What should you consider before purchasing an AC Adapter?
Are you a frequent traveler? If your answer is yes, then surely you have to maintain a list of important things to be packed before the journey. Be it a vacation or a business trip, you'll carry your laptop, camcorder, and other electronic gadgets. All these gadgets will become useless if you forgot to pack an AC adapter. Most importantly, it is essential to carry laptop AC adapters when you plan your business trips. Whether you're looking for a replacement adapter, a spare, or an extra one for home or office use, this article will guide you in making your decision.

What are the limits and limitations of an AC Adapter?
Though technology has made this world a global village, major differences between countries do exist, be it a cultural or an electrical standardization. Countries in the western hemisphere use 110-120 volts for all electrical appliances, while countries in the eastern hemisphere use 220-240 volts as standard. Most countries use alternating current (AC) to deliver electricity except Brazil and South Africa. If a country uses direct current (DC), then there are chances of you destroying your laptop when you charge it using an adapter without a converter.

Why do you need an AC Adapter?
AC power adapters are used for providing low-voltage DC power to laptops via a DC jack. They convert the voltage to match the voltage requirements that allow your laptop to function. They allow you to continue your work without any interruption in the absence of a rechargeable battery.

What are the different types of AC Adapters available?
There are two types of AC adapters available on the market, single voltage adapters and multi-voltage adapters. Single voltage adapters provide a fixed output voltage, while multi-voltage adapters have a switch that allows you to select from several output voltages. Laptops are usually powered using single voltage adapters. Brand or model-specific AC power supplies often cost more than universal AC adapters and can only be used with a specific laptop model or brand. The major advantage of using universal AC adapters is that they are compatible with laptops of different brands. You can also buy multi-device adapters that allow you to power up your laptop, iPod and radio. Some of the popular laptop manufacturers, like Dell, IBM, Panasonic, and Toshiba also provide AC adapters to power laptops. You can buy model-based AC adapters from leading manufacturers like Energy+ who offer laptop AC adapters for laptops from leading brands like Sony, Acer, Apple, Samsung, and Compaq. These adapters can also be used as a replacement for the original and they can replace many adapter models. You also need to make sure that the AC adapter has the same configuration as that of the battery pack.

How do I purchase a suitable laptop AC Adapter?
You should be very cautious when you buy AC adapters for your laptop. If you try to power your laptop using an inappropriate AC adapter it will damage your laptop. There are three primary factors you need to consider before buying an AC adapter; namely voltage, tip polarity and tip size.

Voltage
The voltage output from the adapter provides DC to power your laptop. If the voltage does not match the input current requirement of your laptop your laptop will not function properly. Both high and low voltage will affect the performance of your laptop.

Polarity
A power tip will normally have an inner and an outer conductor. The inner conductor may have positive or negative polarity. Based on the polarity you will need to carefully select an adapter. If the positive and negative polarity is connected in the wrong way it will cause severe damage to your laptop. Most of the notebook AC adapters have standardized polarity symbols labeled on them, which helps you to buy the right adapter.

Tip Size
The size of the tip is always mentioned in the user manual that comes with your laptop. If the tip size of the AC adapter doesn't match with your laptop, then it cannot be used.