Powering an 800XL / 65XE via SIO

[RodCastler]

Hi all,

 

I want to power my Atari computer via the SIO port.

I see in the schematics that the 5V input of the atari splits into several 5V lines named 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D, they seem to differ only in some inductors and capacitors.

I think that pin 10 of the SIO feeds via an inductor to one of these, the 5A line.

 

Is it possible to power the entire system through the SIO? I am aware that the Atari can consume up to 1.5A, reason why I'm not 100% sure if this would work since the SIO gauge may not appropriate.

[+Stephen]

I can't imagine that being a good idea. The SIO port when used as a supply is only supposed to deliver a few hundred mili-amps. I would guess that the power traces are too small to adequately supply the entire system.

[Rybags]

Agreed - it might work for a while but something could fail.

 

I actually had an Amiga 500 running when I supplied the 5 and 12 VDC to the monitor port. I was testing an adaptor I'd made up for the RGB -> SVideo board which had power supplied by the PC. Only allowed it to run for a short time before I removed it though.

 

What's the point of powering via the SIO port though? About the only advantage is one less cord coming out of the Atari (kind of) - but then you have some spliced up mess to provide the +5V to the SIO cable.

[RodCastler]

What's the point of powering via the SIO port though? About the only advantage is one less cord coming out of the Atari (kind of) - but then you have some spliced up mess to provide the +5V to the SIO cable.

 

Good question. I want to simplify my setup as much as possible by getting rid of heavy bricks and wires.

 

The small project I have in mind consists of a heavily modified cassette drive (XC-12) by adding an SD card reader and a small LCD display to store and load the games just as other people have done.

 

I want to take it one step further and install a Lithium Polymer battery and a voltage regulator inside the same XC-12 box to power the entire setup.

Even after your concerns, I think I can still get away with this but it will require one extra cord I initially wanted to avoid by using the SIO instead.

 

I like to store my vintage computers in a dust-free and uv-free environment. This idea should allow me to quickly set up an impromptu gaming environment whenever the situation calls for it, without the usual mess.

Edited February 5, 2014 by RodCastler