Game Console PicoPSU Buying Guide
As there are lots of mixed opinions on PicoPSU's replacing the original PSU within consoles, I decided to write this to help & guide people to make an informed decision.
What I have wrote only applies to the PicoPSU's that we sell. Many clones found on AliExpress etc etc don't have any safety features, have non-genuine comonents used in their design.
~~ WHY REPLACE? ~~
There are many reasons why a person may decide to replace the PSU in their console for a PicoPSU.
1. The Original PSU has become faulty / unreliable.
* Some of the components could be showing signs of degading due to age of components, such as capacitors, some of which could be 20+ years old.
2. The Original PSU was damaged due to incorrect voltage being applied to it.
* This can lead too blown fuses, capacitors, varistors and more which could be a costly repair and should only be repaired by trained electricians as these are high voltage components.
3. The Original PSU in incredibly inefficient, maybe producing too much heat?
* In the early series of PS1 consoles, the original PSU produced too much heat and warped the laser sled and thus led to not being able to read disks correctly. I severe cases, it was also known to dis-colour the top part of the shell.
4. The Original PSU is producing unnecessary heat even while the console is off.
* Even though the console is powered-off, the Original PSU is wasting energy and producing heat due to them being on a "constant-on" state.
5. The Original PSU is incompatible with the mains voltage in the end user's country.
* Importing a Japanese Console (110v) into the UK (240v) or vise-versa, you would also need a clunky step-down / step-down transformer.
~~ SAFETY ASPECTS ~~
All of these safety aspects have been implemented into ALL of our replacement PicoPSU's.
1. Fused Input Protection.
* The main power input has a quick-blow fuse so if the power brick used is not the correct one, outputting too higher voltage or just has a general fault, the fuse will blow so no harm will come to either the PicoPSU or the console.
2. Reverse Polarity Protection.
* The main power input has a diode to stop any incorrect polarity power brick damaging the PicoPSU or console.
3. Thermal Shutdown Protection.
* The voltage regulators have built-in thermal protection which means that if they get too hot, due to over-current or a fault further down the path, they will shut-down to stop any damage being caused to the console.
4. Over-voltage Protection.
* The voltage regulators have built-in over-voltage protection which means if the incorrect type of power brick is used, the regulators won't turn on preventing any damage being caused to the console.
** None of the clone PicoPSU's on eBay or AliExpress have ANY safety features at all. **
~~ COMPONENT / PCB CHOICES ~~
1. Genuine Components:
* We only EVER use genuine quality components sourced from reputable sources such as Digikey, Mouser, RS, Arrow etc etc.
2. Premium Capacitors:
* We use a high-quality metal film capacitor right on the input to reduce any major harmful power spikes / ripple.
* We use high-quality KEMET POLYMER capacitors on the inputs and outputs of the voltage regulators to further reduce power spikes / ripple, these polymer capacitors also feature a very long working life of tens of thousands of hours. These capacitors cost is around 70 pence each VS ordinary capacitors which cost around 12 pence each.
3. Quality Connectors:
* We used only genuine JST, TE and MOLEX connectors for all Power Inputs and Outputs.
4. Quality Switches (PS1PicoPSU):
* We use genuine Panasonic switches for the Reset Button and the Power Switch. We use the same exact Power Switch as used on the original PSU!
5. Correct Reset Operation (PS1PicoPSU):
* To ensure the console is in correct operation, special reset logic
was present on the Original PSU so it was also needed on the PS1PicoPSU.
6. 2oz Copper Deposition:
* We pay extra for a 2oz copper process for all of the traces on the PicoPSU's, this means that all traces have the ability to handle and withstand any high currents.