I need to buy a power adapter for a sewing machine. Does the cord need to match the both the voltage and the amperage for the appliance I am using or just the volts? I saw one adapter that had variable voltage settings, but the amperage maxed out a 2 amps. The sewing machine calls for 6 volts and 1000 mA (or 1 amp). Would this cord be ok? Does anyone know where I can buy something that will work? Thanks in advance.
You need to get an adaptor that supplies the right voltage, and at least the amperage required by your sewing machine.
A two amp supply should work fine for your one amp sewing machine.
Thanks. I thought that was the case.
AC or DC? Assuming DC, a wall wart with a 6 VDC output will work.
There are two kinds: regulated & unregulated. The latter is slightly cheaper than the former. But unless you’re 100% positive that the sewing machine can be powered from an unregulated power supply, I would stick with a regulated one.
Mouser Electronics has what you’re looking for. Part no. 418-TR1506 is a wall wart with a regulated 6 VDC output. Max current capability is 1.5 ADC. Price is $13.90. It’s a switcher (as opposed to a linear). It should be mentioned that a small minority appliances cannot be powered from switching power supplies, but I’m assuming a sewing machine would not have any problems.
As the others said, as long as the adapter supplies at least enough current, you’re okay. However, you also have to make sure that the plug is compatible, and that the polarity is the same. Some equipment use a negative center, and some use a positive center (or a negative tip and positive ring in the case of a 1/8" plug). If you buy a ‘universal’ adapter, it will probably either have a switch to let you set the polarity, or it will have a plug that you can remove from a socket, and reinsert with the pins reversed to change the polarity.
The socket on your sewing machine should show the polarity. It will look something like this:
+ -
(-- - or (-- +
No offense, but those are terrible polarity diagrams. They generally look more like this:
- ---(o--- +
or
+ ---(o--- -