Trying to FIX a Broken Atari 2600 Video Games Console

[@jamiefors5062]

Can remember creeping down on Christmas morning and opening the corner of the wrapping and seeing our dad got me and my brother this, god that was 1978 when it came out, spent all day playing combat, so many great memories, I remember space invaders, if you turned the console on and off really quick, you got double bullets........43 years on and I still have it and it’s in great working order. Nice find buddy, well done 👍

[@QunMang]

On the topic of Christmas, the games back then were not shrink-wrapped, so my brother and I would find them in their hiding spots and open them up to play for a bit and put them back before they were wrapped for Christmas. 🎁

[@dawn5227]

I used to play this with my brother. We spent hours sat on the living room carpet infront of the TV trying to blow each others tanks. Great fun, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@OrderoftheWarlocks]

had mine fail out of the blue the other month and it was the exact problem. Touched up the solder joints and she's golden

[@bengtgronlund9447]

"Combat" was my brothers and my favorite Atari 2600 game. We got it when it was just released. Our oldest brother, that worked as a sailor and earned quite som cash created a point system for us to earn the console. If we went to the store buying cigarettes for him we got some points and if we served him coffe we got points for that to. We could also get minus points. Anyway, eventually we hade earned enough points and he purchased the console and we had a blast with it, my brother and I. We later purchased a Atari 600XL, a Commedore 128, and alsa a Atari 520ST, and suddenly my dad aquired a PC 8088 in 1986. That led me in to PC, and today I have been working as a computer professional for 35 years, and I have been working with all Microsoft operating systems, and what led me to this path was an Atari 2600 in 1978-79. Thank you for your video!

[@sebastian19745]

Most AC powered devices can be powered by a DC adapter. If there is a FULL bridge rectifier inside, then it will work with any polarity of DC (Center positive or negative) but if inside is only a diode as rectifier, then only one polarity will work. However, no damage can occur. Keep in mind that will be loses on the diodes (some 1.2 to 1.5V)so DC voltage must be somewhat bigger than the AC required. For a 9V AC followed by a 7805 I will still use a 9 to 12V DC adapter. Edit: Obviously this Atari seems to have one diode rectifier followed by the capacitor and the 7805. If so, it will need a certain polarity on the input power jack (center positive) because the ground is on the outer contact. But I don`t see the diode so I think it was meant to be powered by DC. I would change the capacitor however, just because its age and add a diode for protection. I had many Atari clones in the 90s that died on CPU or crystal failures, even the ROM was not readable on one of them They were the clones "9999... in one" some with the connector for cartridge. All of them had the real chips, except two later revisions that had the ROM on small PCBs (COB) that were soldered on the main board; those had not the cartridge connector. I modded an big old B&W TV by putting inside such a board and have it running games by pushing a button on channel selector (channel 3 on VHF I thing it was); the game was always powered up.

[@greenaum]

Nice idea on the TV! Would have been nice though if you could have sneaked in a DPST or whatever to replace the switch, so it would power the Atari only when you're on channel 3. Even some sort of latch, triggered from the chan 3 button through a capacitor for a pulse, or something. Use a power transistor for half the latch, the "on" half, and that's it, you could wire the 2600 straight up to there. Maybe even, worst-case, some opto arrangement that sees the channel 3 button push in but doesn't interfere electrically. There's likely some low voltage on the telly's PCB that would support that, and if there isn't, a resistor and a zener will make do. Or just a 7805, long as you don't draw much current from it.

[@sebastian19745]

@@greenaum Well, now looking back it would make sense, (it was a low voltage TV with ICs, an electronic channel selector with varicap diodes) but then I did what I could. It was in early 90s and I had 17 at the time, no many components and a old b&w TV with ICs when we bought a huge color TV. So, I did the mod on that TV that ended in my room. Yes, I knew how to use CMOS 4000 series logic ICs, but they were too expensive to buy then. Years later, I transformed that TV to a crude oscilloscope for AF, up to around 100 KHz. The good side was that I could leave the game and watch TV and return at the next level to play. And, I was never got caught playing while I had to do homework :)))

[@woollysoxx]

I used to work for mastercare in the eighties and repaired these when they were under warranty! Can’t recall much of what faults we had but I do recall a cartridge called SALT stand alone test, basically told you what chip to replace!

[@arokh72]

KZbin algorithm wins again for showing me this channel. A family friend's Atari 2600 was my introduction to gaming, way back in the early 80s. Pitfall and Pole Position were my favourite games back then. I also can't get over the size of those traces, you can drive a semi along them haha.

[@TheCod3r]

Great stuff Vince. I have an Atari myself which I might get around to trying to fix one day lol

[@victorvarsanyi6702]

Seeing that Atari 2600 brings back many fond memories of my childhood. Back in the day, we used to take polaroids of the TV and send them in to Atari or the game manufacturers and get patches and things for high scores.

[@cybernigel9367]

That is quite an interesting atari vcs as it has the cut outs in the top for the speakers that never were. You can see them in the video when you remove the top cover at 6:05.

[@bobbus_74]

Great job Vince. Can't believe that schoolboy error at 20:00 though! 🤦

[@marccarter1350]

My first and only gaming console. I got an Atari PC the following Christmas, been a PC gamer ever since. You could not write basic code on those, which was all the rage back then. The 2600 put me off of consoles for life lol! I had the black plastic one! Great show as always

[@WA_Stokins]

Yes you could! Atari sold a special version of basic for the 2600. It wasn't very good basic, but it did exist.

[@marccarter1350]

@@WA_Stokins I never knew that, i thought that was an 800 thing! We learn something new everyday. I was lucky enough to own an ST in the mid 1980's! Killed the commodore 64, spectrum zx80. Happy days!

[@ricardoandrade9943]

Cool video. The Atari2600 was my very first game console...a lot of nostalgia upon seeing the video.

[@jasonmuller1199]

Great job i get so excited when someone gets an old console working again, a lil bit of solder and now another Atari gets a new life

[@j33pfyn4tik6]

Just hooked up my original 1983 Atari 2600 (4 switch), and about 40 games, after 35 years of storage in the original box. I hooked it up, gave it the ole blowout, put in some games, and played with my 5 and 7 year old boys. She ran flawlessly as she did back then. It brought back many memories of my childhood when life was much simpler. I miss my mother dearly, and i can remember sometimes how she would holler at us for sitting in the house, playing Atari.

[@lemonherb1]

I remember as a kid I tripped over the power cord a few times. I imagine I wasn't the only one and that kind of stress could be one of the causes of the power jack breaking free. That said, the soldering job on these Atari's are generally terrible and often they just don't use enough solder so it doesn't take much force to break the joints

[@mattrichardson4351]

Awesome video .. most switching powers supply’s will be just above it’s set voltage.. but if it’s like 6v over it .. it’s got something broken inside driving the voltage up

[@jamesdavies686]

Devices that are powered by AC power bricks can be powered with DC power bricks without issue, just not vice versa. It will still just pass through the rectifier circuit just fine.

[@felinecontrolled]

Good luck cleaning up your shirt and carpet. I wish my projects went that easy. Currently I have a pair of clock radios with a bad hum. It's not mains hum (changed the power input), speakers (tried different speakers) or ground loop (unlikely but ordered some ferrite rings to test). I temporarily fixed one by disconnecting what I thought was a faulty speaker, but the second unit has the hum on both.

[@TampaTec]

Awesome video bro 👍 I still play my atari for nostalgia.

[@Mymatevince]

Nice one Tampa 👍 👌

[@JadenYukifan28]

@@Mymatevince I've played on one before and it worked great! The only issue I had was that oil would get on my skin when I would use the Joystick

[@williamharris8367]

Back in the early-1990s, I bought and resold numerous Atari 2600 consoles. I remember fixing loose several power jack's and switches. The repeated mechanical stresses break the solder joints. There is not too much else that can go wrong with a 2600.

[@jst25]

The power switches are terrible, the little metal sliders just get worn down to easily

[@carlacespede3489]

*Estupendo video master!...eres muy generoso al mostrar el ARTE del BUEN TECNICO!*

[@stuartmcphillie7300]

Love it, Vince. Takes me back to being a kid. First serious console my brother and I owned.

[@daz41262010]

super repair Vince :) great to see the old Atari working once again :) I will lookout for your video repairing of the 4 games :)

[@89ludeawakening1]

Nice fix as usual. Also, you have good taste in the music you use. Lol... Christine Smit is amazing!

[@stevedebeukelaer1424]

hi vince on the adapter cable is a white stroke so you can see how you must put it too ro see the polarity. Nice fix

[@tyhuffman5447]

Vince - I don't know if you can hear me but every time I see something I think you've missed I shout it out, I'm sure I'm not alone, but maybe we aren't getting through. I'll keep trying though. Good job mate.

[@XLAND101]

I wish we could post pictures in the comments. I graduated Coleman College for Computer Repair in 1993. We all received a 386 Computers but Pentium was already out. I became an Auto Mechanic as a Career. The repair training has been a tremendous help in doing repairs that most can not perform. A few years ago, I was cleaning out my Parent's Attic and found our 2600. Of course, no power. Took it to my Shop one Saturday and tore it down. Had to disassemble the Power Switch to clean for the power issue, took them all apart for giggles. Works flawlessly. Kind of weird to play on a 50".... Now the great part. I tore into it on October 28th.... The little quality control receipt for it's build date; October 28th...... Exactly 35 years to the day.... LOL

[@MrEvilWasp]

Wow so many memories flooding back with that tank game. The noises alone made me smile big time. Peace

[@lebouffeurdemoules]

I'm from Belgium. I love the way you speak.

[@GoodwinsPlace]

Great fix Vince, I wonder how many are like this, similar issue to many HDMI ports going bad where people keep bending them when taking the cable in and out. Paint looked good. Looking be forward to the cart videos, hopefully just a clean up. 👍

[@Mymatevince]

Cheers Craig, it must be quite a common fault. At least it is a nice easy fix. Been working on a Sega Master system today which bought back good memories👍👍

[@GoodwinsPlace]

@@Mymatevince ohh look forward to seeing that one. It's such a great system.

[@rogernichols8150]

So enjoy your videos mate please keep them coming and here to help get your videos out to everyone!!!

[@DEmma1972]

Blast from the past. Good memories from my childhood with this. Youth of today wouldnt understand how this was a game changer of its time

[@timvangenechten5258]

About your concern regarding the dc powersupply, normaly such devices have something called a "full bridge rectifier" in it. I suggest you look it up to understand it better. But essentially what it does is force the current to go in one direction. They do this so the alternating pulses of the AC would all flow in the same direction. But it also means that it doesn't matter if you switch the polarity of the dc powersupply as the polarity would be rectified anyway. However if this was a device made for dc power and you would plug it in the wrong way then there is a chance of it breaking if it did not have any protection on it. That's why you should never plug a nes powersuply in a japanese famicom as the nes powersupply outputs AC and the nes has a full bridge rectifier inside. But the Famicom does not have one so it has a DC powersupply. Also, the broken solder joints are very common on older devices, they are called dry or cold solder joints. I can see a lot more of them on the pcb and it would be a good idea to reflow them all because sooner or later they will fail.

[@ThePoxun]

That delay on power on is a little worrying... usually when switched on the game should start almost immediately... it might be worth checking/replacing that capacitor for long term stability...

[@greenaum]

Yeah it's probably dead. That stuff like that even works today is more testimony to how well designs can get by without capacitors, than to the capacitors surviving, because they don't. Shame they didn't design them all in prominent places on the PCB, or even all in one place. But who thinks about tinkerers 40 years later when you're trying to get tartrazine-addled kids their xmas presents shipped in time?

[@manuell3505]

I have seen this a few times. Also systems showing black&white and go to color after a few minutes. I thought it was the RF modulator...

[@InMeShed247]

Another lovely fix, even if it was a bit de Ja vuey and it cost you a carpet. I always thought you filmed the intro twice and then decided if it was a tea break fix or a trying video.

[@wallacelang1374]

I believe that you did a good job at repairing a common problem with the early Atari 2600 VCS Six Switch game consoles, it probably would not matter whether the unit was an American NTSC or an European PAL format game system. Primarily because both systems were set up with the same Ohms, Watts & Volts as the other formats.

[@andrasszabo7386]

Eventually, that power connector is going to get loose again. So what I recommend is, to bend down the connector terminals before soldering them to the board.

[@mrjsv4935]

Very nice, simple problem and quick fix :) Indeed makes one wonder how many of these have been scrapped because of just one solder joint.

[@Hounddoggy33]

Great job! I find I have to clean the Activision carts each time I use them. The Atari ones always work fine. The only game I have that doesn't work properly is Time Pilot.

[@ufninuyasha]

Sadly, I'm almost 100% positive that the power jack is what was faulty on the one we had when I was a kid. My parents threw it out after it stopped working. I didn't know until later on that they threw it out. Would have loved to at lease had a chance to fix it.

[@douglasharrington3003]

Could be the cartridges or the slot of the atari. Some pins may not be used on all games. Also the game slot is removable and gets corrosion underneath

[@josericardogs1435]

Vince, I recommend you a CRT tv to test old devices like this, it will be a nice trying to fix video!

[@retractingblinds]

Those old power jacks break all the time in Atari's. Very easy fix! What you'll usually find on them is they have very simple failures. It's great how most components in them are so reliable.

[@ryanearl8034]

Well done bro you have done a fantastic job at fixing up the Atari I’m proud of you keep the good work up ☺️👍

[@StorminBriski]

Oh the memories!! Combat came packaged free with my console. I used to take it to my mates house. We found a cheat where if you went th the corner of the screen with the tank and tried to drive up on an angle it would bounce onto the opponents side of the screen so you were right next to them.

[@telboy007]

Ah man, Super Cobra brings back some memories. That game gets really difficult, but so addictive.

[@therealscotta4075]

Great video. Did you get the paint out of the carpet and your top??

[@VSteam81]

man, you have came a long way since i first started watching you lol

[@davidgeltz7604]

You should use the red paint pen and paint both sides of the positive of the connector on the power supply and just let it dry then you'll have one side red for positive red to red.

[@JamesMossR33]

Identical to the 2600 my sister and me played on as kids, which I still have. I dug it out of my parents loft a few years ago and re-capped it as well as reflowing the power and joystick connections, oh and I added a composite out as none of our TVs would tune to it for some reason. No idea what happened to the joysticks so I bought some off ebay. Many happy hours spent on Combat!.

[@rich35ukuk]

Anouther great vid Vince loved the old Atari and glad you got it working it be nice to see the outher games in anouther video

[@gizmo1252000]

concerning the power supply Vince ,the easy way to tell which is positive and which is negative ,is the cable with a white stripe on it is positive :) and i would assume when white cable is connected to white cable it will be centre positive . but im sure you know that already :)

[@MaximRecoil]

When you were soldering, the solder wasn't wetting to the legs on the power jack very well. You should have cleaned the legs with something a lot more aggressive than IPA, i.e., fine-grit sandpaper or a wire brush.

[@JamVsJam.]

May i ask where the song is from?

[@ryanamberger]

Is that ifixit manta kit? Thats the one I got. Insane amount if bits. Enjoyed the video!

[@GadgetUK164]

Great stuff =D The PSU should be DC, not AC! Can we expect "Trying to fix paint stains in clothes and carpet"???? 😂

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Chris. Just checked back on the original video and it was DC. Turns out it was the PSU for the NES that was outputting AC....Oops 🤣 Need to try and fix my memory. Emma is the expert when it comes to stain removal, the diarrhea stains are no more!!!!!

[@douglasharrington3003]

I just repaired one and it was a ac output power supply original

[@GadgetUK164]

@@douglasharrington3003 Is there a bridge rectifier in there? I don't remember one - maybe I am wrong?

[@douglasharrington3003]

@@GadgetUK164 not that I remember

[@ilovethe70s]

@@douglasharrington3003 All Atari 2600 console models used a 9 volt DC power supply (part number CO16353). The only console I can think of that ever used an AC power input was the NES.

[@gan9e]

power light, usb power input and comp mod... sorted, that's the way I roll with the cx2600... a good refurb, I hope they last another 40+ years.

[@phr3dmcc0y]

well, if a device is supposed to *receive* AC, then odds are the device has a bridge rectifier built in it. AC is alternating current so the tip polarity would not matter, since it will be rectified internally from AC. AC flows one direction, then another, in a cycle. DC flows in one direction only. The rectifier would receive AC *or* DC and rectify it automatically. The issue is, if the device is DC input, then it MUST have the correct DC polarity. If it receives AC it can fault every cycle or blow out, and if it receives incorrect dc it can blow out as well. Most electronics prevent this by adding a diode to the voltage input so that current can only flow one direction. But for a few pennies more they could build a bridge rectifier from 4 diodes and prevent the polarity from being an issue altogether. Still, since the atari comes with a power supply, its likely that there is no rectification on the main board because atari expected that only its power adapter be used or else damage would occur, forcing you to buy another atari or have it serviced.

[@MrMaxeemum]

I think combat is the killer app for the 2600. It's boring on your own but with a mate it's incredible fun. The power supply required is 9VDC not AC (many other devices at the time were AC, if they required AC then you could feed it AC or DC of either polarity)

[@The_Real_DCT]

Nah it was just the pack in, the first killer app was Space invaders, sold over 1 million when it released, help move consoles and was one of the few early games that they kept in production through out the systems life,(77-91) seeing all four label versions text label (1977-1980), picture label (80-1982), silver (82-83) and red 2600 (84-89)

[@diemman70]

We loved playing Combat back in the day. My best friend’s brother actually worked for Atari.

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

Being an AC input means it has a bridge rectifier inside, therefore the polarity of the DC input doesn’t matter. The console has a 5v regulator inside (7805)

[@devttyUSB0]

Memories man, i used to play HOURS on an Atari 2600. Glad it is restored.

[@dash8brj]

Brings back memories especially "pop, boop beep biip" as you were playing that silly combat game - we had that and it was hours of fun, especially the bi-plane ones when you had a machine gun in the nose. :)

[@btmanbirdman1]

Hi Vince , how do you connect the Atari up to a new type tv with only HDMI inputs and tune it in , found my old Atari in my mum's loft when we had sort out cheers from Manchester uk

[@armstrongskyview2810]

Fantastic Retro vid, vince more more more you super dude

[@khram84]

Hey there, can you explain how you connected the Atari to the HDTV? Did you use a RetroTink?

[@Graytail]

That reminds me, I must try to find some of those felt discs for the switches of my light sixer...

[@ctg8563]

Can you put a link of the soldering tools you use an the solder type?

[@simonphelon7221]

The white line on one of the two wires shows the positive wire, if the wire with the white stripe is continuous all the way, the centre pin will be positive.

[@robert1975031]

looks like a power jack replacement gone wrong. I have this model as well. even got the jack, but the soldering iron did nothing, so just stopped. this video proves i need a new iron...

[@mark-andrews]

Good luck with the golf, 13 points down sounds bad, how many holes played, and then to go? I really enjoy playing VCS games so I appreciate seeing these machines getting the TLC they deserve, thanks, I note the machine seems to be faulty due to wear & tear from being used/played. In addition I see the cartridge label looks like Yar's Revenge, an awesome game.

[@RandyDarkshade2]

I have an atari 2600 that suddenly stopped working, it's been in bits for ages and I could not find the problem, I have just checked the negative pin on the power jack on the main board and it only connects with a wiggle. Maybe this is a common fault on these machines. Your video's have been really helpfull to me lately. I'm about to reflow the joints as I type this, I'll let you know if it works.

[@bigbadhodad3894]

When we were kids a buddy of mine had a VCS, his dad installed a square led in one of the “vents” on top to indicate it was on

[@dannyhtheretrogamingmaster9548]

Great to see another 2600 being fixed, I wonder if another NES will be fixed by yourself Vince? Maybe if the casing is awful you could possibly make it into a nintoaster like the one James Rolfe (AVGN) uses.

[@precbass]

What was that music track you played in the middle? I liked that.

[@r4dius]

Nice one, cleaning is always part of the fix :)

[@TheStig1961]

Ibland finns det en diod som skyddar om man kopplar strömmen "fel väg". Då händer ingenting. Men oftast är det plus på "ändstiftet". Med vänliga hälsningar från Stig Österberg från Dalsbruk i Finland.

[@ioth303]

glad you could fix it, although the video felt a it lenghty, 25 minutes for a broken solder joint on the power jack is a bit much, i guess

[@richieRichard613]

Just been watching some of your 'old' telephone fixes epairs and was just wondering 'IF' a sim desktop phone could be connected to a dect phone and get rid of fixed land line phone ? cheers Richie Stay safe

[@2009numan]

there should have been 9 volts coming out of the mains adapter not 16 and also its quite easy to connect that connector on the adapter as the cable with the white line is positive

[@markwanklyn4195]

looks like one of those cheap unregulated power supplies - with no load they are often well about the specified voltage - decent regulated one is the way to go long term

[@sublimationman]

If it expects AC in and you supply DC in it should work in either polarity as it should go through a bridge rectifier (4 diodes) and it will end up right way around no matter what.

[@stealth123]

Live the video, I have a question how did you manage to play the atari on your TV as mine will not show on my smart Tv

[@Trance17TV]

Hello My Mate Vince from Germany..I have buy a Flashback 9 Gold and on the overside (from the top of the Atari) the color has rubbed off.Can you please tell me which color i need for painting the orange or brown paint pen ?? You pic up a paint pen in your video in minute 19:16..?? Your content is very great..!!! Have a nice time

[@mikuneverdies6288]

when we had our Artari we only had 3 games.. combat golf an Pacman an let me tell you those were the best 3 games ever we had loads of fun with those ;) Happy Halloween btw

[@nickolaswilcox425]

plugging dc into an ac appliance doesnt hurt them to my knowledge and in some cases is a preferable psu replacement, but in other cases it wont work because of something in the internal voltage converter that doesnt supply all the internal voltages if its fed dc edit: atari 800 is the only thing ive tried on dc that refuses to function without ac, the internal fuse on my psu for it popped and i had to cut it open to fix it

[@amnril]

Such an epic console although this is a common ‘light sixer’ not the very original ‘heavy sixer’ which is gold dust and so collectible nowadays. Lovely machine though 👌

[@LowlyEidolon]

How does one identify a heavy Vs light without having hands on them?

[@jefferyrooke7716]

What was the music during the clean?

[@christellis3568]

Have you ever fixed a playstation 3 system that said the file system on the system storage is corrupted and will be restored to click ok but once it does that it says the same thing is there a fix for it or can it be fixed?

[@chrisgray305]

there is 1 of those sat in my loft and as far as i know fully working but not been used for many years :) i also remember those power adapters and if i remember rightly they power most things in the 80s (i have vaigue memories of using 1 to power a calculator)

[@lafluerpeter9]

I suppose when you've said "Max Rockatansky" enough times it just rolls off the tongue. 😁😁😁😁

[@pineappleroad]

I know that some older games consoles were designed to accept AC, i cannot remember which one it was but there is one system where someone even managed to run it from AA batteries

[@nickolaswilcox425]

someone got an nes to run off a 9v battery, as the battery drained the graphics chip malfunctioned long before the cpu gave out

[@gamerX-wk7ct]

you can run the atari off AA batteries

[@thedagenator2006]

Mattkc

[@rwdplz1]

I bought an early 2600 "Light Sixer" that wasn't working, fixed it, and found the color palette was off. Turned out it was a PAL unit in the US, no idea how it got over here. Rebuilt and restored 4 of these so far.

[@bioshock6935]

A classic almost every home had one then the saga mega drive arrived. Very lucky the writing hasn't worn or rubbed away around the switches consider how old it is. I used to have one but got bored with it very easily as space invaders and asteroid was the selling point to this Atari 2660 i even went out and brought a Vectrex console back in the day at least that came with a free built in game called mine storm but this was a better game than Asteroid it had me more hooked playing it

[@sleepster9924]

Love these kind of videos mate 👍👍

[@eathenalexander2836]

Kinda miss when you worked on switches or more newer tech or game consoles….maybe you can do some randomly. it would be nice …..but regardless what devices u repair (old or newer ) I’d support the videos as always. ps. Great video as always

[@Tim_3100]

Great video vince

[@TinyTracey]

I wired up an atari 7800 internal the wrong way once and it blew a compacitor (smoke came from the console) ,so replaced it with one from a computer psu and corrected the wiring and it worked again.(I put a standard power input on the back so I could use a third party power brick)

[@gordonm2821]

Update to this clip, Mrs Vince came home and saw the orange stain on the carpet and the orange pen was never seen again but may explain why Vince now walks like John Wayne.

[@albert_vds]

That universal power supply is a great example of why standardization is a great thing. If center pin was just a standard which everyone kept to then the universal power supply wouldn't be a bit less destructive as a product. But even if that is fixed you can easily fry anything by having the voltage set too high, which could be easily solved by a standard where the size of the plug is linked to a certain voltage. In which case the universal power supply could switch to the right voltage depending on the plug connected to it. But sadly we don't and these things kill more electronics than than the company who makes them like to admit. Edit: Luckily we are basically at a standard with many electronics having USB as a charging port. Edit 2: Unleaded solder creates a stronger bond and is harder. Unleaded can include tin, copper, silver, nickel and zinc, all which are harder than lead. The softer the metal the less physical stress it needs to weaken, like bending a paperclip.