2600+ Power Brick, what should I get?

[Warboss Gegguz]

Glad I saw this. I was afraid that when it said it came with a USB-C powercable that meant it was a C to C, but I assumed steadier minds prevailed, apparently not. Just ordered an A to C cable from Amazon.

 

I still can't understand why C-to-C is becoming more common when C to A makes infinitely more sense regardless of the situation.

It's akin to making a micro to micro charger. Like, you could do that... but why?

[Ben from Plaion]

Just plug it into the USB socket on your TV usually near the HDMI socket. I've tried dozens of TVs and monitors USB sockets with the Atari 2600+ and always works just fine.

 

EDIT: Ignore me I just shot from the hip without reading the first page.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Ben from Plaion
I'm stupid

[Blinky]

1 hour ago, T.A.P. said:

Will this work?

I don't recommend to get anything over 15W Those may not work because they use different power profiles.

[T.A.P.]

Nevemind, figured it out.

Edited December 6, 2023 by T.A.P.

[T.A.P.]

Deleted.

Edited December 6, 2023 by T.A.P.

[82-T/A]

I'd actually ordered a power block in anticipation for my Atari 2600+, and then ordered my GameStation Pro afterwards. When the GSP arrived, it too didn't come with a power block, so I just used that one. Seems to work well for both. I guess it makes sense... I don't really have a lot of devices, so I didn't have any USB-C power blocks, but now I have one.

[Spanner]

I have used a 5V 3a power adapter and my USB port from my PC to power it and it works fine.

[ukaskew]

There are a few people I've helped on social media and other forums who believe they had a DOA 2600+ because they've used a power configuration that isn't compatible with powering it for whatever reason.

 

As our Switch and Steam Deck docks are already nicely installed under our TV I first tried a quick swap over with the USB-C power source from them (the official Nintendo one and the official Valve one), neither would power the 2600+, so at that point I assumed mine was dead too.

 

I then found a very old Apple iPhone charging brick and used the supplied cable and it worked fine. Weirdly, when I plugged that into our extension lead that only powers on when a Master device is powered up (n our case the TV) it wouldn't work either, despite the TV being on and other devices drawing power from the same extension lead. 

 

I can see how people are assuming they have DOA units, especially as many people will have high powered USB bricks/fast chargers these days, which don't appear to play ball with it.

 

I also, oddly, have an issue with it not playing nicely with our HDMI switcher. I've tried multiple HDMI leads but the signal is just not getting through, I have to put the HDMI lead directly onto the TV for it to work. No other device has an issue with the switcher.

 

All the above means it unfortunately does not integrate nicely into our home setup and requires a bit of effort to fire it up, as we need to rearrange leads (power and HDMI) every time we want to use it.

[Sean_1970]

4 hours ago, ukaskew said:

There are a few people I've helped on social media and other forums who believe they had a DOA 2600+ because they've used a power configuration that isn't compatible with powering it for whatever reason.

 

As our Switch and Steam Deck docks are already nicely installed under our TV I first tried a quick swap over with the USB-C power source from them (the official Nintendo one and the official Valve one), neither would power the 2600+, so at that point I assumed mine was dead too.

 

I then found a very old Apple iPhone charging brick and used the supplied cable and it worked fine. Weirdly, when I plugged that into our extension lead that only powers on when a Master device is powered up (n our case the TV) it wouldn't work either, despite the TV being on and other devices drawing power from the same extension lead. 

 

I can see how people are assuming they have DOA units, especially as many people will have high powered USB bricks/fast chargers these days, which don't appear to play ball with it.

 

I also, oddly, have an issue with it not playing nicely with our HDMI switcher. I've tried multiple HDMI leads but the signal is just not getting through, I have to put the HDMI lead directly onto the TV for it to work. No other device has an issue with the switcher.

 

All the above means it unfortunately does not integrate nicely into our home setup and requires a bit of effort to fire it up, as we need to rearrange leads (power and HDMI) every time we want to use it.

My HDMI switcher works, but like USB, HDMI is one of those “standards” that didn’t seem to be created with a lot of thought given to the consumer experience so you have different cables with the same form factor to do different things. USB is so much worse! Seemed so promising as a replacement for 9- and 25-pin serial ports and parallel ports, but from non-reversible connectors to the myriad of different connectors it’s just been a mess from day one. Now we have the USB-C form factor being used for totally different protocols so you can have a cable that looks like it would work, but doesn’t because it’s actually thunderbolt-4 or whatever. But in the end the cables that come with your device should at least work, so I guess that’s something, but unless you have spare ports, it’s not ideal. I can’t blame Atari for that though - unless they’re part of the USB consortium, in which case “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”

[suspicious_milk]

The Common Sense Cable Consortium (CSCC) says:

 

1.  If the plug fits; it's compatibility is guaranteed.

 

2.  Plugs can only fit in one possible orientation.

 

3.  A different cable type should be provided for each purpose (A/V I/O etc)

 

4.  Each cable type has different shapes.

 

Unfortunately, Ron Gooley, the founder of CSCC was mercilessly targeted through a highly effective "smear & erase" campaign orchestrated by the CIA in conjunction with aid from the CCP.  His whereabouts are currently unknown, and his existence is denied by the powers that be.

[remery467]

hi every one, i just found my old 2 plug usb wall adapter. it is a 5v 2.1a was wondering if i could use it on my atari 2600+. before i use it i want to make shure it would be safe and not blow my console up! please let me know!

Edited January 18 by remery467

[tradyblix]

On 11/17/2023 at 9:01 AM, Laner said:

 

A lot of TV USB ports provide minimal power (and I don't know of many with usb-c ports); It may be better to get a separate power supply. Something like this should be more than sufficient: https://www.amazon.com/iPhone-Charger-Delivery-AirPods-Samsung/dp/B09CKBPZ34/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2RP6N1VAOUND8&keywords=usb-c+power+adapter&qid=1700233183&sprefix=usb-c+power%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

the 2600+ can run off that minimal power, it's designed to. If your TV or monitor doesn't have one it doesn't have one tho. 

Edited January 18 by tradyblix

[Thomas Jentzsch]

On 11/17/2023 at 4:01 PM, Laner said:

 

A lot of TV USB ports provide minimal power (and I don't know of many with usb-c ports)

The cable that comes with the 2600+ is USB-A to USB-C. So your TV only needs a simple USB-A port. Which all TVs of at least the last 10 years have. And minimal power is enough, even my cheap (~$10), small power bar (Poweradd Slim 2) can drive the 2600+.

Edited January 18 by Thomas Jentzsch

[+karri]

37 minutes ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

The cable that comes with the 2600+ is USB-A to USB-C. So your TV only needs a simple USB-A port. Which all TVs of at least the last 10 years have. And minimal power is enough, even my cheap (~$10), small power bar (Poweradd Slim 2) can drive the 2600+.

That is one of the nice things about the 2600+. You can use a portable hdmi screen with a dual port power bank and skip the hassle with cables. Good for retro-events where you want to show off your games  

 

At PRGE they even charge an extra $150 for a power socket to your table... In all other retro events I have visited the power socket was free.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

1 hour ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

The cable that comes with the 2600+ is USB-A to USB-C. So your TV only needs a simple USB-A port. Which all TVs of at least the last 10 years have. And minimal power is enough, even my cheap (~$10), small power bar (Poweradd Slim 2) can drive the 2600+.

BTW: The R77 does not work from my power bar.

[Glorkbot]

I usually use an old iphone charger.

[+bent_pin]

12 hours ago, remery467 said:

hi every one, i just found my old 2 plug usb wall adapter. it is a 5v 2.1a was wondering if i could use it on my atari 2600+. before i use it i want to make shure it would be safe and not blow my console up! please let me know!

Yes, that will work just fine. The 2600+ will only draw the current that it needs.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

4 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

BTW: The R77 does not work from my power bar.

Forget this. The R77 works too.

 

Actually it requires slightly less power than the 2600+ (~350mA vs ~400mA).

[Plumbob]

I just found out that I can power the 2600+ using this portable camping battery! As shown below, the USB cable simply connects from the battery to the 2600+ and it works!

 

 Now if only I could figure out a way to power a small TV, then I could take my 2600+ camping! 

[Calliser]

I hadn’t thought about doing it that way, but it makes sense. The big question would be how long would it last on that battery?

[Plumbob]

2 minutes ago, Calliser said:

I hadn’t thought about doing it that way, but it makes sense. The big question would be how long would it last on that battery?

So far it’s been running just fine for at least 20 minutes. And the battery isn’t even fully charged!

 

[Laner]

10 hours ago, Plumbob said:

 

 Now if only I could figure out a way to power a small TV, then I could take my 2600+ camping! 

 

 

They have USB-powered monitors, for example: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Portable-Gaming-Monitor-XG16AHPE/dp/B08QV1FHWK?tag=p00935-20&ascsubtag=044SIVxbnyqexQaFsWNXSui&th=1

[Gabe]

On 12/6/2023 at 3:24 PM, Blinky said:

I don't recommend to get anything over 15W Those may not work because they use different power profiles.

Yep. I tried using a 20W charger and the system wouldn't work. I ended up using the charger that came with my Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 tablet. It's 1.55A (7.75W). 

[kjames_s_2000]

On 7/2/2024 at 9:03 PM, Plumbob said:

 

 Now if only I could figure out a way to power a small TV, then I could take my 2600+ camping! 

 

Another option which is fairly inexpensive in the pic below.  This comes with an HDMI to mini-HDMI cable, has built in speakers, folds very flat and doesn't consume much power.  This is what I use for the emotional support Atari that I put pictures of in the 'best TV' thread.

[Hawkangel]

One timely question I have as well - can I connect a USB extension cable to the 2600+ power cable? My Tv doesn’t have a USB connection and I have to go to a wall socket.