techsupport

2469 readers

5 users here now

The Lemmy community will help you with your tech problems and questions about anything here. Do not be shy, we will try to help you.

If something works or if you find a solution to your problem let us know it will be greatly apreciated.

Rules: instance rules + stay on topic

Partnered communities:

You Should Know

Software gore

Recommendations

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

GatoB@lemmy.world

Power supply for this little fella (lemmy.blahaj.zone)

submitted 9 months ago by CoachDom@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/techsupport@lemmy.world

12 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hi all,

I bought a Sinclair ZX81 on a garage sale some days ago for around 12 USD as a non-tested item as the guy said he had no wires to even try and run it. I have a couple of RF cable kicking about from my Atari 2600 and ZX Spectrum, so I have this basis covered.

According to the manual LINK it takes 9V 700mA unregulated (I'm not sure what it means) 3.7mm jack power supply. I have a 9V DC 1A jack power supply I bought for the Atari (it's not an original one - a unbranded one) and I tried to use it, but to no success. Manual tuning my TV same as with Spectrum and Atari, and no signal.

I was wondering if maybe the power supply is not up to spec? I was thinking that maybe 1mA is too much to power it up? But I went online to look for an unbranded ZX81 power supply and they are running 2A so I'm not sure what's going on here.

Is it busted? Or should I get one of those unbranded power supplies that say they are made for ZX81 to test it?

Thanks :)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] neidu2@feddit.nl 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I like thinking in hydraulic equivalence: Voltage is the water pressure, and Amperes is the amount of water. Multiply the two and you get the size and ferocity of the river.

[–] Galapagon@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago

I think I like your idea better