Original NES AC Adapter

[megasdkirby]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if it's still feasible to get an original NES adapter. I have NO clue where I placed mine, and now need one. I know I can use a third party adapter, but I will be honest, I don't trust them. Unless it's from a brand we all know and trust (at least one that is actually good and reliable), I rather use the original AC Adapter.

I honestly don't know how much they go for now, nor if it's even reasonable to get one. Heck, shipping might kill it as well.

What do you guys recommend? I don't know if this belongs here or on the Classic Gaming subforum, but NZ17 or any other mod, if you feel it's best, please move to the corresponding subforum.

Also might consider a good condition NES frontloader, but I fear those are even more expensive today.

What do you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance.

[gbpxl]

theyre rarer than the consoles themselves. i just had one die on me. so now I have just one left. good luck

[megasdkirby]

What infuriates me is thar we have two, one I repaired and another working one. But because I had to pack stuff swat, I have no idea where they are.

Saw a RetroBit one. I wonder how those fair.

[Gameguy]

I'm pretty sure you can use a Genesis 1 adapter on the NES, if you already have a Genesis. Really an NES adapter is just 9V AC current, as long as your adapter has enough amps you can use any 9V of any polarity.

It is getting tough to find original adapters in thrift stores, every so often one turns up but I haven't really bought any as I tend to think they would be dead for some reason. Maybe I should start buying them again just in case.

[fluid_matrix]

I bought a 3rd party one and it works. But that's about the only good thing I can say about it. There's an obvious build quality difference compared to an original. The thing weighs hardly anything.

[§ Gideon §]

i just had one die on me.

... every so often one turns up but I haven't really bought any as I tend to think they would be dead for some reason.
Do originals have a reputation for dying? I generally only hear good things about them.

[Gameguy]

Do originals have a reputation for dying? I generally only hear good things about them.
More so the reputation that used adapters in thrift stores are damaged and broken like with most of their electronics. In Value Village the way that adapters are displayed are by hanging them on pegs by the wrapped up cords, with the weight of the adapter hanging from it's own cord. And plenty of people drop the adapters on the floor when looking through the peg board. They used to be bagged and hung up which kept them in better shape, but I actually remember them stapling the price tag through the cord of an SNES adapter one time. Honestly most are probably still working but I've had to avoid or exchange plenty of various cables that were broken in some way so I tend to avoid them if I don't actually need any and I can't seem to find spare loose systems anymore which would need them in the future. I do have a few spare adapters packed somewhere just in case but I've never had an adapter just die on me for what it's worth.

I'm really getting picky with what I buy at thrifts now.

[Bratwurst]

They're rare? I have like 3 or 4 of the things and I wasn't even trying to accumulate them. I actually find them annoying because you can't use them with much of anything else.

The upside to the Nintendo NES's design is that you can pretty much use any power supply on them, any tip polarity, so long as it's 8-9 volt and 1 amps or more, and the supply can be AC or DC. The NES has a rectifying bridge circuit inside that corrects the polarity and converts everything to direct current. That said, why don't you consider getting one of these:

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/triad-magnetics/WSU090-2000-R/237-1426-ND/3094952

This is recommended by FirebrandX from the shmups.system11 forums as a viable quality modern replacement for the North American Nintendo NES.

The reason recently manufactured power supplies all feel so much lighter than the wall warts of old is that they are switching supplies which are much more efficient than the unregulated linear bricks with hefty transformers in them. It's true that a great many modern supplies are cheaply made but that's a consequence of the manufacturing landscape of today (China) rather than the inherent qualities of regulated (switching) power plugs. Just buy from a merchant providing known brands like the Triad linked up there and you'll be fine.

If you want to delve further into the disparities between the two types of power plugs, the modern switching supplies do potentially introduce noise to the device they're powering depending on how well they're designed or the quality of components used. For most applications and to most people this doesn't matter in any noticeable way. Older linear unregulated supplies do not introduce any such excess noise but they do generate much more waste heat and of course, will continue drawing power from an outlet even if your NES is turned off. This is potentially one reason the older plugs can eventually die, because they are always 'running' if left plugged in, and why I have all of my power plugs on multi-outlet strips with individual switches for each cord, to shut them off when not in use.

[megasdkirby]

Sadly, won't ship to PR. So I'm SOL.

Any alternate locations?