Maintaining/Playing a Famicom & FDS in Australia

[sunsoft]

I've been interested in getting a Famicom/FDS for a long time - been collecting games for the PAL nintendo consoles & built up an interest, http://atariage.com/forums/topic/213038-is-the-famicom-disk-system-worth-it/ I read that article saying you'll have nothing but problems. What's your experience using/collecting for the disk system? Anything I need to know because I've kinda already bought a disk system & console that are on their way now.

Also I read that I'll need a step down converter to power the console in Australia, is there anything else important to using famicom consoles on my tv for example? The consoles been modded for AV output so I'm hoping for no issues getting it to come through my tv but I was more concerned about a power supply that will work.

[GreenKoopa]

I bought an av famicom for use in australia.  Instead of a step down transformer, i bought a replacement power supply off ebay instead, for about $20. No console mods were needed for this to work. 

My 2010 sony  tv actually handles the ntsc output no problem whereas a lot of newer tvs won't handle the signal.  However, i did also buy a iscan hd+ dvdo scaler so i could handle any signal from an imported console which works great. Google for more info. 

[sunsoft]

I bought an av famicom for use in australia.  Instead of a step down transformer, i bought a replacement power supply off ebay instead, for about $20. No console mods were needed for this to work. 

My 2010 sony  tv actually handles the ntsc output no problem whereas a lot of newer tvs won't handle the signal.  However, i did also buy a iscan hd+ dvdo scaler so i could handle any signal from an imported console which works great. Google for more info. 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nintendo-Famicom-Power-Supply-Adapter-Pack-Super-Famicom-Disk-Jr-AV-AU-Plug-/301908468904?hash=item464b25a4a8:g:dPIAAOSwQoFWOqXr I saw that but the end of it looks wrong, do you have a link that you know will work? As for getting a signal I don't think I'll get any issues but I just wanted to know if you experience any hiccups when first setting up your console.

[GreenKoopa]

I bought an av famicom for use in australia.  Instead of a step down transformer, i bought a replacement power supply off ebay instead, for about $20. No console mods were needed for this to work. 

My 2010 sony  tv actually handles the ntsc output no problem whereas a lot of newer tvs won't handle the signal.  However, i did also buy a iscan hd+ dvdo scaler so i could handle any signal from an imported console which works great. Google for more info. 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nintendo-Famicom-Power-Supply-Adapter-Pack-Super-Famicom-Disk-Jr-AV-AU-Plug-/301908468904?hash=item464b25a4a8:g:dPIAAOSwQoFWOqXr I saw that but the end of it looks wrong, do you have a link that you know will work? As for getting a signal I don't think I'll get any issues but I just wanted to know if you experience any hiccups when first setting up your console.

Try this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/301908468904

I think it is that same one i bought. 

Also, most ppl have problems getting ntsc signals working on their pal tvs. I was just lucky it worked on my sony. Google your tv model to see if it supports the signal. 

[Arkanix38]

You can grab any 9V power pack from Jaycar with ~1-1.5A output. Make sure you have the center negative/positive (check the FAQ in Support board) set correctly and you're good to go. Thats the wonderful thing about DC power supplies, they are fairly universal if you get the Voltage and Current right.

As for the Disk System, learn how to change the belt and align the spindle (or get someone else to do it) and you'll be just fine. Besides, you can always get one for show and use an FDS-Stick or other device with the RAM Adapter to save the drive from breaking.

EDIT: As for TVs, you'll only have issues with older screens. My old Commodore 1084S CRT displays it in Monochrome but every new LCD i've thrown it at works perfectly (but looks grainy cause of HD upscaling). If you want a beautiful pixel perfect Famicom, unfortunately you're going to spend a bunch of money on an NESRGB installation and a good CRT RGB display.