Wiggy's project log

I love the hell out of this thread. Wonderful creations!

Bad_Ad84 was spot on about the SNES's power regulator.

But something you should know about the 7805 (in fact, the whole 78xx Vreg family) is that they are linear. That is, if the load is 1A of current, then they're drawing 1A of current from the power source. The voltage difference is wasted entirely as heat.

(V[SUB]in[/SUB] - V[SUB]out[/SUB]) * I = Heat in watts.

So running a 5V 500mA load off a 12V power source: (12 - 5) * 0.5 = 3.5W

3.5W doesn't sound like much, but the TO-220 package Vregs have really poor thermal characteristics. Without additional area for heat dissipation, they can get extremely hot after a few minutes of use.

 

Thanks!

LOL, that is 100% wasted on me. Not even like Greek to me, but more like Romulan or something I guess it's time for me to do some reading :/

 

The snes voltage regulator is attached to a heatsink, it should cope with the difference (2v)

However, you could replace the 7805 with one of these - http://uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...=sGAEpiMZZMtwaiKVUtQsNemMZL4TplJBqOl7845nWHA=

Drop in pin compatible replacement. No heat (as its switching regulator)

But I dont think its needed. But it does mean you could remove the heatsink entirely and save some space (if its a concern in your setup)

 

That's good to know. I added my 50/60 and lockout disable switches years ago and haven't opened a SNES since, so I wasn't sure if there was a heatsink on there.

 

Again, thanks!

The sink isn't an issue in my setup. The portion of the plastic cart port I used is taller than it, so it's fine and dandy as is

 

Ooh I love when people put a sp into a dmg case. Did you make the cart adapter yourself? That's some outstanding case cutting!

 

Yup yup! It was actually the first thing I did

Thank you!

Thanks!

 

Nifty little one-off rolled off the line today for a fellow TCPer

 

Been super busy with the business and new baby, but finally got around to the casting FAQ that I promised forever ago. Enjoy!


http://rosecoloredgaming.wordpress....ow-to-and-restoration-guides-3-casting-parts/