Sega Saturn - question about voltage etc.

[Nico87]

First of all, I live in Norway.

I have a NTSC SNES which I'm using a step-down converter to be able to play it on here in Norway. There's also a SEGA CD system on it's way to me, and I reckon it will work with it aswell. Now, I'm seriously considering buying a Sega Saturn aswell, but I don't know if the converter I'm using for the SNES will work with it. I read on the back of the converter and it says the following;

100 Watt
AC/AC Step-Down Converter
Model: VC-100W
PRI: 220-240V - 50Hz 100W
SEC: 115V - 50Hz 870MA

In the article on the Saturn on wikipedia it says;
AC120 volts; 60 Hz (US)
Power Consumption: 25 W

Should the converter I already have do the job, or do I need a stronger one for the Saturn? I literally suck at technical stuff like voltage and what not, so I thought I'd ask here.

[j_factor]

Any voltage between 110V and 125V should work fine for American electronics.

[aclbandit]

I have a NTSC SNES which I'm using a step-down converter to be able to play it on here in Norway. There's also a SEGA CD system on it's way to me, and I reckon it will work with it aswell.

As long as you mean that the stepdown converter will work with your SegaCD, I would guess you would be fine.

What I'm getting at: PLEASE GOD DO NOT PLUG A SNES AC ADAPTER INTO A SEGACD. I know it fits in the slot, but it will blow the fuse. Just don't do it-- you'll be sad.

If you have a SegaCD AC adapter coming with it and you use that with the converter, you should be fine. Good luck with your new purchases!

[Nico87]

Haha, thanks for the input! Nah, I'm obviously not going to use any SNES-related stuff on the Saturn, I was merely pointing out that I'm using a step-down converter for the SNES, which also should work with the Sega CD system, and then asking a question if that same converter would work on a Saturn! It has nothing to do with AC adapters.

[FABombjoy]

If the output side of your stepdown is 875mA, then:

Saturn: 25W at 120V = 208mA, so it should be fine

[Nico87]

I have no idea what the output side is, it simply says

PRI: 220-240V - 50Hz 100W
SEC: 115V - 50Hz 870MA

[Nico87]

By the way, would I need a memory card for the Saturn, or does it have internal memory? The official memory cards out on eBay are darn expensive! I also heard that the unofficial memory cards sucks.

[aclbandit]

Haha, thanks for the input! Nah, I'm obviously not going to use any SNES-related stuff on the Saturn, I was merely pointing out that I'm using a step-down converter for the SNES, which also should work with the Sega CD system, and then asking a question if that same converter would work on a Saturn! It has nothing to do with AC adapters.

haha, okay, good. I always get worried when someone mentions something which could remotely involve plugging SNES adapters into a SegaCD. The problem is that they fit in the hole, which causes the other problem of fuse destruction.


By the way, would I need a memory card for the Saturn, or does it have internal memory? The official memory cards out on eBay are darn expensive! I also heard that the unofficial memory cards sucks.

It has internal memory, but since it is battery-backed, keeping an external memory cartridge on hand is ALWAYS a good idea.

You can get one at Play-Asia (Action Replay 4M Auto Plus) (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-k8-49-en-70-1b2.html) that will not only back up your game saves, but also act as a RAM cartridge of both types for those pesky games that need it AND, more importantly, allow you to play (at least Japanese, maybe others?) imports!

It's a great item, some of the best $30 I've ever spent, especially considering the price difference (not to mention shelf-space difference) of most Japanese Saturn games as opposed to their U.S. counterparts.