The 10 Best AC to DC Power Converters
This wiki has been updated 8 times since it was first published in November of 2018. Many modern portable devices are driven by DC power, but the current that comes out of your wall socket is alternating. As a result, you will need one of these converters to ensure that gadgets without the requisite built-in electronics, such as your handheld car vacuum, mini RV refrigerator, or HAM radio don't malfunction or 'explode' when you plug them into a mains source. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki. If you'd like to contribute your own research to the Wiki, please get started by reviewing this introductory video.
1. Roypow C180
2. TekPower TP30SWII
3. Belker Universal
Editor's Notes
December 27, 2020:
To reiterate the previous editor's note, household appliances that use DC are fairly small, and so you'll find that AC to DC converters have small capacities, unlike inverters. This update was fairly straightforward and there were a few slightly dated models that I've had to remove and replace here. One of the models I've removed was a smaller AC-to-12-volt-DC, adapter-type model, and I thought those models with significantly lower capacities would me more appropriate in our list of AC to 12V Adapters, though I have left in the Roypow C180, which sort of straddles that area between smaller adapter-type converters, and larger converters. I've also replaced the Jianyi with the LightingWill Driver, which is a slightly more reliable and newer model that serves the same function.
December 07, 2018:
Generally speaking, only large appliances operate directly on AC power, so if you want to use your DC-driven gadgets on wall electricity, you'll need the right converter. If all you're doing is re-purposing, say, a car-oriented vacuum, fridge, or seat warmer, the Roypower is almost impossible to beat. Ham radio enthusiasts and anyone who frequently uses very sensitive electronics should consider either TekPower, or the Samlex. We located one of the more effective outdoor and high-humidity models in the Jianyi, and the Progressive Dynamics model is an incredibly powerful unit designed for installation in RVs, motor homes, and mobile trailers.
4. Pro-Elec Battery Eliminator
5. TekPower TP50SW
6. Samlex SEC-1235M
7. Anbull SMPS
8. Progressive Dynamics Inteli-Power
9. Pyramid PSV-300
10. LightingWill Driver
Kaivaan grew up in a little town called York in the north of England, though he was whisked off to sunny Jamaica at the age of 14, where he attended high school. After graduating, he returned to the UK to study electronic engineering at the University of Warwick, where he became the chief editor for the engineering society’s flagship magazine. A couple of uninspiring internships in engineering later however, and after some time spent soul-searching and traveling across Asia and East Africa, he he now lives and works in in Dubai.