Repairing a non-original ATARI power supply

In August 2022 I bought an ATARI 800XE. It came with a power supply that was obviously not original, but it was well made enough to deserve a closer look. Original-era Atari power supplies are not always suitable for continued use after so many years, because ageing components can potentially damage a valuable computer. As I am not an electronics specialist, I asked a friend to measure the unit and repair it if necessary.

The original label – its style is reminiscent of the legendary FLOP labels used on cartridges.

The power supply carries a label with technical specifications. The typeface and the label itself suggest that this may not have been a one-off build; it is quite possible that several of these power supplies were made by one of the ATARI clubs. That is one more reason to repair and preserve such an artefact as a reminder of the old Atari club era.

Faults found in the power supply

The power supply had deteriorated considerably over the years and required a thorough rebuild. Once the case was opened, it was obvious that this would not be a ten-minute repair.

perished cable grommets and rubber pads
damaged and brittle insulation on the internal wires
capacitors that had lost their proper capacitance
a detached voltage regulator

All components had to be desoldered and the old solder removed. After replacing all the wiring, only a few days remained to wait for the new capacitors to arrive. A fuse was also added to the transformer and everything received a protective coating.

After reassembly and closing the case, the final touch was a set of new rubber feet. The power supply can now once again power 8-bit ATARI computers.

Thanks, Mirek! 🙂