Calling on electronics gurus... how to fab an AC adapter for my Party Q?
 

I bought my Party Q a while back off of craigslist. I have used it many times and like it for overnight cooks since it lets me catch some winks.But I am tired of changing the batteries all the time, since they only last for one overnight cook each time. I have power outlets near my cookers now, so I would like to power the Party Q by just plugging it in.


I thought this would be an easy mod. I soldered in a type M DC power connector to the positive and negative terminals in the battery case of the Party Q. Plugged in an AC-DC adapter 6V 300mA and turned it on - nothing happened. I tried another 6V 800mA adapter and it still didn't work. Both adapters were brand new from Radio Shack.

I'm pretty sure the polarity is correct. Any suggestions? Has anyone done this successfully?

The 6 volts would be correct and the 800ma should be adequate. If it's been connected wrong you may have damaged the unit. Does it still work on batteries?

Yep - it still works with the batteries.

Buy rechargeable batteries and stop farking around is my advice.

Rechargeable is definitely an option. The only problem is alkaline batteries are 1.5v and rechargeable are 1.2 - 1.25v. Even with a good set of rechargeable, 5 volts is the best you can get.
If you want more info you can PM me.

Thought about rechargeables but that wouldn't solve my problem - I would still be dealing with the issue of the unit possibly running out of juice if the batteries weren't topped up. The fan does run at lower speed/power when the batteries are running low ( but before the low batt symbol comes on). AC power would give it consistent juice throughout the cook.

I would give these a try:
http://www.mahaenergy.com/batteries/

First off you need to check the amp requirement on the DC motor. Some small DC motors have a large mA requirement. Some may go as high as 2 amps !! Hopefully there is a plate on the motor to help guide you. It sounds like you are not getting enough "power" from the adapter, you might have to step up to a charger to obtain what you need. If you have a good relationship with Radio Shack take it to them and see what they suggest.

Just sayin:oops:.... inner should be positive, outer negative

Call Guru and ask them. You might void the warranty if you do this.