For those that unplug their console....

[dds]

Just a question for all those people who like to save energy and dont leave their wii plugged into to an outlet....when you unplug the cord from the outlet, does the light on your wii take a few seconds (anywhere from 3-4 ) to disappear signifying the wii is unplugged???

 

[registerednerd]

Yes, the light will stay on. This is due to an electronic component known as a capacitor. They are put into power supplies of almost all electronic devices, so that if the power dips, the capacitor will hold up the voltage. When you unplug it, the capacitor discharges whatever power it has left (if you were to pug it back in before the light went out, it would stay on steady, that's showing it at work). Although, you really don't have to worry about power with the Wii. In standby it only uses .5W (less than a typical night light). After time, you can also cause the pins to wear down from excessive plugging/unplugging.

 

[Lilsk]

so its basically not good right?

 

[JoeTheZombie]

I think he's talking about unplugging the Wii from the wall outlet, so wearing of pins isn't an issue. I would not say it is bad to unplug the Wii, but your cost savings for .5W over a year is only going to be like a dollar.

 

[Lilsk]

Right......

 

[Goots]

I would imagine that the Wii's circuit boards being repeatedly powered up then down then up again would shorten the lifespan of the console.

Soldered joints do expand (albeit minimally) when power flows through them and slight heat is generated, so plugging in and out all the time would also cause mechanical wear on the device as the circuits expand and contract over and over.

Considering that, along with the minimal power used by the Wii in standby mode (from what I've read elsewhere) then I'm certainly leaving mine plugged in 24/7. Possibly unplugging if there is a chance of an electrical storm...