Power Supply Info
Rating
This is the voltage/current that the power supply is rated for.
Voltage
  • Some consoles require two or more different voltages.
  • Some power supplies output AC, and others DC.
  • In general, a console designed to run on AC will work just swell on DC juice. At worst, feeding DC to a console made to run on AC will not work, but it won't damage anything.
  • Sometimes the voltage is regulated at the power supply, but most often it isn't.
  • If you measure the voltage on an unregulated power supply without a load, it will read much higher than the rating indicates. This is normal.

Current

  • The current rating is what the power supply is capable of outputting. It is not what the power supply will output. Many people mistakenly believe that substituting a 1A supply for a 500mA one will overpower a console and fry it. This is simply false. The console determines the load put on the power supply, and the supply simply has to be able to keep up.
  • When substituting supplies, a supply with a higher current rating than the original is preferrable to one with a lower rating.
Plug type
When possible, the type of plug and its size is indicated.
Polarity
DC supplies have a definite polarity. AC ones don't. While a well designed console will protect itself against reverse polarity, don't count on it when you're randomly swapping supplies.
Alternative
This indicates what other power supplies will safely run this console without modifying either the power supply or the console.
(I don't care about the fantastic method you've discovered of rigging shit together, which somebody else discovered long before you did anyway. That's not the point. I'm never again telling twits how to go slicing these things up. The crybabies will always blame me when they fuck things up, and they always fuck things up. Been there, done that, learned lesson.)

Atari 2600 Rating 9VDC, 500mA
Plug type 1/8" phone
Polarity Tip positive
Alternative All atari-made models of the 2600 have compatible power supplies.
Atari 5200 Rating 4-port: 9.3VDC, 1.95A
2-port: 11.5VDC, 1.95A
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity Center positive
Alternative The power supply for both the 2-port and 4-port are identical and completely interchangeable, even though the plates indicate different ratings.
Atari 7800 Rating 9VDC, 1A
Plug type unique
Polarity  
Alternative Nothing I can think of
Atari 2800 / Sears Video Arcade II Rating 10VAC, 750mA
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity n/a
Alternative Atari 5200
Atari Jaguar
SMS / Genesis
TurboGrafx-16
Atari Video Pinball Rating 9VDC, 500mA
Plug type 1/8" phone
Polarity Tip positive
Alternative Atari 2600
Atari 600XL, 800XL, 65XE Rating Regulated 5VDC, 1.5A
Plug type 7-pin DIN
Pinout 4 1 6 = +5VDC
5 3 7 = GND
2 = no connection
Alternative none
Important notes This power supply has its own regulation. Do not try to power the console with an unregulated power supply.
Atari Jaguar Rating 9VDC, 1.2A
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity Center negative
Alternative TurboGrafx-16
APF M1000, APF MP1000 Rating 7.5VAC, 800mA
Plug type ?
Polarity ?
Alternative ?
ColecoVision Rating Regulated 5VDC, .9A
Regulated -5VDC, .1A
Regulated 12VDC, .3A
Plug type Weird 
4   1

 3 2
Pinout 1: +5V (white)
2: -5V (blue)
3: +12V (red)
4: GND (black)
Alternative Nothing on this planet. Don't even think of plugging a TI99/4A power supply into it.
Emerson Arcadia 2001 Rating 12VDC, 600mA
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity Center positive
Alternative Atari 5200 (loose fit, though)
Magnavox Odyssey˛ Rating 11.5VAC, 400mA
Plug type Early: 1/8" phone
Later: coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity n/a
Alternative Early: Atari 2600
Later: Atari 5200, NES
Intellivision II

or

Entertainment Computer System

 Rating 16.7VAC, 1A
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity n/a
Alternative Atari 5200
Atari Jaguar
TurboGrafx-16
Notes That 16.7V jazz is utter horseshit. I can't believe people go to such extreme measures to find a substitute power supply for these things. It's actual power requirements are about as generic as they get.
NEC TurboGrafx-16 Rating 10.5VDC, 730mA
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity Center negative
Alternative SMS / Genesis
Nintendo NES Rating 9VAC, 1.3A
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity n/a
Alternative Atari 5200
Atari Jaguar
TurboGrafx-16
Nintendo SNES Rating 10VDC, 850mA
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity Center positive
Alternative none
Sega Master System Rating 9VDC, 1A
Plug type coaxial ??mm/??mm
Polarity Center negative
Alternative Atari Jaguar
TurboGrafx-16

Jay Tilton
06/28/98

 

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