VOGONS


First post, by ratfink

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So, I bought an MT32 on ebay a while ago. It came with a PSU and the light came on when I plugged it it, but I had nothing to try it out on so I put it in a cupboard until now...

Now I have got it all out to use, I notice that the MT32 says "use a Roland adapter" and that it requires 9V at 650mA. Think that's right, I'm doing it from memory.

The PSU it came with was a Philips one ie. not original, and it says it supplies 6V at 1A as far as I can tell [letters have rubbed off].

I know some devices can be damaged by using a non-standard PSU - eg. Apple Newtons apparently may react badly even if the PSU has the right voltage and amperage. But for an MT32 am I OK with this PSU [as the supplied wattage seems to be about the same as it requires] or do I need one rated more closely to what the MT32 says? I'm pretty sure it's a barking mad question and the answer is obviously "get a new one" but would like some knowledgeable person to confirm. 😁

Reply 1 of 13, by ufoufo512

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You should match the voltage and polarity. For ampers it only matters that you have at least the amount your device needs. Having more doesn't matter, having less can lead to problems. So you should be fine.

For what it is worth, I m using Sega Megadrive power supply with my MT-32 myself.

Reply 2 of 13, by ufoufo512

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Just saw that the power supply you are using delivers less voltage than mt-32 requires. That could be a problem. But if it works, no harm should be possible imho. Using more voltage than the device needs on the other hand can fry the device.

Reply 3 of 13, by jadelicosner89

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niceone.. i really love ebay for providing everything.. don't you think so? most of the things i have today were brought there haha swear..

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Reply 4 of 13, by Mau1wurf1977

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Pretty much all General Midi and MT-32 and compatible Roland modules use 9V. The current however varies quite a bit:

CM-64: 1200mA
CM-500: 1000mA
The MT-32s: 650mA
CM-32L: 600mA.
SC-55MKII: 600mA
SC-55: 500mA
SC-55ST: 450mA

If you have a CM unit with 2 PCBs (CM-64 and CM-500) make sure you get one that has a high enough current rating.

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Reply 5 of 13, by HunterZ

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Sorry for the necro, but I was wondering if I could power a CM-32L from an MT-32 power supply?

Reply 6 of 13, by Jo22

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ufoufo512 wrote:

For what it is worth, I m using Sega Megadrive power supply with my MT-32 myself.

Yes, that works. But be careful when recommending this solution. There are different models out there, you know.
Besides, there are two Mega Drives (European and Japanese). Or more, if you include the asian PAL models.
The generations do also matter, as well. Anyway, I'm just mention this here because not all people are as tech-savvy as we are
and may choose the wrong model by accident. ^^

Here's a list with different models (second page has pictures of psus).
http://www.bordersdown.net/threads/93401-Sega … m-Game-Gear-etc

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Reply 7 of 13, by MMaximus

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HunterZ wrote:

Sorry for the necro, but I was wondering if I could power a CM-32L from an MT-32 power supply?

That will definitely work, as far as I know they use the same PSU.

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Reply 8 of 13, by HunterZ

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I misread Phil's post - looks like the MT-32 PSU should have 50ma of headroom over what the CM-32 expects.

I was about to bid $100 on a local CM-32 listing on eBay, as I can't justify spending more than that when I already have an MT-32. It looks like I never would have won, though, because the early bidder's hidden limit was already $128, plus 2 snipers ran it up to over $150 in the last couple of minutes.

I kind of wish I'd picked one up with my SC-88 and MT-32 around a decade ago when people weren't snapping them up as rabidly.

Reply 9 of 13, by BloodyCactus

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HunterZ wrote:

I was about to bid $100 on a local CM-32 listing on eBay, as I can't justify spending more than that when I already have an MT-32. It looks like I never would have won, though, because the early bidder's hidden limit was already $128, plus 2 snipers ran it up to over $150 in the last couple of minutes.

ha, that was me if it was the one just sold from washington state I believe, I put my limit and walked away. I saw a message I had been outbid. Things go for crazy prices but Im not willing to spend so much as others... it might have sold for over 150, but I bet whoever snipped it had a way higher than 150 max on it

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Reply 10 of 13, by jesolo

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HunterZ wrote:

I misread Phil's post - looks like the MT-32 PSU should have 50ma of headroom over what the CM-32 expects.

I was about to bid $100 on a local CM-32 listing on eBay, as I can't justify spending more than that when I already have an MT-32. It looks like I never would have won, though, because the early bidder's hidden limit was already $128, plus 2 snipers ran it up to over $150 in the last couple of minutes.

I kind of wish I'd picked one up with my SC-88 and MT-32 around a decade ago when people weren't snapping them up as rabidly.

I know the feeling. I was very lucky about 10 years ago when I managed to snap up my CM-32L for $10. Even back then, these modules were already becoming scarce and quite pricey.
I only recently acquired an MT-32.

Coming back to the topic, you can actually just buy any universal power adaptor with a negative polarity. It's OK for the milliamps to be higher than what the unit specifies, since the unit will only draw what it requires.

Reply 11 of 13, by HunterZ

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BloodyCactus wrote:
HunterZ wrote:

I was about to bid $100 on a local CM-32 listing on eBay, as I can't justify spending more than that when I already have an MT-32. It looks like I never would have won, though, because the early bidder's hidden limit was already $128, plus 2 snipers ran it up to over $150 in the last couple of minutes.

ha, that was me if it was the one just sold from washington state I believe, I put my limit and walked away. I saw a message I had been outbid. Things go for crazy prices but Im not willing to spend so much as others... it might have sold for over 150, but I bet whoever snipped it had a way higher than 150 max on it

Yeah, that was the one. I think it ended at 155.

jesolo wrote:

Coming back to the topic, you can actually just buy any universal power adaptor with a negative polarity. It's OK for the milliamps to be higher than what the unit specifies, since the unit will only draw what it requires.

Yeah. I was figuring I could just swap my MT-32 supply between my MT-32 and a CM-32 though, since I'd never use them simultaneously anyway.

Reply 12 of 13, by kanecvr

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does anyone know what diameter the socket for roland 9v adapters is? I'm thinking of using my SC-55 with a 1a universal PSU (a quality expensive one at that), an I need to know the diameter of the power plug hole...

Reply 13 of 13, by sf78

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HunterZ wrote:

I was about to bid $100 on a local CM-32 listing on eBay, as I can't justify spending more than that when I already have an MT-32. It looks like I never would have won, though, because the early bidder's hidden limit was already $128, plus 2 snipers ran it up to over $150 in the last couple of minutes.

Couldn't you just buy one straight from Yahoo.co.jp? They usually sell for $40-$70 + shipping and handling. I bought mine there and it didn't cost more than $130 with all the customs etc. I know I could've got it a lot cheaper had I waited for a while.