Atari 800XL power supply issue?

[Nebulon]

So there I was happily playing a game on the Atari 800XL when the screen suddenly went blank.

 

I looked down at the computer and the power light was out.

 

Instantly reverting (regressing?) back to an 8-year-old, the first word out of my mouth was, "Noooooooooo!"

 

 

Has this ever happened to anyone else? Do you think it's just the power supply, or could the computer itself be at fault?

 

Snif.

[RodLightning]

Having the power light go out is a good sign that the supply has failed. It's of course, also possible that something on the board is also to blame but I would check the power brick with a volt meter first for 5 volts dc. If you have one of the pyramid shaped "ingot" versions of the XL supply, those are known to be the worst for failure.

[JD6502]

There is an excellent thread about Atari PSU's on the forum. As I recall the one to stay away from is the black brick with no vent holes. These are not only prone to failure, they sometimes take the computer with it. I lost my first A8 that way.

 

EDIT: My memory is faulty. The one to avoid is "The Ingot". The thread I was thinking of is called "power supplies". I'd post a link if I knew how.

Edited June 25, 2014 by JD6502

[Nebulon]

What do you make of this power supply? He says that he's sold over 160 of them:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-600XL-800XL-65XE-130XE-XE-GS-Power-Supply-Fully-Tested-Ships-Worldwide-/331243769563?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d1faacedb

 

It looks pretty small.

 

Sadly, power supplies are not something I'm terribly knowledegable about.

[Rybags]

Looks OK although a bit pricey - the good modern wall-warts generally use PWM and operate more efficiently with less heat and are generally much smaller.

 

1.7 Amps, plenty enough to run an XL with a bunch of upgrades hanging off it. Of course that's not to say that your PS didn't go way overvolt and kill the computer. Probably worth testing with a multimeter.

[RickR]

What do you make of this power supply? He says that he's sold over 160 of them:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-600XL-800XL-65XE-130XE-XE-GS-Power-Supply-Fully-Tested-Ships-Worldwide-/331243769563?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d1faacedb

 

It looks pretty small.

 

Sadly, power supplies are not something I'm terribly knowledegable about.

 

I have one like this, and it works great. The price seems a little high to me though. How about this one instead? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-Adapter-5-VDC-1-0A-Orig-New-Atari-XE-Ver-5-The-Mini-/140954042322?pt=US_Vintage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item20d183ffd2

[BillC]

What do you make of this power supply? He says that he's sold over 160 of them:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-600XL-800XL-65XE-130XE-XE-GS-Power-Supply-Fully-Tested-Ships-Worldwide-/331243769563?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d1faacedb

 

It looks pretty small.

 

Sadly, power supplies are not something I'm terribly knowledegable about.

I agree that the price of this one is too high, below is a link to a similar power supply that just needs a DIN7 plug. The plug could be from an old power supply or a new purchase.

+5VDC/1.5A power supply: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 221212251165

7-pin DIN plug:eBay Auction -- Item Number: 300959351860

 

Total cost is under $5 for both power supply and new plug

[Rybags]

Equally, you could just make up a USB to DIN cable and use one of the countless USB chargers going around. Although ideally you'd want one of >= 1.2 Amps - some are only 500 mA, most seem to be 1.0 Amps (probably suitable for a base machine only setup).

[Nebulon]

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

The next day, I walked up to the 800XL, flicked the power switch to on, and it worked again.

 

I didn't touch anything else. So I'm thinking it's likely something to do with the power supply (and I'm very happy that the computer is okay).

 

Regardless, I'd rather not use that particular power brick anymore. I ended up ordering the modern power supply for a negotiated price of $25.00 (including shipping).

 

 

P.S. I do have a volt meter, but I don't know what settings to use on it or which pins to connect it to (I'm not all that great at the nitty-gritty of electronics).

[+bob1200xl]

I would guess that the seller in Davis is Bill Kendrick. He is a 'good guy' so I'm sure his power supply is first-rate. These 'wall warts' are all over the place in quality - be careful.

 

Bob

[mattlacey]

I made up a USB power cable just two days ago... found a cable with a USB plug on one end and just cut on the other in an electronics shop, soldered the two power lines to the right pins in a 7pin DIN plug and it works a treat with a 2.1 Apple wall wort (came with an iPad 2 I think).