How exact does voltage need to be?

[knave]

I've decided to gather some parts to hack my Jakks unit.  I picked up a wall wart that is 6v (regulated) it shows 6.19v on the multimeter. 

Is the extra .19v going to hurt anything?  Am I being paranoied by even asking?

Probably.     But since I'm a noob I thought I'd ask.

[DaOld Man]

Probably not, but since I dont know what a Jakks unit is, I cant say for sure.
The voltage will most likely drop to an even 6 volts, when it is loaded.

[fjl]

For just about any equipment that uses a "wall wart' it shouldn't matter cause its known that those things are never accurate. I doub't it will matter. Unless you are using it for a highly sensitive electrical device.

What are you planning to power with it? Also take into consideration that the voltage reading you are getting is without a load. In other words its not connected to anything. Once connected it could easily jump down to about 6.0 Volts.

[knave]

Probably not, but since I dont know what a Jakks unit is, I cant say for sure.
The voltage will most likely drop to an even 6 volts, when it is loaded.

Jakks tv games plug and play arcade gold...for those who don't know it's a little handheld joystick that has 8 classic arcade games ported to run on a tv.

It uses 4 AA batteries (thus 6v)

I'm sticking it in a box with real arcade controls. (gotta get a better Pacman high score...)

I love it.

Anyway I've heard that they have a really low draw and don't want to fry it over time.

[DaOld Man]

I would say the 6 volt adapter will work just fine.
As long as it is regulated.
And you said it is 6.19 with no load attached, I would say it is very well regulated. I have seen non-regulated adapters (I call em "wall warts") run as high as 50% over rated voltage, with no load.
If you are really worried about it, just add a 6 volt zener diode and resistor to clip anything over 6 volts.
Here is a link to calculate the zener and resistor you will need:
http://www.opamplabs.com/zenerreg.htm
I guessed the load to be about 20 ma (.020). It's probably a lot less.
with 6.19 volts in, 6 volts out, load of .020, the calculator says you will need
a 19 ohm 1/8 watt resistor with a 6 volt 1/8 watt zener.
should be able to get these at Radio Shack.
But I really dont think .19 volts is going to hurt anything. I cant tell you what to do, but if it were mine, I would try it with just the wall wart.
Good luck, and let us know what you come up with.

[bigh4th]

Most battery operated electronics are designed to have a little "give and take" with the power input.   No battery is a perfect  1.5 volts, 6 volts, etc...  Freshly charged they're higher than their written voltage, and after use they're lower than their listed voltage, but the device still works properly.   This is exactly how devices with a "low battery" warning works.  I'll use a game boy for example.  Once the voltage drops below a certain point, it will trigger a low battery LED, but the game will still function properly until the batteries are about flat dead.

That said, the voltage listed on the device is the MAX constant voltage it should have.  Its not really an issue with batteries as the voltage will drop with useage.  However, a wall-wart is supplying constant voltage that could damage the item.

I would hook a volt meter up to the adapter so that you can read the voltage with the game on and hooked to the tv.  If the output is still over 6 volts, I would rig up something like the post above says.  I MYSELF would run it around 5.75 volts give or take, but 6 volts won't hurt it either.

Remember: with battery opperated devices, its (usualy) always better to go with too little than too much.

-Harry

[fjl]

I really wouldn't wory about it. Those things cost like what, $10 dollars? If it breaks which I highly doubt it will, you can just get another one. Just try it.

[HoopstarsGarage]

As most have said, you need not worry..

I would guarantee that your "Jakks Device" has an internal voltage regulator since it is microprocessor based - for the most part micro's need rock solid +5v rails.

The internal regulator will easily handle 10% - 15% higher voltages.


Hoops

[bluevolume]

Agree with the previous posts.  If it takes batteries, its probably at least designed to handle 1.5 and 1.2 (common with rechargeables) volt batteries.  That margin alone should allow for your delta.  Long term use shouldn't be a concern either, with these modern circuits it more or less burns out immediately or is fine.