Standard Horizon HX850S AC Adapter barrel dimensions

[Stenn]

Since posts to Cruisers Forum show up when people Google for info, I just wanted to post this here for anybody searching the internet, who need to replace the AC adapter that plugs into the charging cradle of the Standard Horizons HX850S VHF hand-held radio....the original adapter number was NC-88B....

...many/most sellers on eBay and Amazon, only state things like "compatible with original charger..." and list a bunch of model numbers like "NC-88B," but never actually list the DC male barrel dimensions of their adapter (or even the VOLTAGE!)....So it's always a gamble ordering and seeing what you get....I've even sent messages asking these specifics and get no response....

So I pulled out my micrometer and measured my old dead one's barrel after seeing a picture in an ad, of what the dimensions referred to...the outside diameter and the inside pin diameter, in MM.....

So....the original HX850S uses a 4mm x 1.7mm male DC plug, at 12volts...original current from NC-88B is 200mA.

I then easily found one with the proper 4mm x 1.7mm barrel on Amazon for $8.89....only potential problem is this one is 1.5Amp output, not just 200mA, so I'm about to find out whether HX850S regulates this 1.5A charge adequately, or this adapter over-powers the built-in lithium rechargable cell (which is no longer available!)

I'll update here if this adapter charges fine or not....but at least this DC adapter fits properly and people now know dimensions to look for.

Stenn

Longdex 1PC DC 12V 1.5A Power Adapter AC 110-240V Switching Power Supply Transformer AC-DC Converter DC Jack 4.0x1.7mm https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07QXXK2...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[Stenn]

On second thought, maybe this DC barrel is considered a 4mm x 1.7mm female DC plug ?

[wholybee]

That's not the way current works. The voltage is 12V, and the device takes the current it needs. In this case 200mA.

The charger is capable of 1.5A. It does not push that current, rather it is available if needed.

Any charger over 200mA will work.

[wholybee]

That's not the way current works. The voltage is 12V, and the device takes the current it needs. In this case 200mA.

The charger is capable of 1.5A. It does not push that current, rather it is available if needed.

Any charger over 200mA will work.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Stenn

Since posts to Cruisers Forum show up when people Google for info, I just wanted to post this here for anybody searching the internet, who need to replace the AC adapter that plugs into the charging cradle of the Standard Horizons HX850S VHF hand-held radio....the original adapter number was NC-88B....

...many/most sellers on eBay and Amazon, only state things like "compatible with original charger..." and list a bunch of model numbers like "NC-88B," but never actually list the DC male barrel dimensions of their adapter (or even the VOLTAGE!)....So it's always a gamble ordering and seeing what you get....I've even sent messages asking these specifics and get no response....

So I pulled out my micrometer and measured my old dead one's barrel after seeing a picture in an ad, of what the dimensions referred to...the outside diameter and the inside pin diameter, in MM.....

So....the original HX850S uses a 4mm x 1.7mm male DC plug, at 12volts...original current from NC-88B is 200mA.

I then easily found one with the proper 4mm x 1.7mm barrel on Amazon for $8.89....only potential problem is this one is 1.5Amp output, not just 200mA, so I'm about to find out whether HX850S regulates this 1.5A charge adequately, or this adapter over-powers the built-in lithium rechargable cell (which is no longer available!)

I'll update here if this adapter charges fine or not....but at least this DC adapter fits properly and people now know dimensions to look for.

Stenn

Longdex 1PC DC 12V 1.5A Power Adapter AC 110-240V Switching Power Supply Transformer AC-DC Converter DC Jack 4.0x1.7mm https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07QXXK2...ing=UTF8&psc=1

Would t it be easier (and take less time than it did you writing that) to simply cut off the old plug and splice it to the new charger?

[Stenn]

S/v Illusion.......I guess "easier" is in the eye of the beholder. Yes, I might have had another unused 12v adapter laying around I could have shopped off barrels and swapped between them, but that really wasn't the point of my post...

....I was looking for an easy way to post the barrel dimensions for people who DIDN'T have a spare adapter laying around.....

...plus, really, once you know the spec you need, it's "easier" to click on Amazon, etc and get a new one than modding an old one, stripping insulation, (usually) scraping off the copper oxide off the tiny 22 or 24 gauge crap conductors...hoping you didn't lose any conductors in the stripping process, THEN having a delicate, vulnerable connection taped up with electricsl tape that always ends up with the adhesive turning to goo....

...plus, this new one uses new chips and regulation that produce no heat and that allow plugging into world-wide voltage and is half the size....the original NC-88B must have been 20 year old technology, twice the size, and 2x the heat.

Thanks Wholy for the point about "that's not how it works" re: current, but that's not what I was talking about. I've bought a device or two in the last year or so that did not come with a charge adapter, just a USB-to-barrel cable for that device, with a warning "Do not use adapter with output greater than..." 500mA, 1amp, etc ...I guess internal charge-regulation components, SMT resistors, etc in the device to be charged...were not rated for higher current input....so when I scrounged an adapter I had that was 2amp output, it did damage the device.

I'm assuming the internal charge regulation components of the HX850S feeding the lithium battery won't be as limited (crude?) , but charging lithium is a whole science unto itself...and the fact these HX850S batteries are no longer available turns this into more than a theoretical equation if the radio too doesn't like adapters capable of more than a trickle charge current.

Incidentally, it's been Day-2, and the charger's 1.5amp output didn't damage the HX850S battery.

[Brian.D]

Stenn, as mentioned above, current is only used as needed. You can have a 1,000,000 amp supply and it will not harm a device using 200ma because the device is "asking" for only 200ma. So like also mentioned above, any adapter providing the "correct" voltage and "rated" at the device's needs will work, as long as the connector fits and the polarity is correct. In this case, 200ma @12VDC or 500ma@12VDC will work. 400ma @9VDC WILL NOT work, and 100ma @12VDC will not work. At the latter, the adapter will be extreme hot and could cause a fire.

[goboatingnow]

1.7mm tip dia by 4mm inside barrel dimension is a common dc plug size I can get 10 for €4 on Amazon

I have that adaptor also on my Standard VHF.

[goboatingnow]

Thanks Wholy for the point about "that's not how it works" re: current, but that's not what I was talking about. I've bought a device or two in the last year or so that did not come with a charge adapter, just a USB-to-barrel cable for that device, with a warning "Do not use adapter with output greater than..." 500mA, 1amp, etc ...I guess internal charge-regulation components, SMT resistors, etc in the device to be charged...were not rated for higher current input....so when I scrounged an adapter I had that was 2amp output..

A load determines the current not the source but a load device such you describe is junk electronics and best thrown away.

[Stenn]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

A load determines the current not the source but a load device such you describe is junk electronics and best thrown away.

As before, yes, I get the theory, that wasn't the problem....real-life lithium devices with warnings about "don't use charger stronger than...x" is my 1st-hand experience. Yep..."best thrown away..." but such is some of the stuff coming out of China these days....but that experience, and the "art" of charging Lithium, taught me not to assume everything will be fine when we choose not to use the factory charger because it's 4x the price.

Yes, 4mm x 1.7mm is a readily available, standard size...that wasn't the point of my post.

It's only "readily available" IF you know that's the size you need, ... lots of consumers have no idea how that power connector is spec'd and no idea what to order....so I posted it here for the next HX850S owner needing to know.

Thnx for the feedback

[goboatingnow]

Talking about standard horizon vhfs , I also have an old 450 model with NiCd , as well as a 850. I prefer the older model scan rate even if it’s not as waterproof.

I recently cut open all the battery packs and replaced the 7.2 v failed packs with new ones from China. Worked great. 6 cells in each.