PC Engine power supply

[Spector]

I mentioned this in another thread, but I thought I would expand on it here:

I have found a power supply unit in my cupboard that I bought from an online dealer which is specifcally meant for games consoles:
http://www.robwebb.clara.co.uk/shop/misc/misc.htm

Scroll two thirds of the way down the page and you will see it.
It's an AC 230V to DC 9V power supply that can hold 1.2A and has a negative centre.

Will this power supply work with a white PC Engine? It says so on his website, but I just want to be sure by asking you guys.

[FM-77]

Yeah it will.

[Spector]

That's good news for me 

One thing that confused me was on the thread I link to below, someone has a picture (NeoStuey) of their connection, and it looks like a negative tip. If it's got a negative tip, it can't have a negative center, can it?
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2428.msg29919#msg29919

And one more thing - what happens when you turn a PC Engine on with no hu-card in it?

[NeoStuey]

Hi Spector,

Sorry if my picture has been the cause for some confusion.  :oops:

To answer your first post, the PC-Engine, CD-ROM2 and the Interface Unit are all 9Vdc centre negative.

The power supply unit you have will power a PC-Engine or CD-ROM2 unit on it's own, but may fail/cut out if you try to use it with a CD-ROM2/Interface Unit set-up as that requires a PSU capable of supplying 9Vdc @ 1450mA.

The picture I posted was specific to slayer2k7's question regarding powering a briefcase set-up with a Maplins 9Vdc Switched Mode Power Supply Adaptor code L46BL, an adaptor which I own and use myslef. Not having much time to post a detailed reply, it was easier for me at the time just to post a picture of how that particular tip and power tip socket had to go together to power the unit. I don't know why but the tip has to be set that way round, but it definitely won't power up the interface unit when set the other way around.

If not wanting to help matters, I found the wording on the Maplin box is none too clear.   

To connect a power tip with a centre positive polarity, ensure the side of the power tip with a "+" symbol appears in front of the word "TIP" on the power tip socket. To connect a power tip with a center negative polarity, ensure the side of the power tip with a "-" symbol appears in front of the word "CENTRE" on the power tip socket.

The words "TIP" and "CENTRE" are written in upper-case in the Maplin instructions, which makes it even more odd that the word "CENTRE" does not appear at all on the power tip socket. When I connected it so that the "-" symbol is on the opposite side to the word "TIP" which is just a blank space the interface unit failed to power on. So by process of elimination the only way it does work with that particular PSU is to have the "-" symbol above the word "TIP".

This seems still to be the case as slayer2k7 has posted to say his interface unit was now working too.

And one more thing - what happens when you turn a PC Engine on with no hu-card in it?

You'll probably get a white/blank screen.

Hope that I've been of some help.

[Spector]

Thanks for that reply, NeoStuey.
Now I know a lot more about what's going on with the PC Engine and the make up of it, I can rest easily that I'm not gonna blow it or something.