did not think to ring Arlec , i will do that to begin with although i think they will charge a fair bit for a replacement if there is one , Torch i payed $55 from memory a couple of years ago , the information you provided ( 5volts at 500ma =milliamperes = 0.5 amp or more so a 1amp charger ) is exactly what i was looking for because when i looked at all the 5 v universal chargers on ebay , they had all these different options eg, 1amp, 2amp,3amp so i was not sure what to look for , all of the information you provided will get me what im looking for , i just have to look through it all and find the cheapest option , once again you have been very helpful , thank you kindly , leonard.