eStarland: AC Adapter (Power supply) Atari 2600

Remember the Atari 2600 I won? After a good cleaning, clean-contact connectors, restoration of the joystick with repair kit, etc. he was in excellent condition and it does not seem that already has more than 30 years.

The only item that was unable to restore the satisfaction was the power supply. So I went out in search of a new source. Fortunately the accessories industry for the Atari 2600 is still alive. I found at eStarland a Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 I present in this article.

I was very pleased to open the package eStarland and see that it was a source of Retro-bit, because the ad was not specified and was counting on a generic source unbranded. The fact that a brand that I already know behind cheered me. Here are some other brand products I've got:

• Extensions Cables Controller Mega Drive w / 1.8 m
• Extensive cable for Super Nintendo Controller w / 1.8 m
• Adapter to connect two joysticks Atari 2600 the PC via USB
• Stereo Audio Cable and Composite Video III for the Mega Drive Tectoy, Japanese and European Mega Drive II, and Sega Genesis 2 and 3

This Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 accepts as input any voltage between 110 e 245V 50 / 60Hz, so it works in any region of Brazil and any country. It offers output 9V / 500mA, as required under Atari 2600. The input plug is Type A (U.S. standard).

A Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 is large, higher than the original, but quite light. Being multi-voltage and miniature weight deliver that this is a switching power supply, unlike the original source of the Atari 2600 which are linear (with transformer). Not that this is bad, switching power supplies has several advantages. They usually consume less energy, Keep more stable output voltage regardless of the input voltage and load used, bivolt are in most cases, and because they are lighter probably will not make the plastic yield as with the original source Atari 2600.

Even made a comparison between the source that came with my Atari 2600 from the U.S. and that Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 da Retro-bit que adquiri na eStarland. Weight the switching power supply has 69 grams, while a source with transformer has 212 grams, as measured by my precision scale.

In offered tension, my multimeter identified 9,42V switched on and 15,22V source in the linear source. But do not fear, it is normal for linear source show a high no-load voltage. Therefore sources need to be linear and dimensioned in relation to the current to be used. I have done tests with the Atari 2600 connected to not have to open it again and for not having proper adapters to make such a measurement without opening.

I also made a comparison using a P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor. Data from monthly and annual cost are considering the Atari 2600 stay tuned 24 hours a day and 7 days per week (yes, I know that no one does it) and a cost of £ 0,585 kWh, that's what my dealership is currently charging, already including the numerous taxes. Rousseff announced that the cost of energy would decrease, but she lied. The network has voltage 127V single phase (126,1V at the time of measurement) and 60 Hz. Check out the results:

	Power Supply of my Atari 2600 U.S. (transformer)	Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 da Retro-bit (chaveada)
Current	0,07 A	0,07A
Active Power	7 In	5 In
Apparent Power	9 VA	9 VA
Power Factor	0,77	0,63
Monthly Cost	R$ 2,94	R$ 2,10
Annual Cost	R$ 35,87	R$ 25,62

As expected, a Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 da Retro-bit consumes less power. But, only the active power is less, while the apparent power is equal. As residential electrical installations only pay for active energy, the Retro-bit font is cheaper. But note that the Retro-bit font is less efficient.

It is also interesting to note that the power consumption of an Atari 2600 is very low compared to the current consoles. In those days the biggest energy consumption should concern parents was the TV itself, it was also much higher than the current TVs. Moreover, rumors that video games spoiled the TVs were common in the years 80. And were unfounded, except for the question of the tube is marked, which also only happen in extreme cases.

If you have the habit of leaving the sources in making even with the console off, know that it also consumes energy. You may see the measures that got under the same conditions of the previous test, but with the console off:

	Power Supply of my Atari 2600 U.S. (transformer)	Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 da Retro-bit (chaveada)
Current	0,06 A	0,00A
Active Power	2 In	0 In
Apparent Power	7 VA	0 VA
Power Factor	0,26	1,00
Monthly Cost	R$ 0,84	R$ 0,00
Annual Cost	R$ 10,24	R$ 0,00

Here we see that the source with transformer still has a considerable consumption even with the console off. If you leave the power plugged in all the time can expect a consumption close to R $ 1,00 the month. In the case of switching power supply consumption seems to be so small that the Kill A Watt nem chega a detectar.

Now, with Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600, the Atari 2600 It is complete and ready for others 30 years of service provided.

Check out the tracking information package:

Data	Local	Situation
24/09/2014 18:34	CSD [Removed]	Delivery Effected
24/09/2014 09:55	[Removed]	Out for delivery to the recipient
23/09/2014 10:59	CTE CAMPINAS – VALINHOS / SP	Routed
	Referred to CDD [Removed]
22/09/2014 14:52	CTE JAGUARE – SAO PAULO / SP	Routed
	Referred to CTE CAMPINAS – VALINHOS / SP
20/09/2014 07:02	VILLA MARIA CTE – SAO PAULO / SP	Routed
	Referred to CTE MARIA VILLAGE – SAO PAULO / SP
18/09/2014 19:08	CTCI PARANA – CURITIBA/PR	Routed
	CTE transit Em CAMPINAS – VALINHOS / SP
18/09/2014 19:06	TREATMENT UNIT INTERNATIONAL – BRAZIL	Awarded
	Freed peels alfândega
05/09/2014 13:49	INTERNATIONAL TRAT Unidade PARANA – CURITIBA/PR	Routed
	In transit to Customs Enforcement – Customs Enforcement / BR
05/09/2014 13:48	INTERNATIONAL TRAT Unidade PARANA – CURITIBA/PR	Awarded
	Received / Brazil
01/09/2014 15:08	UNITED STATES	Routed
	M traveling to TREATMENT UNIT INTERNATIONAL – BRAZIL
30/08/2014 12:26	UNITED STATES	Posted
30/08/2014 12:26	UNITED STATES	Posted

And the purchase summary table:

Product Name:	Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600
Name Original:	Atari 2600 AC Adapter
Store:	eStarland
Value:	US$ 11,50
Current value:	US$ 11,50
Payment Method:	Paypal
Shipping Type:	USPS 1st Class Mail
Shipping Fee:	US$ 7,00
Package Home Country:	U.S.
Purchase Data:	21/08/2014
Submission Date:	30/08/2014
Data Delivery:	24/09/2014
Time in Transit:	25 days
Declared content:	Used Game Accessory
Type Marked Content:	Gift
Declared Value:	US$ 11,00
Taxed:	Not
Taxable Value:	–
Tax Value:	–

And I'm ending here with a positive recommendation for Power supply (AC Adapter) Atari 2600 and the eStarland. If you also want to buy games and accessories, Classic consoles as much current, directly from the U.S., click here and good shopping.