Nix McRetro
Using the power of digital callipers and third-party power supplies, I’ve been having a look at the power connectors on the PAL Super Nintendo and Japanese Super Famicom. I was hoping this would be a quick little video, hopefully under ten minutes for once! Too bad I didn’t have the first-party supplies on hand. I knew there was a reason I bought these digital callipers, though.
The outer barrels came out at approximately 5.47 mm for the Super Famicom and 5.44 mm for the PAL Super Nintendo. Close enough to call both 5.5 mm. The inner measurements were where things got a little more interesting, with the third-party PAL connector reading around 2.4 mm rather than the nominal approximate 2.5 mm, and the Super Famicom coming in around 2.1 mm.
Super Nintendo (PAL unit measured here)
Inner barrel: approximately 2.5 mm, with my third-party connector measuring around 2.4 mm
Outer barrel: 5.5 mm
Standard PAL supply: AC, so polarity does not apply
Super Famicom (NTSC-J)
Inner barrel: approximately 2.1 mm
Outer barrel: 5.5 mm
Supply: DC
Polarity: centre-negative
The important correction is that similar-looking connectors don’t mean the PAL Super Nintendo and Japanese Super Famicom have the same power requirements. My original “centre pin: negative” line was wrong as a general description of the standard PAL AC input. The Japanese Super Famicom uses centre-negative DC, while the standard PAL Super Nintendo supply uses AC.
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever held a Super Famicom or Super Nintendo power supply. What strange times we live in! :)