New Power Supply for 800XL, Is this any good?

[reallybrett]

Just got my first Atari computer and could not be more excited. I want to get a new power supply as I have one of the ignot style ones that seem to be frowned upon. I found the below auction on eBay and wanted to see if anyone had any input or experience with this type of replacement power supply.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-Adapter-for-9VAC-AC-Atari-CO17945-400-800-810-850-1010-1050-1200XL/352198322911?hash=item5200a7eadf:g:XcIAAOSwcgNZCn3c:sc:USPSFirstClass!18103!US!-1:rk:23:pf:0

 

Thanks!

[Rybags]

That's not suitable - as the listing says it's for 400/800/1200XL and some peripherals - it outputs 9V AC.

 

XL except 1200 and all XE use a 5V DC power supply with 2 pins of a DIN7 plug connected (note C64 uses a similar arrangement but the pin assignments are different and it'll fry the Atari so never use one).

 

AFAIK there's no ready made plug/play replacement but USB wall-warts are everywhere and one that can output about 1.2 Amps or better and maintain voltage can work. All that remains is to graft a DIN7 plug onto a USB lead.

Been meaning to do one myself for a long time, might get around to it soon.

 

As it happens, a ready made cable here https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-XL-XE-Replacement-Power-Cable-for-USB-power-supply/283340799495?hash=item41f86d7e07:g:oxIAAOSwsGpb8MTf:sc:USPSFirstClass!90210!US!-1:rk:1:pf:0

 

But the BOM on such a thing - ready to solder DIN plugs can be had generally under 2 bucks. The USB cable, well they practically fall out of trees.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Rybags

[Irgendwer]

I found the below auction on eBay and wanted to see if anyone had any input or experience with this type of replacement power supply.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-Adapter-for-9VAC-AC-Atari-CO17945-400-800-810-850-1010-1050-1200XL/352198322911?hash=item5200a7eadf:g:XcIAAOSwcgNZCn3c:sc:USPSFirstClass!18103!US!-1:rk:23:pf:0

 

 

This could break your machine as it delivers 9V AC while your 800XL needs 5V DC.

 

If you have the ability to solder you could create a cable like this one I did:

 

and attach this to any USB power source delivering at least 1.5 A.

[+Nezgar]

You didn't mention which model Atari computer you have. The linked power adapter may work for 400, 800, 1200XL as those use 9VAC, but not on 600XL, 800XL, or XE models. (Those use 5VDC)

 

If you indeed have a 400, 800, or 1200XL, the linked 9VAC psu I'd be a little leery about, as the seller has hidden the amperage rating. it's most likely 1A, whereas the smallest power supplies Atari provided were about 1.6A.

 

For the 5VDC models, it's easier to construct a good replacement using common 5V power supplies or USB charging adapters, usually best if rated for 2A or higher.

[reallybrett]

Thanks for all the quick replies, I really appreciate it. I have been collecting for the 2600 for a while now but just dove in to the world of Atari computers. I am going to go with one of the USB to DIN cables and find an adapter that delivers the 1.5 amps.

 

Again thanks for all the help.

[dakidski]

If in UK or Europe, I can recommend the ones from eBay-seller zp_manchester.

[shoestring]

An original PSP charger will work.

 

I had a PSP-100 lying around doing nothing, so I decided to use it the other day. It delivers 5v DC at 2A. I just recently started using it with my XLs and XEs. The input voltage is 100-240v so it will work anywhere!

 

Saw a couple of original ones on eBay for around 10 bucks.

 

 

Watch out for the fakes out there though.

 

All you have to do is cut the plug end of your old PSU ( leaving enough cable with the plug ) and solder the two of the wires to the end of your new AC adapter, taking note of polarity as well.

 

Looking directly at the plug.

 

 

Looking from the back of the plug ( or looking directly at the connector on the Atari ).

Edited January 17, 2019 by shoestring

[Frankie]

There is always this - https://lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=176

[reallybrett]

I ended up buying one of the USB to Din cables off of eBay. Seemed to be the most economical way to go about it. I have a 2.1 amp wall wart from an old iPhone that can be used with it so I should be good to go.

 

Thanks for all the input.

[_The Doctor__]

as mentioned over and over, not all phone adapters provide constant voltages... you never know what you are going to get...

[reallybrett]

How can I tell then what adapter will provide a constant voltage?

[+Nezgar]

How can I tell then what adapter will provide a constant voltage?

You can check what the Atari is getting under load using a digital multimeter on the +5V and GND pins of one of the joystick ports.

 

I've found it's pretty unpredictable which are good sources of +5VDC. Most phones tolerate +/- 1V so there's a lot of variance. But at least with USB you can try multiple easily Also, long USB cable lengths with small guage wire causes further drops. The original supplies have big fat wires to the computer that have almost no loss for the short distance.

 

Below about 4.5V I've found the color starts to change, and some carts like Side2 stop working. Other upgrades present may have other issues...

[shoestring]

Ttl logic devices start to play up at voltages below 4.6 volts. So you wanna check the +5 voltage under load and make sure you don’t have too much cabling. I also check the filtering and +5v line for clear signal. Some of the cheaper crap is inadequate for filtering and will leak AC ripple into the DC and this is really bad for your computer.. sometimes you can hear it and see a rolling effect on the display if it’s bad enough.

[Rusto]

I couldn't find another mention of this so sorry if it's been covered.

Is there a reason why I can't just fit this and do away with the psu completely? (assume I'd use something good like MK brand)

Thanks.

 

[TGB1718]

That should be ok, but remember the 2.1 A is shared between both USB sockets

[Rusto]

Yeah, think I'll try it and check the voltage levels.

[TGB1718]

If you want to be sure you can always buy a power supply for a Raspberry Pi

https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/type-c-power-supply/

 

5V 3A and designed to power small computers :))

[tajvdz]

I ordered this one:

https://www.8bitclassics.com/product/atari-xl-xe-power-supply/

It works just fine. My original power supply still works but this one is a lot easier to use.

 

They also sell thuis one:

https://www.8bitclassics.com/product/atari-xl-xe-usb-power-cable/

You can buy a seperate adaptor as well.

 

[Colleton]

9 hours ago, tajvdz said:

I ordered this one:

https://www.8bitclassics.com/product/atari-xl-xe-power-supply/

It works just fine. My original power supply still works but this one is a lot easier to use.

This is what I'm using.  Works like a champ.

[JKK]

Hi,

 

Just returning to this a bit older thread. There is also one pin called shield. I know that most people skip it and don't connect. For simple curiosity how is that connected in genuine Atari power supply. Is that connected to the ground line in the socket in the wall? How risky is that if we don't connect it? I would say the risk is very low but...

[TGB1718]

Some cables have a foil shield wrapped around the wires in the cable, it is connected to

the 0V line and is there to supress any interference from the cables/external sources.

 

On signal cables i.e. Composite/S-Video, each wire will have this shielding to reduce cross talk

between individual wires within the cable.

 

You can see the results of poor shielding as poor video quality/noise on screen

Edited August 14, 2021 by TGB1718
Update

[JKK]

What is 0V line?

[_The Doctor__]

Ground/earth ground/mass/zero differential line... etc etc. shield isn't always

https://www.sensorland.com/HowPage078.html

https://www.kollmorgen.com/uploadedFiles/kollmorgencom/Service_and_Support/Knowledge_Center/White_Papers/EMI_FINAL_April_02.pdf

http://qtwork.tudelft.nl/~schouten/linkload/grounding.pdf

single point grounding for shielding is what most retro electronics employ. The shielding should connect to the unit that is most susceptible to the interference causing undesired results... if done improperly that could show up as lines and patterns on your display... or your 850 interface no longer being able to do 9600 baud reliably after you hack your own null modem cable any more.

You can create ground loops /noise due to the way the older devices are powered and where they are powered from as well as what phase of the ac leg is on the transformers as well as if they are center tapped or not. Sometime the ac outlets in a room are on different legs from the panel! If you bond the shield to both units or connect the shield to a signals negative or return, you can damage the port etc.

[JKK]

Ok that's clear. Althought I've never heard 0V line expression. In my country we usually say ground/earth/mass/zero line (everything but just no 0V) :P.

 

Currently many people when using usb cables to connect atari computers to usb power supplies skip shield line and don't connect this pin to anything. However if we look on usb port pinaout, we have data+/data-/vcc/ground. Wouldn't be it better to connect both minus and shield pins in atari socked to ground usb pin?

[_The Doctor__]

I will provide two more links, dated but useful... and you can tell me

 

https://www.yoctopuce.com/EN/article/usb-cables-shielding-matters-as-well

https://www.avrfreaks.net/forum/do-usb-cables-really-need-ferrite-chokes

 

I use shielded usb cables with ferite on at least one end. Some have two... I never see interference or have issues with them working on anything.

Other of the plethora of USB cables seem hit and miss as to the noise or if they'll even let me program esp devices etc... or using usb 3 devices near wifi...

I never inter-connected/bonded shields on both units unless they were decoupled, that being said I don't think I have anything left set up with that configuration that I had built myself... it usually comes that way when I consider my purchase.

Edited August 18, 2021 by _The Doctor__