Wii Power Supply

[suze]

Hi everybody

the little grey box for the power supply I received with my wii buzzes/humms rather loudly when the console is on standby. It has always done this and I have to turn the thing off completely at the power socket otherwise I can hear it over the TV and other household noises and it gets very annoying.

Should this grey box make this noise or could it be faulty. I don't normally mind turning off the power but I want to get a new stand with built-in charger for the wiimotes, but this isn't going to work when I have to keep keep turning the power off.

The wii is great isn't it, and I really, really want a balance board for it.

Regards
Suze

[Wii Spark]

Hi Suze

Just a couple of questions to ask.

Does the power supply get warm to the touch and buzz/hum while you're using your Wii? Or is it just while it's in standby mode?

If so, it could be that you may have a faulty power supply, because as there are no moving parts inside the unit it should be completely silent.
SMPS (switch mode power supply) units operate by converting the house supply at 230V ac to 12V dc using electronic components only. It's possible that some of these components soldered connections have come loose and are moving slightly, so causing the noise you can hear. In which case take it back to the store you bought it from and ask for a replacement.

Does it buzz/hum if you plug it in at a friends house?

If it doesn't, then it could be something close to your power supply giving off interferance and this in turn is being amplified by the Wii's power supply. In which case further investigation as to what is causing the interferance would be needed.

[Fr@nk$t@]

Ummmmmmmmmmm Sparky you must be good at your electrical stuffs. :D

Suze you probably got a faulty power supply because I've never had any annoying sounds when my Wii in standby, just a guess. :)

[Wii Spark]

Ummmmmmmmmmm Sparky you must be good at your electrical stuffs. :D



That's down to a five year apprenticeship and twenty five extra years learning.

[suze]

It stays completely cool when in use and gets slightly warm when on standby. There doesn't seem to be any sound from it when the wii is actually being used only when in standby.

There is no way I can take this to a friends house to test it as they would all kidnap it and I would never get it back!!, but I have tried it in different rooms in my house and it is exactly the same.

I think I might contact Nintendo to see if it can be swapped without having to change the whole console which I think is running absolutely perfectly and don't want to disrupt it.

Suze

[Wii Spark]

1. It stays completely cool when in use and gets slightly warm when on standby. There doesn't seem to be any sound from it when the wii is actually being used only when in standby.

2. There is no way I can take this to a friends house to test it as they would all kidnap it and I would never get it back!!, but I have tried it in different rooms in my house and it is exactly the same.

3. I think I might contact Nintendo to see if it can be swapped without having to change the whole console which I think is running absolutely perfectly and don't want to disrupt it.


Suze

1. Sounds like the feedback circuit of the switching regulator isn't working correctly under no load conditions, although it is working when under normal load, you need a replacement power supply.

2. lol, It probably would be the same if you did try it elsewhere.

3. Good idea, but they may want the whole lot back to check your Wii console out as well.

[suze]

I actually bought this from Argos a couple of months ago so I might just go and get a replacement, otherwise I might be without a console for a month or more and I don't really fancy that as I tend to play something on it every day at some point.

Thanks for your help. Will let you know if I manage to get it exchanged.

Suze

[Fr@nk$t@]

I hope you get a replacement Suze, I couldn't last one day without my Wii.

That's down to a five year apprenticeship and twenty five extra years learning.

Two questions for you Sparky.

Did you ever find it hard for someone to take up apprentice for your trade? Or has the apprenticeship business change in the last 30 years.

And what sort of electronics do you do for a living then? Just wondering because my dad is an electronics technician (I think that his job title.) for the university.

[thelocaluk]

Funnily enough I did an electrical apprenticeship, though my job is totally different these days because I got bored looking at wires all day:)

[suze]

I took the whole console back to Argos, but they don't exchange some things these days like they used to. They said this is because they have to stand the cost of replacement, not the manufacturer. So they have sent the power supply back to Nintendo either for repair for replacement and they don't know how long it will be before it is returned.

I've got to admit it does make more sense then scrapping a good console for the sake of a power supply, I just have to hope they have a quick turn round at Nintendo.

Suze

[Wii Spark]

I took the whole console back to Argos, but they don't exchange some things these days like they used to. They said this is because they have to stand the cost of replacement, not the manufacturer. So they have sent the power supply back to Nintendo either for repair for replacement and they don't know how long it will be before it is returned.

I've got to admit it does make more sense then scrapping a good console for the sake of a power supply, I just have to hope they have a quick turn round at Nintendo.

Suze


You might get a complete new unit back, with all your vc downloads and points transferred over, (that's if you've downloaded any). But you might lose your Mii's, :eek:
I hope your not waiting to long.


Two questions for you Sparky.

Did you ever find it hard for someone to take up apprentice for your trade? Or has the apprenticeship business change in the last 30 years.

And what sort of electronics do you do for a living then? Just wondering because my dad is an electronics technician (I think that his job title.) for the university.

When I left school I didn't have a problem getting a job with an apprenticeship thrown in, as it was all the rage then. Getting a trade through an apprenticeship was not a problem as there were a lot more manufacturing businesses in operation compared to today. Think of steel, shipbuilding, aerospace and coal industries. Nowadays these industries are few and far between, and those that are left in operation have'nt got the time to wait for an apprentice to complete 5 years of training alongside someone with 30 or 40 years experience. They'd rather the people they take on have done some basic training elsewhere, and gained NVQ's in whatever area they require. It all boils down to operating costs now.

I trained up to C&G standards in Electrical Installation for five years, but was made redundant on qualifying. From there I went as a maintenance electrician in a paper mill, working shifts. Whilst there I worked on repairing and maintaining the machines. Over the years as the technology advanced, especially the control side of things, I carried on learning, as some areas of the trade don't stand still. Just before the mill shut I had been mostly working with the process control side of things, including PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), 4-20mA control loops for pressure & level transmitters and even a radioactive source for a density gauge (it measured the weight of the paper) on one machine. Now I'm recovering from a couple of operations before venturing into the world of work again.

[suze]

[quote=Wii Spark;31664]You might get a complete new unit back, with all your vc downloads and points transferred over, (that's if you've downloaded any). But you might lose your Mii's, :eek:
I hope your not waiting to long.

I actually transferred all my games saves to an SD card, and I haven't done any vc downloads yet 'cos I haven't got wifi, before going back to Argos, but they only actually sent the power supply away and I still have the actual console here.

I think I must be missing on the wii more than I realised as this morning I caught myself waving the remote at the tv to change the channel over. It doesn't help that I still have the actual console and can't use it because of a measly little bit of lead and a plug.

I have ordered a new power supply from Ebay for a fiver thinking that if Nintendo do take weeks it will be worth it and I will also have a back up power supply in the future - overkill maybe, but I hate being without the thing. So, it is a case of which comes first, the one from Ebay or the return from Nintendo. Don't really care which it is as long as its quick.

Suze

[Wii Spark]

I have ordered a new power supply from Ebay for a fiver thinking that if Nintendo do take weeks it will be worth it and I will also have a back up power supply in the future - overkill maybe, but I hate being without the thing. So, it is a case of which comes first, the one from Ebay or the return from Nintendo. Don't really care which it is as long as its quick.

Suze

Great idea, I didn't think of that one.

So you shouldn't be Wiiless for to long either. :D

[ben93]

i had to go without it for 2 weeks on holiday...murder

[suze]

You should have snuck it into your suitcase ready for a rainy afternoon. You never know it might have worked.

Still nothing off Ebay, maybe tomorrow. Don't know what I used to do pre Wii.

Suze

[ben93]

i used to play my ds, but now thats broke :(

[suze]

Thats a shame, you could have taken it on holiday with you and kept the withdrawal symptoms at bay.

Still no power supply, aaaaaagh

Suze

[ben93]

my top screen broke on my ds, i can still play animal crossing but thts boring now

[suze]

Yeah!! The new power supply has arrived from Ebay and it is dead quiet. It took a week to get here through the post but it was worth the wait and I can't believe how silent it is.

Right, gotta go and play now as I have a lot of catching up to do and my golf is suffering.

Suze

[ben93]

glad u gt ure power supply!

[Fr@nk$t@]

Yeah!! The new power supply has arrived from Ebay and it is dead quiet. It took a week to get here through the post but it was worth the wait and I can't believe how silent it is.

Right, gotta go and play now as I have a lot of catching up to do and my golf is suffering.

Suze

Good to hear your Wii is working fine now. How did you last one week without the Wii? ;)

[suze]

I drove my husband mad moaning about it, and I have made up for lost time in the 24 hours it has been back in action. I've got to admit though I was surprised it took so long, as a rule when I order stuff off Ebay it only takes 2 days max and that took a week.
One thing I have noticed about the one from Ebay is that it appears to be a genuine wii part and not a copy which is what I was expecting, so it is well worth a fiver just for the silence when the unit is on standby.

Hopefully, my teething problems are over with it and my wii and I can enjoy a long and happy relationship, which will be longer and happier if I can get a Balance Board.

I don't know if Nintendo will repair or replace the faulty power supply which has gone back to them under guarantee.

Suze

[ben93]

hoo cares really now you have a decent working, 1 if they do its an added bonus

[Wii Spark]

Yeah!! The new power supply has arrived from Ebay and it is dead quiet. It took a week to get here through the post but it was worth the wait and I can't believe how silent it is.

Right, gotta go and play now as I have a lot of catching up to do and my golf is suffering.

Suze

Great news, and welcome back to the World of Wii. :D

[suze]

I have certainly made up for lost time during the past couple of days and to celebrate being back in the land of the "wiiing" I went to Game in Manchester and bought 2 more games, but only chose easy fun games - Ice Age 2 and The Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Haven't tried Billy and Mandy yet but the graphics on Ice Age 2 are excellent.

While in Game I traded in my Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game and got £25, which considering I only paid £29.99 for it is quite good value, and I think in future I might trade in my games as I have played them which wil help towards the purchase of a new one. Hopefully soon they will be as common as PS2 games and won't cost as much to buy.

Right, gotta go and take over the TV with my Wii.

Suze

[suze]

Hi guys
Nintendo have replaced the power supply I sent in as faulty. It has taken 16 days, which isn't bad but I'm glad I bought one off Ebay or I would have been climbing the walls by now.

Anyway, I have tried it and it is silent so it was woth doing after all.

By the way I got Trauma Centre yesterday for a pressie and have just stitched someones arm up. Didn't do a good job though and if it was real life they would need some serious plastic surgery.

See you later

Suze