This looks amazing! What did you use to mount the VB? Doesn’t look like the default stand.

I have sent you a PM

Yeah, that is what happens with Game Boys and is repairable with an oven trickish way, just use your soldering iron on the strip that connects the cable to the board. Google it and you will see some tutorials, the thing is that it actually seems to stick for years to come and is easily repeatable when needed after ten more years.

They used this method on Game Boys as well and there the problems are not as prominent as with the VB, but it started to happen nowadays as well, though at the time they were all in real use, as good as no one had these problems.
So, why change something that doesn’t give a problem? That was probably what they were thinking.
The sockets normally only were needed to easily replace the displays, and one socket is enough for that, at least that is my guess what they were thinking.

As it has already been said, this is the infamous glitchy display problem. I can do it as I have done it for a lot of PVB members and am located in the Netherlands.

Thanks a lot! Will try it when I get back home from vacation.

WOW! That is amazing, who knew these things were kept archived this well, very impressing stuff!

Good to hear you got it solved by retouching the display, though I wouldn’t recommend anyone to just try it unless you are sure you know what you are doing (as I read, you are of course 😉 ).

Thank you for reminding me about that again RP, today I had recurring horizontal lines on one display, when pulling the cable out slightly, the problem disappeared.

I have seen that a lot of times lately, but again, it could be a loose connection. If so, just contact me and we’ll get it sorted, only have had a problem with one display once and that happened right away when the person put his displays back in the VB, got that fixed as well.

freaka-zoid wrote:
Well, actually, both are soldered displays I got from you some time ago. =)

That’s why I highly doubt that it’s a typical glitchy display problem. 😉

edit: Okay, you are right nonetheless. =) Seems I have to check the solder connections because it works when I press on the cable. Didn’t expect that with a soldered cable. ^^

Well, could be that one connection wasn’t good in the end, just send it to me and I will fix it without charge, only shipping is not included.

Looks like a classic case of “glitchy displays”. This is what happens when the glue starts to let go. I can fix it for you, since you seem to be located in Germany, just send me a PM and we will get you sorted, if you want of course!

Thanks for that nice schematic, though since my electronic schematics knowledge isn’t that up to snuff, what does this mean to you considering inputting 10DC or 10AC?

Interesting information RP! Here is a pic of the flip side of that board:

Attachments:

1. 

   20150906_104050-scaled.jpg
   

RunnerPack wrote:

TheForce81 wrote:
After opening up both taps, the electronics are the same for both, so it seems it doesn’t matter if you feed the VB AC or DC.

I don’t own either tap, so I can’t check. What do “the electronics” consist of? Is it a bridge-rectifier, one to four individual diode(s), or something else? AFAIK, diodes are the only way to convert AC or DC to DC with a given polarity. Could anyone post some photos?

After measuring the voltage, the DC adapter with the USA tap outputs 8.75 volts on the pins of the tap and the Japanese tap with the AC adapter outputs 4.85 volts. So I am not completely sure what is happening with this on the voltage regulator. It seems that there is some automatic switching going on to account for these differences.

I doubt that the internal regulator in the VB could operate on 4.85V DC. Besides, it says right on the VB that it requires at least 6V. Are you sure you’re not measuring AC with the DC setting on the meter? This will give a false reading. On the other hand, I don’t think the VB would be able to handle AC on the battery terminals, even at the right voltage – hence the rectifier(?) in the tap.

You do not own an adapter tap 😉 ? How do you power your VB then?
And, omg! I indeed did the measurement incorrectly….. it indeed does output 10.4VAC with the JAP tap, sorry about that very stupid rookie mistake haha. Been a bit hasty at the time I was measuring both taps, didn’t have a lot of time then.

So, that means the VB itself converts AC into DC and leaves DC at DC.

Here are two pics of the board:

Attachments:

1. 

   tap1-scaled.jpg
   

2. 

   tap2-scaled.jpg
   

So glad I am not a completionist! That would have gotten me bankrupt in case of the VB.

Both Runnerpack and I can do it, but as you have mentioned, it is easier for both sides if people located in Europe contact me and people in the North America contact Runnerpack.

That will never be an issue, what goes in is pretty much irrelevant since it is an adapter, only the output counts. 10v is 10v, doesn’t matter what comes in.

unstablewarpfield wrote:
I have played my vb now with the pal nes 9v AC power supply and it works fine. I read on several independent forums now that it is the AC tap that you should watch out for. US AC tab —> DC power supply. JPN AC tab —> AC power supply.

That is as far as I got. Maybe I’ll try to find some ancient wizzard from the 90’s at Nintendo who can give a definitive answer.

Cheers.

That is total nonsense, I have believed that for a long time as well, but it doesn’t hold any truth to it at all! Seems that people have just been assuming things about it and I have been the first one actually measuring both taps with a multi-meter.

As we have a Dutch saying, “meten is weten”(measuring is knowing) I came to the conclusion both taps are the same except for the plug, talking about the electronics in it, they are the same and as Norty quoted me from his thread, they both output a different voltage and they both still work.

I have used them both for long sessions without any problems.

I didn’t try switching up both adapters on both taps because the plug is different, though since the electronics are exactly the same it is pretty much impossible that that test would have a different outcome than this.

[TheForce81]

Using a Japanese Adapter tap you need to use an AC/AC adapter! When using a USA tap, you need an AC/DC adapter!

I just checked and confirmed with a multimeter, the European (S)NES adapter is AC and I can use that one perfectly fine with my Japanese Adapter and the USA tap works fine with a universal DC adapter I have here.

Seems there is some electronics in the Japanese tap that converts the AC to DC and that isn’t present in the USA tap.

EDIT:
After opening up both taps, the electronics are the same for both, so it seems it doesn’t matter if you feed the VB AC or DC.

EDIT2:
After measuring the voltage, the DC adapter with the USA tap outputs 8.75 volts on the pins of the tap and the Japanese tap with the AC adapter outputs 4.85 volts. So I am not completely sure what is happening with this on the voltage regulator. It seems that there is some automatic switching going on to account for these differences.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by TheForce81.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by TheForce81.