# AC/DC wall adapter for Miller Engeneering billboards



## TravisTheLionHeart (Apr 3, 2013)

Hey all!




I have three Miller Engineering lighted billboards powered by the basic battery packs. I'd like to change the battery packs to an AC/DC wall adapter. However, I'm a little confused how to go about doing that, as the instructions and website don't seem to give a clear answer. 

If anyone knows how best to power three billboards with a wall transformer, that would be wonderful!




Thanks in advance guys!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Hi,
I have a couple of Miller billboards on my layout as well.
The AA battery pack that comes with the unit uses 3 AA 1.5V batteries, which means a total of 4.5 volts of DC power is being sent to the billboard.
I bought the cheapest 4.5 volt AC/DC adapter I could find to power my billboards. Simply match the wiring positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative. The red wire is positive, the black wire is negative.
Simple and inexpensive. No batteries to replace.
Have fun,
Bob


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Miller Engineering sells an AC powerpack. Be careful, because they're pretty picky about the voltage input, so you need a regulated supply.

A good source of cheap ones are cell phone chargers from discarded cell phones. They are 5V regulated supplies, and adding one series diode drops them right into the sweet spot of 4.4-4.5 volts output. You do NOT want an unregulated supply, their rated voltage is only at their rated load, with a light load the voltage can be much higher.


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## TravisTheLionHeart (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks Bob! I knew I needed a 4.5 adapter but knowing I can just snip off the battery pack and splice the adapter in directly is definitely great to know. Thank you so much for your help! :smilie_daumenpos:


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## TravisTheLionHeart (Apr 3, 2013)

Hey Gunrunner! 

Thank you for your help, but sadly I think a little of my electrical illiteracy may be coming out haha. Is there a tell tell way to know if the adapter is regulated? And what the best adapter specs for this type of application is?

I see on Miller's web-site they have two sizes of power adapters, one being able to run three, and the other running up to 10. Would I need to also purchase their Power Distribution board to run multiple signs off one power pack?

Thanks a tin for your time!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I forgot to mention I also have the Miller AC/DC power supply that runs three billboards simultaneously. (Sorry, but after 4 years in this hobby and LOTS of wiring, it's easy to forget what you have under the table)
This is a fast and easy way to solve your problem. Also, since it's from Miller, you can be pretty confident it will function perfectly.
Good luck,
Bob


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## TravisTheLionHeart (Apr 3, 2013)

Awesome, Bob! It definitely would make things a whole lot easier If one of those miller power supplies powered all of my signs at the same time. 

I was just curious how it gets power to multiple signs at the same time though. Does the adapter come pre-split into several ends, so I'd just have to cut off the battery packs and connect all the wires; or would I need to purchase something else to allow it to power all the signs?

Thanks again for your help!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

TravisTheLionHeart said:


> Awesome, Bob! It definitely would make things a whole lot easier If one of those miller power supplies powered all of my signs at the same time.
> 
> I was just curious how it gets power to multiple signs at the same time though. Does the adapter come pre-split into several ends, so I'd just have to cut off the battery packs and connect all the wires; or would I need to purchase something else to allow it to power all the signs?
> 
> Thanks again for your help!


Yes, it's that simple! The Miller power supply has three cords (leads) coming out of it. One for each sign. Cut off the battery packs and spice red-to-red and black-to-black. Fast and easy.
Bob


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## TravisTheLionHeart (Apr 3, 2013)

Fantastic!

That sounds like the way I want to go, I'm all for keeping things as hassle free as possible. I'll order one from them tommorow


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