Pc-Engine Duo Power Brick Overheat

[nightkidzero13]

Hey all,

I have been having a weird problem with my pc-engine duo. It has been region modded and recapped. When playing cd games ( Star Parodia and Winds of Thunder are the most common culprits) the music would cut out but everything would still work and load fine with sound effects. I leave the system plugged in all the time, and I was messing with the power cords to all my systems trying to find room for a new brick when I noticed the Duo power brick was very warm even though I had not played it in weeks. I unplugged it for about 2 days and plugged it back in to test and all the music worked just fine, is this a result of a change in voltage from Japan to American or a early sign of a power supply that is about to fail? I was going to pick up a converter to match the Japanese power output either way, but any advice would be welcome.

[ClodBuster]

Let somebody on the forums do a recap of the system and let them know you also wish the laser rail to be relubed and potentiometers tweaked. Send them also your power supply so they can check if there's anything wonky with that, too.

If you don't, then be aware that the longer you wait, the lesser are the chances for a succesfull repair.

[SignOfZeta]

Define "very warm".

[nightkidzero13]

Thank you for the response, I have a local guy in my area who I know is an active member and a very good console Modder. He did the region and recap for me when I got the unit. he looked at it and sighted the voltage difference being the cause of the overheat in the power brick, he noted nothing else wrong with the system and recommended I switch to a Japan ----> American step-down transformer

[nightkidzero13]

I would define 'very warm' as like it had been running for an extended period. maybe 100 degrees if I had to guess

[ClodBuster]

USA and Japan have the same voltage.

[nightkidzero13]

That is a common misconception, japan uses 100V, where as U.S. uses 120V as confirmed by google and friends in the military stationed there. (not being a smartass)

[Necromancer]

It's close enough that it shouldn't matter, at least not for something simple like a wall wart.  It'll just get a little warmer than usual.

[SignOfZeta]

Your guy is wrong. You don't need a stepdown. Don't buy one.

I ask about "very warm" because if you aren't familiar with 25 year old power supplies they may all seem warm compared to today's Energy Star compliant ones. The old ones would often waste more wattage in heat than the device actually used.

Your next step is to get a verifiably good power supply and see if the problem comes back. If it does your machine needs an overhaul.

[nightkidzero13]

but the thing is, the system had been off for months, much like the other systems, sega cdx, snes Saturn and nes, and none of those were warm at all, hence the concern, also why would letting it cool down unplugged and then using it allow the system to function normally, I don't know if it helps but the music would only drop on cd games never on hu cards.

[nightkidzero13]

console 5 makes a power adapter to let you use a genesis power supply on the duo would that be a more viable power source?

[sirhcman]

My NES AC brick is warm to the touch even if the system has been off for extended periods. I wouldn't sweat it

[SignOfZeta]

The system being on or off has almost zero effect on how much heat will be radiated by the power supply. The heat comes from having a giant-ass coil that is always energized, not from from the draw of the device. That's why this style isn't being made anymore. It's a very wasteful design.

I suspect the system needs work but since that's much more time consuming to prove I suggested a known good power supply. There are 1000 of them on the market you can use, just make sure it's the correct voltage and polarity, and that it will flow at least 1000mA. A lot of people like certain Sega ones, fine , whatever, but I'd suggest getting something new with selectable output. You'll find a use for it.

Once that's established play around with the system and see how it works. If it's still fuct then start saving for repairs.

[Vimtoman]

The original NEC PSU is transformer based.
If you leave it on it will still draw power due to the AC side of the coil in the transformer.
Probably why it was hot?
My advise is not to leave any PSU plugged in when not in use.

[Necromancer]

Exactly.  If yours is excessively hot, it's probably a starscream model; trade it out for a a much cooler jazz model.