I think I'm frying nintendos like this

Pike · Post by **Pike** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:18 pm

I'm using a molex connector and aligator clips to pull 12v (the yellow wire) off of the psu in my computer to test the nes that I'm working on. This is the second one that stopped working. Could the power coming out of my computer be frying the boards? Is it too noisey? There are a lot of fans in there. All I'm getting now is snow on the screen but the led still blinks if no game is in. Any ideas? I'm almost out of nintedos...

atarihacker · Post by **atarihacker** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:46 pm

yes it problably is frying it

Pike · Post by **Pike** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:07 pm

Would using a psu that isn't in a computer be ok? I know how to turn it on without a motherboard. (The problem is I know just enough to be dangerous.) Or should I just go to batteries? I didn't have any on hand and that's why I used the computer.

2Lincolns · Post by **2Lincolns** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:58 am

I would recommend not hooking anything up unless you know what you're doing. Ensure you're only supplying the proper voltage to the NES. I'm building my NES Portable with a NOAC, which requires 5V, so I can't directly tell you how much the NES requires.

Regardless, don't just assume that because something is plugged into the wall that it is the power you need. Read up on electronic principles or perhaps Ben's book before you fry more Nintendos...or yourself.

Pike · Post by **Pike** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:40 am

I'm not totally clueless. I'm hooking the 12 volts to a voltage regulator (The one I pulled out of the old RF box inside the nes) dropping the power to 5 volts before it hits the nintendo board. I've done lots of silly things with electronics in the past, just nothing truely useful. I think part of the problem I was having was because of poor soldering do to my hand tremors. But I have a different idea of what I'm going to make now. And yes I have a copy of the book and a basic knowledge of simple electronic components

2Lincolns · Post by **2Lincolns** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:14 pm

Pike,

That's good. You didn't give any indication of your specific implementation details so I wanted to make sure. I didn't mean to imply you don't know what you're doing...just saying that if you don't, stop until you do.

I don't necessarily see anything wrong with what you're doing, though I've never tried it that way so I'm not sure what could be going wrong. I have spliced power off a molex inside my case before, but never for anything that didn't already require that exact voltage.

I'm making my portable with a NOAC, so I don't know the power requirements of the actual NES. Can anyone help Pike with this?

Thanks.

hailrazer · Post by **hailrazer** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:32 pm

2Lincolns wrote:
I'm making my portable with a NOAC, so I don't know the power requirements of the actual NES. Can anyone help Pike with this?

Thanks.

An Nes is 10.5v AC not DC.

Pike · Post by **Pike** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:09 pm

Sorry for the lack of details. I have adhd which means I have a tendency to just do things while missing small details like ac vs dc or remembering that you can't see the pile of wires hanging off the side of my computer. It also causes me to jump to conculsions and ramble on kinda like this. Oh well that's all of them except for one nes. And that one's my sons. But I just ordered a retro duo. That's next to be fried. Thanks to those who tried to help...

Sharp Sapphire · Post by **Sharp Sapphire** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:43 pm

hailrazer wrote:
2Lincolns wrote:
I'm making my portable with a NOAC, so I don't know the power requirements of the actual NES. Can anyone help Pike with this?

Thanks.
An Nes is 10.5v AC not DC.

A NES takes 5V DC. It gets converted to DC and passes through a 7805, so why not be efficient and only give it 5v. :]

hailrazer · Post by **hailrazer** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:47 pm

Sharp Sapphire wrote:
hailrazer wrote:
2Lincolns wrote:
I'm making my portable with a NOAC, so I don't know the power requirements of the actual NES. Can anyone help Pike with this?

Thanks.
An Nes is 10.5v AC not DC.
A NES takes 5V DC. It gets converted to DC and passes through a 7805, so why not be efficient and only give it 5v. :]

I was giving the power adapter ratings.

Flo · Post by **Flo** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 8:48 am

Pike wrote:Would using a psu that isn't in a computer be ok?

No!

A switching power supply needs a constant load on all rails to work properly.

Aguiluz · Post by **Aguiluz** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:55 pm

Is that 7805 really outputting 5V?

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:59 pm

Are you putting in the 5Volts before or after the 7805 inside the NES?

Flo wrote:
Pike wrote:Would using a psu that isn't in a computer be ok?
No!

A switching power supply needs a constant load on all rails to work properly.

Only the rails without load will be off spec in regards to voltage. It's fine to use only one or two voltages. Newer motherboards tend not to use certain negative voltages that the power supplies that aren't OEM still put out.