Questions tagged [power]
Questions and problems related to powering retro equipment.
69
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ATX mainboard always on
I am moving my 6x86 system into an ATX case from an AT case. The mainboard is Amptron PM9800 supporting both AT and ATX power supply.
As soon as I apply power on the power supply, the system turns on ...
6
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2
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What was the purpose of the “key” pin of the P8 connector of the IBM PC PSU, and why was it changed to +5V with the AT?
According to the IBM PC/XT Technical Reference page 3-6, pin 2
of plug P8 is a "key." (Note that this is the pin specifically; this is
separate from the keying of the shroud, which is ...
1
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1
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Commodore 64c supply 9 Vac waveform specs
I found an old Commodore 64c without a box, cable, or anything else and I want to put it back to work.
In order to do so, I need to turn it on to see if it works. I've already found the pinout of the ...
4
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1
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What is the power adapter voltage and polarity for an Avatex 1200 modem?
My very first modem was an Avatex 1200 connected to my trusty C64. Unfortunately, the power adapter has long since been, let's say, disassociated from the hardware. I probably still have it, but the ...
5
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Correct voltages and current draw for Commodore PC-1
I am fixing a Commodore PC-1 PSU for a friend and want to know if the PSU is behaving as expected. No modern PSU suggestions (e.g. Meanwell), if you don't mind! :)
Question: What are the voltage ...
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The Cray 1 used 115 kW of power. How was that much grid power physically delivered to the unit?
We are talking power plant levels of current to power the the thing. Did it just have 2 inch lugs?
2
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0
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Atari 1040 STFM power supply issue & high-pitch noise
I have an Atari 1040 STFM that's been sitting in the basement for about 30 years. It doesn't power on. The power indicator light is not illuminated and there's a high-pitch noise coming from the power ...
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What if ATX 12v P4 power connector was introduced 4 years earlier? [closed]
AT power supply handled +5 and +12 volts, +5 for ISA and processors, +12 for motors in disk drives.
In 1995 486DX2 was introduced with 3.3V core, so it derived that from a simple but inefficient ...
7
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Maximum current a GBA Game Pak can continuously draw
The GBA (specifically model AGB-001) uses a boost converter to power the Game Pak with a stable 3.3V from its batteries. The SP and Micro models use a buck-boost regulator to generate that same 3.3V. ...
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Monochrome CRT, words are wavy and sometimes move forward and backward, what could be the issue?
Monochrome CRT characters are not stable and rather shaking or waviness in them, sometime feel like moving forward and backward. Issue is in the high voltage power supply but what could it be, do high ...
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When/why did computers come to have push-button main power switches where on and off is the same push action?
In the top answer to Why were animated screensavers used instead of a black screen on CRT monitors? the main reason was said to be that it avoids users accidentally turning off the machine, thinking ...
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Why do computer rooms no longer have raised floors? [closed]
As I understand it, computer rooms in the days of mainframes and minicomputers, commonly had raised floors, so that the space under the floor could be used for power cables and cool air.
I'm not clear ...
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Weird power lines for S-100, why no 5V?
In answering another question here on the S-100 bus (from my admittedly less-than-perfect recall), I wonder why the bus supplied 8 and 16 volt signals, relying on the boards to regulate this down as ...
29
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Why do Game Boy Colors not want nickel-cadmium batteries?
This is a page from the manual for the Game Boy Color:
There is no explanation as to why this is, or how this can be, but it claims that one must not use rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries.
Why is ...
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Why did the description of the Windows shutdown command imply power-off was manual even with ACPI available?
The description of the ‘Shut down’ option in earlier versions of Windows reads:
Ends your session and shuts down Windows so you can safely turn off power.
Why was this shown in Windows 98–XP even ...