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Atari 5200 7805 Voltage Regulator to DC/DC Switching regulator comparison


CrossBow

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So yeah, I've been doing this to several of my classic consoles lately with some pretty good results in regards to power usage. I recently did this with both 7800 and 5200, but only documented the comparison of the data on the 5200. Took a quick video of it and thought it might be good information for others as well as opening up a discussion about the pros and cons of doing this?

 

See what I'm up to over at the Ivory Tower Collections: http://www.youtube.com/ivorytowercollections

 

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I will try and get you the PN for the Traco converters I used. I actually have more on order including the +12 v version to try and replace both the +12 and +5 in my Intellivisions. Those things get so crazy hot that...yeah...I'm curious to see the results with my Sear's unit.

 

Oh..and it was actually thread at AA started by Mojoatomic that got me started on this. His post was that he had installed one of these on a 2600 and aside from the obvious reduction in heat since these switching regulators really don't create much if any he also stated that the RF video seemed to improve. I haven't tested it on any of my 2600s, but I can tell you that I had no noticeable interference on the 5200 or 7800 that I installed these on. However, both my 7800 and 5200's are also s-video modded and that was the only video output I tested with.

 

I also did this with my SMS and got pretty good results there as well. I did check it with s-video and composite, and again no interference that I could tell with that console either.

 

The only console I modded with a pair of these that I ended up taking them back out and putting the 7805s back in was my Sega Genesis. While they worked really well and the power consumption was reduced along with virtually no heat, they did cause noticeable audio noise that wasn't there before and occasionally some odd ticks would be heard in the audio as well. Since to me and the modifications I've made on my Genesis are mainly about getting the clearest picture and audio, I decided that the audio line level noise and ticks that were introduced, were not worth the power consumption savings. It was discussed that additional capacitors applied to both the input and output voltage lines on these could help reduce or eliminate the noise interference I was hearing on the Genesis, but I had other uses in mind for them by then. I also feel that the physical location of these converters in the Genesis and the proximity to the 2612 was the main reason. On the other consoles, the power regulation is further away from the audio circuit side of things.

 

Update here is the link to the +5 versions I ordered and installed. Allied doesn't have the +12 so I ended up ordering those and more +5 from Mouser for about the same costs.

 

http://www.alliedelec.com/tracopower-tsr-1-2450/70331818/

 

And here is the +12 volt variant, but again they didn't have any stock at Allied so this is the link to them from Mouser:

 

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TRACO-Power/TSR-1-24120/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMt6Q9lZSPl3RT%252bMF4BFIELssMYlPXqL%2fEEssJHNzgSFuQ%3d%3d

 

Edited by CrossBow

See what I'm up to over at the Ivory Tower Collections: http://www.youtube.com/ivorytowercollections

 

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Yes, but I also look at it from the prospective of overall longer life with the electronics. With the heat greatly reduced overall inside the system it can only be a good thing. And...if you saw my game room and how I have about 12 consoles always connected and at the ready, you would understand why even in standby mode, any savings is worth doing. But mainly it was to increase longevity of the systems in the long run.

 

As an example many original Intellivisions died due to the extreme heat from the power supply supply section from all the voltage regulation. Many of the caps in the original consoles were only rated for temps just above 100F, these old 7805s and their kinds get hot. REALLY hot. hence the massive heatsink assemblies on the 7800 and SMS especially. I've just recapped most of these units that I've done these voltage regulation modifications to, and I'd like to make sure they outlive me at this point.

Edited by CrossBow

See what I'm up to over at the Ivory Tower Collections: http://www.youtube.com/ivorytowercollections

 

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thought I would provide a quick update. I did change out the 7805 and 7812 regulators from my Intelliivision. Sad to say thought, that while it all works just fine, there isn't much change in power consumption and the because of that large iso transformer inside...the heat is still pretty extensive. Now, the DC/DC regulators did get more warm as I've felt in the other consoles, but you could still easily touch them without burning yourself. But yeah overall power savings wasn't much.

 

To summarize, over a constant year of usage 24 hours a day 365, it costs about $18 to run the intellivision with the 78xx regulators in there. It costs about $14.40 a year with the DC/DC converters. And again, the heat is definitely reduced on the power supply board area, but with that transfomer inside, the heat still builds up.

See what I'm up to over at the Ivory Tower Collections: http://www.youtube.com/ivorytowercollections

 

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