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    sclausen
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Care and Feeding of your Congo jr Master Playback Wing

Hi all -

I've recently heard some reports of Master Playback Wings getting the Congo jr logo "burned into" the LCDs due to leaving them powered up and idle for long periods. We recommend that if you are leaving your Congo jr console powered down for long periods of time, you should also unplug the power cable from your Master Playback Wing as well. It's kinder to the wing, and kinder to the planet. :-)

Master Playback Wings that are physically connected to the side of the console won't have this problem as they are powered by the console directly.

Thanks much!

Sarah 

Parents

  • When we first got our Congo Jr we used to power it from the separate PSU.  It often used to open with some or more of the LCD displays not working.  This was improved when we just used the USB connector to pass power over to it and didn't bother with the separate PSU.  It now has that problem a lot less often (still does it from time to time though!) and has the added benefit of meaning that when you turn off the main board it also turns off the Playback Wing.

     

    To be honest, I'm not quite sure why anyone would need to bother with a separate PSU when it seems to work fine taking power from the USB.

  • in reply to Just Some Bloke

    Just to clarify the possible connection arrangements of a Congo Jr Master Playback Wing:

    There are two ways to connect your Wing:

    1. "Docked"
      • This means directly mounted onto either side of the Congo Jr
      • Simply remove the blue side bumpers and slot the two together.
      • In this mode no other connections are required or should be made.
        • Don't use the wall-wart PSU or the USB cable.
        • Both power and USB data go through the gold sprung connector on the side
    2. "Flown"
      • This means using the PSU and USB cable to position the Wing anywhere within reach.
      • Don't remove any bumpers.
      • In this mode Power is drawn from the wall-wart, with USB data over the cable.
        • Power is not drawn over USB - the Wing needs more power than USB can supply.
      • This is the situation where it's possible to 'burn' the LCDs, so you should unplug the Wing power when not in use.

    This also applies to the Universal Wings - except that it gets more complex if you have more than one Wing!

    I hope that clears things up a little.

Reply
  • in reply to Just Some Bloke

    Just to clarify the possible connection arrangements of a Congo Jr Master Playback Wing:

    There are two ways to connect your Wing:

    1. "Docked"
      • This means directly mounted onto either side of the Congo Jr
      • Simply remove the blue side bumpers and slot the two together.
      • In this mode no other connections are required or should be made.
        • Don't use the wall-wart PSU or the USB cable.
        • Both power and USB data go through the gold sprung connector on the side
    2. "Flown"
      • This means using the PSU and USB cable to position the Wing anywhere within reach.
      • Don't remove any bumpers.
      • In this mode Power is drawn from the wall-wart, with USB data over the cable.
        • Power is not drawn over USB - the Wing needs more power than USB can supply.
      • This is the situation where it's possible to 'burn' the LCDs, so you should unplug the Wing power when not in use.

    This also applies to the Universal Wings - except that it gets more complex if you have more than one Wing!

    I hope that clears things up a little.

Children
  • in reply to Richard

    Depending on the 'vintage' of your wing, it is possible to have a wing that will draw power from the USB connection alone. This practice is not recommended though, as Richard state above, because the Wing needs more power than the USB connection alone can supply. Please place the power supply back into use. Your Wing will be much happier for it.

     

    Thanks!

    Sarah 

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