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 :)
Short answer: your power supply should work - you just need the right voltage, current rating, polarity, and connector.
An unregulated power supply is a kind of power supply whose output voltage varies with current draw. In other words, it does not put out a constant voltage - it is only rated to supply a minimum voltage at a certain current draw. In this case, you will need a power supply that can provide 9V DC at 700mA. Because most devices require a constant voltage, you can always use a higher rated supply.
If you test an unregulated power supply with a multimeter, you will likely see the voltage is higher than what is on the label, say 9.5V DC. That is because the multimeter is not putting a heavy load on the power supply. As the current draw increases, the supply voltage will drop. That is why you can use a higher rated device, but not a lower one.
In your post you said it uses a 3.7mm plug, but the manual link says 3.5mm with a positive tip. I assume that it means it uses a 3.5mm phone connector for power, like what you would see on a pair of wired headphones. The important part is that the positive 9V is connected to the tip, and ground on the sleeve. Sometimes, reversing these connections can damage devices, but there is usually a protection circuit inside that prevents this, and I would wager that this is no exception.
This is the correct answer.
To simplify the current-aspect: When in comes to powersupplies, it helps to think about mA or Amperes as “capacity”. Under normal circumstances, too much won’t hurt. In many cases, too little might actually work too. So when searching for a suitable powersupply, the Voltage should be the same, amperes should be “enough”, and the polarity must match.
If your hardware lists Watts instead of Amperes, you can use Ohms law to calculate between the two:
P = U x I
Or in other words: Watts (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A)
Amps are how much you can push Volts are how hard you can push
If you push too much, the device won’t use everything If you push too hard, something is likely to break!
That’s how I try to remember. It’s a bit more complicated because you’re not wasting 1.3a if it’s only using 0.7. and I’d have to do the math but for example in some cases you could use (for example without checking math) 10v power supply and only use .6 amps
In your case go with what agentsac is saying, but I don’t think you need to worry about max amps.
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.
I think I like your idea better
I believe that the “unregulated” part means that it is not picky about voltage and the circuit can handle variations in voltages.
Have you put a multimeter on the power supply to confirm what voltage it is producing?
Oh wauw that was my first home pc… good memories :) cool buy!
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1A might be too much. You’ll also need to ensure the polarity is correct. There should be a label, usually co-located with the serial number, which states the input and polarity requirements of the DC plug.
No, higher current rating is not a problem. However, higher voltage is.
So if I already connected it, does it mean it ruined the computer?
They are selling replacements that are rated 2A:
The higher amperage rating is not really relevant - that just indicates the max current that the power supply can provide. If the device pulls less than that, it isn’t a problem.
However, the polarity of the power supply is very relevant. If it’s is the opposite of what the ZX81 needs, and you powered it up, then yes, you may have damaged something.
The polarity should be shown on the power supply - usually it’s a diagram with three circles which illustrate which part of the connector is positive and which part is negative. There is often times one on the piece of equipment as well. Those diagrams need to match.
It really depends on the internal tolerances. If you are familiar with basic circuitry and the use of a multimeter, you can check for initial power continuity.
Otherwise, using the correct amperage and polarity power supply will be the easiest check.
