power supplies that get warm or hot

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

You know how some power supplies like the Colecovision or Commodore 64
(or just about any plug come to think about it), get kind of "warm"
simply by being plugged in?

Is this dangerous to the life of the power supply? Should you unplug
your systems when they are not in use?

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

Umm, power supplies get warm because they are taking an input voltage
of 120VAC and are converting it to a voltage the system uses, typically
~12VDC. Heat is given off as a result of the transformation, and it's
perfectly normal.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

If you have cockroaches, you can plug in a bunch of wallbricks and
bricks-on-a-leash and lure the bastards in and then ambush them .
I've seen them fight over a warm spot on a psu at Goodwill before.

 

[JOJO]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

"Carey85" <carey_85@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:1116543293.594315.135260@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Umm, power supplies get warm because they are taking an input voltage
> of 120VAC and are converting it to a voltage the system uses, typically
> ~12VDC. Heat is given off as a result of the transformation, and it's
> perfectly normal.

You gotta read and understand. He wasn't asking why they get hot, he wanted
to know if it was recommended to unplug them when not in use.

The answer is yes. Unplug them. They use power when they're plugged in
whether you're using the system or not. Also, it will use up the life of the
power supply, though it might take a real long time to die. In general,
unplug them... no reason to leave it plugged in all the time.
The smarter thing to do is to leave them plugged into a power strip, and
just hit the strip switch when not in use.

 

[john]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

"Carey85" <carey_85@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:1116543293.594315.135260@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Umm, power supplies get warm because they are taking an input voltage
> of 120VAC and are converting it to a voltage the system uses, typically
> ~12VDC. Heat is given off as a result of the transformation, and it's
> perfectly normal.
>

And if it's the C64 heatsink, you can put it on the floor and warm your feet
on it while you use the computer.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

>Is this dangerous to the life of the power supply? Should you unplug
>your systems when they are not in use?


Your power supplies are still using electricity even when your game or
computer system is not turned on. So they generate heat. And heat is
the enemy. Even the low temperatures of these not-in-use power supplies
are slowly sapping away at their lifespans. Also, keeping them plugged
in means exposing them to the potential hazard of power spikes and
surges that can kill your power supplies AND the systems they are
connected to.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

Dan Mazurowski wrote:
>>Is this dangerous to the life of the power supply? Should you unplug
>>your systems when they are not in use?
>
>
> Your power supplies are still using electricity even when your game or
> computer system is not turned on. So they generate heat. And heat is
> the enemy. Even the low temperatures of these not-in-use power supplies
> are slowly sapping away at their lifespans. Also, keeping them plugged
> in means exposing them to the potential hazard of power spikes and
> surges that can kill your power supplies AND the systems they are
> connected to.

Is this true as well for current laptop computer power supplies?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

>Is this true as well for current laptop computer power supplies?

Unless they have them rigged with some kind of cutoff switch (which is
unlikely), then yes it is true. If the device is converting AC to DC,
then it has a transformer. And the AC side of the transformer keeps on
operating even when the DC side is no longer in operation.

Now, I should also point out that modern power supplies handle this
problem much better than in days gone by. Current PSU's are better
ventilated and dissipate heat better, which helps minimize the risk of
heat damage I mentioned before (I had classic gaming power supplies in
mind at the time). Still, as a rule, the best option is to disconnect a
power supply that is not in use.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

Dan Mazurowski wrote:
>>Is this true as well for current laptop computer power supplies?
>
>
> Unless they have them rigged with some kind of cutoff switch (which is
> unlikely), then yes it is true. If the device is converting AC to DC,
> then it has a transformer. And the AC side of the transformer keeps on
> operating even when the DC side is no longer in operation.
>
> Now, I should also point out that modern power supplies handle this
> problem much better than in days gone by. Current PSU's are better
> ventilated and dissipate heat better, which helps minimize the risk of
> heat damage I mentioned before (I had classic gaming power supplies in
> mind at the time). Still, as a rule, the best option is to disconnect a
> power supply that is not in use.
>

Actually, that isn't necessarily true.

Transformers do not convert AC to DC or vice-versa, they just step the
AC voltage either down or up in exchange for current. To convert to DC,
you need a rectifier, which you could use directly from the regular AC
power outlet without any transformer at all if you wanted to.

Pete Rittwage
C64 Preservation Project
http/rittwage.com/c64pp

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.classic (More info?)

>Transformers do not convert AC to DC

You're right. I was thinking of the power supply as a whole when I said
that, not the part of it that actually is a transformer.