Technical and Repair Assistance

[NintendoKing]

Thank u so i should try genesis or megadrive adaptor? And what about ps1 adaptor? oh,oh i almost forgot you said that i cant use nes original adaptor can u say why? Maybie i can try another famiclone's "zhilliton" adaptor?

Yes, NES uses AC which is incompatiable with Famicom; you need to use DC. Many people have blew up their Famicoms using a NES power supply.

And yes, a Megadrive power adapter will work fine, they use DC.

[Xious]

Genesis/Megadrive, First Release (wide type) only. The adapter for the second and third releases 9with a yellow tip) is not usable. Your other Famicom clone will probably be compatible with this one: Most are.

The long answer: Nintendo's power transformer that comes with the NES (not the Famicom) is simply a stepdown transformer that converts X-Volts AC Input to ~9 Volts AC Output. The NES is designed to run on either AC or DC voltages, whereas the voltage regulator in the Famicom, and clone systems will only operate on DC voltage, so you need a transformer that converts your AC input to DC output. (That's what most AC adapters do: The NES power brick is simply an oddity.)

If you have a known-working FamiClone, check the ratings onm its power supply. If they are within the range that I mentioned above, then try the system with that adapter, and report your findings.

[guineapig64]

Hello everyone!  I'm guineapig64 and I'm new to this site and I look forward to meeting everyone here at Famicom World!

I'm making this topic because I'm having some issues with my Famicom and I need some advice.

I recently bought a Famicom off of eBay and when it arrived, the Famicom will not work.  The problem is that every time I go to turn it on it will not turn on at all and it never has worked for me since I bought it about two weeks ago.  I live in the United States and I have an American RF Switch and an AC Adapter I also bought off of eBay since my Famicom didn't come with an original AC Adapter.  This AC Adapter I bought is supposed to work with both the NES and the Famicom but it only seems to work on the NES.  The seller who gave me the Famicom and the seller who gave me the AC Adapter claim that they work so I'm thinking one of the sellers on eBay are lying to me.  If you can help I would greatly appreciate it!

[manuel]

A normal NES AC adapter will NOT work for the Famicom.
There's probably also the chance you killed your Famicom if you used the wrong adapter. 

[Xious]

Please post the exact specs from the label on your power supply, and a photo if you don't know what the stuff on it means. Also, to what channel are you tuning your TV? Japanese stations 1 and 2 are not the same as USA channels 1 and 2. You want to tune in to the range of channel 95, 96 and 97 (set the switch on the FC to 'Ch.1')...

The FC has no power indicator light, so it may be working, and you may simply be unable to view it either because you are setting the wrong channel or because your tuner won't lock onto the signal.

@Manuel: He probably has a generic adapter, which may very well work with both systems, assuming it is the correct rating. He never said it was a Nintendo-brand PSU. Again, a good example on hyy people need to put photos and specs in their 'please help' posts.

[guineapig64]

Here are the specs to my AC Adapter (if I'm correct on this):

AC/DC Adaptor
Class 2 Power Supply
Model: HK41U-0900800
Input: 120V AC 60Hz 16W
Output: 9.0V 800mA

I have the channel selector on my Famicom set to channel 1 and I even tried channels 95, 96, and 97 and I still don't get anything.

[NintendoKing]

AC or DC output because if it outputs AC then you fried your Famicom, if that isnt the problem... then likely your tv is one of the very small amount of tv's that cannot pick up the Famicom channel signal.

Or simply it never worked, and you were ripped off.

[guineapig64]

I'm guessing that the output to my adapter is DC.  It says on my adapter that the input is AC but it doesn't say AC or DC for the output.

[ericj]

Welcome to the forum!

I'd suggest taking apart the Famicom and checking the voltage regulator and fuse. I'm guessing that AC adapter you have is putting out DC, but I could be wrong, so you're probably okay using it.



The black bar on the left is a fuse. Try bypassing it with a small piece of wire if your voltage regulator checks out okay.

[guineapig64]

I would like to do that but the problem is that I'm not very good when it comes to taking things apart and checking them out.  I did take it apart the one day but I have absolutely no idea how all this works.

[Xious]

It's possible that the power supply is toast, or that your TV can't synchronize to the FC video signal, or that the RF switch-box is bad. You are testing multiple games, right?

[2A03]

Here are the specs to my AC Adapter (if I'm correct on this):

AC/DC Adaptor
Class 2 Power Supply
Model: HK41U-0900800
Input: 120V AC 60Hz 16W
Output: 9.0V 800mA

I have the channel selector on my Famicom set to channel 1 and I even tried channels 95, 96, and 97 and I still don't get anything.

What polarity is it? The Famicom uses tip negative polarity.

[Xious]

This is why I said he should photograph it... He may not know how to read its polarity fro the label, if it's even designated at all. I knew it was a generic part from his description, and while adequate, the amperage is a tad low.

@guineapig64: If you want to pay for roundabout postage, I can test the system for you.

[guineapig64]

My brother mentioned last night that my AC Adapter was low on amperage and I did end up ordering an original Famicom AC Adapter off the internet but it didn't arrive yet and so my brother told me to wait for the original Famicom AC Adapter to arrive to get the Famicom to work again.

@Xious:  I wouldn't mind sending the Famicom to you but I haven't quite decided yet if I should wait for the original Famicom AC Adapter to arrive or I should send it out now.

[Xious]

FYI, you will also need to order a 110V to 100V AC voltage stepdown transformer to use the Japanese (original) PSU part. You don't want to run it on the USA 110-120VAC power without the converter for long, as it can damage the PSU and the unit.

If you want to send it for me to inspect, let me know and I will PM you my RMA address. I will test it at no charge, as long as you pay for return postage.