Famicom arrived today.. Got a couple of questions :)

dougal

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I bought a 'spares / repair / broken' Famicom which arrived to me today.

It was indeed dead but i opened it up and found that the fuse was blown. I bridged the fuse with a wire and it is working fine now.

Here are my questions :)

A: Is it bad that i bridged the fuse ? Am I risking major damage to the console ?

B: I'm using a new universal PSU which is 9V. The amps are good as slightly more. When Famicom is on the PSU makes a slight noise but it isn't getting hot, just warm. Is that ok ?

C: No AV mod here. I know that is what is supposed to be done to use it in a PAL region and right now i'm just using RF which results in a clear picture with sound (DK through a VCR) but BLACK & WHITE. Is there any possible way to get full color etc through RF without doing the AV mod ?
 
Well fuse is there to protect it from a surge I guess so best to get another fuse with the same rating and replace it :)
 
As fitzsteve says, don't bridge fuses!

More amps is fine though. It only draws what it needs. It's only less amps that are bad.
 
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dont bridge fuses as its blown for a reason, possibly just age but you never know. you are risking damage / fire or worse

pop down to maplins and get a fuse asap
 
As fitzsteve says, don't bridge fuses!

More amps is fine though. It only draws what it needs. It's only less amps that are bad.

No, of the same rating. The wrong fuse will either end up blowing too quickly or fail to provide adequate protection.
 
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I've tried the following configs so far:

Direct to RF of my CRT TV = B&W and No sound
Connected to VCR connected to my CRT TV = B&W with sound working
Connected to my old 32 inch LCD TV = Color but no sound
 
@nicholas.jj.taylor

I have unapproved your post , although your advice was correct it was not expressed in a manner suitable to AmiBay... the device in question is a 5v motherboard, not a house's mains fuse box .


@dougal
Problem with RF output is that it's a NTSC one. The video and audio signals are encoded differently from PAL RF ones and it's a rare thing to actually find a PAL tv set to decode it correctly. I'm afraid the best option would be to AV mod it. Still the tv will need to support NTSC since the color encoding will be a ntsc one.
 
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@nicholas.jj.taylor

I have unapproved your post , although your advice was correct it was not expressed in a manner suitable to AmiBay... the device in question is a 5v motherboard, not a house's mains fuse box .

I get the impression that they wouldn't know the difference between a motherboard and a house's mains fuse box.

I was blunt because I don't mince words when people encourage bad practices that can easily put people in hospital.

Are blowing fuses a nuisance in your house? Get a surge protector. Still a problem? Get a professional in to check the wiring in your house. Chances are there's something that needs attention. Just don't go disabling the systems in place that make your equipment safe to use.
 
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I've ordered 2 pico fuses that are used on the super nes as I also have a Japanese super famicom with a blown fuse which I had also bridged with a wire.

Once they arrive I'll replace them. Till then I guess it's safe to use. I've been using the super famicom for ages with the bridged fuse.
 
As others have stated, DONT BRIDGE FUSES!! It is not ok to do even for a 1 sec test. :p
As to your other issues, not familiar with PAL region but I recommend an AV mod no matter what.
I have a Famicom that I AV modded. The classic problem is the jailbars you get in the picture. I have found that the best AV circuit for me was the one on Console5.com . I am sure some would disagree but anyway, for me that is what I use.
NES_Toploader_AV_Schematic.png


Good luck.
 
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I've ordered 2 pico fuses that are used on the super nes as I also have a Japanese super famicom with a blown fuse which I had also bridged with a wire.

Once they arrive I'll replace them. Till then I guess it's safe to use. I've been using the super famicom for ages with the bridged fuse.

Yes, it will be fine to use them, just remember to discharge the consoles before you touch the mobo with your hands else static could kill it, that's one of the 2 reasons the fuse is there. Unplug it from the mains, switch to power-ON and after a couple of seconds the mobo is fine to tinker with ;)

Discharging is very important in SNES consoles , that's why a large portion of them are wired instead of fused. But there is no 2nd chance if you have a wire, the mobo will be killed instead of the fuse....
 
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The CRT is giving you a picture by decoding the NTSC signal but displaying it using PAL60 mode but it doesn't understand the colour coding part of the signal which is why it's B&W. I'm amazed you have a PAL TV capable of displaying NTSC RF in any form though, none of my PAL sets would display anything for me from NTSC signals.
 
Funny thing, recently I started going after "spares/repair/non-working" items on purpose, after contacting the seller & making sure the item is completely dead & shows no sign of life.
Its a gamble, but for me everything so far was just blown fuses, including a Vectrex which I got for peanuts.

As for NTSC RF - as a general solution, you can try to find a fully Multi-System VCR, even a broken one (you only need the tuner to work).
Although I also live in a PAL country, ever since the mid 90's, nearly all TV sets sized 25" and above sold here were multi-system, including their tuner.
Don't think I owned a PAL only TV since the late 1997 or so.

And, to state the obvious yet again: dont bridge fuses! :)
 
Discharging is very important in SNES consoles.

Especially if it is one of those early model with the huge cap on the power input. This thing is a death trap.
It is wired directly to the power input and is before the power switch. So it stay charged with 9-10v even when console is off.

Then when you take the console apart, the dangling power switch that you need to unscrew to remove the motherboard becomes death itself, ready to fry any IC component it will touch.
Ever since I accidentally fried a SNES with that switch ( console was powered on but switch unscrewed ) I always put hot glue to isolate switch contacts whenever I work in a SNES.
 
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