Sega And Nintendo Power Supply Repair Questions

[thegamezmaster]

Is it possible to open these up and repair dead ones? If so how do you get them open considering the weird security screws they use? Thanks for any help or tips anyone can help me with this as I have several. Thanks again.

[Game-Tech.US]

I've done so many I should write up a complete how to, but to be honest there's not much to fixing them!

The bit that I have that opens these came in a big set of weird bits and a driver.

I think it had the two bits for the nes console and game screws as well and that's why originally bought it.

A quick search for a pic and found these at grainger, they call them spanner bits, they can be found cheaper that this i'm sure.

Anyway, the cord is usually the problem, it most likely developed an 'open' from being used and abused over the years. Sometimes I can wiggle the cord and find the open, if its near the tip, cut it off and put on a new tip, if its near the transformer, open the trans and cut the cord well past where the open was and resolder the two wires to the trans. Be sure to make note of what wire is soldered to what post!!! If the stress relief is molded to the cord just split it long ways and remove and re-glue in a new spot after soldering the wires to the trans. If you're sure there's an open, but unsure where, replace the whole cord with one from a known working adapater, as long as the tip is correct, it doesn't matter what volts/amps the donor was rated at.

If you're not sure about the trans simple put a meter on the two wires and check for proper voltage, if its not reading well above what its rated for then its bad. For instance the NES brick is rated for 9 volts AC, but if its not plugged in to a console and you check the voltage it will most likely read around 13 volts AC.

Also, the plastic is really brittle, i've snapped posts inside the trans just by unscrewing it! So have some super glue and a big clamp handy just in case. If gluing the broken post(s) fails just glue the two halves together and clamp it down, the original cord lasted almost 30 years so you prolly shouldn't have to open it ever again.

OR just buy some really cheap new universal adapters! They work fine and the NES will accept almost any power, AC or DC, must be over 9 volts and minimum 500ma, and of course the right tip.