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What happens if you send AC to something that runs off DC...or vice versa?
I was just wondering...because I was looking at my nintendo adapter thing..and it goes from 120V AC to 9V AC. But I'm pretty sure that I've run it off a 9V DC adapter before.
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Posts: 213 | From: Carriere, MS, US | Registered: Jun 1999
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That adapter is probably just a transformer that converts it from 120 V AC to 9 V AC. Inside the Nintendo there is a rectifier circuit to convert the 9 Volt AC to 9 Volts DC.
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What jc2 said, if I remember right, the nintendo has a full wave bridge rectifier as a very first part of the circuit (other than a fuse). You can send DC into a bridge rectifier and just have half of the diodes conduct and power the device that way. I believe they did leave diodes of enough current handling to allow this. And it's the best way of keeping their games from being burned up accidently. I believe the next stage of the circuit was a 7808 regulator. This may not be true of all nintendo and most other electronics will simply release magic smoke in copious quantities if hooked up AC or DC crossed with each other.
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