Game Plugs

Why do some plugs have big boxes that take up three ports (video game consoles) & some are just plugs (radio)?

Public Comments

1. These big boxes you are referring to or in my industry we like to call wall moles are self contained power supplies, the reason they take up soooo much space is because they are mainly comprised of 2 large coils and an iron core on devices wihtout these boxes the box is actually usually located inside the device. Sometimes it is better to keep these wall moles on the outside because they generate heat and a lot of devices are sensitive to heat. A transformer basically draws 120 volt mains AC and steps it down to whatever the device requires using the laws of inductance, this is similar to the way a generator works except instead of having a moving coil, you have a pulse frequency that is somewhat like a moving coil or magnet usually at 50 or so hertz (50 polarity pulses per second) most of these adapters change the AC current to DC current also by rectifying it. A basic rectifier is comprised of a diode, a diode only alows electricity to pass through it in one direction thus cutting half of that 50 Hz signal, because this is usually nt enough most manufacturers use a full bridge rectifier, this is comprised usually of 4 diodes and produces a fairly clean DC signal this signal is further cleaned using a capacitor and gets plugged into your device in the final step. Hope this helped.
2. I assume you are talking about the power plug for these items. Those boxes are plastic cases around a set of electronics to lower or change the voltage and/or Alternating Current(AC standard for most outlets) or Direct Current(DC voltage from batteries, cars, boats etc.) In other words, its needed for the different type of electronics. We all must live with these "wall warts" and "line lumps".