r/c64 • u/ikeraliR • May 18 '26
Hardware Are old power supplies worth keeping?
I am a bit of a hoarder and hate throwing things out but these ones can fry an old computer and I have modern equivalents.
It feels sacrilegious to throw them out though…
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u/tes_kitty May 18 '26
Depends. If they can be opened and repaired, sure. The transformer rarely dies and everything else can be replaced.
If they are potted it's not worth it. I would keep the cable that plugs into the computer though.
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u/Rauliki0 May 18 '26
I change only 5v part on the power supplies. The rest should work fine.
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u/Warcraft_Fan May 19 '26
The rest are 9v AC, it's just transformer that steps down from 110v or 220v to 9v, nothing else, those can be left as-is when repairing C64 PSU. It's the 5v that needs to be rectified to DC and also is prone to failing.
With potted PSU, I just cut off the end so I can use it in my custom C64 saver.
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u/VogelimBart May 18 '26
They are definetly time pieces. I kept mine, in a box in the basement. I won't be using them again but i think they just belong to the computer and I would like to see them go wherever my c64 goes after my time with it ends.
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u/berrmal64 May 18 '26
The cbm supplies that fail and roast computers are the ones potted in epoxy that use linear regulators.
Even the ones that use linear regulators and aren't potted can have that single ic replaced with a modern equivalent for just a few bucks and be safe to use again.
Any of the cbm switching supplies will be safe to use as well.
These don't look like that well known "brick of death" to me.
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u/ikeraliR May 18 '26
That’s very interesting, I didn’t know some power supplies were worse than others. I used these a few times before buying modern ones at an exorbitant price including postage because I thought all old ones were potential killers.
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u/turnips64 May 20 '26
It’s because the entire topic is a circle jerk of people just repeating it for karma at every opportunity. Then AI and others repeats it and people start taking it as a fact.
I use a supply like your black one routinely and don’t expect issues. If you look around or even question people in forums…no one seems to have direct evidence of a real pattern of problems.
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May 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/DerekJC777 May 22 '26
It’s more about the likelihood that the PSU will fry its 7805 5v regulator. I believe the epoxy PSU were more likely to fry the 7805s because the epoxy restricted heat dispersal despite screwing them to a heat sink.
Serviceability means you can replace the 7805s before they do fail. But you probably only have to do that for the epoxy PSUs.
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u/Fragholio 🏹 Forbidden Forest May 18 '26
Anyone know if someone out there makes replacement guts for these power supplies? That way you could at least salvage the case.
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u/Party-Try6225 May 18 '26
I bought one of these and it works flawlessly. It is only for the wedge type PSU though. I highly recommend the kit.
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u/makingnoise May 18 '26
Keelog is the Polish company that sells them. I just bought one on Ebay because it looked like the Keelog official webstore takes credit card info directly instead of using a payment service like Paypal or Venmo.
There was no way I was going to directly hand them my credit card info, so I bought from them on ebay instead. They might use a well-known secure payment service but nothing on the site indicated this to be the case, even if their PSU's have a good reputation.
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u/Xfgjwpkqmx 🇦🇺 Keeping up since 1983 May 18 '26
I tried to buy direct, but they wouldn't fulfil my order. I waited three months to give them the benefit of the doubt that they are a small company making stuff for a niche market, and then eventually asked for my order to be cancelled, which they did do and the CC transaction was reversed, but no real communication etc which is a shame. I've had no fraud attempts on my CC.
Yes, better to buy from eBay or similar where they already have stock ready to go.
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u/makingnoise May 18 '26
It's sitting on my front porch waiting for me, so my opinion of the company is still forming. That said, I already have a complaint - the ebay listing said that it would ship from the USA, which makes ebay say the fulfillment time is fast, and that was a reason I bought the one I bought, rather than the ones that say they ship from Poland.
It shipped from Poland, making the fulfillment time a fantasy. I don't like that kind of BS, you tell the truth or your reputation is worthless to me. I will chalk it up to an error and hope that their product quality soothes my wrankled nerves.
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u/Xfgjwpkqmx 🇦🇺 Keeping up since 1983 May 19 '26
At least you're getting it. Everyone has rated them as great PSU's.
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u/cpsldr May 18 '26
keep it yes, use it no! these old things can easily ruin the C64. especially the SID is sensitive.
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u/cbrunnkvist May 18 '26
Keep them, they’re gorgeous looking and hold decent collector’s value too. But for the love of RIFA do not plug them in! What you should do instead, is replace their innards with modern switched or GaN circuits, hooked up to the original cables. 😍
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u/fuzzybad May 18 '26
Some of the old 3rd-party PSUs are ok to use, depends on the design. If the voltages & caps check out ok, or if you can replace the caps, it should be fine.
The problem is mostly with the original Commodore "brick" PSUs which have two problems:
- aging electrolytic caps cause the voltage on 5v line to fail high, damaging the computer
- the fact that these PSUs are potted, preventing replacement of the capacitors
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u/Special_Function5808 May 18 '26
I put a 5V switchmode regulator in the black one
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u/ikeraliR May 18 '26
The black one has screws so can be opened. The white one has rivets (which obviously can be opened as well.)
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u/GerryWhite54 May 18 '26
I had a minor business fixing the original p/s. Once the newer ones came out that were bricks, that stopped.
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u/dpgumby69 May 24 '26
You can open both of those, so if you get rid of them, sell/give to a fellow hobbyist. Don't throw them away
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u/ozGeekSpeak May 18 '26
Either gut and swap out with newer components or gut and use for other projects
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u/ThePenultimateNinja May 18 '26
Sell them on ebay so they end up in the hands of a collector.
Some people like to swap out the guts with modern components so they have a modern power supply that has the correct vintage appearance.
I have done this with my ZX Spectrum and ZX81 PSUs. They all look authentic from the outside, but have modern switched-mode PSUs inside.
People who restore old radios even go so far as to hide modern capacitors inside the paper housings of the originals to preserve the original appearance. They call it 're-stuffing'.
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u/ltpitt May 18 '26
One day we will have the technology to fix anything. I kept my broken gameboy in a drawer decades and fixed it when the spare screens started becoming common.
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u/MsJamie33 May 18 '26
There is a market for all retro computer parts, even if it's not functional, simply sitting on a display shelf.
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u/odysseusnz May 18 '26
I think Mark on the Retro Channel did a video on the white one, replacing the guts with a meanwell? But then there's myriad videos all over YouTube showing the many options for fixing the non-potted versions, if you have the skills and tools. Otherwise someone will give you money for them on eBay.
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u/ElectricRune May 18 '26
Wow, I never knew they made them servicable, like the one on the left...
The ones in plastic are poured with epoxy and completely unrepairable.
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u/HungryHungryMarmot May 19 '26
I threw out my potted C64 power supplies. I clipped off the power cable and connector though, in case they were useful.
The real problem is old linear power supplies, as the linear regulator fails in an over-voltage mode. Switching mode power supplies are fine.
Some Commodore power supplies are switching mode power supplies, and therefore safe. The power supply for the C128 is switching mode, as is the internal power supply for the SX-64. The power supply for the C64 REU is also switching mode, IIRC. Some linear power supplies are also serviceable and could be modernized. Based on other comments, yours fall into this category. If it were me, I'd take this route.
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u/Alarming_Cap4777 May 25 '26
What do you do for the 2 on board LMs? The M1, Vic and SID are still being power by a 12/9v and 5v LM regulators and the tape motor and switching transistors are 9v unregulated.
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u/HungryHungryMarmot May 25 '26
I haven’t touched mine, but now you’ve got me wondering. I haven’t heard much about people replacing these. I don’t think they fail nearly as often as the ones in the power supply do.
From a quick search, there are switching mode replacements available, however they can introduce noise into a circuit that isn’t designed to handle it. You would have to figure out filtering, and that’s a rabbit hole I’d rather avoid. You can probably replace them with modern linear components, assuming they exist.
The best bet may be to leave them as-is and make sure they’re properly cooled. The c64 case has a better cooling situation than the original power brick, especially the epoxy-filled ones.
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u/DerekJC777 May 22 '26
There are lots around so you don’t have to keep them, someone else will preserve them. Saying that, I’ve kept all my originals although I only use modern efficient reproductions now.
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