#A500 Powerpack
20 messages in this thread
Oliver Chesler
72766,3554
To anyone,
I am a new owner of an Amiga A500. My monitor began showing wavy lines or
small static. I noticed that my powerpack sometimes made noise and when it did
is also when the monitor did this. Is my powerpack broken? Or is it just that I
have it to close to the monitor, or plugged into a socket where too many thing
are plugged in? Any help would b appreciated. Also, on the top of the workbench
it seems that the menu bar at the edges is distorted along with a few text
characters, I was told that there are pixels missing from the bar unpurpose. Is
this true?
Thanks in advance,
P
I would take the power supply back immediately.
The ragged edge of the menu bar and wide windows is due to the alternating
colored lines going horizontally down the screen. Bring up a window and make
it as small as you can; You should not be able to notice any tearing. Stretch
it out full width accross the screen and there is the tearing again. It
doesn't bother me, so I haven't checked for a fix.
-John
Your powerpack is very likely faulty. get a new one — CBM has been having a
very bad time with these power supplies. Very! –Ben–
Ben; Pardon my interuption here but I would "love" to get a new (read that 3rd
party) power supply (After successfully fighting the urge to put my similar
looking yet 5x as heavy 128 power supply on using my strip as the on/off
strip!) Deciding that I liked my A500 too much (After all it was nice enuf to
come sans that silly C= key w/both A keys intact) I ruled that out! Now Im
having trouble locating a decent replacement! Any ideas or rec's? Will C=
eventually lift that thing & be as embarrassed as I was? (thereby putting out
an "official" beefed up p.s.?) Thanks. Ena
E.G. (Gloria? What do I call you? Ena?) The reason it's so light is that it's a
"switcher" type of power supply — it doesn't use the same type of electronics
to generate the appropriate power signals for you Amiga as your old C128
supply. It _should_ be reasonably light. The real problem with it is that it is
built incredibly shabbily inside. Don't EVER drop the thing! And then there is
the fact that it can put out just enough for the A500 and just a _little_
more… that was _stupid_, in my opinion. We have to keep in mind that the
edict to the design team was almost surely "keep it cheap!" but it's not much
comfort when you want to add a framastat and there's only enough power for a
swoggle. –Ben–
You know Ive been looking for a swoggle for some time now! Thanks for the
explanation, it cleared some things up. Oh yes its Ena. Thanks Again. Ena
I have an old swoggle, but it's no longer willing to be docile. –Ben–
Ena,
Phoenix Electronics sells a replacement power supply for the A500 for $99.95.
It has 4 outlets on the back, so that it can be used as a power strip. I don't
remember the specs, but it added a couple of thingamajigs over what the CBM
supply put out (amps, maybe?).
Rodney Somerstein 73167,2165
P.S.
Their phone number is (913)632-2150
Rodney,
Thanks for the specifics, Ill give them a call! Does it have an individual
power switch for computer or are the 4 outlets tied together.
Later, Ena
I agree that building it shabbily wasn't nice, but take exception to the
argument about headroom. The power supply was designed to drive the computer,
with (I hope) enough to spare for worst case conditions. Why is that stupid?
LOTS of people just might be buying the 500 to play games or whatever, and
won't ever add anything more than extra memory. Why make them pay for power
supply capability they'll never use? The 500 isn't that expandable; it wasn't
designed to be. If you want to hang stuff on it, get a heftier power supply.
<Shrug> Makes sense to me.
Now if they had done that with the 2000, with bus slots, I'd agree 100%.
Rick
In my opinion: Stupid (REALLY stupid) #1: expansion wrong side, incompatible
Stupid #2: Power supply inadequite for expansion memory beyond 1m. The FIRST
thing people do to a machine is expand it… because most computers (and the
A500 is no exception) are not complete as you buy them. External drive comes to
mind immediatly, hard drive controller follows, extra serial port follows,
digitizer, etc. Now, since you already _have_ to have a power supply when you
make a computer, and you _have_ to have it pass all those fun rules that UL and
the FCC promote, you can make it a _lot_ easier for the aftermarket people to
help add value to your machine… Of course, there is little evidence that CBM
wants to do that… Since they royally screwed all the manufacturers that
worked so hard to make add-ons for the A1000 by totally _______ up the
expansion port, I suppose one could argue that it won't hurt them _that_ much
more to have to make a power supply, too. The A500 is priced pretty well, and
it's powerful as hell. That's great. It's also a brand new computer, with all
the problems that brand new computers have vis-a-vis hardware expansion. Small
companies have a hard time adding cost to their items — most of the support
companies for the AMiga are small — and CBM should have been thinking about
that when they did the power supply. Yes, you can add a power supply to your
system: But! As Perry pointed out, the traces in the A500 were NOT designed to
handle that extra power… and if I, as a manufacturer, #1 assume that you are
willing to void your warrentee by changing the supply, #2, that you are WILLING
to buy a new supply, #3 that I can talk enough people into it so that I can
make some $$$, I'm pretty stupid. The _only_ reasonable way to expand the A500
now is with a new design that incorporates it's own supply. See if the other
Developers on here don't agree with me… Perry? –Ben–
<Shrug> Well, we just look at it differently, then. I agree that reversing the
slot was silly, but as to the power supply… well, if you want to add an
external drive and a hard drive controller and extra serial port and a
digitizer and etc… you should have bought the 2000 in the first place. Give
the 500 all the capabilities of the 2000, and the 2000 might as well not exist
(yes, yes, I know your opinion on that matter 8).
Rick
SO, if you buy a 500 you have no right to add "goodies"? Or, conversely, if
you're a developer, you have no right to make add-ons? Gee! And you're right,
of course… the 2000 might as well not exist. <grinning hugely> –Ben–
Ben,
Of course you have the "right" to buy goodies, but since you paid so little
for it (comparatively), you end up with a more difficult and probably more
costly upgrade path. I personally see nothing wrong with the philosophy of
offering a range of capability/functinality/features at different prices. I
think you might really agree with me, judging by the range of
functionality/capability/features present in a well known and loved PC CAD
pacage.
Regards, Larry.
Yeah, BUT: compatible features! c o m p a t i b l e . . . you don't have to
make your pcbs from pclo upside down to make em work in pcloplus… <grin>
–Ben–
Being a slave to compatibility is exactly why Intel and IBM are so well
advanced over the rest of the computer companies in the world.
<loud hooting sounds>
Regards, Larry.
Thanks, Larry… that's about what I was going to say.
Rick
I think people like Micron Tech and Pacific Peripherals have the
right idea – an ergonomically designed and technically correct
expansion box for the A500 supplying its own power. I believe
CBM's design should not be tampered with nor did they have any
obligation to design in features beyond that which they already
did. Internal products are an abuse of a non welded case.
But then you know my opinion anyway. I think the only area where
we differ in opinion, Ben, is whether CBM should have designed
in a beefier supply to begin with. I can understand your opinion
and it is well taken. However I can understand CBM's as well and
they hold the cards. (or should I say boards?)
Perry
Boards it is. Or in the case of that supply, hacks might be more appropriate.
Looked inside one yet, Perry? Ugh! That's where I'm at, at this point. Since
they _didn't_ put in a beefier supply, then you _have_ to supply your power
externally, if you're designing a new peice of equipment for the thing…
–Ben–