Proper 2600 Voltages

[Heatvent]

Hi, fairly new to the 2600 (as an adult trying to fix anyway).  I have 2 light sixers and 1 power supply.  I am trying to figure out if everything is properly powered.  When I check the supply, it's at about 13.3V which I understand is probably fine because it is unregulated and will drop under load but I have seen others with 15v which seems to be a bit more common of a reading. I also checked both consoles at got about 9.6v at the main capacitor, 9.5v on the in side of the voltage regulator and 4.96v on the out on one and 4.8v on the out side of the regulator on the other console.  These seem fine but I can't seem to find info on normal ranges and really wasn't sure on the 9.5-6v I am seeing and if that should be something higher or lower.  Any advice would be appreciated.  I did look around the forums and saw some data points but nothing that spelled this out.

 

Thanks in advance!

[+DrVenkman]

So long as you're seeing no more than about 9.5 or 9.6V on the input leg of the 7805 with the system powered on, and between about 4.95 - 5.05 on the output leg, you're fine.  

[Heatvent]

Wow, thanks for the quick response.  Is the 9.5/6 a high end of the range, should it normally be lower and is there something I should think about replacing if it is … that's kind of what I am trying to understand.  It sounds like I may need to put in a new voltage regulator on the one that is 4.8v.

 

 

[+DrVenkman]

I think the 9.5 - 9.6V on the input is fine. The standard 7805's are rated to 12VDC on the input side so that's perfectly okay.  They are generally pretty reliable but they do go bad; I had a Vader with one that was putting out about 4.8V and causing weird issues. I replaced it with a modern one and got right at 4.98V on my digital meter and all was well again.

[Heatvent]

Thanks.  I was having some issues.  The controllers worked for a while and then at some point I couldn't go right.  I ended up changing the RIOT chip and that seemed to be the issue.  I also did the simple composite mod on the same console and the video had ghosting on one TV and was really dark on the other.  I was thinking there might be something with the voltage that is putting strain on certain parts or causing issues.  So I was trying to diagnose if all was well or if I should replace anything else and/or maybe just replace some of the main caps, regulator, etc. similar to the console5 refresh kit to see if that would help.  It could also just be the mod itself as I have seen mixed reviews on its success even across various consoles.

 

I might still might replace some of the components as they are relatively low cost.  It is helpful to better understand how to assess what is going on with powering the unit as a starting point.  Thanks again for your help.