thegamezmaster Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 I've got a power supply that says it's for the 2600 but it measures about 14.5 volts. Is it bad? I only paid 50 cents for it but I got a darth vader 2600 given to me and am dying to try it.Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Arrgh, don't use that, you will most likely fry your voltage regulator (7805). What is the amperage on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted January 14, 2005 Author Share Posted January 14, 2005 I'll have to check it again,and will post the amperage,thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 I think the 7805 can only handle at most 12v, correct? I wouldn't try anything higher. The amperage won't really matter; that's only how much current it can deliver on demand, and a dead 7805 doesn't demand very much at all. :-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 I think the 7805 can only handle at most 12v, correct? I wouldn't try anything higher. The amperage won't really matter; that's only how much current it can deliver on demand, and a dead 7805 doesn't demand very much at all. :-P Somewhat correct, 7805's are rated at a max. load of 12V/1A ! If the amperage is above 1A on top of the 14.5V, it will most likely melt. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted January 15, 2005 Author Share Posted January 15, 2005 Thanks for the info. Guess I'm sol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 Thanks for the info. Guess I'm sol Just get yourself a cheap 9v/500mA universal using the 3.5mm jack with tip-positive polarity. Any Radio Shack should carry it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 He says it measures at 14.5 which is normal for a 2600 adapter. When it is under load it goes down to 9v. I just measured a regular stock 2600 power supply and it was 14.1v Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted January 16, 2005 Author Share Posted January 16, 2005 Thanks for all the input but now I'm confused. What should this measure when measuring voltage and amps? Also what is the ratings for a 2600? I don't have any other power supplies to check against. The only other thing close is an Atari 7800, one of the old ones with the expansion slot on the side.Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 The 2600 requires 9v/500mA. You can actually get away with 300mA, though, and up to 12v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted January 16, 2005 Author Share Posted January 16, 2005 Is that 9 volots ac or dc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroko Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 What should this measure when measuring voltage and amps? The Atari needs 5V for its chips and other circuitry. So it is using a device that is called voltage regulator, that can make 5V out of any voltage that is higher than 5V. The ideal input voltage for the consoles regulator is 9V and that is what the original power supplies have. There is also a maximum voltage such a voltage regulator can handle at its input. If there is more voltage, it will be destroyed. In general the higher the input voltage is, the warmer the regulator gets until it is destroyed. Different regulators can handle different maximum input voltages. Modern 7805 have a maximum input voltage of 25V. (But i would not rely on that for the old VCS regulator) use 9V and you are fine ! Now to the current. The current in Amps or milliamps just tells you, how much current the supply CAN supply. So the higher this value is, the better. In theory you cann directly connect an atomic plant with 100 Terra Ampere to your vcs, as long as it produces exactly 9V. The power that is drawn from it will never be higher than the maximum rating of the voltage regulator. If it can supply 1A, there is no way to draw a lot more from your power supply (Some power is lost at the voltage conversion process) 6 switch supplies have 400mA, the juniors have 500mA rating. So If you buy a supply, don't buy one that has less than 500mA. If it has more, it will work as good as the 500mA supply, but it will be more expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akimmet Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Kroko is correct in that the amount of current the adapter has is not important as long as it supplies enough of it. However, I always remember the max input for any 78XX series regulator was always 35V (as far back as I can remember) max, and a newer (less 5 years old) data sheet here also shows 35V being the max. As for the 2600 surviving that much, I'm not so sure, because a quick look at the 2600A schematic(but not the original 2600 for some reason) shows some stuff (most importantly pin 10 of the TIA!) before the voltage regulator, but I do see a point in the schematic connected to the power jack quoting 15V. So that power adapter dosen't seem that dangerous to me (if it actually is rated for 1000mA or less), considering the voltage will drop 2+ volts on most cheap un-regulated wall-warts after a significant load is applied, most cheap multimeters draw less than a few mA (and expensive ones draw even less). If you are worried you could connect up a 12V dashboard bulb to the adaptor then check the voltage, that should bring things down closer to what the voltage would be if it were connected to your 2600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroko Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 However, I always remember the max input for any 78XX series regulator was always 35V (as far back as I can remember) max, and a newer (less 5 years old) data sheet Texas Instruments UA7805 for example has 25V. It definitely depends on the manufacturer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akimmet Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Texas Instruments UA7805 for example has 25V. It definitely depends on the manufacturer http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/ua7805.pdf No it doesn't, atleast not anymore... :wink: However; I have found a 7812 datasheet in my stuff from 1976 that quotes 20V max so it definitely matters how old the device is, and the manufacturer. I am usually careful about differences between newer and older RF transistors, but I usually ignore really common stuff and ICs thinking they are all the same, I guess I know better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroko Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Texas Instruments UA7805 for example has 25V. It definitely depends on the manufacturer http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/ua7805.pdf No it doesn't, atleast not anymore... :wink: However; I have found a 7812 datasheet in my stuff from 1976 that quotes 20V max so it definitely matters how old the device is, and the manufacturer. I am usually careful about differences between newer and older RF transistors, but I usually ignore really common stuff and ICs thinking they are all the same, I guess I know better now. Ah I think I got it now ! You were looking at page 2 of the datasheet. The absolute maximum rating is 35V. I was using the recommended operating range on page 3, and that is up to 25 V. I don't think it would be a good idea to use a 35V power supply. I am a coward, you know ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 I don't think that voltage regulator has a sufficient heatsink to run that much voltage through it. You would have to screw on a real heatsink instaid of that little piece of metal atari slapped on the circuit board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 So can I use this power supply? I've heard yes and no, yes that plugged in and machine on it will work and I've heard no the machine will xplode! Help Please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 So can I use this power supply? I've heard yes and no, yes that plugged in and machine on it will work and I've heard no the machine will xplode! Help Please! I would err on the side of caution and not use it. My understanding is that the 7805 would probably overheat if you use anything higher than 12v unless you slapped a heatsink on it. Not really worth the risk and effort when all that's really required is to use a lower voltage AC adapter. They're cheap, plentiful, and the simplest solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 So can I use this power supply? I've heard yes and no, yes that plugged in and machine on it will work and I've heard no the machine will xplode! Help Please! Go back and reread bjk7382's first response. He is correct, your 2600 power supply is perfectly normal. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 Thanks for all the reply Mitch! I'll check it out and let everyone know how it works, I've been dying to try it. I just got given an old shoe box filled with 20 games and the manuals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted January 28, 2005 Author Share Posted January 28, 2005 Just wanted to thank everyone for their input, I tried the power supply in question and it worked perfectly with the dart vader 2600! So now I've got a perfectly good working DV 2600 with 25 free games to boot! Again a great big THANK YOU to everyone here for their help and input. Game on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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