Atari AC Power Supply Notes

Atari AC Power Supply Notes

by Bob Roberts

One of the guys recently ran into a bit of trouble in overhauling his Atari AC power supply, so I thought this would be an easy enough page to cover a lot of general questions about them. I'm going to grab one of them & try to break it down into generalized answers, including what parts I have that can be used. There are quite a few variations, so you should use this only as a guide in conjunction with the specifics in the game manual for your particular game.

1 Filter Cap "Big Blue"

  • Filters the 10.6 VDC Output To The A/R Board
  • Polarity Must Be Followed When Wiring
  • More Information Can Be Found Here.
  • New In Stock Big Blues Always Available At $12.50 Each On The Parts Page

2 Shielded Transformer

  • Copper Shielded
  • AC In With Multiple Outputs

3 5 Position Fuse Block

3A How To Use The Generic Atari Fuse Kit Available At $4.00

  • F1 - Main - 7A Slow Blow (7)
  • F2 - 10.6VDC - 4A Slow Blow
  • F3 - Bridge Rectifier Input - 20A or 25A Slow Blow
  • F4 - A/R Bd Bridge Feed - 4A Slow Blow
  • F5 - A/R Bd Bridge Feed - 4A Slow Blow
  • F6 - 6.1VAC Coin Door Lamps - 3A Slow Blow

Notes:

F1 European 220/240VAC Models Use 4ASB 250V
F3 25ASB Used In Models Ending With -04,-05 & -06
F6 Is Listed As 4ASB (Overfused) And 3ASB Is Sufficient All Models

4 Voltage Selection Block

  • Violet Jumper For 100VAC Input
  • Pic'd - Yellow Jumper For 120VAC Input
  • Gray Jumper For 200VAC Input
  • Blue Jumper For 220VAC Input
  • Brown Jumper For 240VAC Input

Notes:

You Can Make Your Own Jumper With A 9 Position Molex .093 Connector Found On The Connector Page Using The Same Color Code As Used By Atari If Yours Is Missing... You Must Have The Correct Jumper Installed In Order For It To Work!

5 110VAC Supply For Fluorescent Fixture

6 On/Off & Interlock Switches

  • Controls AC Power In Thru-out Game
  • All Interlocks & On/Off Switch Must Be Closed For Game To Power Up
Note:

You Can Make A Jumper Plug With A Molex 6 Position .093 Connector Jumping Pins 1 & 4 Together & Pins 2 & 5 Together To Bypass All Cabinet Switches & Wiring Thereby Eliminating Them As A Source Of trouble With Your Game. This Will Allow You To Use A Power Block On The Work Bench, As Well.

7 Main Line Fuse

  • 7ASB USA or 4ASB European

8 AC/DC Power Out

  • Pin 1 - 10.3VDC To Coin Door & PCB
  • Pin 2 - 10.3VDC To Audio/Regulator Board
  • Pin 3 - 10.3VDC To Audio/Regulator Board
  • Pin 4 - Ground To Audio/Regulator Board
  • Pin 5 - Ground To Audio/Regulator Board
  • Pin 8 - 6.3VAC To Coin Door Lamps
  • Pin 9 - 6.3VAC To Coin Door Lamps
  • Pin 12 - Jumper To Pin 13
  • Pin 13 - Jumper To Pin 12
  • Pin 10 - 120VAC Isolated To Monitor
  • Pin 15 - 120VAC Isolated To Monitor
  • Mates With 15 Position Molex .093 Connector On The Connector Page

9 AC Power Entry

  • Where You Plug Your AC Line Cord From The Wall Outlet!
  • Mates With 3 Position Molex .093 Connector On The Connector Page

10 Bridge Rectifier

  • Shipped With A MDA 3501 (35Amp 100 Volt) Or Equivalent
  • Best Replaced With A MDA 3502 (35Amp 200 Volt) Or Equivalent
  • POLARITY Must Be Followed!
  • More On Polarity

11 Distribution Block

  • The Distribution Block On The Parts Page Is Slightly Smaller, But Can Be Used As A Replacement By Drilling One Hole For Mounting If Yours Is Broken.

12 AC Line Filter

  • The AC Line Filter On The Parts Page Is A Drop In Replacement For This One.

13 Big Blue + Terminal

  • All Orange Wires Connect To This + Terminal Which Is Clearly Marked With The + On The Bottom Of The Capacitor
  • The + Terminal Orange Wire Going To The Bridge Also Connects To The + Terminal Of The Bridge
  • All Violet Wires Connect To The - Terminal Of Big Blue
  • The - Terminal Violet Wire Going To The Bridge Also Connects To The - Terminal Of The Bridge
  • The Two Remaining Bridge Terminals Diagonally Across From Each Other Are The AC Inputs For The Bridge... No Polarity To Them
Well... it has been many weeks since I started this one, but I think I finally have it finished in about 20 sessions of time squeezed out of 20 hour days. At this point, about the only other thing I can think of to add to this is... that they make one heck of a good boat anchor if all else fails!

Happy Gaming...