Possible to make an NES AC to SNES Mod?

[satoshi_matrix]

My SNES AC Adapter is very very finicky. It needs to be almost on a certain angle to work correctly. Is it possible to desolder the power connector and replace it with a connector from an NES and thus use my tiny Yobo Famiclone AC adapter instead? I'm not sure if such a thing has been done before, but I'll bet it has. 

[MS-DOS4]

I don't see why not. Power connectors are suppose to be universal. Did the plastic center of your SNES one break off? Mine did and it's  pretty difficult to get it to power on these days.

[Hamburglar]

You can, however the DC in jack is molded to the plastic surrounding it, so you will have to hack it...

[michaelthegreat]

It would probably be easier to take the end off your snes adapter and solder it directy to your snes. Just don't mix up your + or - leads.

[133MHz]

I've never tried this, but I've heard of local repair shops replacing the SNES power connector with a standard barrel-type one when it broke off (during the SNES heydays of course). Apparently the solder points are in the same place so it should be a straightforward replacement.

[Hamburglar]

[133MHz]

That pretty much proves it true. Thanks for the picture!

[Hamburglar]

No prob, It wouldn't be too bad to remove it with a Dremel, but not everyine has all that stuff laying around, if he did I doubt he'd be asking if it's possible.

[satoshi_matrix]

Okay, so my SNES AC Adapter now has completely stopped working. I'll need to do a mod of the system.


I've got my SNES apart and desoldered the terminals like in the picture above.

Which point is positive and which is negative? They're completely unlabeled.

[ericj]

You could just check the SNES adapter specs and see if it's center neg or pos (I'm not sure offhand) and then use the continuity setting on your multimeter to determine which connector is which. Pretty straightforward, I would think. Otherwise, have a look at the PCB you desoldered it from and trace the board to see which is positive & which is negative.  You should be able to tell by what it's connected to, for example, a filtering cap (usually have a black negative stripe on the side--this would be your ground) or look for the PCB ground.

[satoshi_matrix]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30701966@N04/4666598309/sizes/l/

here's a picture of the SNES motherboard, the desoldered SNES AC connector and the removed NES AC connector.

Nothing is labeled and the SNES AC is isolated from everything else. My guess is that the points 1 and 2 are same for the NES as well, meaning I could just solder that in place, but I again have no idea. I notice that the NES AC adapter has a third leg as well which is comletely missing on the SNES.

help please!

[ericj]

Use your multimeter to check the continuity between the NES & SNES plugs. If the center & outer ring points match up with the same legs, you can just solder it in place. You can also check what point 3 is connected to. My guess is the outer ring, but test it and you'll know for sure.

If the points don't match up, then you have to rework how you solder it on, or just reverse the wires on your ac adapter.

Do you have a multimeter? If so, it should be a 45 second job to check it. If not, you can make a tester with some wires, a light bulb, and a small battery. You can even make one out of an old flashlight.

[satoshi_matrix]

Yes, I do have a multimeter. Here's a shot of the one I've got
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30701966@N04/4667357580/sizes/l/

I'm not sure which setting is used for checking connections. I know this one doesn't make any beep, so I'm not sure how to even read if I have a connection or not between two points. Am I looking for a readout of 1 or as close to 0 as possible?

Also to make sure I know what you're talking about, you mean to test to see if I get a connection if I put one lead onto the SNES pin 1 and the other on NES pin 2 and see if I get a connection?

[ericj]

It's the selection to the right of 6 o'clock on your multimeter. It looks like an arrow with a line through it. It should show zeroes when you don't have continuity. It will show numbers when you have continuity. Continuity means when you have a connection between points. Check the center pin on the SNES port and see which leg (on the SNES port) gives you continuity (numbers) on your multimeter. Repeat for the outer ring and leg and then the NES port to see which leg corresponds to which point (center pin or outer ring).

Continuity Setting Symbol

[satoshi_matrix]

I don't understand what you mean. The SNES has no middle pin, just what I labeled pins 1 and 2.

it's too hard to show in a photo, so here's a crappy paint diagram instead.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30701966@N04/4667513630/sizes/l/

There are only two pins in this. Pin 1 is "U" shaped and folds inside the connector and is visible normally. The corded AC adapter plugs in and makes contact with this first and then hits pin 2 in the back.

Given this, how can I test this? If I connect pins 1 and 2 I get a a readout of 1.