Replacing external power supply with battery

I am looking to battery power one of the Atari Flashback II consoles that were on sale the past couple of weeks. The FB2 is powered by a 9v external power supply. I remember reading somewhere's that the FB2 takes up very, very little juice and could be easily run on a 9 volt battery. Would it be as simple as...

9v battery --> battery connector --> 2 wires --> female power jack that fits into back of FB2

Is that all that would be necessary? It seems too easy... like I would need to add a resistor in there or something...

Any electronic gurus out there with advice? It would be nice to have this thing battery powered, just to make it more convenient for casual play (and even more portable than it is already)

Thanks,

Mike

Reply to
Mike
Loading thread data ...

Mike wrote in news:nT5fh.26617$qO4.1729 @newssvr13.news.prodigy.net:

It is a little more complex... A little. Make sure you observe polarity otherwise you'll likely kill the thing. Manufacturers of game systems aren't known for putting in a single more diode than they absolutely have to.

I've powered Authentic Ataris from a 9V DC adapter in the van. If it wasn't for the joystick cables and its sensitivity to jolts, we might have played it more than twice.

Puckdropper

--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
Reply to
Puckdropper

Oh, I'd definately check that... but, other than that... just straight battery in should suffice?

Thanks,

Mike

Reply to
Mike

Mike wrote in news:a17fh.4650$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr12.news.prodigy.net:

I'd think so. I'm only a hobbiest, though, so an expert may jump in and say "No! That's the worst thing you can do!"

As I understand it, a battery gives a device the current it needs until it cannot any longer. As long as the voltage is correct, the device should draw the current it needs and no more.

Puckdropper

--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
Reply to
Puckdropper

If the device wants 9 VDC and you give it 9 VDC of correct polarity you need only be concerned with the current draw. If the device can operate within the current limitations of the battery, you are fine. Just a note: If you get tempted to use a rechargeable battery, most are not really 9 volts.

Regards, Tom

Reply to
Tom Biasi

need

I'm not familiar with the Atari console you are talking about.. but I can let you know that standard 9V batteries have very little capacity, and by connecting it the way you are, you are subjecting the console to a varying voltage. A batteries voltage will decrease slowly as you draw from it... depending on the current drawn, it will be fast or slow. I'm guessing that the Console uses 9V so that it can regulate down to 5V... When your battery hits close to 5V, regulation will stop and the internal supple of the console will rapidly decrease.

As to whether this will cause issues...

Reply to
Syridian

I can't see why not.

If you're wanting to run it from a rechargable battery it could get interesting as they typically aren't 9v, but it's quite likely that it'll work fine with any voltage from 7.2 to 12V, but I can't be sure without a detailed examination.

--
Bye.
   Jasen
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
jasen

If it can tolerate a bit more juice, why not 8 1.25V NiMHs in series? Radio Shack sells the necessary battery holders for a couple of bucks.

I've tried powering my old laptop (needs 18.5VDC) with 16 1.25V NiMHs in series (I'm pretty sure there's a built-in voltage regulator on the laptop though).

My problem, though, is that some cells end up dead / reversing polarity, while the others continue working.

Michael

Reply to
mrdarrett

^^^^^^^^

Is that as in "hobby, hobbier, hobbiest"? ;-)

It's hobbyist.

And, yes, a 9V battery should be fine, as long as the OP gets the polarity right.

FWIW, I've been a professional electronics tech since 1970, and a hobbyist since about 1960 or so. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

You're discharging them too far.

Ed

Reply to
ehsjr

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.