Do I Need Japanese Extension Cords?

[okame]

I've got a Twin Famicom, but I still haven't gotten a step down voltage converter. I NEED the converter, as the Twin Famicom controller is numbing my left hand due to too much power going through the system! When I'm using my voltage converter, can I use Canadian extension cords or power bars, or do I need to buy Japanese ones online?

[ericj]

That doesn't make any sense. Got a good laugh, though, so thanks for that. 

[Rosser]

I only use power bars when I'm working out or I missed a meal but I guess you can use them for when playing video games but watch out I believe they have a lot of calories 

[2A03]

I NEED the converter, as the Twin Famicom controller is numbing my left hand due to too much power going through the system!

LOL, plastic doesn't conduct electricity and there are no metal bits on the controller to get shocked on anyway.

[okame]

Plastic might not conduct electricity, but the hard WIRED Twin Famicom controllers do! The disk drive in mine is broken (my guess is no power going to the motor), and the signal's going from the AC adapter to the console to the wired controller to my left hand. If it's not the broken drive, I need a new AC adapter for the Twin. Saw a Japanese one with the right specs online that's a 3rd party adapter with a plug adapter that plugs into the AC port on the Twin.

Either the adapter is shocking me, which is a quick fix (get the 3rd party adapter), or the lack of power to the FDS drive motor is transferring the electricity throught the console and into my left hand. I'm trying to fix the drive myself, and if the motor works but my left hand still gets shocked, I'll get the replacement AC adapter first. My question is, if I got a 110 to 100 volt step down converter for the working power adapter, either mine or the replacement, would it matter if I plugged the voltage converter to a Canadian extension cord or power bar? I ask because all the outlets are being used in both the living room and my bedroom.

I know what a shock is, because due to a defect on my MacBook until I can get it fixed, my left hand is constantly getting shocked by the left side of my keyboard! Stupid electronic dependency!

[Rosser]

The FDS only pulls juice when its needed so broken or not it wont make a difference.
I swear reading some of your comments if I didn't know any better I would swear you are trolling or something 

a hardwired controller is the same as any regular controller it still a plugged in a port its just not as accessible as regular controller.

cords and power strips are meant for a wide range of power so there will defiantly not be an issue there.     

[2A03]

Plastic might not conduct electricity, but the hard WIRED Twin Famicom controllers do! The disk drive in mine is broken (my guess is no power going to the motor), and the signal's going from the AC adapter to the console to the wired controller to my left hand.

Um no it isn't. Your hand is just cramping up, no electricity involved there. How old are you?

[Lum]

The AC adapter is supposed to output about 9 volts. If a signal normally that weak is flowing through plastic, your console has a more serious internal problem.

[80sFREAK]

That doesn't make any sense. Got a good laugh, though, so thanks for that. 

+1

[P]

You should be able to answer your question yourself if you just think about it. Your wall outlet gives out 110v and the step-down converter lowers it to 100v and outputs that to whatever is connected to it (Famicom AC-adapter). A power bar doesn't touch voltage it just extends the cord and splits the outlet into many. Now you can try figuring it out.

Now of course a step-down wouldn't help you in this case.

[RetroHacker]

And as we've said in the past, the AC adapter isn't a problem... There is a wonderful device called a "voltage regulator" that lives in the Famicom, and it ensures that only the correct number of volts is "running through" the system.

You're not getting shocked from the controller...

-Ian

[okame]

If it's the voltage regulator that's supposed to keep the system from shocking me, it's not doing a good enough job. I'm 35 years old, and I'm NOT trolling! This is just my first time dealing with a used Japanese Nintendo console. I'm used to the NES and my Retron 3. I don't know why, but the Twin Famicom IS shocking me! I unplugged the AC adapter after the TV started buzzing louder than the game! Even 2 days later, when I fixed a broken wire connection to the adapter itself with black electrical tape (there was a small cut in the wire where I could see the wires themselves), I could still feel a shock that made my left hand go numb. Same thing when I touched the wire on the player 1 controller. When I WASN'T touching the wire, my hand was fine. If that isn't being shocked by the controller wire, what is?

As I've said, I might need another AC adapter. Found a 3rd party solution online. Not official, but it was tested in Japan and guaranteed to work. Just got a voltage converter online, so if it's too much power going into the system that's shocking me, I'll be fine. If it's the AC adapter, I'll get the 3rd party one. If it's the voltage regulator, does anyone know if that can be fixed, or do I need to get a Twin Famicom with one that works?

[famifan]

I thoroughly enjoyed this yet another sweet cutesy kiddy OKAME thread


OKAME thread... sounds goood. I bet it can become our local meme for short time
Post Merge: November 30, 2012, 10:58:14 am

I'm 35 years old, and I'm NOT trolling!

if so where are the pics with you and your notorious twin famicom from another OKAME THREADs?

[RetroHacker]

But the wires on the controllers are insulated. At least, they're supposed to be. Touching it shouldn't do *anything*. The voltage in that wire is five volts at a very low current. Even if the controller power wire were exposed, you would NOT be able to feel it through your skin.

It's possible you have a bad AC adapter. These do break. If the AC adapter itself is buzzing, then it's damaged. But if the Famicom itself works (and isn't, say, billowing smoke), then the voltage regulator inside the console is working, and the voltage in that controller wire is still five volts.

There is nothing magic about the Twin just because it's from Japan. It works just the same way the American NES works, or any other console. Unregulated plugpack feeds a voltage regulator in the console. All exposed wires and cables are fully insulated and perfectly safe to touch.

But I would go back and look at that "broken wire connection to the adapter" - what did you fix with tape, and how? Do you have any pictures? If, for instance, you have created a partial short on the secondary of the adapter, you would get the buzzing noises you described - although it should really burn itself out in short order. Still won't shock you though...

-Ian

[ericj]

Try holding it in your right hand and see if you get shocked. Also, test with a DMM if there is current going to the controller itself. Only then will you see what we already know.

If your MacBook is "shocking" your left hand, too, then you probably have a pinched nerve in your neck or shoulder giving you that feeling. No shocks to your right hand, but two different electronics shocking your left hand?  Simple logic tells me there is something else going on and you're misinterpreting it.

Correlation does not equal causation.