Fried Master System?

[Cobra Commander]

Awhile back, I bought a SMS at the Goodwill. It came with the whole 9 yards, however the power adapter wasn't an official Sega one. When I plugged it in, and popped a game in the power light lit once, and never again.

I went back to the store the next day, and found the official Sega adapter sitting in a bin of assorted other adapters. So I took it home and tried again-nothing happened.

That led my to believe that it was either screwed beofre I got it or the crappy mystery adapter had a hand in it. So now....is there anyway I can tell if it can be brought back to life?
Thanks a bunch.

[rbudrick]

Hmmm, dunno. However, I believe the SMS power adapter has a negative tip, positive outside, unlike many systems. If you try a universal adapter, keep this in mind...


-Rob

[SkiDragon]

I once bought a SMS off ebay and it came with the wrong adaptor. I tried it and it didnt work. I was worried I messed the system up, but i think it was already messed up, as the adaptor had compatible voltages, etc. for the SMS.

The important part is how I fixed it. I opened it up (it was pretty dirty) and nothing looked wrong immediately. I fudged around with a meter for a while and did not really have any luck. Finally, I took an educated guess as to what was wrong (not very scientific, I know).

Unfortunately, I have no pictures, but there is a three pronged (i think) black component, which is near where the power cord plugs in (again, I am unsure of the location, I think it was in the corner of the board). It is black and is screwed into a heat sink, with some heat conducting goo in between.

Well, I found a replacement at Radio Shack (i do not remember the name of the component, sorry). All I had to do was swap them out. I tested it before I reassembled it (it was just a circuit board on the ground with cords running into it, it was pretty funny.) The component can run without the heat sink for a short while with no problem. Luckily, this corrected my problem. I reattached the heat sink with some new goo and then reassembled the system, and now it works fine. I got a discount from the seller by the way.

Anyway, this is all the help I can offer. If it still doesnt work, then I am clueless.

[omnedon]

Sounds like as voltage regulator (the post above me LOL ).

What is the rating of the AC you popped into it initially? The SMS needs 9v 1A, center negative. If what you popped in initially is a way off that (V more important than A), it may need a voltage regulator now.

I've never dealt with this myself. Any other tips?

[Cobra Commander]

Interesting. Much appreciated. I'll have a look tonight when I get home. Sad thing is I'm flat broke until payday, and if that isn't the problem, I'll just have myself a nice looking paperweight.

[MrKitt]

the correct regulator is 7805 (5V regulator)
any adaptor from 9-35V is sufficient about 1A.

[chadtower]

I just popped open one of my dead SMS consoles and he's right... 7805. It's kind of a PIA to get at, though. LOL