Power Adaptors / Famicom Power Supply

[Drakon]

I also found this

eBay link

I contacted them and according to them it will work in canada.  I hope they're not lieing.

[slavco]

toysonlinehk are good relieble service, think it will be OK

[Byron]

This idea is so simple and obvious someone else must have already thought of it,
so somebody aught to be able to tell me if it's a bad idea before I actually do it.

The idea is a means to cheaply and relatively easily solve the voltage problem
one encounters when using a Famicom in the U.S.

I noticed that the SNES adapter appears to have an identical output as the Famicom adapter
but only the cord from an NES adapter will fit into the Famicom, so...
What I've done is soldered an NES adapter cord into an SNES adapter, thus creating (I hope)
a Famicom adapter that can be plugged into an American outlet.

I really don't want to bake my Famicom into a FamiFritter, so if any of you know something I don't then PLEASE stop me before I plug it in.

[NintendoKing]

I do not see any reason why it wouldn't work.

My main uses a original adapter with a step up and down converter, but  I use a yobo super nes adapter as a secondary for my other Famicom; and it hasn't died yet.


Famicoms are alright with DC 8v-10v, usually.

[133MHz]

Just make sure you get the correct polarity! That's all.

[Byron]

Yup, the polarity's right, positive over negative.

I can use it then without fear of  The Blue Smoke of Death.

Thanks very much for your  help!

[michaelthegreat]

Yes, great minds think alike. You did actually take apart the snes adapter right? It look so much better.

And pay very close attention to what 133mhz said. Remember that if you put the wires backwards, the polarity switches! Test the polarity before you plug it in. Use a multimeter.

[FamicomFreak]

I saw some info on this site http://www.vidgame.net/misc/POWER_PLAY.htm and I found one at the goodwill yesterday but it came with no AC adaptor? What adaptors can I use for it? Thanks in advance and I do have the AV cables so it's not a problem. AWAAAAAA

[nintendan]

Hey there all. I'm a new member here (this is m first post, but actually joined a bout a week ago).
I recently won an eBay auction for a Famicom A/V.
Here is a link to the auction (with pictures): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270243786750

Now my question is... will the included AC Power Supply work for me (since I'm from North America, and the Power Supply is Japanese). I do not wanna fry or harm my system, so the advice ou guys give me is what I'll follow.

The item just arrived about 20 mins ago, and I'm dying to fire it up...

If it means anything, here is what's written on the AC Adapter:
AC-ADAPTER
MODEL HVC-002
AC100V 50/60Hz 18VA
DC10V 850mA

If the above AC Power Supply will not work in my country (Canada), can you tell me what I will need to play it?
Thanks in advance to all who reply.

Dan :-)

[133MHz]

If you're in the USA or Canada, it will work w/no probs.

[JC]

I had been under the impression that because US outlets push 120V, it was necessary to get a stepdown power converter or an AC that would take in 120V and output the same as a Famicom adaptor.

[133MHz]

Yes, USA uses 120V and Japan uses 100V. Most appliances won't mind a +/-20V difference in their input because they're designed with reasonable voltage fluctuations tolerance in mind.

Now the Famicom adapter specifically is a simple 60Hz transformer, diode bridge and filter capacitor. The transformer output voltage is proportional to the input voltage and to the number of turns on its primary and secondary windings. Since the number of windings doesn't vary with time (unless you take it apart or something ) the only variable is the input voltage.

If the transformer takes 100V at its input and gives 10V at its output, then it has a 10:1 turns ratio.
Given that, if you give it 120V, you'll have 12V at the output, a miserable 2V difference.

The Famicom doesn't care about such small difference since it regulates the input voltage down to 5V with a voltage regulator chip (the famous LM7805). This chip gives a steady 5V output from an input as low as 7V and as high as 30V, dissipating the excess power as heat through its body (and into the heatsink on the back of the Famicom, that's why it gets warm while playing). More voltage, more energy needs to be 'wasted' as heat.

So in fact you can run your Famicom on voltages between 7 and 15V with no problems whatsoever!
Hope this answers the question once and for all

[JC]

It does clear everything up. Nice explanation. Somewhere someone once said that extra voltage would slowly fry the Famicom. Glad it doesn't. Well, I've got a stepdown anyway, so it makes little difference to me, I guess.

[Josh]

Is there a Famicom AC adapter that accepts 120 V 60 Hz electrical power input?

Because if I were to use an official Japanese HVC-002 Famicom AC adapter, I'd need a voltage converter to make sure the Famicom gets the correct power (since I live in the US).

But if I could get an AC adapter that accepts AC 120 V 60 Hz and outputs DC 10 V 850 mA (with the correct plug for the back of the Famicom), I could bypass the voltage converter and plug my Famicom directly into the wall power outlet.

So, does such a beast exist?

[133MHz]

Use the same HVC-002 Famicom AC adapter, you can use it in the US just fine.
If you're still worried, use a Sega Genesis Model 1 AC adapter.