Abstract: A universal battery charger/adapter unit is disclosed comprising a wall power unit and a separate cable which may be plugged into an appliance. The wall unit makes available different AC and DC voltages. A selected pluggable cable section is wired to selectively connect appropriate AC or DC voltages to the appliance being powered. The cable section has the further characteristic that current limiting or current regulating elements may be incorporated therein to improve the particular AC or DC voltage or current characteristics of the power unit with respect to that particular load. A battery nest can be permanently connected to a special bifurcated plug allowing the recharging of rechargeable AA, C or D size batteries in addition to 9 volt batteries. Interchangeable shims are used to compensate for various battery sizes.