USB Power Adapter?

[+Larry]

I have a USB charging adapter that outputs 5.1V, 2.0A.  5.1 volts should be fine for the Atari XL/XE shouldn't it?

[mdivancic]

I’ve used various different bricks without any problems. Never bothered to test the voltage. 

[TGB1718]

Tolerances for power supplies is 5V +/- 5%

so 4.75 to 5.25 VDC is fine. 

 

2A is fine also, I always make sure it's at least 1.5A

 

Edit: The only thing with USB PSU's is some are to noisy and might show up on screen

Edited June 29, 2021 by TGB1718
Update

[+Nezgar]

Yup I've made a few of these myself.... Easier when you have spare DIN pigtails from Ingot PSU's.... Soldering wires directly to the pins of a DIN-7 connector is a chore...

 

Higher amp PSU's are also more likely to have a cleaner DC output, filtering out the high frequency noise from the switching power supply, 2A should be good. Longer wires between the PSU and the Atari also lower the voltage, so definitely measure the output afterwards under load to see what the result is - closer to 5V as possible.,.. around 4.75V the Side2 cart will no longer read CF cards for example in my experience...

[+bob1200xl]

I think the key word here is "charging adapter". A charging adapter would just feed the power supply built in to the device. That would probably not be a problem. Feeding 'junky' charging adapter signals into your computer may be problematic since they are connected to all those sweet chips in your Atari.

 

Yes,I know - you have been using one for 27 years and no problems. So, YOUR adapter is probably OK. How do we identify a 'good' one'?

 

Says 'Atari" on it, weighs a ton, has screws holding it together.... time tested!

 

Bob

[TGB1718]

7 hours ago, bob1200xl said:

Says 'Atari" on it, weighs a ton, has screws holding it together.... time tested!

Must admit, I'm with you, although I have loads of smaller USB PSU's I still use that enormous brick

for my 130XE's. Only using USB for things like SDrive-Max and SIO Splitter 

[Beeblebrox]

In terms of using a USB powered cable (5v, 3a) to power an XE with U1MB installed, SIDE3 (or SDrive Max via SIO) plugged in, plus MouSTer j/stick port to USB adapter - I am guessing it should be ample? 

 

So something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143807813716

 

The seller refers to the original Atari bricks as "ticking time bombs" which is a lil alarmist. Still, I'd rather free up the floor space from brick power supplies as my home office/Atari hardware shrine/VR gaming nook is already pretty cramped.

[+Larry]

@bob1200xl

 

Well, yes, I've been using a "Black Beauty" (XL) power supply for a long time.  Before that I used a switching 3A supply.  (Don't remember why I switched back over to the XL supply.)  But I have read that switching power supplies are superior in several respects to the old style "bricks."  I never used the infamous "ingot." 

 

An issue with the bricks is that they are always "on" drawing a slight amount of current -- ~4 watts for the Black Beauty and 2 watts for a 9 VAC adapter.  So if you have 5 bricks, that's about 10-12 watts. That's like a 100W LED light bulb.  24-7, it's significant.  Our electric rate is about $.10/KWH, so it does add up to something.  Of course an alternative is to rewire the bricks to a surge protector that can be turned off.

 

I did not realize that USB charging adapters were generally "dirty."  Certainly good to know.  So I will either rewire my Atari brick setup or get a filtered switching PS.  Here is an article that is not exactly what we're talking about, but in the ballpark.  Glad I started this thread, and happy to get the input.

 

https://andybrown.me.uk/2015/07/24/usb-filtering/

 

 

[mdivancic]

41 minutes ago, Larry said:

An issue with the bricks is that they are always "on" drawing a slight amount of current -- ~4 watts for the Black Beauty and 2 watts for a 9 VAC adapter.  So if you have 5 bricks, that's about 10-12 watts. That's like a 100W LED light bulb.  24-7, it's significant.  Our electric rate is about $.10/KWH, so it does add up to something.  Of course an alternative is to rewire the bricks to a surge protector that can be turned off.

I have a couple smart power strips that the local power utility was giving out if you did a home energy audit. When I turn off the computer everything else goes of (and vice viscera). They work rather nice. 

[Beeblebrox]

Hi. Just thought I'd share my success with a newly purchased USB to DIN7 power cable.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324365010703

(less than £10 inc postage in the UK.)

 

Now my SIDE3 works too!