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28.5 watt ColecoVision compatible power supply (The best quality PS every made for the ColecoVision)


HDTV1080P

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40 minutes ago, HDTV1080P said:

If there was enough demand,  worldwide distributors for the 28.5 Watt ColecoVision power supply could be created to save on postage costs

 

 

The ColecoVision videogame system back in the 1982-1985 was very popular in the United States of America. Also the ColecoVision videogame system was very popular in the country of Canada. Both the United States and Canada ColecoVision’s were exactly the same in terms of NTSC 120 volt hardware and only the retail box and manuals were a little different. Also Europe had a PAL 220 volt CoelcoVision, and some countries had a SECAM versions of the ColecoVision. There were over 2 million ColecoVision systems sold worldwide.

Many people from around the world complain about the postage that it costs to ship the Mean Well 28.5 watt power supply to their home country.

 

Currently all the Amazon and EBAY dealers that offer this ColecoVision compatible power supply from Mean Well, live in the United States, and it makes the postage cost to ship the power supply Internationally more expensive. However, there is a solution. This Mean Well 28.5 Watt power supply is offered all around the world and one can purchase the power supply directly from a authorized Mean Well distributor in their country as mentioned in detail in the following post.

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/308050-285-watt-colecovision-compatible-power-supply-the-best-quality-ps-every-made-for-the-colecovision/?do=findComment&comment=4594560

 

Then all one needs to do is purchase the ColecoVision compatible power cord with included waterproof sticker, that attaches to the 28.5 Watt Mean Well power supply. It costs a lot less in postage to ship the power cord internationally when compared to shipping the power supply and power cord together. Also if anyone wanted to resell the Mean Well 28.5 watt ColecoVision compatible power supply in their country that they live in, then one could fit a QTY of 20 or more ColecoVision compatible power cords in a flat rate priority mail box to ship to a another country.

So my point is that since the Mean Well 28.5 Watt power supply is offered directly from authorized Mean Well distributors in just about any country on the planet earth, then all one needs to do is purchase the CoelcoVision power cord that was engineered in the United States and made in China to get a working ColecoVision power supply. If one is part of a ColecoVision club in Europe or Australia they might want to purchase a QTY of 20 ColecoVision power cords and have them shipped in a flat rate box. This would greatly reduce the shipping cost if only the power cord is purchased for international shipping.    

Unfortunately when I looked into doing this exact thing the shipping of just the Colecovision cable was atrocious too.

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44 minutes ago, zaphro72 said:

Unfortunately when I looked into doing this exact thing the shipping of just the Colecovision cable was atrocious too.

I will use EBAY as a example.

I am not able to see the prices that EBAY is charging people with EBAY’s Global shipping program. The $9.99 that is charged for priority mail shipping to the EBAY shipping center in Kentucky is the cheapest shipping method for the power supply and cable since the shipping weight is around 1 pound and 8 oz. From there EBAY ships the product to anywhere in the world with the global shipping program.

What makes this power supply compatible with the ColecoVision is the custom power cord and the sticker that goes on top of the Mean Well power supply. If one were to purchase the Mean Well power supply from an authorized Mean Well dealer in their own country, then one could just purchase the power cord itself on EBAY. If one ships the power cord by first class mail instead of priority mail then it would only cost around $3.00 to ship to the Kentucky EBAY Global shipping center. Then EBAY would charge their Global shipping price.

There is not much more one can do if the EBAY and Amazon interface is used, the power supply has to be shipped priority mail because of the weight. The cable could be shipped first class mail instead of priority mail.

A cheaper solution would be for someone to request a PAYPAL invoice directly so that Amazon and EBAY can be bypassed (but the request cannot be made using Amazon and EBAY's internal email communication system, but would need to be a third party message system similair to what ATARIAGE website uses for communications).

Edited by HDTV1080P
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I just verified that a QTY of 20 ColecoVision power cables will fit in one Priority Mail International Padded Flat Rate Envelope. The Post Office charges $26.90 for Canada flat rate envelope and $37.45 for Switzerland. That means that if one charged $14.99 for each ColecoVision power cable. Then to deliver a QTY of 20 to Canada would be a total cost of around $326.70 ($16.34 for each power cable) and the Switzerland price would be a total cost of $337.25 ($16.86 for each power cable).  Plus there is custom and duty taxes that might be charged per the laws of ones country they live in. 

 

Shipping rates can be calculated at the following website. The reduced International dealer prices can be obtained by sending a private message using the ATARIAGE interface and requesting a PAYPAL invoice.

 

https://postcalc.usps.com/

Edited by HDTV1080P
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Canada information regarding power supply options

 

Here is a link to the local Mean Well distributor located in Canada if one decides to just get the detachable plug in ColecoVision power cord only from the United States:

https://www.simcona.ca/

 

United States customers pay around $49.99 plus $9.99 shipping for the 28.5 Watt ColecoVision Power Supply with power cord. However, I see what some people are complaining about when it comes to International shipping rates when it comes to geographical close country like Canada. Canada gets charged $49.99 for the power supply like everyone else in the world, but the cheapest shipping for a 1 pound 8 oz package to Canada by priority mail is $43.25. $43.25 shipping is almost the price of one power supply, so total price to Canada for one power supply is $93.24 after shipping. Now if one wanted two power supplies the price is a little bit cheaper to Canada. Each power supply with cable is going to cost $49.99 each plus to mail around 3 pounds to Canada will cost $46.35 for priority mail shipping. Total cost after shipping for two power supplies would be $146.33 ($73.17 for each power supply including shipping).

 

One can fit a total of 6 power supplies with cables in a Priority mail medium International flat rate box, and the shipping charge for a medium International flat rate box to Canada is $51.55. Plus one can give a 10% discount off the power supply when buying in QTY of 6 ($45 for each power supply). Therefore, total delivery cost on 6 power supplies to Canada would be $321.55 ($53.59 for each power supply after shipping). The power supplies could be sold in Canada on EBAY, Amazon, etc. Other countries like Europe, and Australia would have a little bit higher shipping rates.

 

If one lives around the Canadian border, like Niagara falls city in Ontario Canada and they purchase a lot of items from companies in the United States. They might want to consider renting a Post Office box for one year from the Post Office in Niagara Falls New York or another bordering USA city where they are close too. Then once a month or a few times a year they could pick up packages right across the border in the United States and get charged for US postage rates instead of very expensive international postage rates. Canada is a big country and most people do not live close enough to the USA boarder to justify the drive to the closes Post Office. But renting a Post Office box would save a lot of money if one is a few miles from the USA boarder.     

Edited by HDTV1080P
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On 10/6/2020 at 4:41 PM, HDTV1080P said:

Thanks for the post Ruggers Customs. The 28.5 Watt Mean Well power supply works perfectly fine on all unmodified ColecoVision videogame systems if the original RF modulator is working fine. Also the 28.5 Watt Mean Well power supply works perfectly fine on most modified third party ColecoVision videogame systems that had internal hardware modifications. However, when one makes internal third party hardware modifications to their ColecoVision, if the quality of the internal modification adds EMI/RFI noise to the ColecoVision motherboard, that is where the interference picture quality issues can occur from internal EMI/RFI noise on the ColecoVision motherboard due to third party shielding issues. Some of the third party hardware modifications might be trying to draw more power from the original ColecoVison power supply and the Col USB, but since the Col USB can not push more then 17 watts of power the interference issue would not show up. But since the Mean Well 28.5 watt ColecoVision compatible power supply is capable of outputting 28.5 Watts of power if the attached ColecoVision requests that much power, then some third party hardware modifications might be causing a bigger power drain and any poor quality EMI/RFI shielding issues on the third party modification might cause picture quality issues.

 

Both the 28.5 watt Mean Well power supply and the high-end ColecoVision power cable that is bundled with the power supply, is designed to eliminate, or greatly reduce EMI/RFI interference coming from the power supply. However it sounds like on certain third party hardware modifications to the ColecoVision motherboard, that those third party modifications might need better shielding to reduce EMI/RFI noise on the ColecoVision motherboard.  

    

I do not like the 46.5 Watt Mean Well GP50A13A-R1B power supply because of the short circuit protection is good for only one short between the 5v and 12 volt rail, but if one is having troubles with the third party hardware modification then they could try the 46.5 Watt Mean Well power supply to see if there is any picture quality differences. My guess would be the same picture quality problem and perhaps a worse picture quality problem if the third party modification is requesting a draw of 46.5 watts instead of 28.5 watts. In the ideal world third party video modifictions soldered on the CoelcoVision motherboard would not be needed if someone would develop a external graphics card with SGM capability that plugs in the front expansion port. Then with a micro HDMI jack on the right side, the external expansion module would disable the VDP when a HDMI cable is connected and use a new VDP that offers high quality HDMI just like a ColecoVison emulator on a Windows PC. Then people would not need to do all kinds of third party surgery to the ColecoVision motherboard to get better video quality.  

 

Amazon and EBAY dealers have a 60 day return policy on the 28.5 Watt Mean Well ColecoVision compatible power supply. So far no one has requested to return one since they love the results. However if in some rare instant that some third party modifications are generating EMI/RFI interference issues from poor shielding issues with the third party modification, then one can always return the power supply within 60 days. Also Mean Well offers a 3 year warranty on the power supply.

The TMS-RGB is a top quality mod board.  There's nothing wrong with the quality, it doesn't need any additional shielding and the power draw is minimal.  You're selling a switching power supply for a system that's already noisy as hell to begin with.  There's going to be a certain amount of noise in any switching power supply compared to a linear power supply. 

 

Come on man...

 

Have you broke out the oscilloscope and looked at the power rails?  How many different colecovision revision mother boards have you tested it on?

 

I did try to bring this to your attention over 6 weeks ago but you blew me off with your general troubleshooting response.  

 

I didn't write what I did to shit all over your product.  There's some issues present that I feel you should further investigate if you're going to advertise it as the "The best quality PS ever made for the ColecoVision".  That's all, I have nothing else to say.  Good luck with your power supply.

 

 

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On 10/4/2020 at 4:06 AM, Ruggers Customs said:

So Meanwell with RF is good.  Meanwell with composite is good.  Meanwell with TMS-RGB is good through the Framemeister and OSSC.  Meanwell with TMS-RGB and composite video wired as sync for the Rad 2x appears to be bad for now. 
 

All of the Mean issues listed above aren't present in a good old fashoned OEM linear psu or the Colusb.

In my case, composite is bad.  Honestly I think RF is bad too.  In terms of what he could be testing, supposedly on several systems though not specific on revisions.  Unfortunately, these old systems need far better tolerances due to both age and all the mods most of us have used on them.  It's just annoying because I have to return it, and the Col-USB is unavailable again.

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29 minutes ago, Greg2600 said:

In my case, composite is bad.  Honestly I think RF is bad too.  In terms of what he could be testing, supposedly on several systems though not specific on revisions.  Unfortunately, these old systems need far better tolerances due to both age and all the mods most of us have used on them.  It's just annoying because I have to return it, and the Col-USB is unavailable again.

Are you without a power supply completely?

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4 hours ago, Ruggers Customs said:

Are you without a power supply completely?

Oh, no no, I have an old brick that works fine (for now), and one that has gone bad.  It's just a pain to use, and due to the system's design, even a partially faulty PSU negatively effects the CV worse than almost any other console.  So I wanted a modern replacement.  It's possible this particular Mean Well should simply be replaced with another, and I'd have no issues.  I just don't want to pay to ship it back and forth to MN, the postal costs are astronomical these days.

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  • 1 month later...

I ran into an issue with my Colecovision tonight and suspect (or hope) that it is a PSU issue. The +12V on my supply is reading lower than it should so I think there might be a problem there. Therefore I have just ordered one of these on ebay. I'll report back on how I fair with it when it arrives. It looks like a good product, and it is certainly great to see a modern solution for a power supply for this system available.

Edited by eightbit
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Just to follow up. I received this power supply today and it is hard to refute the claim that it is the best power supply ever made. It certainly feels that way ;)

 

The quality is superb. The cable is extremely thick. The power connector molding (part that plugs into the CV) is outstanding.

 

As it turns out my original supply was failing. +12v readings the other day were 11.60V. Today it read at 9.88V. I should have replaced that long ago....especially considering the amount of time and money that I put into the console already. This power supply works beautifully. I do not suspect I will have another power issue using this at least in my lifetime.

 

I will go on the record to say that I HIGHLY recommend this power supply. Even if your original brick is good. Excellent product.

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  • 2 months later...

I am posting in this thread as well that my Meanwell power supply causes major video interference on both of my CV systems. Neither the stock power supply or COLUSB have this issue for me.

 

I didn't realize the cause of the interference lines was the power supply until I read another forum members problem in another thread.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 2/21/2021 at 7:08 PM, Charlie_ said:

I am posting in this thread as well that my Meanwell power supply causes major video interference on both of my CV systems. Neither the stock power supply or COLUSB have this issue for me.

 

I didn't realize the cause of the interference lines was the power supply until I read another forum members problem in another thread.

 

Curious because I am looking to replace power supply. Do you have any mods? 

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17 hours ago, iridude said:

I am going to fix my power supply. Just curious with this power supply what people experiencing? It seems that some people not experiencing same issues. I was curious is it a certain mod or something else 

I was fairly detailed in my issues.  It's video "noise" aka interference, just tons of waving, snowy curves all over the screen.  Having a mod amplifies them because the signal is clearer; however, I experienced this on several unmodded consoles as well.  The manufacturer offered no support, nor replacement, took the return, and replied that it worked fine for him. 

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There are a few issues that people are bring up in this thread that I well attempt to address.

 

(one) The first issue is that people are talking about how they can repair their existing Coleco brand ColecoVision power supply from the years 1982-1985. The original ColecoVision power supply does not have screws to open and close the plastic case and was designed to be tossed in the trash when it breaks (and that is what many people did in the 20th Century since brand new replacements power supplies were still being offered in the late 20th Century at a fair price). In the year 2021 it’s hard to find a working brand new ColecoVision power supply at a fair price. However, some people that are collectors now keep their broken ColecoVision power supply and decide to get it repaired.  There are companies that well break or crack open the original ColecoVision power supply transformer plastic case, and they well for a fee repair the transformer circuit board, and then glue the plastic power supply case back together. Does not look good cosmetically, but some people prefer to only use the original ColecoVision power supply. The only two negatives about the original ColecoVision power supply is that it does not operate worldwide on any voltage like the Mean Well power supply does, and the original ColecoVision power supply does not offer that much current output to power possible future high power third party devices. The 28.5 watt Mean Well power supply can offer up to 3 times more power output for future expansion devices that might need that much power. Talking about who or how one repairs existing ColecoVision power supplies should be placed in another thread. Since this threads main purpose is for the Mean Well 28.5 watt power supply.  

 

(two) The 28.5 watt Mean Well ColecoVision compatible power supply is the best third party energy efficiency level VI power supply on the market. Between 120-150+ have been sold on EBAY and Amazon with a 60 day return policy, with only two people so far returning the power supplies for a complete refund (Mean Well offers a 3 year warranty on the power supply). There is no perfect power supply on the market, and all power supplies including the original ColecoVision power supply have EMI/RFI noise that can affect the picture and sound quality. The custom 4 pin gold plated ColecoVision compatible power cord is dual shielded and was grounded at the DIN plug end since grounding at both ends can produce a ground-loop especially if used with a 3 prong power supply. Therefore, the custom Colecovision compatible power cord is shielded in such away to eliminate any possible ground loops and it reduces or eliminates EMI/RFI noise from the power supply that it is being used with. It cost several thousands of dollars to develop this cable since a custom mold had to be made. Therefore, if there is any issue with noise its most likely is coming from the power supply or ColecoVision motherboard that it is being used with and not the custom cable. In the original post I mentioned that I wanted to use the $15 more expensive Mean Well GP50A13A-R1B 46.5 watt power supply, however after purchasing a sample QTY of 4 I discovered that model has poor quality short circuit protection and one short between the 5 volt and 12 volt rail causes the 46.5 watt power supply to completely be destroyed to the point that it needs to be thrown in the trash. If it was not for the poor quality short circuit protection on the Mean Well GP50A13A-R1B I would have went with that model. However, the 28.5 watt Mean Well GP25B13A-R1B is a much better power supply that can survive many and sometimes unlimited shorts and it well recover in perfect working condition. Therefore, in conclusion their exists no better third party level VI power supply for the ColecoVision. The 28.5 watt Mean Well GP25B13A-R1B is the best power supply available at a price of around $49.99 with the ColecoVision power cable.

 

(three) There is a 550 watt Smurf CoelcoVision power supply for $129.99 that offers a cleaner DC output that videophiles and audiophiles well be happy with. But most people do not like the size of ATX power supplies. https://atariage.com/forums/topic/284408-how-to-make-your-own-colecovision-power-supply-that-operates-worldwide/?do=findComment&comment=4556844

 

(Four) I would love to find a better quality power supply for the Colecovision since my goal has always been to find the best quality power supply regardless of the price. On November 18th 2020 the XP Power company came out with the XP Power PCM50UT03 medical grade desktop power supply for around $115 after shipping and according to the specs it is 100% compatible with the ColecoVision power cord that is offered for $15.99 + shipping. However, the two XP power supplies according to the specs are for industrial and/or medical use only and are not allowed to be sold to consumers that are planning on using the power supply for a consumer product like the ColecoVision because the power supply does not have the required level VI energy efficiency rating from the Department of Energy on the power supply (special order no one stocks the two XP power supplies that theoretically are compatible with the ColecoVision). So even if this 42 watt Medical grade power supply works with the ColecoVision (Digi-key mislabeled it as a 53 watts instead of the true output of 42 watts on the spec sheet), it can only be used for medical and commercial industrial purposes. Also, since Amazon and EBAY fees can be up to 25% for dealers, even if the power supply was level VI (which it is not), would anyone be willing to pay around $150 for a ColecoVision compatible power supply? The 28.5 watt $50 Mean Well ColecoVision power supply looks like a much better solution and its legal to sell since its level Vi energy efficient.    

 

SF PCM (xppower.com) (Not level VI according to spec sheet)

 

PCM50UT03 XP Power | Power Supplies - External/Internal (Off-Board) | DigiKey (Not level VI according to spec sheet)

 

(Five) My 5 CoelcoVision’s are working fine over RF and composite video with the 28.5 watt Mean Well ColecoVision compatible power supply. I have spent all day researching this issue. I am not seeing any issues, but maybe certain third party modifications to ones ColecoVision motherboard can cause some issues. I just spent another $500+ into research and develop to look into this issue further. This classic 80’s videogame/computer system equipment can be an expensive hobby with all the research and development costs results in negative earnings every year. Profits from my daily and weekly brokerage stock trades is supporting this hobby. If Coleco was still around they would most likely be able to invest $20,000+$50,000+ to develop a new worldwide ColecoVision compatible power supply that everyone would be happy with. I would rather stick that much money into upgrading my home theater system then to place $50,000+ of my own money into research and development costs for the CoelcoVision/ADAM.   

 

If one wants to try a 28.5 watt ColecoVision Mean Well power supply or 550 watt Smurf ColecoVision power supply, Amazon and EBAY dealers offer a 60 day return policy if one is not happy with the performance. My goal has always been to seek out the best quality consumer products as first priority, and second priority is to purchase that product at the best price.  

Edited by HDTV1080P
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Mine causes major interference with the video signal. A blue screen looks like it's alive with all the horizontal lines of interference. When using the original supply it's just fine. So now I have this 28 watt supply in a box. Money wasted. It was my mistake for not realizing what was causing the problem and seeking a refund around the time of purchase. 

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I have the meanwell and it only produces noise on my CV when I use it with my Extron. If I connect it straight up to my TV's composite input the noise isn't present. Why? No idea. Additionally, the noise isn't present when I use RGB or my HDRetrovision cables from my CV with the Meanwell supply. So it is my main supply for my daily driver CV for the moment. But I also have 2 OEM working supplies at the ready just in case.

 

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On 6/25/2020 at 10:35 AM, HDTV1080P said:

I am glad to hear that you repair the original ColecoVision power supply. I wish they would have made some screws on the power supply like other systems. One has to break or pry the glue open and then re-glue the plastic case shut again once the power supply has been repaired. 

Coleco didn't want to allow it to be repaired. I am guessing they where thinking it's dead disregard it and give customer new one for $$$.

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Do we have any idea if there is a way to tell the difference between epoxy potted OEMs and non? Because I would hate to spend the time using my dremel cutting wheel to open one up and find a big block of epoxy over the entire thing.

 

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15 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I have the meanwell and it only produces noise on my CV when I use it with my Extron. If I connect it straight up to my TV's composite input the noise isn't present. Why? No idea. Additionally, the noise isn't present when I use RGB or my HDRetrovision cables from my CV with the Meanwell supply. So it is my main supply for my daily driver CV for the moment. But I also have 2 OEM working supplies at the ready just in case.

 

What HDRetrovision cables can you use on a CV.  Straight through RGB cables?

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No I'm using my Genesis HDRetrovision cables. I wired in a 9-pin din Gen2 AV style on my CV and wired in my composite mod to the comp pin that the HDRetrovision cables require. There is some slight noise but not enough to bother me and it does it on both an OEM and the Meanwell so it isn't power related. They mentioned not using those cables because they encountered some noise but I didn't think it was that bad honestly and I'm a pretty picky dude.

 

But yeah, you gotta have a composite mod put in to run HDR cables because HDRetrovision cables use composite for the sync and not c-sync or sync as would be the norm. 

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3 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Do we have any idea if there is a way to tell the difference between epoxy potted OEMs and non? Because I would hate to spend the time using my dremel cutting wheel to open one up and find a big block of epoxy over the entire thing.

 

Very good question. 

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