leds.
This may sound like a stupid question but here goes. What are the safety issues when handling the adaptor. Examples: is it dangerous to touch the bare leads of the adaptor when pluged in to the 110 outlet? What is the shock potential? I have wired 110v circuts and know to insulate the wires before turning on the power but am not familiar with 12v adaptors. - by Joe (Palmyra, IN)
Don't touch the high voltage 110 AC wires!

You can certainly touch the low voltage 12V DC wires and you won't feel anything. The low voltage side is safe to handle.
If you "licked" them, you'd feel a little unpleasant tingle though, hehe :)
Which AC Adapter would you recommend to power a blaze underglow kit
3.25 amp is fine
Don asked a question about the cable that comes with the adapter, but it wasn't answered fully. Can you buy more? I would like to buy 2-3 extra cables. - by Mark (Glencoe, IL)
Sorry, no extra cables are available.
I installed your 194 bulb in our patio light housing. I gave one 12 volts like the truck. The brightness is perfect. I want to hook 6 194's up, to complete walkway. Which power supply 12 volt? series or paralel? Thank you. Rick - by Rick (Scottsdale AZ)
These LEDs bulbs use such little power, that any of our AC Adapters would be fine.

Parallel.
I bought 4 one foot LED and a 4' one, how do i hook them up to this adapter? - by Robert (Woodbury, CT)
You can simply plug them into each other, or you could splice the wires together.
What AC adapter should I buy for Eclipse 10 Watt LED spotlight: 2, 3 or 5 Amp?
The 2 amp is fine.
How many of the 20" white 12V Home Tri-Chip LED Lighting Tubes could I run on 1 5 amp ac adapter? - by Joe (Buffalo, NY)
Since each tube draws around 220 mA:

5000 / 220 = about 22 tubes
From an old fire engine, I have a revolving emergency light with 2 lamps. The housing is marked YANKEE (Norwalk, CT) 350N 12V SAE-W3-75. I cannot find any further information either on the housing or the interior parts or on the internet. Would you have any suggestions on how I can determine which 12V AC Adapter - Convert 110V AC to 12V DC - would work to operate the light? Thanks. - by Brian (Chicago, IL.)
Sorry, that brand is not familiar. If your adapter is turning 110V AV to 12v DC then any adapter should work, including ours: https://www.oznium.com/power-adapters/ac-adapter If it doesn't, you can always return it.
can you plug a ac/dc adaptor model:oh-48092dt output:12 vdc into a santa clause satue dc/9v - by David
You're welcome to try, although it'd probably be better to get something with 9v output.
Gostaria de adquirir um conversor 210VAC / 12VAC 350mA para uma casa iluminada Department 56, mas não sei como.
On the right hand side, select the quantity you want. Then add to cart. You're all set!
I'd like to power a small 12v dc tire inflator from 110v wall current. Will I need the 5 amp unit? - by Lloyd
Depends - how much power does the tire inflator draw?
I want to put 8 6ft green LEDs on 2 diffrent power sources (1 for 4, other for 4 strips) From the tech page for the flexible leds it says 6ft ones use 568 mA, Im assuming it would be 4 x 568mA = 2272mA(2.3amps) for each adapter, plus Id like room to expand. if my math is correct, I should be ok with a 5amp adapter, and have room for another 4 strips on each adapter (future expansion) I just want to ask the experts before i jump into it. - by Jason (United States)
You'll be okay with the 5 Amp.
I need a 12vac 1600mA AC adapter like this picture for my massager. Would any be available - by Margaret
We only have the AC adapters available on our website.
We are travelling to Florida from the uk and need to power a 240v 15w 50Hz medical pump. I have purchased a Pure Sinewave Dc to Ac power inverter 150w DC12v to 220v-240v.
This plugs into the lighter socket in a car requiring a long cable from garage - is there a step down transformer will work with a cigar lighter connector? - by Steve (Weston super Mare, E)
Not that I'm aware of. Sorry
i read one of the questions about the adapters not being dimmable, will it still not dim if the plug that I plug the adapter into is a dimming plug?
Unfortunately it will not e dim able still. Sorry
I bought 1 x Remote 2 Channel Million Color Controller
2 x Flexible LED Strips - 6 Foot, Million
If you use 6v what will be expected to happen?
Will the hand remote work or is it independant?
Will the controller pak work? - by Philip (Melbourne, Australia)
The 6v will not work with these products. You need a 12v source. the 2 channel remote will not work with the Flex Strips.
I bought 1 x Remote 2 Channel Million Color Controller
2 x Flexible LED Strips - 6 Foot, Million
can you conect the contoller straight to the 12v battery - by Philip (Melbourne, Australia)
You'll want to put a fuse between the controller and the battery. Probably a 2-3 amp fuse at most. Also, the controller and the strips are not combatible together. The strips are common negative and the controller is common positive.
I want to use AC 110v adapter instead of 12v battery (shoulder pack) for my on camera light bulb 12v DC 100watt.
I bought an adapter AC 110v to 12v 15A but it is not as bright compare to a 12V battery (Shoulder Pack/car battery).
-Pls let me know which feature I have to look to get the same brightness as 12v battery. - by Waqar (New York)
Our 12V Adapter should do the trick for you: https://www.oznium.com/power-adapters/ac-adapter.
I am rebuilding my kitchen and i have 3 seperate areas I would like to be able to control on/off and brightness from one controller. They will have to be powered with seperate transformers. I would prefer a controller that mounts like a ceiling fan controller. Do you have anything like that available? I could build one but I don't have the spare time to do it right now. - by Bob
We have the Four Channel Remote Control Switch [https://www.oznium.com/switches/remote-switch], but nothing exactly like your mentioning.
I have a 220 volt imput and a 12 volt output. Adaptor rated50Hz 7W 12v 200Ma would i be able to use your AC Adapter----i will be using 110-120 local current .What is the Ma ove your adapter? Vincent /Boynton beach fl 33436
Our AC Adapters will work with the 220 volt section. The 2 amp ac adapter is 2000mA; you can do this calculation with the other two adapters we have.
which is negative or positive when wiring, or it doesnt matter - by Mark (Waipahu, HI)
The white wire is positive. If you hook it up incorrectly, it just won't turn on. Nothing will be damaged.
I would like to use flexible led in a the windows fo a commercial boot I have. Do your recomend this products, I have seen almost all shopping mall windows in the USA with leads, would this product have the same ligth effect - by Jorge (41 se 5 th street un)
Yes! This AC Adapter will work great for that application.
1) Hi, how much should the adapter's ampere be in excess of the LED ampere requirements? eg. If the LED requires 5A adapter, is it ok to use a 5A? If the LED requires 4.9A, is it ok to use a 5A adapter?

2) How much percentage ventilation should a 5A adapter require? Is it the same for a 10A adapter?
You can max out the amperage on an adapter, ie. 2 amps for lights using the 2 amp adapter, but it is better to leave a little amperage to spare. 4.8 or 4.9 for instance for a 5 amp adapter. It doesn't damage the lights to only need 2 amps for lights and use a 5 amp adapter. This would be the same for any size adapter.
Is the light emitted by LED harmful for human eyes or not? - by Niamat (Lahore , Pakistan)
No, but they are very bright and uncomfortable to stare at.
Can I just purchase the 5 amp adapter and not worry about the math. I am going to be using these in a curio cabenet. probably about 6 total feet of million RBG - by Brian (Chicago)
Can can purchase the 5 amp Adapter, but the 2 amp would run your 6 ft of lights.
For just one foot of LED strip what is the minimum amp transformer? Isn't it better to stay close to the required amperage? Wouldn't a higher amp transformer over amp those few LED's and shorten their life span?
The LED strip only takes as much power as it needs from the AC Adapter. The amperage of the AC Adapter has no effect on the lifespan of the LEDs. If you gave the LED strip too much voltage however, it could shorten the lifespan.

You can think of it like this: a kayaker in a river. Suppose the width of the river relates to the amperage, and the speed the water is flowing relates to the voltage. The kayaker doesn't care how wide the river is, as long as it is wide enough for his kayak. If you want 50 kayaks to be able to go down the river at the same time, you'll need a wider river. Same with the LED strips - if you want more LED strips to be on the same AC Adapter, you'd need a larger amperage AC Adapter.

Suppose the amperage your LED strip uses is 100 mA. That means your 2 amp adapter can handle 20 strips.
Suppose the width of the kayak is 10 inches. That means a 200 inch wide river could handle 20 kayaks floating down at the same time.
How long is the cord running from the adapter...the 2 amp one that is
About 2-3 feet.
why wont my fan run. I hv a 12 v 3 a ac adapter hooked up to a 880 mm fan which draws .7 amps. I have the black wires hooked up. and the reds also. i hv a yellow wire on the fan but am not using as I thought its a switch wire. I did try hooking the yellow once with the reds. (no power) and also with the blacks (no power). Any ideas to make the run fan. i used a volt meter which indicated i had power from the recpetacle thru the adapter. all the way to the fan. the fan is new. - by Double (Illinois)
It sounds like a fan problem, but we don't work with that normally. Check against another power supply. If the fan doesn't work, you'll know its just the fan.
I bought 2 4ft waterproof ribbon led strip will a 12v work?? - by Adan
Yes, a 2 amp.
I need to power 72 feet of LED Strip light for cove lighting, which lights require two 4 amp AC adaptors for 64' (2 x 33'). What's the best way to get the power for the additional 8' of strip light I need? Should I run 33' from a 2 amp adaptor and the remaining 41' from a 3 amp adaptor - or can I run them all in line from a 5 amp adaptor? Thanks, John Moore

John - by John (Hendersonville, NC)
In line with the 5 amp adapter would be fine.
i have 8 2" LED strips on an install outside my house...all together its 16" worth of LEDs...but the circuit and the amount of wiring involved is about 50 feet of wire.... i installed a switch, and their being powered by batteries which measured at 12.32 volts, but after the install was complete the circuit measured at 7.48 volts causing the LEDs to be not as bright...would an adapter power up the LEDs to bring out their full brightness? if so, which is recommend? i could always install a different kind of battery, or just wire more batteries to the circuit... - by Ricardo (Dallas, TX)
An adapter would certainly help. You would need to figure out the amperage for the lights, that will tell you which adapter will work for you.
I bought 2 20 inch led strips that came with a 120v to 12v 500ma adapters. Can I safely direct wire these in my trailer using the 12v battery wiring in the trailer instead of the 120v AC adapter?
Yes, the strips are to be used with 12v.
I'm running three SuperFlux LED's on a 12VDC adapter. Does the power supply need to be regulated? - by Donald (Lancaster, OH)
No.
how many mA a 10mm LED draws at 1.8v or 2v DC - by Niamat (Lahore Pakistan)
Our 10mm pulls 20mA at 12 volts.
how many mA a 10mm LED draws - by Niamat (Lahore Pakistan)
Each LED is different. Our 10mm pulls 20mA.
What size is the connector on the 5 amp adapter? 5.5mm x 2.5mm? Need to add a Technical Info tab to the adapters page and put this kind of information in there. Thanks. - by Vincent
The male end connector is 3/8" long by 1/8" across. The total connector piece from wire is 1-1/4'.
Can these be run off of 9v battery? I'm looking to use 1-2 feet of cool white that i'd like to run without a cable, just a battery hookup. - by Sid
The AC Adapter is meant to be used for a wall outlet, in a house.
Does this use an Electronic or Magnetic transformer?
It is a switching power supply (electronic transformer), NOT a linear adapter (magnetic transformer). This means they use a digital switching circuit to step down the AC to DC. The working efficiency is above 80%.
Are they water resistant? I want to use them to power some leds that will light up parts of my garden, it will be under a roof and it shouldn't get wet often, other than getting splashed while watering the plants.

Thanks - by JAC (Venezuela)
It will probably be OK. Just try to keep as much water off of it as possible.
I have a ac adaptor to replace that is rated as such: input-120v ac- 60Hz- 5.5 w and output of 12vDC- 200mA. Can I use an output of 2 to 3 amp safely? This is for a Midland weather radio. Thanks - by Jim (shallotte nc)
Yes, you can certainly do this. It will not cause any trouble.
Does the 2-amp have a switch? - by Bathsheba
No, but you could easily add a switch. We offer many styles of switches.
What happens if a short occurs? Will the house's breaker box go off? Does the adapter box have any kind of additional fuse? Can I add my own inline fuse anyway? - by Mike (Ohio)
The AC adapter will just stop working until the short is removed. It wouldn't hurt to add an additional fuse.
On all you AC adaptors - is the plug at the end male or female? - by John (Solon, OH)
Male
I'm worried about causing an electrical fire. Would it be safer to plug this into a surge protector? - by Nick (LA, CA)
What would cause an electical fire? I suppose plugging it into a surge protector wouldn't hurt, although it isn't neccesary.
i want to connect 4 sets of catholds color white with the junction box how many amps will i need - by Jesse (la habra, CA)
2Amp will be sufficient
i have a small 12 volts DC air pump ,the pump draw 4.25 amps i need to run every day for about 5 o 6 hours,the 5 amps transformer will do the job? - by Daniel (New Port Richey,fl)
Yes it will be just fine
i ordered a 12''cold cathode with a 3amp fuse holder,my question is i want to set them up in my house but i have a transformer to plug it in only difference to yours is input:120V AC output:12V AC.should it make a difference whether the output is not DC.i also have a rocker switch - by Ivan (Hanover Park, IL)
Hi - Our AC Adapters have 120V AC as Input and Output 12V DC. DC Stands for direct current. The transformer you currently have cannot be used because it outputs 12V AC. AC = Alternating Current and will make your LEDs have a 'strobe effect' as LED products and such require DC voltage. I suggest you purchase our AC Adapter as your current adapter will not work. -K
Are they dimmable?
AC Adapters no are dimmable. LEDs are however.
I'm looking to power a neon kit (4 tubes, originally for car underbody) in my bar and have burned up 4 AC-DC power supplies, the largest being 1000mA. I think the kit is drawing 3A and thats why they're burning up. Do you think your 3.25A transformer be sufficient?
Yes, if your product is drawing 3A, our 3.25A AC Adapter will be sufficient.
if i am connecting 60 LED's in parallel, and conecting to 12 V 3.0Amp output power source. Is this ok.? - by Sateesh (New Jersey)
Yes
I am wanting to use your 4-chip LEDs mounted in small flush mounted holes around mt patio, my question is that can I daisy chain them together with one power source on one end of the chain? If so, how far can I take it and still keep them all burning at their full output? Or would i need a junction box? If so how far from the junction box can the 4-chip LEDs be, my patio is approx 35 ft wide and I would like them to go from one side to the other every 2 to 3 feet or so. - by Wyatt (Dallas, Tx)
If you are using the pre-wired LEDs, you can wire all of them in parallel, meaning connect all the positive wires together and all the negatives together. You will not lose any brightness, and you should be fine with the distance.
Is there an adapter that goes from the 3.5 amp transformer to the LEDs or do you cut the plug end and connect from there? - by Brandon (Houston, TX)
You can just cut it and then wire to the LEDs.
It says it works with 220v but it dont liiks like the pins fit in 220v outputs. Are there some converter including when buying it? - by Kenny
Nope - you'd have to purchase some sort of adapter to convert your 220v plug into a standard household outlet size.
I have a mtx 200watt powered 12 inch car subwoofer & enclosure, what kind of power adaptor do I need to make this sub to work for indoor 110v? - by Wayne (San Gabriel CA)
As with powering any electronic component, you must first figure out how many amps it draws. Then just find a suitable power supply that puts out enough amperage.
I would like to be able to power my car stereo indoors some times. This is just the front end unit and no extra amps etc. How can I do this?
As with powering any electronic component, you must first figure out how many amps it draws. Then just find a suitable power supply that puts out enough amperage.
Do I have to buy an adapter and a junction box? I just wanna hook up some piranha bars in the bedroom - by Lloyd (Panama City, FL)
An AC adapter and Junction Box will certainly simplify your installation.
I'm putting 4 28" led strips in a cabinet, And i figured out that i will need 1.9 amps to power them, should i get the 2 amp 12v converter? and also will 4 strips connect to one transformer? Also i want to get the music controller, would 4 strips hook to 1 of those? - by Scott (Virginia)
The 2amp adapter would be sufficient. Yes, you connect all four strips to the one adapter. You can use the Junction Box accessory to make that super easy. And yes, you could connect all the strips to the music adapter.
I saw in the picture that this is a 100-240V adapter, is that correct? I'm currently living overseas and looking for one that will work for both 110V as well as 220V (the plug does not have to be different, I had adapters, I just need to know it is dual voltage). - by Sabrina (adana, turkey)
Yup, 110-220V.
Looking to use (2) 3 ft sections of the red LED strips. I want to use one power adapter for 110v use. Do you offer jumper cables to attach the two sections? also need to know which adapter to use. - by Greg (Portland, OR)
The amperage pull will be 1.3 amps, so you'll be good with the 2 amp adapter. We don't have any kind of splitter available yet, please check back soon.
Would any of these adapters work to power an Inferno V1?
Yes, our 12v AC Adapter will work with the Inferno V1.
A 2amp will work just fine!
How long is the cable that comes with the adapter? Can you buy more? - by Don
The extra cable is about 3 feet long. One will come with each adapter.
are they water proof - by Rich (yonkers ny)
No
Can lack of ventilation cause the switching adaptor to burn out? I made an uplight fixture using 11 feet of the flexible LED strip white which is rated at 200 mA per foot. The total draw is about 2400 mA or 2.4 AMPS. I used the Oznium switching adaptor rated at 3.25 AMPS. The transformer burned out after about 2 months of service, sometimes left on for a week.. The transformer was "hidden" inside the fixture canopy, with very little to no air circulation. And yes, the transformer plastic shows some warping due to heat. I plan to pierce the canopy opening up about 40% to allow for air flow. Do you think this is the answer?

The setup can be seen here:

http://www.davidtonnesen.com/blog.php


Thanks


David - by david (Somerville, MA)
More than likely it overheated and caused the transformer to malfunction. I agree with your suggestion of opening up a ventilation hole for the transformer.
Can I use this adapter to power a car stereo amp? - by Jake (Boise Idaho)
No - your car stereo amplifier draws far more power than these are capable of handling.
which adapter should i get if i want to test some cathodes and maybe some leds?
Any of them will work. A 2-amp version is sufficient for occasional testing of anything up to two amps (cathode transformers draw 0.7 amps, LEDs are minute and only the larger high power ones are worth worrying about).
What size is the plug? Can these be purchased at a discount in volume? I need 25. - by Tim (Germantown, TN 3813)
The adapter's plug size: 10mm long, 2.1mm inner diameter, and 5.5mm outer diameter.

Sure, we can offer a quantity discount!
I would like to buy 2 of the 20" flexible LED strips. Can I run both strips off of one adapter? If so, which size adapter is recommended? - by jeff (Chicago)
Yes. Any of them will work.
CAN I OVER POWER THE LEDS? I would likr to get a adaper to test led and strips befor install after moding. What amp should it get to test all? - by billy
You can't overpower the LED's, the amperage refers to a potential power. The 2 amp adapter will be good for testing products one at a time.
Will it enable me to bring my Van radio inside for the Winter and power it with 110 AC ?
Depends how many amps your radio uses.
I bought the 2 amp AC adapter from you, rec'd it today. Just want to be sure of the polarity of the wires I attach to the LEDS'. ( one of the wires 'sez '-F-. Is this negative? - by Joe (Harrisburg, PA)
You can't damage anything. Just try it.
I would like to connect 3 of the 6ft white flexible LEDs together and power with a 12v ac adapter, its for an indoor application.

Can you recommend a transformer? - by Tony
From the Flexible LED Strip's technical info page, you can find out that the 6 foot strip uses 1200 mA of current.

So: 1200 * 3 = 3600 mA = 3.6 amps

You can round up, and then use the 5 Amp AC Adapter