Run Any Battery Powered Item Through AC Power.

Have you ever not had enough batteries for an object? Or have you ever lost the adapter for an object, and wanted to use it again? Or just want to make some cool sparks in your room?

Step 1: Finding the Right Stuff.

So you're cleaning your room one day, and you find your old Gameboy, circa 1989. Some more searching yields a few cartridges, until you finally find one that's worth playing (I have Zelda as my example in this one). You flick the switch antd wait for the red battery light to shine.. and nothing. You flick it again. Still nothing. Pulling the cartridge out, you blow in there, hoping to clear out some of the dust, perhaps that was the problem. Finally, after opening the battery compartment door, you realize that either the batteries in there are dead, or they're missing. Still burning with the urge to play Link's Awakening, you set out on a quest to make the Gameboy work. With no batteries in sight, you must turn to alternative methods.

What you need:
- Gameboy (or any device that runs off batteries and has positive and negative terminals)
- Alligator clips (not necessary, any sort of wire will work just as well)
- AC adapter (I used a variable one, you can really use any adapter as long as the voltages match)
- Standard safety equipment (gloves if you're scared of being shocked, water as the sparks could cause a fire)

Step 2: Choosing the Right Adapter.

The first step is to find the right adapter for your project. I have two variable voltage adapters that I honestly have no idea where they came from. They each had a connector that ended in almost any sort of DC plug. If you managed to find one of these, cut the end off and peel the wires apart, stripping the ends. Adjust the slider for the proper voltage rating (6V for the Gameboy), and test it by crossing the wires, looking for sparks to indicate a connection.

If you couldn't happen to find a universal adapter like the one I have, then any other sort of AC adapter will work. You need to match the voltage of the adapter with the voltage of the product though. Some places to look for it's voltage are on a plate on the back, that lists its copyright date, serial number, etc. Next to almost all DC inputs there is a symbol which shows the polarization and voltage. Finally, you can just look at how many batteries the object takes and calculate the voltage of it that way. The Gameboy in this example takes 4 AA batteries which each put out 1.5V. 4x1.5=6. Now root around for an adapter that matches this voltage. Cut off the plug, and strip the ends at the end. Test to make sure that you have a connection (cross the ends and look for sparks)

Step 3: Wiring It All Up.

Now that you have everything, it's time to wire it all up. Without knowing much about the internal wirings, you have to play around with each of the battery connectors in the compartment. Clip an alligator clip onto each of the wires coming from the adapter, and then clip one end to a positive terminal in the Gameboy. Turn the Gameboy on (nothing will happen, obviously). Now take the other alligator clip, and touch it to each of the negative terminals until it turns on. Clip the alligator clips onto the terminals, if you can. If not, take some tape and put it there, or just run a wire from the adapter to the terminal and tape it down. Hopefully, everything should work. If not, then you have a problem with the Gameboy.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Once you've got it all working, you can enjoy limitless power from your originally battery powered device! There are many applications for this, from Gameboys, CD players, massagers, lanterns, almost anything that takes standard consumer batteries. So go wild, try it on all kinds of things.