20 replies to this topic

[bf2k+]

For anyone who thinks it can't happen here...

The other night I was running my main 800xl machine switching back and forth between the hard disk and the MyIDE+FLASH setup doing some connection tests to my BBS when a strange thing happened. I had the MYIDE plugged in and booted to a partition on my CF card and was checking some things on the emulator running on the PC when I heard a strange noise coming from the 800xl. The screen was doing something really weird (Purplish bands across it). I immediately shut it down and pulled the MyIDE+Flash cart out. The CF card plugged in here was so hot it burned me and a small hole about 1mm in diameter was burned into the front of it... strange. I waited a few minutes and rebooted to check the card - partition 1 booted up and appeared fine but I am sure some of the other partitions are toast - obviously some memory has burned up.

At any rate, I shut it down and didn't mess with it anymore until this morning when the first thing I did was the check the power supply to the 800xl. I pulled it out of the tray where it has been sitting since 2007. Sure enough, the Multi-meter revealed it was putting out 6.3 volts. Cut the leads off to save them and threw the brick in the trash. Plugged in another one and ready to go.

I was lucky... the 6.3 volts was not enough to mess up the 800xl. I suspect I need a new CF card.

Moral of the story... check your power supplies!! I could happen to you and you might not be so lucky...

[bf2k+]

Almost forgot.... mine was an INGOT!

[flashjazzcat]

bf2k+, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:58 AM, said:

Almost forgot.... mine was an INGOT!

Ah well... say no more. I banished the ingots some time ago.

[Almost Rice]

flashjazzcat, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 1:25 PM, said:

Ah well... say no more. I banished the ingots some time ago.

you have ingots in UKland?

[flashjazzcat]

Almost Rice, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 1:30 PM, said:

you have ingots in UKland?

Oh yeah. I think I have a couple. Both machines I got in the late eighties/early nineties came with ingots. I'd never seen a non-ingot PSU until I first bought a second hand machine a couple of years back.

[JAC!]

What is an "INGOT"?

[wood_jl]

JAC!, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:03 PM, said:

What is an "INGOT"?

It's a power supply that shipped with 100VAC 800XL and some 600XL. It's smooth and tapered (narrower on top) like an ingot. It's black with a black label. It's known to go bad.

It's top middle in this picture.



The one with the silver label (to the right of it) is a good one.

This pic doesn't show the "ingot" shape - not from the right angle. I know I've uploaded a pic attached to some message here before.


I think it's a testiment to 800XL resilience that your 800XL survived. I bought one from Ebay that came with a bad "ingot" and worked like a top with a different PSU.

Edited by wood_jl, Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:14 PM.

[AtariLeaf]

I have the ingot as well as the one on the bottom in the middle sitting on the top of the other big one. That's the one I use regularly but I think it was made for the XEGS. Are they safe to use with an 800XL as well?

[beamer320i]

Just realised that my regular PSU is an 'ingot'!

Right, that's going in the bin, never realised what a bad reputation (and with good reason) they had! Just dug out a 240v big black brick PSU (finned), that should do it.

[qix_maniac]

bf2k+, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:58 AM, said:

Almost forgot.... mine was an INGOT!

I feel your pain and know first hand. I've had an 800xl fried by ingot and don't use those any more.

[Fox-1 / mnx]

wood_jl, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:14 PM, said:

It's a power supply that shipped with 100VAC 800XL and some 600XL.

And all XE's/XEGS' I've ever seen in "220VAC" Europe. Have so much of these I can build a house of it (that must be the reason why they call these "bricks").

Well, I don't use them anyways. An old XT power supply has served me well over the years.

[bf2k+]

I put the big black brick (lower left corner) on my system this morning. It is working like a champ.

[poobah]

Ingots are banished at the poobah Atari ranch!
I do have a whole bin of them for anyone who wants them, I refuse to use them.

[Nukey Shay]

Might I suggest Mr. Trash Compactor?

I was going to suggest Mr. Dynamite...but he's kinda hard to locate.

[russg]

wood_jl, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:14 PM, said:

JAC!, on Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:03 PM, said:

What is an "INGOT"?

It's a power supply that shipped with 100VAC 800XL and some 600XL. It's smooth and tapered (narrower on top) like an ingot. It's black with a black label. It's known to go bad.

It's top middle in this picture.



The one with the silver label (to the right of it) is a good one.

This pic doesn't show the "ingot" shape - not from the right angle. I know I've uploaded a pic attached to some message here before.


I think it's a testiment to 800XL resilience that your 800XL survived. I bought one from Ebay that came with a bad "ingot" and worked like a top with a different PSU.

I have an INGOT. It measures 5.01 DCV. Mine with the fourxthree slots (silver label) measures 5.21 DCV. I'm thinking of discarding the INGOT anyway. Are there good and bad INGOTs? Or all to be wary of?

Edited by russg, Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:35 PM.

[BillC]

russg, on Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:25 PM, said:

clip

I have an INGOT. It measures 5.01 DCV. Mine with the fourxthree slots (silver label) measures 5.21 DCV. I'm thinking of discarding the INGOT anyway. Are there good and bad INGOTs? Or all to be wary of?

Many power supplies fail, but when INGOT power supplies fail they tend to put out too high a voltage which can damage the computer. That's whey their use is not recommended.

[Marius1976]

Are those INGOT power supplies also 'dangerous' to use when they are 220V?

I'm afraid almost any Atari PSU I have is such an INGOT type :s

I also have a rather big collection of atari 800XL adapters 220V that are not on the picture in this thread. Perhaps only european model. That can can ben opened by 4 screws. When I replace the CAPS with new ones, does this mean I have a good and stable PSU? Or do I need to replace more components?

Greetz
M.

[ivop]

BillC, on Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:48 PM, said:

russg, on Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:25 PM, said:

clip

I have an INGOT. It measures 5.01 DCV. Mine with the fourxthree slots (silver label) measures 5.21 DCV. I'm thinking of discarding the INGOT anyway. Are there good and bad INGOTs? Or all to be wary of?

Many power supplies fail, but when INGOT power supplies fail they tend to put out too high a voltage which can damage the computer. That's whey their use is not recommended.

Can't this be fixed with a simple zener diode? (5.1V) Maybe it's a good idea to build something like that into he Atari itself so no bad PSU can ever fry your computer.

[Marius1976]

ivop, on Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:24 PM, said:

Can't this be fixed with a simple zener diode? (5.1V) Maybe it's a good idea to build something like that into he Atari itself so no bad PSU can ever fry your computer.

This depends on how much current can go through such a zener diode.

When the Atari consumes around 1A, I'm not sure this is possible.

Greetz
M.

[BillC]

Marius1976, on Sat Apr 16, 2011 4:17 PM, said:

ivop, on Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:24 PM, said:

Can't this be fixed with a simple zener diode? (5.1V) Maybe it's a good idea to build something like that into he Atari itself so no bad PSU can ever fry your computer.

This depends on how much current can go through such a zener diode.

When the Atari consumes around 1A, I'm not sure this is possible.

Greetz
M.

The solution is to use the zener diode to trigger an SCR or thyristor to short out the power and blow a fuse, such a circuit is called a crowbar. I gave information about this circuit in the following thread about power supplies last year, http://www.atariage....es/page__st__50
This is the image of a crowbar circuit from the webpage listed below.
http://en.wikibooks....Crowbar_circuit

[Rybags]

Marius1976, on Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:03 PM, said:

Are those INGOT power supplies also 'dangerous' to use when they are 220V?

I'm afraid almost any Atari PSU I have is such an INGOT type :s

I'd say yes.

I've got two of the crappy non-servicable resin filled PSUs.

One arrived with an eBay purchased XEGS and the power plug had been cut off - I guess by the ex-owner as assurance they wouldn't accidentally use the thing.

Second one with my other XEGS from eBay - it was advertised as having buzzing audio and turns out to be the PSU at fault, I run the machine with my good supply and it behaves perfectly.

I bought an Aldi multi-use power wart the other day, it's got 2 USB ports which can power iPod, DS, mobile phone etc. It's rated at 1 Amp, so I'm going to try making an adaptor and use the thing as a spare Atari PS.