Hacking Power source

[Retal]

As you know, when you plug in your AC power plug to recharge the battery, the orange battery charging light comes on. However, when this has finished and the light has gone out, if you leave the plug attached and begin playing with your DSL, does it draw its power from the battery or the AC?

 

[blade85]

I dont think it does anything

 

[lagman]

The battery, always the battery.

 

[Retal]

Weak. So even plugged in, the DS will still run out of power. Doesn't that strike you as a design flaw?

 

[skullstatue]

Sort of, but you just have to take it out and put it back in once it turns red again. I always found this pretty annoying though, but any other way would probably increase the probability of destroying your DS when the voltage spikes.

 

[lagman]

Weak. So even plugged in, the DS will still run out of power. Doesn't that strike you as a design flaw?

Exactly the opposite.
Skullstatue is right.

 

[Retal]

Well then I fail to understand why previous Game Boys could operate directly from a wall socket without any such issues.

 

[Psyfira]

So even plugged in, the DS will still run out of power. Doesn't that strike you as a design flaw?Exactly the opposite....actually it doesn't make any sense.
QUOTE(skullstatue @ Jun 7 2007, 04:04 AM)

Sort of, but you just have to take it out and put it back in once it turns red again.

So hang on, why bother plugging it in at all then? I don't get it. If the DS is draining the battery, not charging and not running from the mains then the mains lead isn't actually doing anything. That means that, unless your DS is on a red light, there is no point whatsoever to having it plugged into the mains while playing.

I'm confused...

 

[lagman]

Can I play my Nintendo DS while I'm recharging the battery?

Yes, it is possible to play your Nintendo DS while the battery is recharging; however, this will cause the charging process to take longer than the typical four hours when the system is not being played at the same time.

Nintendo DS battery FAQ

 

[Psyfira]

Can I play my Nintendo DS while I'm recharging the battery?
Yes, it is possible to play your Nintendo DS while the battery is recharging; however, this will cause the charging process to take longer than the typical four hours when the system is not being played at the same time.

Right, that makes more sense. I think it was the "turn to red light while plugged in" thing that threw me, that implies the rate of battery drain while playing is higher than the charging rate. But Nintendo's statement implies it isn't and the DS does actually charge, albeit slowly. Which makes far more sense.

 

[Veho]

You can remove the battery from the DS, plug in the charger, and be able to play. That means the DS runs off the power mains while it's plugged in, and off the battery when not.

 

[Psyfira]

You can remove the battery from the DS, plug in the charger, and be able to play. That means the DS runs off the power mains while it's plugged in, and off the battery when not.

I think I heard someone say on here that you can do that with the Phat but not the Lite. I think... confirm pls?

 

[Retal]

It would be nice if this topic had some closure. An easy test to carry out would be to leave a DS turned on for longer than the battery life the the power lead attached. If it was still running 24 hours later, it can run off the mains. If not, it can't.

 

[Destructobot]

Even if the DS runs off the battery when it's plugged in, the battery charges faster than playing the DS drains it.

The DS will not run out of power while it's plugged in. I've played a game until the light turned red, then plugged the DS in and continued playing until it was fully charged.

 

[Retal]

Yes but you're STILL missing the point with that comment, because the whole POINT of the thread is whether or not it uses the mains power source AFTER it has finished charging, when the light goes OUT. Do I need to add more emphasis for you to understand the question?

 

[Destructobot]

Do I need to add more emphasis for you to understand the question?

Yes.

 

[Retal]

Do I need to add more emphasis for you to understand the question?
Yes.

Thought as much.

 

[Destructobot]

I remember reading somewhere that the DS Lite will not work without a battery, even if it's plugged in. If that really is the case, I would think that the battery is always used, and the system never runs solely off of the power from the cord.

 

[foobar]

the real issue here is how clever the charging electronics in the NDS lite are

we already know they're at least smart enough to stop charging when the battery is full, preventing overcharging and damaging the battery

the question is if they begin charging again if the DS battery runs down while connected to the wall

a simple test should prove it -- just plug it in and run a game. Observe that the orange light comes on to begin a charge cycle. Leave the ds on for a day or two with brightness at full and see if it dies. I'm traveling currently but could maybe try this next week.

 

[BakuFunn]

k ill do it with my phat