Batteries

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:02 pm

Good call: the Genesis probably never takes 1.3ish amps like the adapter says (something like that) and you may decide that you won't need to do the backlighting mod to get the minimum playtime you decided on

someone · Post by **someone** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:05 pm

Adapters usually give more than is needed, I assume that this is for future expansions....

stereth · Post by **stereth** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 11:25 am

It's also for power spikes. The PSOne comes with a 2A adaptor, though it only draws 850mA on average. I hooked it up to a nice regulated 3A supply and it was current-limiting - the power draw spiked to over 3A on occasion, especially during startup. So be careful hooking it up to an ammeter - most have 3A fuses.

Like Spongebuell said, amps are drawn, not pushed. Also, batteries have capacities given in Ah, amp-hours. Remember all those times your science teacher harped on you for not keeping your units straight? It's important. One amp-hour = one amp for one hour, or ten amps for six minutes, or ten milliamps for a hundred hours.

Don't use alkalines for these portables. Alkalines have a high internal resistance, and you'll see a significant voltage drop if you draw more than a few tenths of an amp. Lithium is better, and NiMH batteries for RC cars are often certified for 30+ amp continuous draw.

someone · Post by **someone** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:43 pm

umm..... my ammeter goes up to 10

stereth · Post by **stereth** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 2:25 pm

Now that I look at it, so does the one here at work. There are some nice ones at school, the size of a small VCR, that only go up to 3A.

someone · Post by **someone** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 5:17 pm

don't you love all that government funding? (or whatever funding is short now)

stereth · Post by **stereth** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 9:14 pm

Private school. And there's nothing wrong with those DMMs. They're only a few years old, and they go out to five or six figures in most measurements.

someone · Post by **someone** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 9:19 pm

ehhh... lazy multimeter designers

EmreNU · Post by **EmreNU** » Fri Jun 04, 2004 10:00 pm

haha, i wouldn't call 5-6 figures lazy design, that's quite accurate... i'm not EE but i can't see why you'd need more than 3A for most applications

someone · Post by **someone** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 9:37 am

you probably would try to test the draw of an XBOX