I bought a famiclone the other day from my local game shop but it turns out it runs off 4x D sized batteries http://ultimateconsoledatabase.com/famiclones/console_tv.htm it's one of these by the way. I've cracked it open and had a look, it shouldn't be too difficult to put a DC jack in, there's even a space in the back which looks like it should be easy to snap out, presumably some other revision of this hardware had a Dc jack at some point. Regardless I was wondering if anybody had some idea of the current draw I can expect. I'll be able to monitor the current draw if nobody knows in a couple of days but if anybody has a ballpark figure it would be helpful as a starting point. Also there's clearly a space for a fuse, what would be a good value to put in? I've got a few different picofuses somewhere but I could do with some advice as to the best way to choose a value
Does it have some form of voltage regulator in it? If so (it should) does it have a heatsink? I reckon a tried and true 9vdc 1amp would be damn near perfect.
Nope, no voltage regulator at all, that was the first thing I looked for. It's pretty sparse on the electrical components generally to be honest. If I were to just use a power supply rated 6V (because that's what the batteries supply) and 1A (obviously making sure I don't screw up the polarity and kill it) and go from there does that sound like a reasonable starting point? I get the feeling that 1A might be a bit of an overkill mind you, the batteries I took out of that machine had a best before date of 2010, it was traded in with the batteries and they were demonstrating the thing for a good couple of hours in the shop before I bought it
I did something like this before when I modded a dc jack into my gameboy printer. Basically figure out if it works pop some batteries in it. If it does work go to ebay Buy a dc jack and a psu rated at the add up voltage of the batteries. Make sure the psu is dc. P.s, 1 amp shouldn't hurt it but, you might want to try 500ma before using a full amp.
The rating on a power supply is the maximum it can provide, it doesn't mean it's always putting out 1A. The console just draws as much power as it needs. It's safer to start with a higher rated power supply so you don't overheat it by drawing too much current.
Oh yeah I had already got that far. Already ordered the jack and I have a variety of power supplies with a voltage I can switch manually. Te reason I ask is because I have a 6V adapter which might be perfect for the job but is only 300ma. I intend to test the current draw before deciding on the adapter ro use but it just wanted affirmation before I get stuck in Though I could do with more guidance as to my choice of fuse
You will need a multi-meter with ammeter, put this in line (series) to the power source. It should be fairly low, I am guessing under 500mA DC. You will need to see what the current draw is first before determining fuse size. When selecting fuse size be careful too as you have to allow for start up current, not in the extreme like for motors etc, just be a bit conservative. If the system draws 500mA don't put a 500mA fuse in (well certainly not a quick blow anyway). For example, I have tested the current draw of a SNES a while ago and it drew about 600-650mA, they sport a 1.5A fuse.
I thought that might be the case Do we reckon that current draw will increase significantly if at all with a famicom cartridge plugged in? Because that may complicate things seeing as how I don't have any famicom games lol
Yes it will as more than likely it won't be "running", unless it has built in games. Also consider if you ever get a flash cart or the like, I have heard people say the Mega Everdrive etc uses a bit more juice. I think (allthough not sure) things like a game genie will draw a bit more as well (if someone could confirm that?).
It does have built in games, 21 of them, one of them is a romhack of super mario called "panda" lol I wouldn't have known whether or not it was working without those haha I don't think me buying a flash cart for it is likely but I'll probably buy some cheapo famicom game off ebay to give it a test and make sure I'm covering all bases
I'm feeling kinda stupid because I'm not 100% sure how to interpret the readout on my multimeter haha been a long time since I had to measure current and I've enevr had to do it with a digital multimeter. I set it to 20m in the DCA section and the readout lingered around 19-17. Does this mean it only draws 19-17 mA? because that seems a bit incredibly low This was with the batteries by the way Update - I pressed on, installed the jack, put in a 500mA picofuse and it seems to be running nicely with a 300ma 6V psu. Update The current draw is slightly higher with the power supply, seems only to be about 32-34 mA though All I need to test now is the current draw with a famicom cart inserted but I can't see it shooting up massively really Update 31/1/13 - My famicom cart arrived today, just some mahjong game (I can't tell if I'm winning or losing haha) The current draw skyrockets to 106mA, it's not a problem, but pretty interesting nonetheless, I'll continue to monitor the current if/when I get any other famicom carts to make sure nothing untoward happens but my endeavor seems to have been a success. Hooray no more D batteries!
