Fried AC Adapter?

[Armonigann]

O.K. so I hooked up my Vader and played Turmoil for about 15 mins (which at first no response from joys, then all the sudden they worked) then popped in River Raid, noticed the land was blue not green then turned off the system for about 5 mins. or so and when I turned back on, no power. The AC adapter was extremely hot but obviously not shooting juice. I tried my extra adapter and it worked fine(both are Atari brand), although colors are still off. I'm guessing adapter fried? Can anyone please shed some light on what might have happened? Also can you use an alternate power supply(non Atari brand) with same or similar voltage? I've googled all possibilities but nothing really on point. Thanks in advance for any knowledge you can spare.

[tz101]

I am not so certain that power adapters are affecting the color discrepancies you are experiencing. This might be as simple of a fix as to take the Vader's case apart and adjust the color saturation adjustment screw on the main board. I just had my Sears Video Arcade II console putting red coloring on E.T. where the landscapes should have been green. Then, I tried Activision Enduro and the ground was red and the sky was beige. All I did was take the console apart and make adjustments with the Enduro game powered on and all the color problems were solved.

[Armonigann]

I am not so certain that power adapters are affecting the color discrepancies you are experiencing. This might be as simple of a fix as to take the Vader's case apart and adjust the color saturation adjustment screw on the main board. I just had my Sears Video Arcade II console putting red coloring on E.T. where the landscapes should have been green. Then, I tried Activision Enduro and the ground was red and the sky was beige. All I did was take the console apart and make adjustments with the Enduro game powered on and all the color problems were solved.

Thanks, I will definately give that a shot with the color issue..Now as far as the AC adapter overheating all the sudden is a certain mystery to me, and I'm still curious about adapter alternatives..Thanks again for the color fix idea .

[tz101]

Because all the 2600 consoles up to the 2800 used a male "stereo" plug to fit into the console's power port, it becomes difficult to find another systems adapter that will fit. The SMS, NES, and Genesis all used female adapter ends on their power bricks. The Sega Genesis model I used a 9v DC adapter like the Vader requires, but you would have to cut and splice the end plug from your overheating power brick. Also, be careful about polarity. VCS Atari power brick outputs 9v DC (not AC as you originally posted) and the Genesis model I/Sega Master System power adapter also outputs 9v DC. Again, just watch for polarity if/when you splice the different connector onto a Genesis/SMS power brick. The Atari uses center positive polarity, while the Genesis/SMS adapter has center polarity of negative. This is not a problem as long as you wire it correctly when you make the splice. Definitely do not use a NES power brick on your Vader 2600 console as it outputs AC current which will permanently damage it. The 2600 was made to accept DC input. You can use DC current to power an AC device, but cannot use AC current to power a DC device. Hope this helps.

[Armonigann]

Because all the 2600 consoles up to the 2800 used a male "stereo" plug to fit into the console's power port, it becomes difficult to find another systems adapter that will fit. The SMS, NES, and Genesis all used female adapter ends on their power bricks. The Sega Genesis model I used a 9v DC adapter like the Vader requires, but you would have to cut and splice the end plug from your overheating power brick. Also, be careful about polarity. VCS Atari power brick outputs 9v DC (not AC as you originally posted) and the Genesis model I/Sega Master System power adapter also outputs 9v DC. Again, just watch for polarity if/when you splice the different connector onto a Genesis/SMS power brick. The Atari uses center positive polarity, while the Genesis/SMS adapter has center polarity of negative. This is not a problem as long as you wire it correctly when you make the splice. Definitely do not use a NES power brick on your Vader 2600 console as it outputs AC current which will permanently damage it. The 2600 was made to accept DC input. You can use DC current to power an AC device, but cannot use AC current to power a DC device. Hope this helps.

Yes, that info helps a ton! Thanks for the knowledge, now I just have to put it in action.