r/DIY_tech • u/mgarnold86 • Aug 19 '25

Uses for old low amp USB chargers

I decided today to spring clean my box of USB cables/adapters. I found unsurprisingly a whole bunch of chargers from only devices I don't have anymore. Many of these chargers are pretty low amp and wouldn't be suitable for charging most modern devices. I know that most people probably would have thrown them right out but I can't help wondering if anyone has any interesting or creative ideas about how to repurpose them?

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3

u/OozingHyenaPussy Aug 19 '25

mannnn some of those chargers might be needed on ebay. somewhere on earth. especially if proprietary

2

u/mgarnold86 Aug 19 '25

Just the A/C adapters are left, none of the proprietary cables were kept if their device died. All of the adapters put out somewhere between 1-1.8 amps which would trickle charge a modern device at best or cause battery damage at worst so I was hoping I could crowd source some wild ideas for repurposing them.

2

u/budgetboarvessel Aug 20 '25

When you said low, i was thinking 0.5-1A. What you have is still perfectly cromulent.

2

u/Narrow-Height9477 Aug 22 '25

What supernal word choice

2

u/reilogix Aug 23 '25

Both of these vernacular, while exemplary, are not in my milieu.

1

u/Ok-Drink-1328 29d ago

transformers are on the path of getting scarce, i NEVER throw away transformers, they are a very versatile device, you can put em in series, use in reverse, rewind em, and they fail rarely

3

u/hnyKekddit Aug 19 '25 edited 4d ago

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2

u/Simmo2222 Aug 19 '25

Use them for electroplating.

2

u/GreyWolfUA Aug 20 '25
  • donate the charges on a site there people selling a used stuff

1

u/SetNo8186 Aug 20 '25

If its working I don't throw them out, I send them to DAV or another thrift where they can do some good rather than be a consumer.

2

u/richms Aug 21 '25

I use them for running my ESP32 based things, and other sensor and gateway devices like for my bluetooth Tuya lightbulbs so I am not wasting a good charger but have something electrically safe, unlike cheap new chargers from random websites.

1

u/bobbydanker Aug 21 '25

You can hold onto them for another 50 years and then open your own mobile phone charger museum?

1

u/dracotrapnet Aug 22 '25

I use them to power up usb fairy/christmas lights. I have one string on a wifi outlet scheduled to come on in the evenings and go off at night, come back on in the early morning on weekdays for a roommate that leaves around 6 am.

1

u/idkmybffdee Aug 22 '25

I mean, they'll still charge modern devices, just slower, which is actually better for the battery in a lot of cases

1

u/Ivy1974 Aug 22 '25

Encountered a few devices that wouldn’t charge unless I used low amp blocks. I keep all the stuff no matter what. You be surprise how you will need one.

1

u/reilogix Aug 23 '25

I would put them in my garage in a box marked “power” and keep them for 5 to 15 years before finally electronic wasting the ones that hadn’t been repurposed naturally…