View Full Version : Power Help Please!
Flock
01-07-2007, 07:57 AM
i am currently staying in japan and have just visited akihabra, i picked up a Famulator (famicom clone) and a Super Famicom aswell as a bunch of games.
Now i am curious as to what i will need in order to run it in my brief stint in Europe and then when returning to Australia aswell.
stepdown convertors?
i have one which is for gameboy micro from the US which i use in Australia which is obviously smaller, can i use that or will i need somthing larger?
or what will i need really?
thanks for any help, i am typing this on some free computer and i must leave now!
jajaja
01-07-2007, 08:07 AM
Well.. if you want to use the original powersupply you must use some stepdown converter (110v to 220v). Im pretty sure that SFC uses 9v, the same as SNES. So if the powersupply plug is the same on SNES and SFC you can use a SNES PSU on a SFC. The PSU only gives out 9v no matter if it gets 110v or 220v in. I've used i.e. a european NES PSU of a american NES and it works fine.
But check the voltage on the machines yourself first. Im not 100% sure if SNES and SFC uses the same voltage, but i think so.
Sweater Fish Deluxe
01-07-2007, 02:35 PM
Is the stepdown converter that you already have one that allows you to use the original US AC adapter for the Gameboy Micro or is it an AC Adapter that replaces the original US one? If you're using the original US AC adapter, then the converter you have is doing the job you need: converting 220V 50Hz to 120V 60Hz. Japan actually uses 110V, but that's not a big enough difference to to be concerned with in my opinion. The actual output of AC outlets can vary +/- 20V anyway.
If the converter you're using for your Gameboy Micro won't work, I agree with jajaja, just getting new AC adapters in Europe is the easier, cheaper and overall better option thhan getting a stepdown converter. The ones you got in Japan take in 110V AC at 60Hz and convert it to 9V DC (500mA for the Famulator and I think 1000mA for the Super Fami). For Europe and Australia you'll want ones that take 220V AC at 50Hz and output the same as the originals. As long as the outputs match the original adapters they'll be safe to use no matter what the inputs specs are. Of course, the plugs have to match, too. Not just the size and shape, but also the tip polarity.
Does the plug from your Famulator fit into the Super Famicom you got? I've seen some SNESes in the US that take that kind of plug, which is very common and should be a piece of cake to find. Just get one that's 9V and 1000mA and it wwill work for both the Famulator and the Super Famicom. If the plug is different, it might be a little harder to find a replacement adaptor for the Super Fami. Some of them have what I think must be a proprietary plug, with a very thick barrel surrounding another barrel and female connection inside that.
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