with the chargers for the MBP, they are bigger, and the MB chargers are smaller. I was wondering could you use a MBP charger for the MB or would it damage it or charge it faster. Also could you use a MB charger for a MBP, would it just charge slower? Anyone know?
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Charger for MB/MBP
- Thread starter TimJim
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That is ridiculous. Just because the MBP charger can supply slightly more wattage, it doesn't mean that it will damage the battery in the MB. The MBP charger can be used safely with either the MBP or the MB.
Using a MB charger with a MBP will work, but the battery will charge more slowly while the MBP is in use.
My friend's MB charger went bust and was waiting for a new one and she borrowed my MBP charger. It worked fine for her.
I think going the other way around would never give enough juice to fully charge the battery but I don't think it would harm anything.
If you take your MB into an Apple store for a visit with a genius ... they'll plug a MB into a MBP charger ... so I'm guessing its quite ok. Cheers!
I said "could" not "will". Using the word "could" leaves it open to discussion for other people to comment - so quote me right please.
I'm not an electrical expert and I'm open to take other points on board. So could you explain to me why using a higher wattage power source wouldn't damage something that requires 20 watts less?
I'm butting in I know, but just because it's rated at a higher wattage doesn't mean it's always running at full wattage. It's just rated up to that amount. So if you only need 20 less, that's all it will pull. But if you needed 20 more over its rate, you'd never get it because it couldn't pull more.
Not an expert either but I think that's how it works.
To confirm: I explicitly asked this question of 2 geniuses, and the MBP charger can be used on both. They didn't recommend the MB charger for the MBP, but I think it's just because it can't charge it fully while it's being used. I don't think it'd hurt it, and works fine if the MBP is asleep and/or not drawing too much power.
I apologize. I don't mean for my comment to be reflection on you personally.
Watts is a rating of how much power a charger can supply. How much power a charger actually supplies will depend on what the load is. That means that the charger will only supply as much power as the battery and/or the notebook will draw. Both chargers supply the same voltage to the battery, but the higher wattage charger can supply the power at a slightly higher rate. A MBP uses electricity at a slightly higher rate than the MB, so it needs a slightly more powerful charger.
I'm sure that explanation isn't very clear, but I'm just an electrician, not a journalist.
