Dead Atari 800?

[The Eidolon]

Hello All,

 

I just tried to reconnect my Atari 800 after a month of disuse, and

found that the thing doesn't turn on at all. No power light, no signal

out, etc. I don't have a lot of experience with Atari hardware, but

my first thought was perhaps the power supply gave out. Do any of

you have a recommendation as to what I can do to isolate the problem?

I don't have a second Atari or power supply, so I can't mix-and-match

to find out which is bad. I could just order a new power supply, but I'm

hoping to confirm what's wrong before I buy one if possible.

 

Thanks!

--The Eidolon

[noteit]

The power supply for my 800 disk drive and computer are the same. Can you swap your disk drive and computer power supplys? Then see if your computer or disk drive works.

 

The 110 plugs on the powersupply are pretty stiff, and sometimes bend away so they do not make contact with the wall outlet. make sure they are making a connection by testing for any voltage on the output of the transformer, with a volt meter, or a test light.

 

Use a 12 volt test light for testing car wirre, it will glow dim if its working.

 

You might also buy some contact cleaner at a electronic store, and clean the end. Those connectors go bad a lot too, after being plugged, and unplugged hundreds of times. You might need to re install a connector in the computer, and install a new end on the power supply wire to the atari.

 

Its the center connector that wears down, and does not make good contact after a while. Some times a slight bend to the center connector on the atari will help it press against the plug on the wire.

[classics]

If the power LED does not illuminate then it is either the power supply or the regularor board inside the 800.

 

If you have a 810 or 1050 disk drive you can check the power supply by trying it with one of those. If not you will need a multimeter to check the voltage at the barrel connector.

 

Steve

[The Eidolon]

Thanks for the responses! I sadly do not have a disk drive, so I'll try

to find a multimeter I can borrow to see if the power supply is dead.

 

Thanks,

--The Eidolon

[ApolloBoy]

Yeah, it's usually the PSU that's the problem. I thought my 800XL was dead months ago, but then I used my 600XL (which is truly dead)'s PSU, and it works fine now.

[Bryan]

Thanks for the responses!  I sadly do not have a disk drive, so I'll try

to find a multimeter I can borrow to see if the power supply is dead.

 

Thanks,  

--The Eidolon

 

Remember to set it to AC, and look for 9+ volts.

 

-Bry

[deathtrappomegranate]

Sometimes the solder joints where the power socket attaches to the 800 board work loose. It can often be fixed simply by reheating the solder and checking that everything is aligned.

 

If the multimeter confirms that the PSU is OK, you could then use it to check the downstream connections.

[walter_J64bit]

At ApolloBoy, It's good to see you have the 800Xl to fall back on!