Best 3rd Party AC Adapter for Model 1 Genesis?

[thetallguy24]

I'd prefer to have the OEM version (1602), but they're getting pretty high on eBay and not easy to find locally where I am.

 

I've been told Tomee is the best 3rd party version. Anyone else have suggestions?

[homerhomer]

Have you thought about the Sega Trio?

 

http://retrogamecave.weebly.com/sega-trio.html

[icemanxp300]

Do NOT buy this one. I bought a bunch years ago and while they work fine for nes and snes "so still worth getting for those", they put green horizontal lines in the screen on the genesis. I contacted seller at the time "not this link" and he told me some work fine. Well I had purchased a lot of like 20 and tested like 5 and none worked fine.

 

It didn't matter much to me as I was buying them for nes and snes anyhow, so they worked for what I needed. I requested they not be marketed for genesis but they still do. They will work with a genesis but picture quality and maybe sound suffers.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-New-AC-Adapter-for-NES-SNES-Genesis-Super-Nintendo-Power-Cable-Cord-/400754508465?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4ed482b1

Edited May 3, 2015 by icemanxp300

[thetallguy24]

Have you thought about the Sega Trio?

 

http://retrogamecave.weebly.com/sega-trio.html

 

Maybe if I could get a Duo version. I don't have a Sega CD. I mean its $30 after all. Pricey. Might as well get the 1602

[CatPix]

IMO, you'd be better to buy a good "generic" power supply.

The Genesis use a standard barrel connector, and the power requirement are, if I recall right, 9V (some models says 10, but really 9V is enough) and 400milliAmperes.

 

So get one that might not be labeled "Genesis" but that is of good quality and you'll be sure to buy a good and durable product.

 

And really, reading "Connection of all Sega units is recommended.

If you only need a Sega CD + Genesis, the "Duo" is right for you. " for the Sega Trio means to me that the power supply is probably utter cheap crap that will deliver incorrect voltage if not all units are connected. I won't trust this one one bit.

 

A good power supply will have a voltage regulation inside, even copper/magnets ones.

[thetallguy24]

IMO, you'd be better to buy a good "generic" power supply.

The Genesis use a standard barrel connector, and the power requirement are, if I recall right, 9V (some models says 10, but really 9V is enough) and 400milliAmperes.

 

So get one that might not be labeled "Genesis" but that is of good quality and you'll be sure to buy a good and durable product.

 

And really, reading "Connection of all Sega units is recommended.

If you only need a Sega CD + Genesis, the "Duo" is right for you. " for the Sega Trio means to me that the power supply is probably utter cheap crap that will deliver incorrect voltage if not all units are connected. I won't trust this one one bit.

 

A good power supply will have a voltage regulation inside, even copper/magnets ones.

 

What about wattage? The 1602 is 17W, but most generic adapters are 9W

 

They need to be 9V, 1A, 17W with a 2.1mm plug right?

Edited May 5, 2015 by thetallguy24

[+madman]

IMO, you'd be better to buy a good "generic" power supply.

The Genesis use a standard barrel connector, and the power requirement are, if I recall right, 9V (some models says 10, but really 9V is enough) and 400milliAmperes.

 

So get one that might not be labeled "Genesis" but that is of good quality and you'll be sure to buy a good and durable product.

 

And really, reading "Connection of all Sega units is recommended.

If you only need a Sega CD + Genesis, the "Duo" is right for you. " for the Sega Trio means to me that the power supply is probably utter cheap crap that will deliver incorrect voltage if not all units are connected. I won't trust this one one bit.

 

A good power supply will have a voltage regulation inside, even copper/magnets ones.

They are regulated per their website, so load shouldn't affect the output voltage. I haven't heard a single bad thing about the power supplies from those who've purchased them. (No affiliation and I don't own any of their products).

[twoquickcapri]

What about wattage? The 1602 is 17W, but most generic adapters are 9W

 

They need to be 9V, 1A, 17W with a 2.1mm plug right?

9 volts at 1 amp should be 9 watts. Don't know how they got 17 watts unless the PSU puts out more amps or volts then it is saying.

 

The voltage V in volts (V) is equal to the power P in watts (W), divided by the current I in amps (A):

V_(V) = P_(W) / I_(A)

[thetallguy24]

9 volts at 1 amp should be 9 watts. Don't know how they got 17 watts unless the PSU puts out more amps or volts then it is saying.

 

The voltage V in volts (V) is equal to the power P in watts (W), divided by the current I in amps (A):

V_(V) = P_(W) / I_(A)

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

A good 9-10V DC negative tip with at least 850mA is sufficient for Genesis, NES, TurboGrafx, and Famicom. SNES requires an uncommon adapter barrel with positive tip. I made a "Frankendapter" with 3 tips that works with 6 of my retro consoles: NES, Famicom, SNES, Genesis, TG-16, and Atari VCS.

 

Most retro consoles used a 7805 regulator which will operate safely and reliably between 7-11 volts and pull no more than 850mA. The 7805 is generally tolerant of improper polarity however running the console off AC instead of DC may destroy it. NEVER use an AC NES adapter with a Famicom or other console! Also be wary of unregulated adapters.

 

You should check the no-load voltage of the "9V" adapter with a multimeter when it is plugged in. Too much voltage may not kill the regulator right away but the 7805 will run hot shortening it's lifespan. If the "9V" adapter measures 12V or higher under no-load, discard the brick but feel free to recycle the tips. I have a whole box full of random adapters somewhere, many with choped cords. If I can't find a matching supply with the correct tip, I'll splice one together that matches.

 

Be wary Jag owners as it uses the same barrel tip as the others but requires a 9V positive tip. Due to poor design, plugging a negative tip into the Jag will smoke it immediately. I imagine lots of Jags died this way...

Edited May 6, 2015 by stardust4ever

[CatPix]

The 17watts it at the input so that's what the power supply use, not what it delivers. It feels like a wasteful supply BTW... That's almost half of the power wasted, probably in heat.

Ot it's a peak /safety measurement that bear no relationship with the power used.

[carlsson]

I agree, use a generic adapter that outputs 9V DC with centre negative polarity (sometimes switchable at the tip for universal supplies). Sometimes you can find those up to 1.5A which would be more than plenty.

 

Also remember as a rule of thumb:

• Devices specified to take AC input, like NES or SNES, generally will be happy to be fed with DC (careful testing has shown they won't even overheat much despite the static phase)
• Devices specified to take DC input, like Genesis, Famicom and others, should under no circumstances be fed with an adapter that outputs AC.

In practise it means you are likely to be able to power your NES with your original Genesis adapter, but don't try to power your Genesis with your original NES adapter unless you want to kill your Genesis.

 

The adapters you see for sale on eBay probably output DC, since it appears much cheaper to manufacture a power supply that converts the wall wart 115/230V AC into 9V DC, than it is to manufacture a transformer to give you 9V AC. Check availablity and prices on eBay if you disagree. The green lines probably are due to they're underpowered or falsely marked to output more watts/amperage than they really are able to.

Edited May 6, 2015 by carlsson

[thetallguy24]

I agree, use a generic adapter that outputs 9V DC with centre negative polarity (sometimes switchable at the tip for universal supplies). Sometimes you can find those up to 1.5A which would be more than plenty.

 

Also remember as a rule of thumb:

• Devices specified to take AC input, like NES or SNES, generally will be happy to be fed with DC (careful testing has shown they won't even overheat much despite the static phase)
• Devices specified to take DC input, like Genesis, Famicom and others, should under no circumstances be fed with an adapter that outputs AC.

In practise it means you are likely to be able to power your NES with your original Genesis adapter, but don't try to power your Genesis with your original NES adapter unless you want to kill your Genesis.

 

The adapters you see for sale on eBay probably output DC, since it appears much cheaper to manufacture a power supply that converts the wall wart 115/230V AC into 9V DC, than it is to manufacture a transformer to give you 9V AC. Check availablity and prices on eBay if you disagree. The green lines probably are due to they're underpowered or falsely marked to output more watts/amperage than they really are able to.

 

So would any of these work for a Model 1? They are AC/DC, 9V, 1A, with 2.1mm plug. Please keep in mind that I am not an electrician, so some of your explanations go over my head.

 

http://www.radioshack.com/nte-57-9d-1000-4-ac-dc-9v-1a-2-1mm-plug/55057422.html#.VUoehHvIx-4

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5V-7-5V-9V-12V-15V-5-5mm-x-2-1mm-AC-DC-Power-Adapter-Supply-Cord-Charger-/300997253277?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item4614d5989d

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-240V-50-60Hz-AC-DC-9V-1A-Converter-Charger-Adapter-Power-Supply-5-5x2-1mm-/320861187380?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab4d12d34

Edited May 6, 2015 by thetallguy24

[carlsson]

The one on Radio Shack unfortunately doesn't say which polarity it has, which is as cruicial as that it has DC output. Given how many other nonsense specs they list, they could just as well had included that bit of info, or at least a picture of the label where it is said.

 

The first one on eBay also lacks this info, but you could always ask the seller. I have a feeling that centre positive polarity is more common in general applications than centre negative, so chances are this one neither would fit your bill. (However, centre negative is rather common on video games from Japan and some home computers)

 

The second one on eBay clearly says it is centre positive...

 

This one however looks like it would fit your bill - 9V DC 1A, centre negative, right size tip as far as I can tell. As a bonus, it is cheaper than the two you found. YMMV though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181200815189

[thetallguy24]

The one on Radio Shack unfortunately doesn't say which polarity it has, which is as cruicial as that it has DC output. Given how many other nonsense specs they list, they could just as well had included that bit of info, or at least a picture of the label where it is said.

 

The first one on eBay also lacks this info, but you could always ask the seller. I have a feeling that centre positive polarity is more common in general applications than centre negative, so chances are this one neither would fit your bill. (However, centre negative is rather common on video games from Japan and some home computers)

 

The second one on eBay clearly says it is centre positive...

 

This one however looks like it would fit your bill - 9V DC 1A, centre negative, right size tip as far as I can tell. As a bonus, it is cheaper than the two you found. YMMV though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181200815189

 

Thanks for the help. This one below says its specifically for the Sega Genesis (doesn't say which model).

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-Adapter-Charger-for-Atari-Jaguar-or-Sega-Genesis-Power-Supply-9V-1A-5-5-2-1mm-/371032074597?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56633c2965

 

I do have concerned about Chinese parts like these. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try either. Anybody else ever tried using one of these?

Edited May 6, 2015 by thetallguy24

[carlsson]

I've bought other el-cheapo power supplies from China, and personally haven't got burned yet. Furthermore, the question is if you can find thse power supplies manufactured elsewhere than Asia. Given that large manufacturers like Apple and the rest outsource just about all their production to China, as a country the electronics industry should not have anything to worry you about, but I can agree that very small, light and cheap supplies make you wonder how they are constructed and what happens if a component inside suddenly goes bang. However I believe the technology with switching power supplies generally has advanced a lot in recent years, and the supplies packaged with modern electronic appliances from big brands aren't any different that the cheap ones sold on eBay.

 

Also notice the pics of the one you linked to, have the model number and ratings blurred out. This probably is because it looks like the polarity on the pictured power supply is positive, but the one you'll buy is negative, and either the seller wants to avoid competition or he didn't have any stock pictures of the actual power supply model so he took a similar one and blurred out some details.

Edited May 6, 2015 by carlsson

[+madman]

The one on Radio Shack unfortunately doesn't say which polarity it has, which is as cruicial as that it has DC output. Given how many other nonsense specs they list, they could just as well had included that bit of info, or at least a picture of the label where it is said.

A few seconds in Google will solve that: http://www.nteinc.com/acdc_adapters/adapters_02.pdf

 

Spoiler: Center positive.

[carlsson]

Nice find! It seems the text "Data sheet" on the Radio Shack web page is a disguised link that will try to open a pop-up with the same PDF, but right now it doesn't open on my browser.

[thetallguy24]

Nice find! It seems the text "Data sheet" on the Radio Shack web page is a disguised link that will try to open a pop-up with the same PDF, but right now it doesn't open on my browser.

 

Will a Jaguar adapter work with the Model 1?

[mickcris]

 

Will a Jaguar adapter work with the Model 1?

 

yes