XL/XE power supplies

[mdbzzzzz]

Here's a May 1986 Modern Electronics article on Atari XL/XE power supplies.

XL_XE_power_supplies.pdf

[carmel_andrews]

well as i understand it, there were diiferent revisions of the xl itself, some with more components some with less components, so it figures that atari would make the psu according to that particular xl revision

[FULS]

Here's a May 1986 Modern Electronics article on Atari XL/XE power supplies.

 

Thanks for the link. Very interesting Article.

[nathanallan]

First post, and it nice. Thanks. Welcome to AA.

 

Nathan

[+poobah]

Great article.

 

At least now we know why the ingots fail so much.... lets take a component that gets hot and need to be heatsinked... and bury it in potting compound... go Atari!

[Tickled_Pink]

Interesting stuff. Thanks.

 

I was just wondering about Atari PSUs the other day when I realised I only have two PSUs and 6 or 7 8-bits.

[+hunmanik]

Cool to see the original version!

 

Here's the revised version of the same article that appeared in Current Notes magazine, vol. 10, no. 9, November 1990, pp. 42-49.

 

XL_XE_power_supplies_CN.pdf

[Rybags]

To throw more confusion in, I believe lots of overseas markets had locally supplied units too.

 

I've only got 1 that has to be shared among my XL/XEs... it's the brick type shaped like a cut down triangle /__\ with vent slots most of the way around it.

 

I'm guessing here that the Peanut (IV) is the one that's now notorious for killing machines.

[re-atari]

I was just wondering about Atari PSUs the other day when I realised I only have two PSUs and 6 or 7 8-bits.

If you're in need of one you might be able to adapt a small switching PSU that is originally intended as a PDA-charger for use with the A8. One of the members of the German A8 club ABBUC (www.abbuc.de), nicknamed Sleepy, has done so succesfully. IIRC all it took was replacing the original round plug with a suitable DIN-plug. This PSU can deliver 3 amps at 5V, which is more than enough for the good old XL. Quite remarkable too, considering its small size. Total cost was under Eur. 10.

 

re-atari

[puppetmark]

I was just wondering about Atari PSUs the other day when I realised I only have two PSUs and 6 or 7 8-bits.

If you're in need of one you might be able to adapt a small switching PSU that is originally intended as a PDA-charger for use with the A8. One of the members of the German A8 club ABBUC (www.abbuc.de), nicknamed Sleepy, has done so succesfully. IIRC all it took was replacing the original round plug with a suitable DIN-plug. This PSU can deliver 3 amps at 5V, which is more than enough for the good old XL. Quite remarkable too, considering its small size. Total cost was under Eur. 10.

 

re-atari

 

I can confirm that it does it fact work. As long as the Power Supply can output AT LEAST 1 amp DC (at 5v of coarse) it should work fine, but I would test with a multimeter to be sure first. I am currently using a PS unit from a Sprint PDA. I usually save the DIN cords from the broken Atari PS units and reconnect them to a new PS internally. However, If I can't get into the new PS, then I just solder a DIN plug onto the exsisting cable. One extra benefit to using a switching PS is that you are not wasting power to heat loss, in other words, they run more efficiently.

[Mathy]

Hi re-atari

 

Sleepy wasn't the first one. The HAR (some ABBUC members from around Hannover, Germany) has been using them a lot longer. I've bought the same switching power supply's the HAR uses (RoHS, Sleepy doesn't use RoHS). And just like the HAR, I've soldered together a small convertor cable, so I don't have to cut off the plug.

 

greetings

 

Mathy

 

PS Here's a picture I borrowed from www.conrad.de:

5 Volt, 3 Amp's.

Edited May 31, 2009 by Mathy

[carmel_andrews]

So mainland europe is 2 pin only..... (like in the US)

 

so UK must be the only country in the northern hemisphere that is 3 pin

[+Philsan]

So mainland europe is 2 pin only..... (like in the US)

 

so UK must be the only country in the northern hemisphere that is 3 pin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_AC_p...ugs_and_sockets

[Rybags]

Most DC power packs don't have an Earth pin... not really needed. Earth/Ground pin is generally used when an appliance has exposed metal surfaces where the possibility exists that a wiring or circuit fault could potentially allow mains voltage to contact it. Earth wire provides a better path to ground than the human operator.

[+kheller2]

BUMP since folks are talking about power supplies again

[+DavidMil]

This is a bit off of the original topic, but I've wondered about this for awhile:

Back in the 80's and early 90's when Atari was selling in Europe, did

the different countries use the same electrical standards (at the wall plug)?

And now is there a standard used across Europe? Please pardon the ignorance

of an old Texas hillbilly...

 

DavidMil

[GlowingGhoul]

This is a bit off of the original topic, but I've wondered about this for awhile:

Back in the 80's and early 90's when Atari was selling in Europe, did

the different countries use the same electrical standards (at the wall plug)?

And now is there a standard used across Europe? Please pardon the ignorance

of an old Texas hillbilly...

 

DavidMil

 

Europe? Don't most of the people there live in castles without electricity?

[Kyle22]

It's supposed to be from 216.2 to 253 V, 49 to 51 Hz.

Edited December 3, 2016 by Kyle22

[thorfdbg]

This is a bit off of the original topic, but I've wondered about this for awhile:

Back in the 80's and early 90's when Atari was selling in Europe, did

the different countries use the same electrical standards (at the wall plug)?

And now is there a standard used across Europe?

 

No, what do you expect from the European community? Enforce standards on members? Not going to happen.

 

There is, however, a "least common denominator", which is the "Euro plug", which fits into all sockets throughout Europe (except UK, but they're special again). It doesn't have the grounding pins, which are very individual throughout Europe.

 

The Atari power brick in Germany used a design different from the US, a very good (actually German-made) power transformer with a Euro-plug (of course). No grounding necessary.

 

 

[+DavidMil]

So what I understand is that it is more of a framework that each country tries to fit into but at the same time keep their old standards?

Does this loose standard also extend east and north of Poland?

 

David Milsop

Kingwood, Texas

[thorfdbg]

So what I understand is that it is more of a framework that each country tries to fit into but at the same time keep their old standards?

Does this loose standard also extend east and north of Poland?

It's more that the European commission tried to identify a least common denominator and then called this the Euro plug. There are about four different plugs througout Europe (French,UK, Germany - and Swiss, though not part of EC, and all countries use one of these systems).

 

Yes, a Euro-plug also fits into a polish socket.

[ianoid]

I have a switching power supply 5v 1.5a that I believe I picked up off eBay for XL/XE. I wouldn't mind making some more. Are there specs/instructions online somewhere that anyone recommends? Are those the specs I should aim for?

 

Searching, I came up with these:

 

http://www.newark.com/triad-magnetics/wsu050-1500/ac-dc-converter-external-plug/dp/83T4300

 

http://www.newark.com/hirschmann/mas-70-s/connector-din-plug-7-position/dp/67C7908

 

 

 

And as far as the soldering (I'm a newb), I have a couple of questions. What do I connect to ground? And maybe it will be obvious, how do I connect all the 5v pins together?

 

Using this thread for reference.

Edited December 21, 2016 by ianoid