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An interesting detail is that it has a physical switch to turn it off. > Utilizing any 12V-capable USB-C power supply Are different kind of USB-C power suppli

An interesting detail is that it has a physical switch to turn it off. > Utilizing any 12V-capable USB-C power supply Are different kind of USB-C power supplies, some not outputting 12V? Does it mean that normal phone chargers aren't good?

fragmede 3y ago
Yes. Your random usb-c phone charger may not do 12 or 20 volts. It only needs to do 5 volts to charge a phone. A usb-c laptop charger will do more volts and amps which means more watts.
LeoPanthera 3y ago
In fact, most don't do 12v. The common voltages are 5, 9, 15, and 20 volts.
gbraad 3y ago
Some chargers don't do 12V or 15V, but will do 5V, 9V and 20V. This depends a lot on the total wattage. Lower watts, like 20W or 30W can or can not do 15/20V, but 12V@1.5A (18W) and 12V@2.5A (30W). Usually the >65W will do most of them, plus PPS. Always check specs. And what is the input voltage this powerplug expects; 15V or 20V? > Utilizing any 12V-capable If so, this is usually at a VERY low wattage. they usually go to a max of 2.5 or 3A max at 12V. I would expect it would use 20V and step-down as 20V is more generally available at a high Amperage. (Note: 3A is the max possible for cables without an E-marker, os if often regarded as a ceiling). This would have made the device much bigger (and more versatile. a clear trade-off). Actually, I am more concerned about -12V, ... at 0.1A. That seems rather low. Also, the 12V rail itself is only 1.0A. The original supply did 12V@2A and -12V@0.5A if not mistaken, and so does the C64psu.com. Overall, rather low Amp values. This might affect 'stability' if your machine is expanded (although it claims: "of even the most expanded configurations"). Curious if they can share some details. I have a BlizzardPPC in my A1200. > allows users to tap into a vast array of affordable and readily available “power bricks” if DC5521 at >12V to 20V is possible, that would be great, as this allows you to use a Lenovo or generic laptop brick, or a USB-C trigger cable. Perhaps something I should make ...
- laubzega 3y ago
  Principal designer of PowerShark here. Original PS spec from Commodore defined 5V/3A, 12V/0.5A and -12V/0.1A as max. load (http://www.kaiiv.de/servicemanuals/A500_Power_Supply_Specification.pdf http://www.kaiiv.de/servicemanuals/A500_Power_Supply_Specifi... page 3) It was in later models bumped up to 5V/4.5A and 12V/1A, with -12V unchanged. In actual use, a "wedge" Amiga consumes just below 30mA from -12V line. Visit our page, there is now a detailed FAQ and a list of various USB-C power supplies we tested with PowerShark.
- p1mrx 3y ago
  One would hope that they based their power limits on real-world measurements. Maybe the original power supply was oversized to avoid efficiency loss near 100% load, or because precise overcurrent protection wasn't available?
  - gbraad 3y ago
    I'd rather have headroom than running in an overcurrent situation. I hope than can provide more details about the capability and what they tested. I moved away from the stock supply many moons ago as it wasnt as stable anymore, plus of powering the accelerator board, plus the CD-drive and harddisk
- bluescrn 3y ago
  The A1200 at least will actually function without -12V, but the audio will be bad. I had crackly audio problems. I swapped the A1200 motherboard (a few years back when they were still fairly cheap on eBay), and still had the same audio problem. Only then did I investigate+repair the PSU issue. Recently built a replacement Amiga PSU from a MeanWell PT-65B board in a 3D printed case. This USB-C option would have been neater and easier (so long as it puts out enough power for a PiStorm as well as the Amiga)
  - gbraad 3y ago
    Pistorm would be 5V. But yeah, perhaps an idea to move away to this instead... Most likely less power hungry. Haven't had the time yet... The place I am in is hard to get shipped in reliably.
Findecanor 3y ago
> An interesting detail is that it has a physical switch to turn it off. It is the switch for turning the computer on. The original power supplies all had it on the box. I had my power supply on the floor under the desk and was used to flipping it on and off with my foot. I used the heavy supply from my A500 with a A1200 later.
rob74 3y ago
I imagine the physical switch and the grilles are a tribute to the original power supplies (A500: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wbYAAOSwW1JlX0FB/s-l1600.jpg https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wbYAAOSwW1JlX0FB/s-l1600.jpg). The site doesn't give any hint about the color, but I would bet it will be beige... That being said, the claim that it works with "any 12V-capable USB-C power supply" sounds very ambitious. Is any 12-V capable USB-C power supply capable of delivering 60+ watts?
- gbraad 3y ago
  No, mostly limited to 2V@2.5A (30W) or max @3A as that is the max amperage for a cable without an e-marker. Confused by: > allows users to tap into a vast array of affordable and readily available “power bricks” followed by > Furthermore, portable USB-C “chargers” are also supported, So I expect it means it has a USB-C plug and you can feed 12V directly like with the Miniware / Pinecil soldering irons. Though, is this protected for overvoltage? > If an over- or under-voltage So, most likely you can only feed 12V. A Dell-brick , like the DA-2 would work: 12V@18A = 216W... but the plug itself has a max 12V@1A :-/. So a cheap 12V@5A brick might be enough for the total wattage (including the 5V rail).
- unwind 3y ago
  The sustained power levels are listed as: 5V: 4.5A 12V: 1.0A -12V: 0.1A I get 44.5+121+12*0.1=35.7 W from that, but then there has to be some losses too in that 5 V-regulation, but 60 W is probably a bit extreme. No idea how much power an Amiga consumes, though ... found [1] which states 35.7 W (hm) or 25.7 W so it seems to be aiming for the higher of the two which of course makes sense. The A600 and A1200 need even less, max 22.2 W for both models. [1]: http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/amiga-power-supply-guide/ http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/amiga-power-supply-guide/
  - rob74 3y ago
    I did more or less the same calculation when I arrived at 60 W, but with the peak power levels - if a PSU isn't able to deliver the peak current, which is probably needed when the computer boots up (with the HD spinning up etc.), I'm afraid it won't get to the "sustained" phase...
unwind 3y ago
It might also be a way to indicate that you can't just use a USB A-to-C "charging" cable, and connect it to an old-school 5 V-only USB adapter. It needs the modern power-delivery things which are only available over USB C. There was (that I could find, and I did go back to check again) no mention of price other than "TBD", which probably means it's not aiming to be a cheap solution. Trying to guesstimate but it's hard, I'm not enough "into" the Amiga retro scene. $99 feels like too much ... $79? Finally, I found the copy on the site a couple of generous notches above 10 and really think it would help to tone it down just a little. But maybe that's just me being grouchy, as someone who grew up on Amigas it's really great to see this kind of development and continued interest in the machines! Good luck!
- dark-star 3y ago
  From what I heard from people who are involved in the development and/or in betatesting, the target price is indeed around 80€, so your estimate is pretty spot on

fragmede 3y ago

Yes. Your random usb-c phone charger may not do 12 or 20 volts. It only needs to do 5 volts to charge a phone. A usb-c laptop charger will do more volts and amps which means more watts.

LeoPanthera 3y ago

In fact, most don't do 12v. The common voltages are 5, 9, 15, and 20 volts.

gbraad 3y ago

Some chargers don't do 12V or 15V, but will do 5V, 9V and 20V. This depends a lot on the total wattage. Lower watts, like 20W or 30W can or can not do 15/20V, but 12V@1.5A (18W) and 12V@2.5A (30W). Usually the >65W will do most of them, plus PPS. Always check specs. And what is the input voltage this powerplug expects; 15V or 20V? > Utilizing any 12V-capable If so, this is usually at a VERY low wattage. they usually go to a max of 2.5 or 3A max at 12V. I would expect it would use 20V and step-down as 20V is more generally available at a high Amperage. (Note: 3A is the max possible for cables without an E-marker, os if often regarded as a ceiling). This would have made the device much bigger (and more versatile. a clear trade-off). Actually, I am more concerned about -12V, ... at 0.1A. That seems rather low. Also, the 12V rail itself is only 1.0A. The original supply did 12V@2A and -12V@0.5A if not mistaken, and so does the C64psu.com. Overall, rather low Amp values. This might affect 'stability' if your machine is expanded (although it claims: "of even the most expanded configurations"). Curious if they can share some details. I have a BlizzardPPC in my A1200. > allows users to tap into a vast array of affordable and readily available “power bricks” if DC5521 at >12V to 20V is possible, that would be great, as this allows you to use a Lenovo or generic laptop brick, or a USB-C trigger cable. Perhaps something I should make ...

laubzega 3y ago
Principal designer of PowerShark here. Original PS spec from Commodore defined 5V/3A, 12V/0.5A and -12V/0.1A as max. load (http://www.kaiiv.de/servicemanuals/A500_Power_Supply_Specification.pdf http://www.kaiiv.de/servicemanuals/A500_Power_Supply_Specifi... page 3) It was in later models bumped up to 5V/4.5A and 12V/1A, with -12V unchanged. In actual use, a "wedge" Amiga consumes just below 30mA from -12V line. Visit our page, there is now a detailed FAQ and a list of various USB-C power supplies we tested with PowerShark.
p1mrx 3y ago
One would hope that they based their power limits on real-world measurements. Maybe the original power supply was oversized to avoid efficiency loss near 100% load, or because precise overcurrent protection wasn't available?
- gbraad 3y ago
  I'd rather have headroom than running in an overcurrent situation. I hope than can provide more details about the capability and what they tested. I moved away from the stock supply many moons ago as it wasnt as stable anymore, plus of powering the accelerator board, plus the CD-drive and harddisk
bluescrn 3y ago
The A1200 at least will actually function without -12V, but the audio will be bad. I had crackly audio problems. I swapped the A1200 motherboard (a few years back when they were still fairly cheap on eBay), and still had the same audio problem. Only then did I investigate+repair the PSU issue. Recently built a replacement Amiga PSU from a MeanWell PT-65B board in a 3D printed case. This USB-C option would have been neater and easier (so long as it puts out enough power for a PiStorm as well as the Amiga)
- gbraad 3y ago
  Pistorm would be 5V. But yeah, perhaps an idea to move away to this instead... Most likely less power hungry. Haven't had the time yet... The place I am in is hard to get shipped in reliably.

Findecanor 3y ago

> An interesting detail is that it has a physical switch to turn it off. It is the switch for turning the computer on. The original power supplies all had it on the box. I had my power supply on the floor under the desk and was used to flipping it on and off with my foot. I used the heavy supply from my A500 with a A1200 later.

rob74 3y ago

I imagine the physical switch and the grilles are a tribute to the original power supplies (A500: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wbYAAOSwW1JlX0FB/s-l1600.jpg https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wbYAAOSwW1JlX0FB/s-l1600.jpg). The site doesn't give any hint about the color, but I would bet it will be beige... That being said, the claim that it works with "any 12V-capable USB-C power supply" sounds very ambitious. Is any 12-V capable USB-C power supply capable of delivering 60+ watts?

gbraad 3y ago
No, mostly limited to 2V@2.5A (30W) or max @3A as that is the max amperage for a cable without an e-marker. Confused by: > allows users to tap into a vast array of affordable and readily available “power bricks” followed by > Furthermore, portable USB-C “chargers” are also supported, So I expect it means it has a USB-C plug and you can feed 12V directly like with the Miniware / Pinecil soldering irons. Though, is this protected for overvoltage? > If an over- or under-voltage So, most likely you can only feed 12V. A Dell-brick , like the DA-2 would work: 12V@18A = 216W... but the plug itself has a max 12V@1A :-/. So a cheap 12V@5A brick might be enough for the total wattage (including the 5V rail).
unwind 3y ago
The sustained power levels are listed as: 5V: 4.5A 12V: 1.0A -12V: 0.1A I get 44.5+121+12*0.1=35.7 W from that, but then there has to be some losses too in that 5 V-regulation, but 60 W is probably a bit extreme. No idea how much power an Amiga consumes, though ... found [1] which states 35.7 W (hm) or 25.7 W so it seems to be aiming for the higher of the two which of course makes sense. The A600 and A1200 need even less, max 22.2 W for both models. [1]: http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/amiga-power-supply-guide/ http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/amiga-power-supply-guide/
- rob74 3y ago
  I did more or less the same calculation when I arrived at 60 W, but with the peak power levels - if a PSU isn't able to deliver the peak current, which is probably needed when the computer boots up (with the HD spinning up etc.), I'm afraid it won't get to the "sustained" phase...

unwind 3y ago

It might also be a way to indicate that you can't just use a USB A-to-C "charging" cable, and connect it to an old-school 5 V-only USB adapter. It needs the modern power-delivery things which are only available over USB C. There was (that I could find, and I did go back to check again) no mention of price other than "TBD", which probably means it's not aiming to be a cheap solution. Trying to guesstimate but it's hard, I'm not enough "into" the Amiga retro scene. $99 feels like too much ... $79? Finally, I found the copy on the site a couple of generous notches above 10 and really think it would help to tone it down just a little. But maybe that's just me being grouchy, as someone who grew up on Amigas it's really great to see this kind of development and continued interest in the machines! Good luck!

dark-star 3y ago
From what I heard from people who are involved in the development and/or in betatesting, the target price is indeed around 80€, so your estimate is pretty spot on