IBM 5170 power supply died suddenly.

[Vern_in_IL]

I took this AT out of storage and fired it up. While in DOS the power supply just died... No popping, it just shut off.... Plugged in another AT supply and the PC works.


The problem is that the new AT power supply that I have is not "full sized with large switch" Does not fit the cutouts in the case.

so I'm thinking on getting my original power supply repaired. Going to open it up and look for a fuse or bulging caps. If nothing can be found where may I send a unit out for repair? (National chain preferred)

 

[Bandito440]

You'd be better off using a local place rather than shipping it. There are plenty of computer repair shops around. Best Buy should be able to do this as well.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: Bandito440
You'd be better off using a local place rather than shipping it. There are plenty of computer repair shops around. Best Buy should be able to do this as well.


Do you realize its an antique computer from the early to mid 80s

I doubt bestbuy is going to disassemble and repair a power supply.
They are more part changers.

I would disassemble and make sure nothing fell apart. I think those might have plugs/sockets that could unplug for example. You might need security bits to disassemble.

If all that looks ok maybe source one from ebay or use google to find someone who repair them.

 

[bvance554]

You're not likely to find a national chain to repair this, but you can probably find a local shop to repair it.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

I will fix this before Ebay, units there are hovering around $200, a "vintage" price no doubt.

I have googled and there does not seem to be a specialty shop anywhere that deals with this. Since the P.S. is dead, I can back trace it carefully with muti-meter and hopefully find the fault, but I sure would rather have a Oscilloscope to check the components out..


In the worst case I can remove the guts and transfer the guts from another AT power supply into the old power supply frame. Components would be many years newer, not sure how the "vintage purist" snobs think about this.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

What does it matter that the new PS does not fit the cutout in the case? You have a "free" unit, if necessary replace the switch or move the IEC inlet, and so on, and make it fit and work. There is a good chance those parts are working fine in your broken donor unit. Having said that, a Power Supply is a dangerous device if you are not familiar with proper electrical safety practice, so don't just dive in if you don't know what you are doing.

I would not bother trying to send out for repair a PC Power Supply, I would simply buy a replacement. A new unit doesn't sell for enough money to justify putting out for repair costs.

 

[Lubener]

Unless you can find someone to fix it for free, labor costs will make this a bad move. I wouldn't waste my time with this pc. If you are determined, your cheapest option is another case (sometimes you could get one for free)which can be adapted to accept the motherboard and your working power supply. Often on a pc like that,the connectors are different for the p.s.

 

[kc8adu]

folks this is NOT a modern disposable junk pc.
i have many vintage computers including a mits altair and imsai 8080.
Vern if you want that power supply fixed you can mail it to me.
i do a lot of that kind of repair work.
those units are still in use in industrial systems.
and the power supply is about the only failure point.
of course other than viruses.old dos viruses can be funny!

 

[Bandito440]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
You'd be better off using a local place rather than shipping it. There are plenty of computer repair shops around. Best Buy should be able to do this as well.
Do you realize its an antique computer from the early to mid 80s

I doubt bestbuy is going to disassemble and repair a power supply.
They are more part changers.

I would disassemble and make sure nothing fell apart. I think those might have plugs/sockets that could unplug for example. You might need security bits to disassemble.

If all that looks ok maybe source one from ebay or use google to find someone who repair them.

Yes, I realize it's old. That's why I recommended finding a local electronics repair shop.

However, Best Buy has a repair center where they ship items that can't be dealt with in-store. He wanted a national chain. I recommended one that might be able to do the work, and is worth contacting anyhow.

 

[kc8adu]

those kind of jobs get referred directly to me.
the best buy techs have me do their repairs on their personal stuff.
best buy would rather sell you a new unit or send it to the mfr service center at a cost close to a new one.

 

[bmwjohn]

I bet this type of PS is out there for about free, e-bay, recycling place, goodwill, someones back barn, etc. Remember, early IBM clones were often literal copies, so a non IBM unit might be an excellent fit. Old Mitacs had good parts, and there were many heavy duty copies available.

 

[sleddriver]

Quote:
Vern if you want that power supply fixed you can mail it to me. i do a lot of that kind of repair work.
Given this, I'd like to fix the PS from the Dell that failed on me last year. I have partially disassembled it and discovered a bad electrolytic output cap. However, I figured it also may have taken out other components along with it. I'm not familiar with troubleshooting SPS myself.

What components usually fail?

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Quote:
Vern if you want that power supply fixed you can mail it to me. i do a lot of that kind of repair work.
Given this, I'd like to fix the PS from the Dell that failed on me last year. I have partially disassembled it and discovered a bad electrolytic output cap. However, I figured it also may have taken out other components along with it. I'm not familiar with troubleshooting SPS myself.

What components usually fail?


How do you know this "output"cap is bad? The caps will usually "open".A shorted electrolytic is very rare.The one cap I have noticed which kills the swiching power supply the most is on the primary side of the transformer. Usually small in physical and capacitance size with a high operating voltage. Most are around 1-4.7 mfd @ 250 volts. The only component I ever see fail on the secondary (output) side is a bad zener.The caps there are used for filtering and are generally reliable.

 

[itguy08]

You need a good electronics repair place - the place the car dealers send their stereos to, ECU's, etc. for fixing. Or maybe a TV repair place would be able to take it in and fix it. An AT power supply is a simple device. Flip the switch and power comes out - nothing fancy like ATX.