Did I just waste my money?

With a Japanese tap you need a Japanese Super Famicom power block. A US SNES power block will only fit in the US adapter taps.

Super Famicom power bricks are pretty cheap on ebay.

I think the Japanese tap has a standard 5.5mm barrel jack, so you should be able to use any universal or generic AC adapter with the right output voltage/current ratings (which you can find on the forums, or by looking up what an SFC adapter provides).

Glad we could help 🙂

Reel Big Fish wrote:
(many adapters out there are 10 V, which will work but may shorten the life of your unit).

Well, since the VB’s on-board regulator is rated to 13V – and probably a little conservatively, at that, since it’s the more efficient “buck” (switching) type – I don’t think anyone should worry about using a 10V adapter (especially since that’s what Nintendo themselves designed the U.S. tap to use :-P)

I suppose that this question has already been answered for the most part, but I’d like some clarification. I too have recently purchased a Japanese VB AC tap, and after the mini-freakout I had when my SNES adapter didn’t fit, I found that my American NES adapter actually fit perfectly, and seemed to work fine. But being that the AC adapter isn’t exactly the US VBs recommended voltage/ampage/whatever, and that the tap itself is foreign and uses a whole different adapter, I can’t help but feel worried that over time that power setup may ruin my Virtual Boy. Should I be worried? Since mine appears to work with an NES adapter, and Reel Big Fish’s works with a Genesis Model 1 adapter, what other console adapters are compatible with the VB? Is there a certain range of volts/amps that will work? Virtual Boys are sadly growing so expensive I almost have a heart attack if I see people so much as breathe near mine, so even finding replacement parts for it is a dreaded nightmare I have. Hopefully someone out there can put my mind at ease.

Cheers!