I know that part of being a maker is hacking current electronics that you have. I have a AC to 6v 2.5 A dc power adapter right now and don't want to pay for a new one if I don't need to and I would love to learn more by altering or creating a circuit to utilize this power adapter that I do have since it seems to be close in the specs.
The tutorial calls for a 5V 2A power adapter. Would I be safe using this 6v 2.5 A ? If not (and even if so) how would I lower the voltage from 6v to 5v and the current down to 2 A from 2.5?
Thank you so much for any and all help, it is greatly appreciated.
Any of these will work with a 10W heatsink in case your 6.5V is actually 7~8V no load and drops to 6.5 at full load. Minimum 5W heatsink for conservative temp rise.
Simple series voltage regulator, using NPN transistor and zener diode. The load voltage stays close to 5V.
It is especially useful if the supply is between 6 & 7 V.
Watt ratings must be adequate. Some power is wasted in the bias circuit. For this reason this type of regulator may become unworkable if you exceed a certain range of supply and load situations.
if the current is constant and known, then a simple rsistor could work.
Referring to your values (the 2.5A of the 6V supply is not important as long as it is same or bigger as the load current)
R = (6V - 5V) / 2A = 1V / 2A = 0.5 Ohms. Power dissipation is 2W. Please use a 5W rated resistor.
A higher ohmic resistor makes the voltage drop bigger. So it is more safe not to destroy something.