Did a multiple socket damage my consoles?

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RocketKnight
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Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 9:20 pm
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Did a multiple socket damage my consoles?

Post by RocketKnight »

Hi there!

Recently, some of my consoles have become faulty, one after another.

My GameCubes play all chip sounds at a dramatically decreased volume, my Mega Drive the FM/PCM channels via headphone jack. The colours of my Viletim RGB NES are way too dark and my PSX doesn't output AV at all.

Is it possible that a defective multiple socket has damaged the power supplies and with them the associated consoles?
nmalinoski
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Re: Did a multiple socket damage my consoles?

Post by nmalinoski »

If by "multiple socket" you mean a power strip (as opposed to a proper surge protector), then it is possible that a surge could have damaged the PSUs to your consoles, and not necessarily by fault of the power strip itself (since it would lack any surge protection). If it is a surge protector, and it does turn out to be PSU damage, then I would agree with you that it is indeed faulty.

The first thing I would do is remove the power strip from the equation. Take one of your problematic consoles to a different TV and see if it still exhibits the same issues. This will help you determine whether it's a console/PSU that's at fault or something else in your setup. If you still have the same issues, then you can try swapping out the PSU for a known-good one.
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RocketKnight
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Location: Planet Earth

Re: Did a multiple socket damage my consoles?

Post by RocketKnight »

Thanks for your reply, nmalinoski, and sorry for my delayed response.

It's not a surge protector but a simple power strip. Since the consoles weren't connected to it simultaneously, it's unlikely that a surge has caused the damages.

Currently, I have got only this one monitor which I can connect my consoles to, but a RetroTINK for my HDMI-only TV is on its way. As soon as it arrives, I will check how my consoles behave in this chain.

If they show the same faulty behaviour, perhaps I should get a capacitance meter and look for defective caps?
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