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I have an old netbook that requires 19V and 2A charger. I found one charger of 19.5V and 4.62A in the garage. I connected it and it is working. Is it ok to use it like that or will it cause damage in the long term?

Kyoko Sasagava
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  • @user1686 no. My current is too high – Kyoko Sasagava Jun 24 '21 at 10:57
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    That's the _"Laptops draw current from the charger as needed. Chargers don't push current inside laptops"_ part in the aforementioned answer. – u1686_grawity Jun 24 '21 at 11:00
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    See also [Can I safely charge my laptop with a non-standard, third-party charger?](https://superuser.com/q/32372/347380) which I've now fixed the info on, and [Laptop power adapter output compatibility](https://superuser.com/q/1380439/347380). – Tetsujin Jun 24 '21 at 11:07

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Doesn't matter, it should work properly, there is also wire resistance and other stuff which will make the power balanced for laptop, also more amp doesn't mean it will force current into the laptop. It simply means the max current this charger can provide under load. The laptop will only draw Amps it requires to keep it operational. Rest assured it's safe to use.

Hope my answer helped you.

Samantha1154
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  • It did answer my question. Thanks for answering – Kyoko Sasagava Jun 24 '21 at 11:03
  • @KyokoSasagava As long as the voltage is not more than 10% off and the power-supply can supply the same amount (or more) of current (Amps) this is in general fine. Do take care of the polarity of the plug. The + and - HAVE TO BE on the same side of the plug as on the original power-supply. – Tonny Jun 24 '21 at 11:10
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    @KyokoSasagava if this answered your question, please mark this answer as "correct", rather than thanking in the comments. Like that, everyone will know this has resolved your problem. (You'll even get some points for doing that!). As you're new to this community, you also might want to [take the tour](https://superuser.com/tour) – 1NN Jun 24 '21 at 11:20
  • @Tonny it is working fine. So i think polarity is correct right? I don't know how to check polarity though – Kyoko Sasagava Jun 24 '21 at 11:31
  • @1NN website didn't let me accept an answer 10 minutes age – Kyoko Sasagava Jun 24 '21 at 11:32
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    @KyokoSasagava Polarity should be listed on the power-supply and (often) on the device right next to the socket for the power plug. For the typical barrel-plug usually a (stylized) picture of the powerplug consisting of a dot (or very small circle) with a larger circle around it and 2 wires sticking out (on on each side) connecting to the central pin and the surrounding circle. The + and - markings are placed on the "wires". Sometimes only the + marking is shown. Central pin being + and outside being - is the most common variant. If it works now you're fine. – Tonny Jun 24 '21 at 11:51
  • @Tonny Yeah. It works fine. Thank for taking your time – Kyoko Sasagava Jun 24 '21 at 11:59
  • @KyokoSasagava, Thanks.. I also wanted to tell you about the polarity, but since you mentioned, `"you connected it to the laptop and it was working"` then i didn't think it was necessary. If the polarity were to be wrong, laptop might not have turned on to begin with. But still next time do check polarity before plugging it in since wrong polarity could be bad for the device unless it has reverse polarity protection. Not all laptop comes with it. Regards! – Samantha1154 Jun 24 '21 at 12:31
  • @Samantha1154 I plugged in and out for 1 second at start to be safe and to see if the charging light is going to turn on. I am not sure if it is the best way of checking it but it worked most of the times with electronic devices for me – Kyoko Sasagava Jun 24 '21 at 15:14
  • @Kyoko Sasagava. You did the right thing by not plugging it for more then a second. The default industry standard for polarity with the inside being + and outside being -. This is the most common used pattern. Unless the manufacturer follows diferent protocol. Also the voltage being 19.5 V is fine, usually 0.5 volts above or below is safe to use. Anyway, glad it's all sorted out. Good luck! – Samantha1154 Jun 25 '21 at 02:48