There is no harm in using a power supply with a higher rated Amperage as the console will only draw on what it needs.
Frank, can you prove this?
It's basic electronics, others have covered this pretty well so I won't expand. If it makes you feel any better I run mine from a power supply that is rated at 2000mA without issue. I also run my PC Engine on its own with a 1000mA adapter despite the console being rated at 650mA. Proof enough? I pretty much run all my retro consoles on adapters with a higher Amperage than what the console is rated at as it is better to have more than less (in terms of Amperage). Using an adapter without enough Amps won't do any damage but the console may not run correctly (weak video signal, distorted audio etc) or won't run at all.
You can run it (and other retro consoles rated at 9v) on an adapter with a voltage as high as 12v. Nearly all classic consoles use a regulator that drops voltage down to 5 volts anyhow as this is what most retro consoles run on. Typically the regulator will be rated for 15 volts. I've done it on a white Japanese PC Engine, countless Mega Drives, my Neo Geo AES system etc. I have consoles that have been running for 10 years in such a fashion without causing any damage. You may have noticed that some consoles have versions that require a 10v adapter (such as some Neo Geo's, some Mega Drive II's and the Duo's etc). These can also be run from a 9v - 12v adapter. Generally speaking you have a difference of around 3v to play with. Having said all that,
I would still recommend using an adapter with the correct voltage as not all consoles adhere to these rules. E.g. some versions of the Neo Geo require a 5v adapter so this would be one exception, you wouldn't want to use an adapter higher than 5 volts here (as there is no regulator in place, the console is expecting to receive 5 volts from the adapter).
Polarity is something you can't alter. You need to use an adapter with a plug that has the correct polarity or boom. Very few consoles have any safety measures in place for such a mistake. The only exception I've experienced is a Master System 2, for some reason this wasn't killed when powered via a power supply with the wrong polarity, but that could have just been luck. Console manufacturers were all over the place with this specification. E.g. A Mega Drive 1 has the opposite polarity to a Mega Drive 2, bastards. The Japanese Duo's also use the opposite polarity requiring a positive tip - so don't expect any continuity even amongst the same manufacturer.
Please DOUBLE CHECK polarity is correct before plugging anything in. Consoles and adapters will usually have a marking on them identifying the correct polarity.
E.g. "+ --(o-- -" indicates a negative tip, or inside as negative and outside as positive. "- --(o-- +" indicates the opposite. You can use a multimeter to double check if unsure. Just set the dial to Vdc. Touch the probe connected to the V (Red one) to the inside of the power adapter and the other one COM (Black probe) to the outside. If the center is positive the display will show you the volatge output. If the centre is negative it will show you the voltage output as well as display a - (minus) sign next to the voltage. If need be, you can easily reverse the polarity of any power supply by simply cutting the wires to the plug (not the mains plug, the end that goes into the console), and re-attaching them in reverse (i.e. there will be 2 wires, attach them the other way around) and connecting it back together with some solder and heat shrink.
Plug size is also important. The IFU-30 uses a 2.5mm plug whereas the console itself requires a 2.1mm plug (as does the CD-ROM unit). So if you want to run the console on its own (or the CD-ROM unit) outside of the IFU-30 you will need a different adapter with the correctly sized plug (2.1mm).
On a similar note, a Mega Drive 1 power adapter will run a PC Engine (the white Japanese one) just fine. Actually, the same power supply can be used on a PC Engine, Genesis, Mega Drive, SEGA-CD, Master System, Famicom, Super Nintendo console etc. Be careful though as power ratings sometimes differ from one region of console to another. Grab yourself a nice 9v DC 1A power supply with a 2.1mm plug and negative inside tip and you have a nice universal adapter that can run many classic consoles.
Lastly, considering how much you love your classic console and how much we spend on them, get a quality adapter for it. Sure, it might seem like a good idea to save some $$$ on a cheaper adapter but when a blob of solder comes loose and rolls around inside it shorting something out resulting in a power spike the money you saved won't be enough to replace your now dead console. A regulated power supply wouldn't hurt either if you can afford it but isn't strictly necessary.
Topic: pc-engine+CD power adapter question (Read 2069 times)
