Does anyone have pictures of the inside of the AC adapter tap. I have taps but I need to get a hold of a security bit since my old one wore out.

I made a SNES-to-VB controller adapter and I was thinking it would be cool if I could fit it into an adapter box box but I’m not sure there is enough empty space in there.

Alternatively, is anyone aware of any 3-D printed project box designs that would mate up with an AC adapter tap? Basically the box would have the controller-side interface. That could work for me too.

I’m confused… Are you trying to make an SNES-to-VB controller adapter that connects to the back of a VB controller in place of the battery box/adapter tap? Since none of the signals you need (including +5V) are accessible from the tap slot, this isn’t going to work without modifying the controller itself. It would also end up being quite an unwieldy jumble of wires and plastic…

However, if you just want to use an adapter tap to power the VB through your custom SNES pad adapter, that would be relatively easy (since you seem to have access to a 3D printer). I actually happen to have a model of the battery pack slot (attached). I included an STL and the original SketchUp model. I’ve never printed it, so I don’t know if it’ll work as-is, but I used calipers to get the dimensions, so it should be pretty close.

Attachments:

1. adapter-tap-slot.zip

Thanks @RunnerPack. It’s more like option B. No VB controller would be involved (other than the plug donor). A picture here may help. Below is a picture of my adapter. I went with a more modular approach than most. Basically, for power I have 2 alligator clips that clip to the positive and negative clamps of an AC adapter tap or battery pack. My thought was how can I make it most flexible (and yes, since I was a soldering novice I went ridiculously conservative with the cable lengths, maximizing everything to give room for error). It works quite well because the clamps hold on tight to the tap and aren’t very touchy.

So I got to thinking, how could I make it prettier. I got 2 ideas:

Option 1: Fit it in an adapter tap. If there is enough empty space, I could put the shrink tube portion inside the adapter tab and have 2 exit holes (one for the SNES connector cord and 1 for the VB connector cord), mount the switch to the case, and solder the power wires directly to the tap.

Option 2: If I could get a project box that would mate with an adapter tap (or battery pack) I could just put the internals in there, again with 2 exit holes for the SNES and VB cords, with the switch mounted to the box. That option requires a 3d printer (which I don’t actually have access to) but is the preferred option since it maintains modularity with regard to power source.

So one of my hopes was to find someone that had hopefully produced the controller-side interface and could basically put a printed project box around that interface.

My current adapter works just fine, so I know this is overkill, but that’s what nerds do best, right?

Attachments:

1. 

   my-snes-to-vb-adapter-scaled.jpg
   

RunnerPack wrote:
I actually happen to have a model of the battery pack slot (attached). I included an STL and the original SketchUp model. I’ve never printed it, so I don’t know if it’ll work as-is, but I used calipers to get the dimensions, so it should be pretty close.

I downloaded the SketchUp viewer utility and took a look. That looks like just what I would need, just with a box attached to the “back” of it (where the controller would be). I don’t have this capability though unfortunately.

Looks like a tidy piece of work, there; good job! 🙂

astro187 wrote:

So I got to thinking, how could I make it prettier. I got 2 ideas:

Option 1: Fit it in an adapter tap.

Option 2: If I could get a project box that would mate with an adapter tap (or battery pack)

I’m still confused about why you need the tap or battery box at all. You can just wire the proper AC adapter directly to the converter. If you have to have it detachable, just get an adapter with a standard 5mm barrel plug and its mating jack. There’s no need to use any VB parts at all, especially if it means modifying a “collectible” (or at least a limited resource).

I know it’s overkill. I don’t *have* to use VB parts. I just had a vision of an adapter that mated up with existing VB taps/packs because I have a few of them. I know it’s not as clean as some of the other designs that use 3rd party AC adapters. And who am I kidding that I’d ever use a battery pack? It was just my take on the project though.