AtariNostalgia Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 I have an 800 and found its original PSU. Is it dangerous to plug it in after a long time? What's the worse that can happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutterminder Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 If you're talking about the original Atari 800, the power brick is just a transformer that supplies 9VAC. Unless it was stored in a very damp environment for many years, not much can go wrong with it. It is possible for transformers to develop internal shorts and depending on the nature of the short they could put out a much higher than normal voltage. I you want to be safe, you can check the output voltage with a DMM, as long as it's between 8 and 12VAC it's probably okay, and shouldn't hurt the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNostalgia Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Thanks. Its been well stored, not damp. I'm going to give it a go as my hands are trembling for fear of an explosion ? Yes, its the 800, I also have an 800XL with its PSU, maybe I should try that first? Are the XL PSUs known for damaging the computers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutterminder Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 (edited) The 800XL power brick can fail in such a manor that if you plug it into your 800XL it can cause multiple circuit failures. Check the output for 5VDC with less than 100mv of ripple before plugging it into your computer. In other words yes a bad power brick can damage your computer. Edited January 6, 2021 by mutterminder 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNostalgia Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 I don't have a multimeter. I'm going to order one, I don't want to risk it. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Do Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Mutterminder beat me to it regarding your 800XL power supply, but in the meantime I found an old thread about PSUs so here it is anyway: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 There are numerous XL power supplies. The only one that fails often enough to be concerned about is the Ingot, and it’s dangerous enough that it should never be used. By contrast, 400/800/1200XL/1050/850 units all use 9VAC transformers that are dead simple and very reliable. When measured without a load, they will typically read about 10.5-11 VAC. That’s perfectly fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNostalgia Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Thanks for that link, I found new PSUs for the Atari and even the USB cable ones. How can I tell If the PSU I have is an ingot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 7 minutes ago, AtariNostalgia said: How can I tell If the PSU I have is an ingot? Check the very first post of the thread linked above - it has a good photo. There are a few similar PSU’S but the Ingot is distinguishable by the fact that it has no vent holes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNostalgia Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Thanks. That's the one I have, I'm glad I asked here before plugging in the XL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGB1718 Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 31 minutes ago, AtariNostalgia said: Thanks. That's the one I have, I'm glad I asked here before plugging in the XL. Sounds like a lucky escape ☠️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNostalgia Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Better safe than sorry! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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