You really don't need to make dummy batteries. Instead solder the wires to the main power connections within the device.

I love how all the videos I've seen on this is working on pretty much the exact thing that I'm trying to convert

Thank you so, so much for this. I have been wondering about how I could make this possible for devices I use often. Excellent video.

I knew there had to be a way to do this without soldering, but every other video I saw was saying I had to solder. Thanks so much for for posting something for those of us with some know-how and tools, but not a full electrical workshop!

Thank you for making this so easy to understand!!!

Thanks , man ! I will apply this to many things

Using a dowel: What a perfect solution. Brilliant!

did you know that there are only two connectors necessary for the positive and negative on the battery compartiment. I mean you only need to connect two wires at the right place, all the 'dummy batteries' are completely useless ! If you don't want to solder the cable to the two spot you can use the dummy battery only on the negative and positive spot. Those spots are easy to see, if you take apart the whole thing you'll see the red and black wire connected only in one place each. You can even see them without taking appart sometimes !

Most importantly use caution especially if kids are going to be around and always verify the output voltage of the transformer using a multimeter before connecting anything else . Just because a AC to DC adapter says it's a certain voltage doesn't necessarily mean that it is . Often times they can go bad and can either be too high or too low or not working at all . In other words never EVER assume even when you bought it brand new . I've seen my fair share of dead adapters right out of the box and then some while installing security systems for a living which is why I always had extras on hand for just in case I needed them . Also always check the adapter for any excessive heat build up or unusual high pitched sounds that would indicate that it's on its last leg .

I just wanted to say THANK YOU!! I just did this for my fairy lights on my desk and now I don’t have to go through a million batteries!! Every other tutorial I saw needed soldering and this was so easy. Thank youuuuu

Yes! Now my discman (the power supply is lost) runs on USB-power - thank you so much for this hack! :D

Great video ! Replaced 3 AAA batteries with a 5 volt adapter. A half a volt more than the batteries added up to, but it works just fine. Thanks again !

Thank You for this video! You saved me from throwing away my make-up mirror!! 👍🏻

I used this to power a Christmas LED lamp post that for some reason they decided to have it run on 3 AA batteries which used to burn out in a day or two. I found an old 5V AC adapter and did this and worked liked a charm. Only thing I would suggest is maybe make the fake batteries a tad shorter than the actual battery length because the screws will take up space. One of the pieces I had to really wedge in there. This has got me thinking now....could I follow the same principle but wire it to a photocell for solar....Great video!

Thanks for this, needed to power a battery hungry hub. Cheers!

This is a great solution, can the same method be used for other devices such as external speed light flash?

If you would like to wire more than one similar device to a single transformer, I did that recently on three motion lights that I have in a large dark cupboard. In my case, each light had 3AA batteries at 1.5v each. Batteries in these device are generally tip+ to tail- hence the voltage is additive, ie. 3x1.5v = 4.5v transformer requirement (for a 2-battery device, you'd need a 3volt transformer). This circuit type is called a "series circuit" or in a row. When you want to add further similar devices, the wiring within each device and the transformer requirement will be the same as the video, but between them has to be what is called a "parallel" circuit. This means the pos+ feed from the transformer connects to the first main pos+ wired-dowel device, and then to the next device pos+ wired-dowel, and so on, same for the negative side of the circuit. You can do this by running a double wire (speaker wire for example) between devices, keeping the positive to positive and negative to negative on each of the main pos+, neg-wired-dowels. The other dummy dowels in each device are the same as in the video that part doesn't change. Final note, in parallel circuits the electrical "current" (called mA or milliAmps) is *additive*. Think of current as force, 3 devices requires 3 times the force as a single device. Very generally, I would say a small battery-powered device needs about 100-150 mA of current, therefore if you are wiring three devices in parallel, your transformer should have an output of at least 300mA (3x100). If the output is too low, your devices will behave as if a dead battery! A comment below mentions a phone charger transformer with 5v output. I checked and the one I had is a very generous 1.35A of max current (=1350 mA), so that would be great option to power multiple 3-battery devices. Many thanks to all the KZfaq community! Cheers from Canada.

The idea with the wooden sticks is genius! No clue, no soldering and it fits perfectly. If you want an even more generic solution, you could think of using a regulated switching power supply like from Goobay with 3, 4.5, 6, 7.5, 9 and 12 volts which is exactly the voltage added by additional batteries. But people, if you will ever do this CHECK THE VOLTAGE CAREFULLY. If you do wrong, the powered device might get broken or catch fire. Thanks for this video ;-)

enjoyed the video. I want to make one of these to run a dc fuel pump. I have some power inverters around and realize I need a 12v one. can I just splice one in to my dc pump using it's clamps and will this handle my project? usually I hook my dc pump up directly to my truck battery with the clamps but have to keep the truck running to get enough power and it's to loud (diesel truck). thank you for your assistance.

Dude! I've been trying to figure this out for awhile.. thanks for the info

Is there a way to change a flameless candle light to a ceiling light and chain several of them together to make a fake candle chandelier? Ive seen them for wall outlets or power banks but not directly into a wall or ceiling setup

Why this video is underrated?? THANK YOU THANK YOU

If your device can work with rechargable AA's (NiMh) then a decent USB power supply (5 volts 1amp-2.1amp) should be fine for many devices. NiMh usually hold a charge of about 1.2volts. So in this case 4 x 1.2 = 4.8 Volts, so a 5 volt supply should be fine. I have also been able to run devices (motion sensor night lights) which require 3 AAA batteries from a USB supply and put a 100 ohm resistor circuit to drop the power a bit. After all 3 x1.5v=4.5v, which is only a half volt lower than the USB supply.

This is a great idea. Thank you for the video.

This looks like a great tip! I am looking at buying some light up marquee letters for my street food stall and need 5 of them altogether. I was going to make some, but if I can figure out a way to do what you have here to them instead, that would be much better and more cost effective :) Each letter requires 2 x AA batteries, but they are not interconnected and I would like them all to work from one connection if possible. Any help/advice would be most welcome :D

Thanks very good, easy,, video ⭐️👍

Thanks so much for the helpful and versatile advice.better than many useless unhelpful others I was tortured by watching

This is my favorite video for converting a battery operated device to electric. Thank you for sharing

I got a new lamp that runs on batteries but I have it on almost all the time so I felt like it would be a waste of money to keep buying batteries so I wanted to convert it and this helped so much.

What about the amps? Is 700 mah good?

Great Video. I learned something new, thanks. I just want to know the name of the rod that you cut and connect the wires. And where do you get that ?

What about the different amperage loads of various ac/dc converters? I would like to do this with a beard trimmer that devours 2 aa batteries, but each converter I have, the volts are very close, but the amps vary from 0.7, all the way to 2.5. I was told amps are the power behind the electricity, so how do we avoid hurting our devices, or worse damage our home?

do you know how to convert battery operated to plug in color changing led luma candles

Hi can you do to modify a Solar Light with Solar Panel to have an option to be charged in via DC? and an option to be run via AC? without removing the batteries built-in.

You saved my day.

The AC adapter sometimes dont tell us which wire is negative and which one positive. Any idea how to check it out ? Thank you.

Wow! I love KZfaq. You provided the method I am going to use. I have what is basically a flashlight with 3 end to end AAAA batteries. The dowel solution is PERFECT. Genius. Really elated that you posted this. Regards, Bill

hi mr howtofixitworkshop. I have a question. what is the wire size of the other dummy batteries. thankyou

Now that was cool. I never thought this way, now I going to do some c batteries. Thanks

Do you do the same procedure for D batteries

Great video. So i have a device running 4xC batteries so also 6V. I do however not own a 6v power device. How much wiggle room is there? Could i safely use a 5v or 7.5v?

hey man quick question. i have a device that runs on batteries. i use it with rechargable batteries. is there a way to transform this into a rechargable device? i mean, i want to recharge the batteries without taking them out from the device. thank you!

Is there any fire risk using a wood dowel? I realize it's not a lot of electricity. Is there a non-conductive material other than wood that comes in dowels?

Do you need the other 3 dummy batteries to complete the series? (I think I just answered my own question) haha

how do i pick the right ac/dc power supply?

That's very cool. I have a small hand mirror that I found thrifting. I was disappointed after putting AAA batteries in it for the light part, because the toggle button wouldn't switch it off. So the only way to turn off the light is to remove the batteries. Is there possibly any other fix for this issue?

I have a new motion sensor faucet that is battery powered. I've had to replace the 4 AA BTRYS every 2 months. I want to find a way to convert it to plug in electric powered. Can you help guide me?

I want to try this on my baby’s swing it takes C2 batteries any tips?

Great video! But I would like to provide the AC adapter as an alternate source without the user having to put in the mock batteries. Is there a connector on the market that will disconnect the battery supply when you plug in the adapter plug for running it with the adapter? I.E. some sort of double pole switch that is activated by pushing the adapter plug in? I'm making trophies with a scene inside that is lit by LEDs. Right now they are powered by 4 AA batteries. If the owner could simply plug in the adapter if he wants to, I could offer it with batteries plus an adapter.

adaptor voltage??

I have a 6 volt device and wondering if the transformer should be 120v to 6 volt AC or DC. I can buy either on Amazon.

The wood won't get too hot to catch fire? Just curious.

exactly what i was looking for. I'm wanting to permanently power my scale model of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D so I can always see the Warp engines lit up in my mancave. I know what my Sunday project is going to be :)

I figure someone will wire led lights for entire rooms with this method. Being low voltage, the normal electric codes will not apply, so you can revamp lighting with no worry about violating codes or permitting.

Excellent! Thank you!!

Can i use the empty batteries instead of the wood with screws?

I have a frame with LED back light using AC power. Can i change to battery power?

Very useful, thank you.

you know how many people are going to set their baby stuff on fire now bc they will try this without using a multimeter and testing voltages lol...

this actually works. i had a food scale that used 4 AAA bateries that i didnt use cuz i dont buy batteries so used a old power plug that had a output of 9 volts and held two ends that were ultimately looking for power to the scale and the scale works fine! thank you, my plan is to go inside and solder the connections inside the unit as soon as i get a chance or at lest make a pig tail of some sort that i can connect to just incase my transfomer blows (we all know they do blow eventually) ... not entirely sure if the fact that im supplying 3 extra volts to it is a big deal in long run. im assuming the scale has a voltage protection circutry of some kind in unit and i dont plan to leave it plugged in alll the time. its just for once in a while when im cooking so it should be fine ... i think

can it work flaslight?

Hi I want to convert my cd player also but I am worried that the amperage might be an issue as the adapter might output a larger current than the batteries.

The wire I want to use has 4 wires in it, green, red, black and white. How would I use that?

Why do u add the wooden dummy batteries? As opposed to just soldering the neg and pos wires to the terminals on the device? Just curious because I’ve done this with various Christmas lights and such so I don’t have to change batteries all the time and Ive always just soldered the wires. That being said I’m not an electrician and just learned how to do that from a similar KZfaq video. Just curious what the difference is. Thanks

Why u have 2 in red and one in white? Is it a different kind of cable?

you didn't mention matching the amperage required of your transformer versus what the batteries provide. also didn't understand why you bran why are from 1 side to the other on the wood dowel and the other three slots

how to convert a wireless rechargeable battery to AC power for a shaver machine?

can you use dead batteries as “dummy batteries”?

hey thank you for the video! does it work with AAA bateries instead

Hey man!! Great stuff. Sure beats the solder route! And we can do this with every apparatus that takes AA or AAA correct?

Aren’t you afraid of the higher Amper produced by the charger than by the batteries? Will it not harm the device?

Why do you use three different colored wires, can I just use one type for all batteries?

Can you do this with any sized battery? I'm hoping to connect a D-Cell tankless water heater to a solar setup so I don't have to use the batteries.

Great video. I want to try it for some outdoor decorations. What kind of wire did you use for the wood dowels? What do you recommend? Thanks again!

Thanks, this is great, now I have a question, I have 4 light devices, each takes two AA batteries, so that would make all of them together 12v right? Is there a way to connect them all to a single 12v plug?

install a barrel jack for the adaptor

Third dummy battery is white color wire connected, does this mean anything or just a coincidence?!

This is amazingggggg!!! Thank you 🎉

About the Amps ????

In place of dummy battery, is it okay to use old dead battery? Can anybody please help me on this.

Hi I have 9 lights that takes 3 times AAA . All the lights are controlled by remote control for patio use , how do I do that ? Parallel systems with supply of 4.5 volts works.?

There's just one thing you're forgetting about there mister. Each battery is usually 300 milliamps or 300mAh x4=1.200 now granted amperage is partly the measure of capacity but at too low in amperage you can actually burn your electronics because you're changing the wattage it's not all about voltage. so you need an adapter that will at least do one amp but I'd still try to find one at 1.2.

Hey can you provide the exact sizes and specific names or tools you have use

I really appreciate this. I want to use pjone charger to power simple electronics baby toys.

Question: I don’t have any dummy batteries. I just have 4 dummies. One of them is named @TheRunawayCreeper . With that work instead of tying the ends together?

And my next project is.... this was super helpful

Hi I’ve got six batteries I’m looking to do an automatic bin as I keep replacing the batteries there is three batteries in a line. Then another three batteries in a line. Where would I put the wires of the AC adapter. Would it be on one battery on either end? Not sure how to tackle this. Many Thanks. Also great video.

Can you do this with D batteries? I have 4 in a baby swing. Normally D’s are 1.5v so it would be 6v but the amps is what’s confusing…

Can we not use dead AA batteries. I want to do a 9v conversion (for 6x D batteries) and was wondering about it. Thanks

Just assuming that the marked wire is positive is NOT sufficient -- Test the damn polarity, or risk ruining your battery powered device!

Hello, would I be able to convert a built-in battery (with micro connectors) to AC power too? Thanks!

Very cool! Wondering if it's possible to safely wire up multiple devices to a single adapter. I have a set of three Christmas candles, each powered by 2 AA cells. I'd love to wire them all into a single AC adapter. Is that possible to do safely?

I really liked the video...it gave me hope. I want to make a Sangean DT400W pocket radio work off of AC when I want it on 24/7. I think i would have to drill a hole in the case and us a plug to connect....Do you have such a video. I think it takes 2 AA's. thank you

Is there any consideration of milliamps when selecting a wall plug?

Does the voltage have to be an exact match with the batteries? For example would 7 volts be too much?

The baby devices have no power cord for safety reasons

i want to make a mosquito repellant (emits a sonic frequency) it has a 230v ac plug, but could i change it's power input to 9v battery with a solar panel? is this even possible? looks like it's the opposite to this video.

Can this be a fire hazard?

Why do I need the wooden dowels? Could I just run a wire between each pair of extra contacts, if I'm not planning to unconvert the device? Or just leave dead batteries in there?

6volts and how many mA in the wall charger?