eBay bargains - what's your latest conquest?

[ToniCH]

Thanks. Doesn't show up in my Amazon though. There are couple of others but no mention how you adjust the output. They also say 100-120V but I hope you can somehow adjust it so its actually 100V. And UK wall plugs work for TheShortTimer but not for me.

Seems like the actual electric/electronics stores do not sell those but random Chinese companies do in Amazon, ebay etc.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Wouldn't it be better to purchase a stepdown convertor so you can keep everything original. Something like this?

View attachment 2565259

As it goes, I actually have that very step-down converter for use with my Pioneer LD-V4400 NTSC industrial LaserDisc player but no, it would not be better to do that in this instance seeing as I have the skills to negate a converter. Keeping "everything original" really isn't necessary here.

I admire your purism, though!

Besides, as @ToniCH pointed out, that step-down converter is 110-230v and the Japanese Saturn uses 100v.

And UK wall plugs work for TheShortTimer but not for me.

You see, this is what happens when you inhabit one of the few places that escaped British colonisation.

Joking aside, I've managed to acquire a universal voltage power-board and an RGB-SCART cable. All I need to do now is buy a game...

 

[Doq]

I almost suggested this too but then remembered that it might be difficult to find one for Japanese 100v stuff.

From my experience with my imported Japanese electronics, the power circuitry in them is tolerant enough to handle 120 American volts no problem. Of course if you want to really be safe then you should put in the correct voltage, but from my experience 100 volt hardware is just fine on 120 volts.


Oh yeah, I've had these sitting in the lab for about a week or two now:

Two more nuggets to join the first.

The Zen Xtra (left) was another repair job, though slightly more complicated as it needed a display replacement, and the displays on these Creative units are structurally soldered to the mainboard, rather than using a bracket or similar. Had to obtain a donor unit for this repair-- about $45 overall.

The Zen Sleek (right) is the most expensive one out of the three, as I specifically bought a tested working model instead. $75.

 

[TheShortTimer]

I've bought a couple of games - and they had to be Japanese versions due to region locking. There's a solution and I'll look into it later but for now, here's a couple of bargains from eBay:

£10.78 GBP from a UK seller and the cheapest Japanese version available to me that's complete with the sleeve and jewel case. There was another listing which was marginally cheaper but you got the disc and nothing more. This game is English friendly so I won't have to worry about using Google Lens to translate stuff.

Onto bargain #2:

£8.95 GBP, again from a UK seller and with free shipping. No other listing for a Japanese version that was complete matched this price and it was reduced slightly after the seller conceded that the casing is worse for wear and agreed to a discount. This title is also English friendly, which makes two for two with no language barriers.

The game I'll be playing for now is the waiting one for everything to arrive.

 

[MarkC426]

I've bought a couple of games - and they had to be Japanese versions due to region locking. There's a solution and I'll look into it later but for now, here's a couple of bargains from eBay:

£10.78 GBP from a UK seller and the cheapest Japanese version available to me that's complete with the sleeve and jewel case. There was another listing which was marginally cheaper but you got the disc and nothing more. This game is English friendly so I won't have to worry about using Google Lens to translate stuff.

Onto bargain #2:

£8.95 GBP, again from a UK seller and with free shipping. No other listing for a Japanese version that was complete matched this price and it was reduced slightly after the seller conceded that the casing is worse for wear and agreed to a discount. This title is also English friendly, which makes two for two with no language barriers.

The game I'll be playing for now is the waiting one for everything to arrive.

Nice bit of retro……

 

[TheShortTimer]

Nice bit of retro……

Thanks!

In a former life, I worked at a well known UK high-street consumer electronics chain and spotted in the stock room tons of unsold new old stock that included a boxed Sega Saturn with the Sega Ages bundle (Space Harrier, Out Run…). By that point it had been superseded by the Dreamcast - which itself was on its last legs commercially with the impending PS2 release and so it was perceived as worthless, dead stock and I could've had it for a score - imagine!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stick around long enough to get it and regretted this (although I did bag other goodies.)

Nowadays, when I buy retro consoles from the 80s and 90s, I always go for the US/JPN models because they'll run at 60hz with no borders - unlike their Euro counterparts.

There's a few more retro and current gear to show. Watch this space.

 

[MarkC426]

Thanks!

In a former life, I worked at a well known UK high-street consumer electronics chain

Was this maybe Dixons or Maplin….?

 

[TheShortTimer]

Did this start with a D….?

I suspected that I'd given a significant clue as to the company. It did indeed.