op c64 psu only giving 5.16 volts

[angel418]

hey so i thought i did everything right, but then when i went to plug it in and test voltages, i came to a problem, only the 5 volt side is working. i tried to poke around with the multimeter to try to figure out where i went wrong, but no where on the 14 side am i really puling any voltage in, the only thing i am really finding is 5volts. every once in a while i will pick up a volt or 2, but i havent yet seen my multimeter go above 5,16 anywhere on the psu.

i dont really know what i am doing when it comes to trouble shooting, any pointers or anyone know what this sounds like?

thanks!

[cimo]

hi Angel

i see that you are getting somewhere which is good but i ve seen already many posts of yours and they all have the same problem: the info you give is clumsy and scattered, so it s not so easy to help out.So always remember to specify everything very well, we can t remember from the last post of yours what you were talking about last time and connect it to the actual post and believe me that i won t go and look for all you posts to try to make sense of it.

Also remember that some of us are not English native speaker so it can be even more difficult to pick up all this scattered info.

An example:

anywhere on the psu.

could be replaced with a PINx to PINy measurement

that said:

-are you talking about the C64 original PSU or the optimized PSU or any custom PSU you ve built?

-if you are using the C64 psu are you aware that a pair of pins will give 5v DC and the other around 9v AC ? the multimeter has to be switched to read either AC or DC

-5.16vDC where it was supposed to be 5vDC it could possibly mean:

a) an older C64 Psu with failing regulators which need to be replaced

b) a cheap multimeter and/or oxidized probes

[angel418]

thanks for the help!  but yeah i am using the old c64 power cable and i have attempted to make the optimized psu that is on ucapps, and i have mostly been using the danielprice site thats linked on ucapps to figure it out, since it has acual pictures on there on how to make it.  but anyways the only parts i used from the old c64 is 1 cap 2200uf v15 & the c64 power switch and power connection. all other parts are brand new, also my 330uf cap i didnt see where it said to connect negitive o or positive.  i dont know let me know what you think i could possibly try to get it woeking.

thanks!

Gunner

[cimo]

i see....

..

.

...

::)

ok. err where are you measuring 5 volts? in which physical places?

can you take a high resolution picture of what you have there?

Simone

[angel418]

well here is some pics i hope this helps you help me, tell me if you need a pic of something else.

IMG_0581.JPG

[angel418]

i am wondering if since it is pulling in the 5volts ok, does that mean the old c64 power supply is good, its just somewhere my wires are crossed or something and thats why the side that should be pulling in the 14volts is pulling in 0.00 volts??? as you can probably tell i am completely new to electronics. but i have got my sid,core, ain, din, and dout all done, but until the power is up and running i cant yet test my work on those.

anyways let me know about your thoughts on why i cant pick up the 14volts when ever you have a chance. 

[cimo]

well you got 5 volts so you can try everything except the SID module, but wait anyway, i don t like those 0.16 volts extra you got there.

Please take a picture also of the back side and try to get things focused.If you can get a digital camera somewhere that would ease things greatly.

Offtopic: hey Stryd whenever we get the Mbuntu (or whatever we are going to call it) things up and running, video conferencing will be sooo good for trouble  shooting.

Angel isn t it that you have a web camera and we can get to troubleshoot in real time?

[angel418]

i am on my way to work so  i will take the picture tonight, in about 12 hours. though there is alot of cables back there i think i better label things 1st.

[angel418]

sorrry these are not the best pics, i couldnt get my good camera to work so i used my iphone.

[/users/KPll83/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2008/Roll 8/IMG_0584.JPG

/Users/Users/KPll83/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2008/Roll 8/IMG_0584.JPG

/Users/KPll83/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Modified/2008/Roll 8/IMG_0585.JPG/KPll83/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Modified/2008/Roll 8/IMG_0585.JPG/img]

[cimo]

No way, really at least i need clear pictures, the best would be 2 pictures of each side taken from the same distance FROM THE VERY TOP OF EACH SIDE.

I can t help any further with this info, check all connections again and when you are finished do it again.

[angel418]

i tried to redo the powersupply, i un-soldered the cables and started from the begining and attempted to redo it. and got the exact same thing 5.16, and no 14volts. i have a question, on the scamatic there are parts that that on the same side of the part  have more than one connection of another part to it, in this situation the cables can all cnect at the same point or should there be a sequence?  like lets say on the scametic on the left side of the part something is connected and on the right side something else connects to it, should it be like this on the bored with say 3 connecting points, or all 3 cables soldered at the same point?

thanks

[cimo]

i tried to redo the powersupply, i un-soldered the cables and started from the begining and attempted to redo it. and got the exact same thing 5.16, and no 14volts. i have a question, on the scamatic there are parts that that on the same side of the part  have more than one connection of another part to it, in this situation the cables can all cnect at the same point or should there be a sequence?  like lets say on the scametic on the left side of the part something is connected and on the right side something else connects to it, should it be like this on the bored with say 3 connecting points, or all 3 cables soldered at the same point?

thanks

if I understand your question, which is questionably... , it doesn t matter, when there is electrical connection it will work, at least on a PSU.

I quote myself

Let s try with:

-buy all new components, i had to replace mine cause they were so old they didn t work properly

-are you using the whole C64 supply as it came or just the transformer?

Take high resolution pictures and maybe we can do something about it

[stryd_one]

I swore I wouldn't help you because you were so lazy before but anyway.....

Is the c64 outputting 9V AND 5V ?

[angel418]

i am sorry about before, but this site is far differnet from the usual forums i attend that normally want as many new topics as possible, and discussion is key.  obviously this is different. an at 1st i didnt quite understand that.

but no only 5.16 volt and nothing else. that i can find. i have searched around the board looking for different voltages to maybe try and figure out where i messed up, but the only other place i find anything is at the bridge, which i believe i found either 1 or 3 volts. 

thanks!

[stryd_one]

Don't worry about the board, forget all that - just take the C64 PSU just by itself, plug it in, find the pinout (google, or a forum search here will probably do it), and test the voltages. If you're not reading 9V from the correct pins, that'll explain why your optimised board isn't outputting 14V.

[angel418]

thanks, but how odd both psu's have no 9 volts, i have a 128 commodore waiting for me in virginia though its going to be a few weeks before i get there so i will try that one when i get there.

[nILS]

this site is far differnet from the usual forums i attend that normally want as many new topics as possible

Seems rather pointless. "Hey let's open a new topic for every question that's already been asked over and over again. This will give us lots of posts and topics and make this forum look big and really important!" Naaah.

and discussion is key.

Which is totally the case here. Just not in a new thread per arguement. Btw, you didn't open any threads for discussions yet. You only opened "Where can I find..."-threads ;)

About the PSU now:

I swore I wouldn't help you because you were so lazy before but anyway.....

To measure the 9VAC

* make sure you set the multimeter to AC

* check the 2 AC pins (not one AC pin and GND)

* if that doesn't help you find out if there's 9VAC coming from the PSU then check every pair of pins (1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 1+5, 2+3, 2+4, ...)

As long as you don't know if there's even any 9VAC coming from thwe PSU any further testing is rather pointless.

[stryd_one]

this site is far differnet from the usual forums i attend that normally want as many new topics as possible,

No, that's not how it works.... All forums want that - you don't want completely different subjects in the same thread, so you encourage new threads for new subjects. But no forum I have ever come across, will encourage you to not search, and post a new thread about something that has been discussed and documented in detail before. In fact every forum I am a member of, has a sticky topic telling you to search.

and discussion is key.

Discussion is key here too. Just, not the same exact answers to the same exact questions typed over and over and over again - and that's what you've been asking for.

obviously this is different.

The way this forum compares to others has nothing to do with it. You were in a rush, you didn't want to get off your ass and search, and now to compound matters you're bullshitting me. You should already know me well enough, to know that bird won't fly.

an at 1st i didnt quite understand that.

I still don't think you do!

[lief138]

Ha Nils This is great stuff, I cant help but think this is directed at me :)

To measure the 9VAC

* make sure you set the multimeter to AC

* check the 2 AC pins (not one AC pin and GND)

[nILS]

Hihi, I tend to accumulate solutions that worked earlier and reuse them :D Sure is easier than coming up with new answers to the same problems every time.

[Goblinz]

I had a problem with my C64 power supply last night. For some reason my newly bought cheap ass multimeter doesn't test for AC voltage as low as 9V (is fine for around 200V!). 5V was working fine. I tested the DC voltage across the rectifier on my PSU board and got nothing. I rigged up a light bulb to the 9VAC pins and nothing. I got as far as searching ebay and opening a "wanted UK C64 PSU" thread and thought I'd take the old one to pieces to see what was in there and was presented with two internal fuses... One was burnt out... Problem solved, fuse replaced and all voltgas correct (ish)...

I'm getting just under on the 12V rail and I think my 5V is also something like 5.15. I'm taking a risk that it shouldn't too much difference... I'd appreciate it if someone can let me know if it's too much of a risk. This is after the regulator anyway so i'm guessing my multimeter is badly callibrated.

One point angel... The schematic is your friend. Even if you don't have too much electronics experience, you should be able to work out what's going on and where the power is going, just break it down in to sections and see how it correlates to your PCB. If you try these things and you manage to sort a problem out then you will be dead chuffed and will have also progressed along the learning path and equally as important you can help somebody else out if they encounter the same problems!

[angel418]

thanks nils i wasnt checking ac i was in dc!

i might be having the same problem you were having goblinz, my little radioshack 20$ multimeter will not rate below 200v in ac, but on the 200v i get 1.2  could this mean 12volts?

i cant wait till i get the power done, i now have all the sid modules done, but only 1 of each i need 2 more douts and 1 more din, and i think for now i will just do a 1 sid in stereo, so one more sid module.

not to get side tracked on posted before,but i was also thinking that if the last topic on finding what ever part was done 2 years ago, that people may now know of a cheaper site or a site with more colors or sizes of that part than was known 2 years ago when the topic was 1st wrote.

[nILS]

thanks nils i wasnt checking ac i was in dc!

Told ya.

could this mean 12volts?

How about sticking it into a wall power socket and finding out? Or using other AC PSUs to crosscheck?

[Enth]

Overvoltage on 5v rail COULD mean that the regulator chip is starting to fail. 5.15v today, 12v tomorrow! But from what I've seen, it's common that people measure more than the nominal 5.00v... Does a bit of load even it out? Info on the subject: http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/pstester.txt

[nILS]

I've never had 5.0V. Never ever. Usually it's in the 4.95V - 5.2V range.