Converting PAL systems to US Outlet

[Konacha]

So I found a PAL Playstation 1 today for super cheap at the flea market. It didn't come with a pal plug but the guy gave me a normal US plug (which is a big no no, but I honestly think he thought it was a normal PS1). I opened up the Playstation and there is no signs of damage to the power as I have seen. However, I don't want to plug it in and start it as I know there will be problems. What would be the best way for me to plug in this PS1 to a US 110v plug. Just to know, I already have a PAL to NTSC video convertor thanks to my SCART to HDMI adapter.

[emwearz]

As the internal Playstation power supply is not universal (it can't accept both 110v and 240v), you need a a 240v > 110V converter (known as a step up voltage converter). Check the sticker on the bottom, in Australia at least it does not mention 110V compatibility, if it does on whatever region your PAL console is from then you will be fine. This is true for pretty much all consoles that have an internal power supply. Any money you saved on the playstation console will most likely be negated because depending on the quality these can cost $50 bucks right into the hundreds. Be sure for plenty of wattage headway, most sources suggest doubling the wattage at a minimum. The Playstation is 9W so this should not be a massive issue. I use the reverse of these (a step down voltage converter) for my Japanese (110V) consoles as mains power in Australia is 240V.


Also as you mentioned PAL>NTSC, the PS1 is softcoded for region, so it will output the resolution and frequency of the software in it, if the system is chipped it will play US PS1 games exactly like a US PS1 would.

Realistically, you would be far better off buying a NTSC PS1.

[Konacha]

That helps me out a lot. I figured that if I brought a step-up/down converter it would be able to use it for any other systems that I run across. However, I wasn't 100% sure if I needed an adapter or converter since when I google search it I'd get different results.

[emwearz]

Something to remember is a lot of retro gamers in PAL zones spend a lot of time getting their consoles modded or import systems to output 60hz, in almost no situation are earlier PAL consoles a better option to their NTSC counterparts.

Just something to think about.