12vAdapters.com

[Crimsonbumpa]

I am confused about the difference between a Power Supply and a Power Adapter. Are they the same darn thing? I finally just ordered an adapter from the site above for my LCD screen, but it seems like PSU and PA are usesd interchangeably, right?

[w31n3r]

no, not where their intended functions are concerned. though both covert AC power to DC at a lower voltage, an adapter does this for a single DC output at a single particular voltage, while a power supply unit distributes it's output generating multiple voltages.

so the adapter has a single task viz to convert power type from 240v/120v to 12v (or whatever voltage its designed to work for). good for stand alone devices like your monitor. but the PSU is designed to deliver DC power to multiple components at various voltages , eg. 12v, 3v, etc. pretty much for interdependent devices that need their own separate power source.

it's possible to interchange, but only with the addition of capable DC to DC converters. i'm too lazy to write that story, but you can google.