PC power supply on a game?

joemagiera

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Anyone actually ever see or successfully adapt a PC power supply to a old classic game? I know a lot of modern games use PC type power supplies (I had a Cyber Sled that used two of them), but is it reasonably possible to put a PC type power supply into something like an Asteroids, Defender, Centipede, Berzerk or something like that?

If someone has seen or done it, any details or pics you can provide?
 
Really no different than a stock switcher, I've done many as the PC supplies are a dime a dozen. I used a top grade 450w supply for Pole Position and it has been a happy machine ever since.

What is your question? Other than hooking up your wires?
ATX supplies will need you to ground the green? wire to turn it on, otherwise no real differences.

Now, all that said, PC supplies typically don't allow 5v adjust, so if you have a board that is happy at 5.1v and not 4.95, your SOL.
 
I have a ghetto rig to power some of my bootleg PCB's (using custom wired harnesses from parts I had). Most run just fine on a regular old PC AT power supply, although one of my Crazy Kong boards has serious graphical glitches using it, whereas it runs perfect on an arcade linear supply.
 
You can get a proper power supply for $15-$20, I see no point in using a loud, non-adjustable PC one. Not to mention the fact that if something does short out on your board, it's going to do a lot more damage to it.
 
No problems using a PC supply on a game, other than the fact that they're harder to mount - you have to make mounting ears for them. And connecting to them means cutting and splicing wires, or adding a screw terminal block. Also, the 5v on a PC supply isn't adjustable, so you can't compensate for crappy connectors by cranking the voltage up. They do have fans which make noise - but you generally won't hear or notice it outside the game.

That said, they're fantastic power supplies, and almost required for some games such as Pole Position, since they can put out a whole lot more current. They're overload protected, so a short shuts the power supply right down - no blown fuses or fried power supplies. They're also very stable, and reliable.

Another advantage they have is being readily available for free...

-Ian
 
I certainly wouldn't call the cheaper ones reliable, in my experience something always goes wrong with the fan. On one occasion my house nearly burnt down.
 
And don't forget that a lot of PC power supplies don't have -5, so if you need that - oh well...
 
Ive done it joe. You cold do it nice and clean with some molex connectors.

It helps if you can find one with a +5 adjustment, you know how fussy those old games can be and yeah, lookout for ones without -5.
 
I used one successfully to power an Astro Blaster boardset, which required +5v, -5v, +12v and -12v.

The good thing about PC PSU's is that they are load dependant, which means if you wire the +5v and GND wrong, it will not power up and damage your PCB. At least mine did not when I wired up an Afterburner PCB wrong on the bench.
 
I've got a new IPS brand one that was going to be used on a server at work, but wasn't needed that I'm saving for a project. It has +5v/30A, +12/12A, -5/.5A, as well as +3.3, and -12. Is this a good one to use?
 
Anyone actually ever see or successfully adapt a PC power supply to a old classic game? I know a lot of modern games use PC type power supplies (I had a Cyber Sled that used two of them), but is it reasonably possible to put a PC type power supply into something like an Asteroids, Defender, Centipede, Berzerk or something like that?

If someone has seen or done it, any details or pics you can provide?

I have one piece of advice. Don't do it like this:

SSL11918.jpg

SSL11916.jpg
 
I guess there's no love for that little board in the corner of the second pic. Poor little board....


ken
 
Looks ugly, but I bet it works.

That said, I have an old PC power box in my Gorf cocktail and it works fine.
 
I sell ATX computer power supply adapters for Williams, taito, and MCR vids. These are custom made and work very well. I also bundle them with brand new ATx ps that have -5 if needed (all Williams and some taito).

Pm me if your interested

Just finished a couple prototypes of ARII ATX adapters! They won't be cheap, but wouldn't it be nice to Have your Atari game up and running again?? Heh
 
I've done it, and I currently have an ATX supply on by bench test rig, but I wouldn't recommend it because of the non-adjustibility. Most boards I've encountered don't mind a little lower supply voltage, though.
 
In the last five years since I've switched over to ATX ps I haven't needed to adjust the power on any of my games.. Have 3 Williams, half a dozen taitos, and now Atari games all running of computer ps's.

Maybe I'm lucky, or just don't need to adjust them.. Not sure, but I'm sold on them! Plus with all the added connectors it's really easy to plug in pc fans to help cool the cabinet..
 
Yeah ive has pretty good luck too.

Plue joe, like at that big flea market in the allstate arena parking lot, theres pc stuff like that there all the time.
 
And don't forget that a lot of PC power supplies don't have -5, so if you need that - oh well...


Sorry for the bump to this thread, but I ran across it will looking for something.

I was working on working on some boards that I've had piled up here and was working on my Vanguard boards. The game requires -5V on the speech board and my ATX supply doesn't (didn't) have -5V coming out of it. I thought that was a little weird and out of curiosity took the PSU apart. On the PCB all parts and voltages were silk screened on the PCB and after looking a little, I found a "-5V" marker and started looking around it and saw it was missing a capacitor in the area as well. I tested on the other end of where the cap would be and there was -4.93V... so it was there. Just put in a capacitor for filter (I went with the same value as the 5V line which was 1000uf 10V) and ran a wire out of the thing and called it done.

I have no idea why they didn't just populate the -5V rail and run the wire as the ATX connector has a spot for -5V... but whatever.

Point of the story is if you have an ATX supply that doesn't have -5V out of it it might be worth opening the thing up and making sure they didn't decide to save half a cent at the factory by leaving that section unpopulated.

FWIW, I consider the ATX power supplies to be great for arcade boards... they're made to be safe. If there's a short or anything like that they shut down cleanly. They're made to do that because the boards they're made to be hooked up to are a liiiiiiiittle more finicky and fragile than a Street Fighter machine. Plus, having one in a cabinet is nice because it circulates air, even if just a little, which is nice.

If I had the money, I'd put them in every one of my machines that has an arcade style switcher in it.

Sidenote: The Vanguard boards actually worked, with sound and speech... so, that was really a nice surprise since they were given to me in a big pile of "junk" boards.
 
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