GC power supply apparently not working.

[Coolman]

As the title suggests, my power supply may be broken. Everything started when i turned on my console after being kept stored on my wardrobe for a couple of months. It shutted down itself in a matter of seconds, while i was looking for my games to never turn on again. First, i supossed it was a console problem, more specifically, a fuse related problem. The thing is... the fan wasn't working, when it is supposed to on that kind of circumstance. My next guess was the power supply, so a friend of mine opened it up and we both searched for the root of the trouble. Everything seemed perfectly fine at first look. So, i actually have 2 questions:
1- What possibly affected parts should i look for?
2- Is it possible to make use of PS2 power supply parts to replace broken GC ones?

[iamdablasta]

Well, if it's the block thingy you could rewire another 12v supply to the GC power adapter (the plastic bit you put in the gamesystem, not the block) as long as you make sure the wires can take the heat.

Done similar things before.
The ps2 official adapter gives 8.5v though, which is too low for the gamecube. I do not think you should use the ps2 adapter on the gc at all. If you have a 12v adapter supporting up to 3.25A ( I think, double check that) you can use that though.


Short answer to #2, no.

[Coolman]

Well, if it's the block thingy you could rewire another 12v supply to the GC power adapter (the plastic bit you put in the gamesystem, not the block) as long as you make sure the wires can take the heat.

I could use the Wii power supply, cutting the "plastic bit" and re-attaching the other one, right?

[iamdablasta]

Well, if it's the block thingy you could rewire another 12v supply to the GC power adapter (the plastic bit you put in the gamesystem, not the block) as long as you make sure the wires can take the heat.

I could use the Wii power supply, cutting the "plastic bit" and re-attaching the other one, right?

If it gives the correct voltage (12v) and can handle the Amperage, then yes.

Just make sure to attach the plastic bit in a good way, and not a hobo way (no wires and tape, do it the right way!).
You can use a torix or a wago for attaching wires together, or any other similar approaches.
You can also twist wires together and solder them so they sit fit and dont come loose. Then attach some type of isolation and use a strong tape or hotglue the isolation in place.

I am not a licensed electrician yet, but this I am confident in.
Now remember, the output amperage (A) listed on the power supply is not how much it gives, rather the max it can give. The GC itself controls how much amperage it pulls from the power supply, so whether you use something with a max output of 4 ampere or 7 ampere doesn't matter, just make sure it's equal to, or higher, than what the NGC needs.

[megalomaniac]

if the fan doesnt even power on, then its the power brick..
the easiest option is to get a new brick
if you have a wii brick, you can hack up and replace the connector..

look at the stickers on the brick to see which is PWR and which is GND...or use a multimeter if you have one

[iamdablasta]

Even more fancy would having one switch (make sure they can take the volt and ampere) for each wire and create a multi purpose power supply, in case you need both :)

Edit: Scrap the switch, just wire both to the power supply

___________WII ADAPTER
|
|__________NGC ADAPTER
|
|
(SUPPLY)

Though, for safety probably best not to use both at same time ;)

[Coolman]

if the fan doesnt even power on, then its the power brick..
the easiest option is to get a new brick
if you have a wii brick, you can hack up and replace the connector..

look at the stickers on the brick to see which is PWR and which is GND...or use a multimeter if you have one

I know, if the fan was even working, then it would be a fuse inside the console. The best option could actually be a new Wii brick. Here is three times cheaper than an used GC one.

If it gives the correct voltage (12v) and can handle the Amperage, then yes.
Just make sure to attach the plastic bit in a good way, and not a hobo way (no wires and tape, do it the right way!).
You can use a torix or a wago for attaching wires together, or any other similar approaches.
You can also twist wires together and solder them so they sit fit and dont come loose. Then attach some type of isolation and use a strong tape or hotglue the isolation in place.

I am not a licensed electrician yet, but this I am confident in.
Now remember, the output amperage (A) listed on the power supply is not how much it gives, rather the max it can give. The GC itself controls how much amperage it pulls from the power supply, so whether you use something with a max output of 4 ampere or 7 ampere doesn't matter, just make sure it's equal toor higher, than what the NGC needs.

It has an output voltage of 3.7A, more than enough.

Even more fancy would having one switch (make sure they can take the volt and ampere) for each wire and create a multi purpose power supply, in case you need both

Edit: Scrap the switch, just wire both to the power supply

___________WII ADAPTER
|
|__________NGC ADAPTER
|
|
(SUPPLY)

Though, for safety probably best not to use both at same time

Obviously not (your last line). Could you explain me how to wire both to the AC? Sorry for the slow response, i'm writing from a cellphone since the beginning.
Thanks a lot for your help.

[iamdablasta]

I'll upload a simple image soon, two minutes tops, k? :)

Edit: Probably not the cleanest layout, but functional.

Ground to ground, positive to positive, negative to negaive. Use preferred method to connect wires, just don't come crying at me if you use tape and staples.

gc+wiiadapter.png

(27.29 KiB) Not downloaded yet

Edit2: No idea, but they also may not have any color at all, and use black and gray stripes for identification. I dunno, haven't opened the cable of a wii/ngc powerbrick, but i have seen lots of different types of identification. Check the powerbrick as mega said to make sure you identify the wires correctly.

[megalomaniac]

here is a thread from someone who had a similar situation
you will see the stickers i mentioned which show polarity


viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1291

[Coolman]

I'll upload a simple image soon, two minutes tops, k?

Edit: Probably not the cleanest layout, but functional.

Ground to ground, positive to positive, negative to negaive. Use preferred method to connect wires, just don't come crying at me if you use tape and staples.

gc+wiiadapter.png

Edit2: No idea, but they also may not have any color at all, and use black and gray stripes for identification. I dunno, haven't opened the cable of a wii/ngc powerbrick, but i have seen lots of different types of identification. Check the powerbrick as mega said to make sure you identify the wires correctly.

(The tape was a part of the plan...)
They don't have colors, but they're quite easy to identify.
Well, i'm not really used to manipulating wires and stuff, but a friend of mine does. I will ask him the tools to get the job done. Don't worry, the worst case scenario would be that the brick wasn't the problem since the start... crap. Pretty weird, actually.

[iamdablasta]

(The tape was a part of the plan...)

Tape itself isn't bad, but if the wires aren't secured and you bump into the wire you could possibly loosen the wire and have the GC shut off. If you make sure to solder the wires together so they are stuck together, and then use a high quality tape like Electrical tape it would be no issue.

If you use the type of tape you have everywhere in offices, those transparent weak good-for-nothing-but-paper tape you are bound to run into issues.

But then again, having a friend help you is a good strategy. Helped me out when I built my first boombox (those amplifying boards had really small connectors and was of very weak quality :L)

But seriously, google "wago" and look at images. Those things are the bomb!

[novenary]

I'll upload a simple image soon, two minutes tops, k?

Edit: Probably not the cleanest layout, but functional.

Ground to ground, positive to positive, negative to negaive. Use preferred method to connect wires, just don't come crying at me if you use tape and staples.

gc+wiiadapter.png

Edit2: No idea, but they also may not have any color at all, and use black and gray stripes for identification. I dunno, haven't opened the cable of a wii/ngc powerbrick, but i have seen lots of different types of identification. Check the powerbrick as mega said to make sure you identify the wires correctly.

The power brick outputs DC so there's only two wires coming out of it.

And yeah, Wago is awesome stuff. I have some at home.

[MarSAttK]

You could also use a PC PSU...

[Coolman]

You could also use a PC PSU...

I think i read about that somewhere. Could you explain me how? Just to know.

[MarSAttK]

The molex connector has 12v in the yellow line and the black one is ground .

You would have to sacrifice one molex in order to get to the metallic ends and might have to "open" those a bit so the diameter fits the GC pins. Use hot glue or something similar so they don't touch each other.
I remember using a multimeter to check voltage, in my case it was a bit below 12v but the GC worked just fine.

It's a quick (probably temporarily) solution until your official PSU arrives.