PCEngineFans.com - The PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 Community Forum
NEC PC-Engine/SuperGrafx => PC Engine/SuperGrafx Discussion => Topic started by: GameFreak on October 25, 2010, 06:45:45 PM
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I have a pc-engine (hucard only) system and it died a few years ago and I still have some games I really want to play.
I was thinking of ordering the pc-engine with cd from rising stuff but it says it doesn't have a power adapter included. I also saw one on craigslist that doesn't have a power adapter either. I own a tg-16 with cd and I have the original power adapter. I noticed that these power adapters made by nec on ebay are really expensive. I am assuming you cant use one from Best Buy. I live in U.S. .... So my questions are....
1.Can I buy a generic (Best Buy, Radio Shack) power adapter for a pc-engine+CD unit?
2.Could I use my original U.S. tg16+CD power adapter on a pc-engine+CD system?
3.Why are the original U.S. Tg16 NEC power adapters so expensive used condition? no substitutes?
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I have a pc-engine (hucard only) system and it died a few years ago and I still have some games I really want to play.
I was thinking of ordering the pc-engine with cd from rising stuff but it says it doesn't have a power adapter included. I also saw one on craigslist that doesn't have a power adapter either. I own a tg-16 with cd and I have the original power adapter. I noticed that these power adapters made by nec on ebay are really expensive. I am assuming you cant use one from Best Buy. I live in U.S. .... So my questions are....
1.Can I buy a generic (Best Buy, Radio Shack) power adapter for a pc-engine+CD unit?
2.Could I use my original U.S. tg16+CD power adapter on a pc-engine+CD system?
3.Why are the original U.S. Tg16 NEC power adapters so expensive used condition? no substitutes?
Please check this link for the specs of the various AC adapters:
http://www.gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=repair:pcepowersupplies
The PC-Engine IFU unit takes PAD-123.
Answers to your questions:
1a) Best Buy does not carry a universal AC adapter that covers the amperage of the PAD-123.
1b) Radio Shack has this AC adapter (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807943&numProdsPerPage=60&retainProdsInSession=1) but the amperage is not perfect. It's really recommended to buy an official replacement.
2) No, the voltage is different, and the plug sizes may be different as well.
3) Price gouging.
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Why not region mod your TG16 and save the trouble of having to get another system?
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or forget turbochips altogether! long live hueycardos!
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was thinking of ordering the pc-engine with cd from rising stuff but it says it doesn't have a power adapter included.
I don't recommend this idea. Get it from a reliable source that keeps up with communication. Even yahoo japan auctions will be a safer experience probably.
1.Can I buy a generic (Best Buy, Radio Shack) power adapter for a pc-engine+CD unit?
Yeah. I got a replacement/spare adapter from Radio Shack with switchable voltage. Just take the system in and find the adaptaplug that fits in the jack. Make sure you match the polarity, and go go go.
3.Why are the original U.S. Tg16 NEC power adapters so expensive used condition? no substitutes?
Dumbasses + ebay = ^^^^
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So you're after a suitable power supply for the Japanese IFU-30, AKA a briefcase setup (the device that holds both the console and CD-Unit)?
I have one, what you want is:
[ul][li]DC 9V 1450mA[/li][li]+ --(o-- - (polarity is outside positive & inside negative)[/li][li]2.5mm plug[/li][/ul]
Voltage you should keep to 9V and you must obey the polarity. Amps can be higher but not lower. There is no harm in using a power supply with a higher rated Amperage as the console will only draw on what it needs.
I had no problems in finding a suitable one at my local electronics store, I can't see why you would either.
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There is no harm in using a power supply with a higher rated Amperage as the console will only draw on what it needs.
Frank, can you prove this?
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Yeah my biggest fear was damaging the system trying random adapters. I'm going to check out the store with the info you guys gave me and see what they got. Does anyone have a part # and specific store? That one at radio shack is about $30. That's pricey!
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Basic Electronics. Total Resistance controls current. Current and voltage control amperage. Ergo, if voltage and resistance are held constant, unit will draw constant amperage. No more, no less.
(I don't remember the exact formulas, but most basic electronics books have them. They also mention that the reason you need a fuse is just in case the resistance drops to 0, allowing loads of current to flow. Nothing is ever mentioned about using too many amps - just too few )
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Basic Electronics. Total Resistance controls current. Current and voltage control amperage. Ergo, if voltage and resistance are held constant, unit will draw constant amperage. No more, no less.
(I don't remember the exact formulas, but most basic electronics books have them. They also mention that the reason you need a fuse is just in case the resistance drops to 0, allowing loads of current to flow. Nothing is ever mentioned about using too many amps - just too few )
Can you prove that the PC-Engine IFU, released in 1988, has the proper resistance to handle amperage over the amount normally provided by the official AC adapter?
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Official adaptors are a waste of money and time since they are old as hell now about may fail. The (somewhat overpriced) Radio Shack one is the one to get for any NEC CDROM system since almost nothing made today can supply the current these old power hogs require.
A higher amperage rating is OK. If the system says it wants 9V, then 9V is what it needs. The amperage could be 1A, or 1000A, it doesn't matter. See: Ohms Law.
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Official adaptors are a waste of money and time since they are old as hell now about may fail. The (somewhat overpriced) Radio Shack one is the one to get for any NEC CDROM system since almost nothing made today can supply the current these old power hogs require.
A higher amperage rating is OK. If the system says it wants 9V, then 9V is what it needs. The amperage could be 1A, or 1000A, it doesn't matter. See: Ohms Law.
Zeta, your point about the age of the official adapters is a good one, but to apply ohm's law we need to know what kind of resistance is built into the PCE-IFU unit.
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The total resistance isn't fixed since it will go up and down depending on how many controllers are plugged it, as the CD seeks, the volume level changes, etc. You don't need to know it though. Unless the system shorts internally, its incapable of drawing more amperage than designed. The amount of current flowing through the IFU will be determined by the resistance (same as when the IFU was built) and the voltage (same between the RS and OEM PS). Since the original supply was rated at 1450mA, then we know that the maximum expected draw from a healthy PCE is the same or less, meaning that the minimum resistance of said unit is 6.2Ω. In reality is actually much more than that. I've run my Duo R off a 240mA PS and it actually ran fine except when the CD moved. Then the display went dim and bad stuff started happening (ie: it was outdrawing the PS I was using, and voltage was dripping below 9V, probably below 5V).
Likewise, you can put the 12V battery from a big GMC diesel van in your 1984 Honda Civic (assuming you could physically fit it under the hood) with no problems at all, even though the amperage on the van battery is probably 6 times what the Civic needs.
Also, the difference between the Radio Shack and OEM adaptors is 50mA, which is below production variations, from my experience, anyway.
I think I'm not doing a good job of explaining it, but its really a second nature concept for me as I learned this stuff in the 8th grade and use it every day. I'm sure there is a Flash animation or something on the internet (probably using a garden hose as an analogy) that does a great job of explaining it.
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What Zeta (and others) says is true, rag-time: it's pretty elementary electrical stuff.
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Basic Electronics. Total Resistance controls current. Current and voltage control amperage. Ergo, if voltage and resistance are held constant, unit will draw constant amperage. No more, no less.
(I don't remember the exact formulas, but most basic electronics books have them. They also mention that the reason you need a fuse is just in case the resistance drops to 0, allowing loads of current to flow. Nothing is ever mentioned about using too many amps - just too few )
Can you prove that the PC-Engine IFU, released in 1988, has the proper resistance to handle amperage over the amount normally provided by the official AC adapter?
Considering these basic laws of EE were made long before the PCE, and that the PCE is pretty solidly made stuff, I'd venture to guess its not going to blow up.
I mean, stuff from the 70s is safe, and its not just because of the woodgrain.
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Any suggestions on a specific model adapter for PC-engine+CD (briefcase model) for less than the radio shack $30? I actually saw that (or a similar radio shack model attached to a TG16-non CD model) same one. I'm not that smart when it comes to volts, amps, and or polarity, ...so I appreciate the comments!!!!
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Off hand, no. The RS one is the magic bullet of PCE power supplies. Most stuff you find on shelves these days can't even supply half that amount of current.
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i have the exact model as u, the suitcase PcEngine, and i found a perfect replacement at Radio Shack as well. I got it in August? $26.99+taxes, includes 1 adaptor tip. The one u saw was it light beige color? I'll take a pic for you of mine tmrw :mrgreen:
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Any suggestions on a specific model adapter for PC-engine+CD (briefcase model) for less than the radio shack $30? I actually saw that (or a similar radio shack model attached to a TG16-non CD model) same one. I'm not that smart when it comes to volts, amps, and or polarity, ...so I appreciate the comments!!!!
Its just the big white adapter that says like 1000ma on it, with a voltage switcher. Its like 20 moneys. You just go in with your system and get the right adaptaplug for the end, and rejoice.
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It says 1500ma on it, and its more like 30 monies.
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It says 1500ma on it, and its more like 30 monies.
right right, my bad.
the 1000ma 20money one was for the duo-r, lol.
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There is no harm in using a power supply with a higher rated Amperage as the console will only draw on what it needs.
Frank, can you prove this?
It's basic electronics, others have covered this pretty well so I won't expand. If it makes you feel any better I run mine from a power supply that is rated at 2000mA without issue. I also run my PC Engine on its own with a 1000mA adapter despite the console being rated at 650mA. Proof enough? I pretty much run all my retro consoles on adapters with a higher Amperage than what the console is rated at as it is better to have more than less (in terms of Amperage). Using an adapter without enough Amps won't do any damage but the console may not run correctly (weak video signal, distorted audio etc) or won't run at all.
You can run it (and other retro consoles rated at 9v) on an adapter with a voltage as high as 12v. Nearly all classic consoles use a regulator that drops voltage down to 5 volts anyhow as this is what most retro consoles run on. Typically the regulator will be rated for 15 volts. I've done it on a white Japanese PC Engine, countless Mega Drives, my Neo Geo AES system etc. I have consoles that have been running for 10 years in such a fashion without causing any damage. You may have noticed that some consoles have versions that require a 10v adapter (such as some Neo Geo's, some Mega Drive II's and the Duo's etc). These can also be run from a 9v - 12v adapter. Generally speaking you have a difference of around 3v to play with. Having said all that, I would still recommend using an adapter with the correct voltage as not all consoles adhere to these rules. E.g. some versions of the Neo Geo require a 5v adapter so this would be one exception, you wouldn't want to use an adapter higher than 5 volts here (as there is no regulator in place, the console is expecting to receive 5 volts from the adapter).
Polarity is something you can't alter. You need to use an adapter with a plug that has the correct polarity or boom. Very few consoles have any safety measures in place for such a mistake. The only exception I've experienced is a Master System 2, for some reason this wasn't killed when powered via a power supply with the wrong polarity, but that could have just been luck. Console manufacturers were all over the place with this specification. E.g. A Mega Drive 1 has the opposite polarity to a Mega Drive 2, bastards. The Japanese Duo's also use the opposite polarity requiring a positive tip - so don't expect any continuity even amongst the same manufacturer.
Please DOUBLE CHECK polarity is correct before plugging anything in. Consoles and adapters will usually have a marking on them identifying the correct polarity.
E.g. "+ --(o-- -" indicates a negative tip, or inside as negative and outside as positive. "- --(o-- +" indicates the opposite. You can use a multimeter to double check if unsure. Just set the dial to Vdc. Touch the probe connected to the V (Red one) to the inside of the power adapter and the other one COM (Black probe) to the outside. If the center is positive the display will show you the volatge output. If the centre is negative it will show you the voltage output as well as display a - (minus) sign next to the voltage. If need be, you can easily reverse the polarity of any power supply by simply cutting the wires to the plug (not the mains plug, the end that goes into the console), and re-attaching them in reverse (i.e. there will be 2 wires, attach them the other way around) and connecting it back together with some solder and heat shrink.
Plug size is also important. The IFU-30 uses a 2.5mm plug whereas the console itself requires a 2.1mm plug (as does the CD-ROM unit). So if you want to run the console on its own (or the CD-ROM unit) outside of the IFU-30 you will need a different adapter with the correctly sized plug (2.1mm).
On a similar note, a Mega Drive 1 power adapter will run a PC Engine (the white Japanese one) just fine. Actually, the same power supply can be used on a PC Engine, Genesis, Mega Drive, SEGA-CD, Master System, Famicom, Super Nintendo console etc. Be careful though as power ratings sometimes differ from one region of console to another. Grab yourself a nice 9v DC 1A power supply with a 2.1mm plug and negative inside tip and you have a nice universal adapter that can run many classic consoles.
Lastly, considering how much you love your classic console and how much we spend on them, get a quality adapter for it. Sure, it might seem like a good idea to save some $$$ on a cheaper adapter but when a blob of solder comes loose and rolls around inside it shorting something out resulting in a power spike the money you saved won't be enough to replace your now dead console. A regulated power supply wouldn't hurt either if you can afford it but isn't strictly necessary.
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The great thing about adaptoplugs is you can change the polarity of them.
The instructions show you which way to connect it for your machine.
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Great info. It looks like I have a lot to learn about electricity. #-o
Question about something similar. I have a TG16 with the cd attachment and it has the original TG16 cd-rom adapter made by NEC....Can I plug that adapter into just the CD unit (as if I was using it as a CD music player) without the base or tg16 unit? or will that damage it? It was made to use it that way, right?
I know the NEC tg16 console adapter is different than the NECtg16/cd-rom unit adapter.
Also Thanks...It looks like I will go to radioShack when I get a briefcase model. Even if it comes with an original plug it seems like a good idea to get a NEW one from radioShack and keep the old one for backup.
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I'm not familiar with American hardware but I can tell you how it works with the Japanese hardware...
The white Japanese PC Engine console and the CD-ROM unit on their own both use the same adapter. The interface device uses a different adapter.
I imagine it would be the same with the US equivalent. Only way to be sure is to look on the underside of the console and check out what it says regarding power requirements. If you're still not sure, post a picture of the power specifications printed on the underside of the console and I'll take a look for you.
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Seemed to me that the US CDROM unit and the TG16 used the same adapter, but as with the Japanese IFU, the power supply for the US IFU is different.
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Specs for my U.S. system.
1.TG16 CD-ROM power supply HES-ACA-02 Input: AC 120V 60Hz 24W Output:11 VDC 1.53 A (it says "AC adapter for use with turbografx-CD)
2.Bottom of the CD unit.... Rating 10.5V 650mA (it says "use HES-ACA-01 ONLY")
3.Bottom of turbografx16 console only...Rating DC 10.5V 730mA (it says "use with adapter HES-ACA-01 ONLY")
4.Bottom of base unit that attaches tg16 and CD unit...Rating DC 11V 1.53A (it says "use adapter HES-ACA-02 or HES-ACA-03")
It seems like the adapter tip fits into the TG16 console but I didn't try to turn it on. I only use it when it is plugged into the base with CD unit.
couple questions....Before I looked at these numbers yesterday I plugged my HES-ACA-02 adapter into the CD unit (without the base or TG16) all by itself and it powered up fine and I played some game music. Did I damage anything?
The HES-ACA01 is for tg16 only. and the HES-ACA-02 is the one I have for TG16+cdrom.What is a HES-ACA-03????