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Adapter
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{{short description|Accessory for adapting or connecting two devices or two workpieces}} {{Other uses}} [[File:Mains plug travel adaptor.jpg|right|thumb|This [[mains power plug]] travel adapter allows British plugs to be connected to American or Australian sockets.]] An '''adapter''' or '''adaptor'''<ref>Both spellings are used in both British and American English.{{cite web | url = http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/adapter | title = Macmillan English Dictionary | publisher = Macmillan Publishers Limited | year = 2010 | quote = '''adapter''' noun [countable] {{IPA|/ΙΛdΓ¦ptΙ(r)/}} or '''adaptor''' an object that allows you to connect two pieces of equipment of different types or sizes a. British an object that allows you to connect several pieces of electrical equipment to one electricity supply b. an object that allows you to use electrical equipment in countries where there is a different type of electricity supply from your own| access-date = 2010-04-14}}</ref> is a device that converts attributes of one electrical device or system to those of an otherwise incompatible device or system. Some modify [[Electric power|power]] or [[Signal processing|signal]] attributes, while others merely adapt the physical form of one [[Electrical connector|connector]] to another. ==Travel adapters== Many countries with ties to Europe use 230-volt, 50 Hz AC [[mains electricity]], using a variety of [[AC power plugs and sockets|power plugs and sockets]]. Difficulty arises when moving an electrical device between countries that use different sockets. A [[Passive electronic component|passive]] electric power adapter, sometimes called a ''travel plug'' or ''travel adapter'', allows using a plug from one region with a foreign socket. As [[Mains electricity by country|other countries supply 120-volt, 60 Hz AC]], using a travel adapter in a country with a different supply poses a safety hazard if the connected device does not support both input voltages. ==AC-to-DC adapters== [[File:Wall-Wart-AC-Adapter.jpg|thumb|A "power cube"-type AC adapter]] An AC-to-DC [[power supply]] adapts electricity from household mains voltage (either 120 or 230 volts [[alternating current|AC]]) to low-voltage [[direct current|DC]] suitable for powering [[consumer electronics]]. Small, detached power supplies for consumer electronics are called ''[[AC adapter]]s'', or variously ''power bricks'', ''wall warts'', or ''chargers''. ==Computer adapters== {{main|Adapter (computing)}} A [[Host adapter|''host controller'']] connects a computer to a peripheral device, such as a storage device, network, or human interface device. As a host controller can also be viewed as bridging the protocols used on the [[computer bus|buses]] between peripheral and computer, and internally to the computer, it is also called a ''host bus adapter''. Likewise, specific types may be called adapters: a network interface controller may be called a ''[[network adapter]]'', and a graphics card a ''[[display adapter]]''. Adapters (often in the form of ''[[dongle]]s'') allow connecting a peripheral device with one plug to a different jack on the computer. They are often used to connect modern devices to a [[legacy port]] on an old system, or old devices to a modern port. Such adapters may be entirely [[Passivity (engineering)|passive]], or contain active circuitry. A common type is a [[USB adapter]]. One kind of [[serial port]] adapter enables connections between [[DB-25|25-contact]] and [[D-subminiature|nine-contact]] connectors,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Andrews|first1=Jean|title=A+ guide to managing and maintaining your PC|date=2007|publisher=Thomson Course Technology|location=Boston, Mass.|isbn=978-0-619-21758-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/labmanualforagui0000andr_f5v9/page/395 395]|edition=6th|url=https://archive.org/details/labmanualforagui0000andr_f5v9|url-access=registration|quote=serial port adapter 25 9.}}</ref> but does not affect electrical power- and signalling-related attributes. ==Software adapters== {{main|Adapter pattern}} In software, an adapter is a piece of code that complies with an interface of an existing component while actually using another implementation. ==See also== {{Commons category}} {{Wiktionary|adapter|adaptor}} *[[Dongle]] (includes all sorts of adapters) *[[Europlug]] *[[Power strip]] *[[Repurposing]] ==References== {{Reflist}} [[Category:Electrical components]]
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