Add a switch to an AC/DC power supply?

[Moordikai]

I would like to add a switch to a power supply. The power supply I'm using has a cylinder in the line. I don't know what this is or what it does. Any clarification would be great. When I'm adding the switch does it matter which side of the cylinder it goes on?

I will upload some pictures when I get access to my laptop.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks for your time.

 

[Harald Kapp]

The switch should be on the mains side of the power cord, before any other components.

 

[pwdixon]

It could be that this "cylinder" is a fuse perhaps?

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

The cylinder is probably a ferrite filter to reduce interference conducted back into the mains supply. If that's what it is, you can put the switch on either side of it.

Upload a photo. See https://www.electronicspoint.com/attaching-images-t250594.html

 

[Moordikai]

Power Supply Images

Here are the images I've got. Thanks for the feed back.

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

I see. We thought the cylinder was in the "line" between the mains plug and the power supply, but it's actually a plug-in adapter and the cylinder is in the DC cable.

The cylinder is a ferrite interference suppressor. You can insert a switch on either side of it, whichever you prefer.

Switching the power supply OFF with a switch in the DC cable will kill the power to the equipment, but it will not completely switch the power supply OFF - the power supply will still be running and will consume a certain amount of power from the mains.

Your switch needs to break one of the wires. The other wire should go straight through the switch. (Or you can switch both of them, but this is not necessary.) You need an in-line switch. You can get these with a small enclosure included.

 

[Moordikai]

Fantastic. Thanks for the help. I'll try to post pictures of my final project, but it'll be a few weeks before I'm done.