Also I add the Astec 145W for comparison (that dark thing on the capacitors glue is dust not an hole 😁)

SodaSuccubus wrote on 2020-06-15, 16:52:

I would never trust an AT PSU personally. Recap it if you want, but honestly assuming it's not a case that needs one of those weird nonstandard PSU positions or anything proprietary, I'd rather just grab a At-ATX adapter and go from there.

Quieter, cleaner power output, Less likely to blow up if it's unhappy. Good stuff!

I agree in fact I think I'll use an Enermax of the latest having the -5 volt rail with the common adapter. Cause without that rail I've seen my 386 become strangely unstable with unseen effects on everything. Not happened with an AT psu like these. So never again without the -5 volt line for my own retro tests.

SodaSuccubus wrote on 2020-06-15, 16:52:

I would never trust an AT PSU personally. Recap it if you want, but honestly assuming it's not a case that needs one of those weird nonstandard PSU positions or anything proprietary, I'd rather just grab a At-ATX adapter and go from there.

I don't know where this myth that AT units are much more likely to blow up than ATX ones came from, but people just keep on repeating that. In fact, most of the cases of power supplies dying and taking components to the grave with them was due to the +5VBSB line going bad in ATX PSUs, which usually killed the components that were powered by the SB line. AT PSUs don't even have a SB line (except for some custom designs).

Sure, an AT PSU can die, but the chances of it taking other components out is the same as an ATX unit of similar quality.

What actually matters is how well the unit was designed and the quality of the components it was built with, and for example that Astec posted by 386SX is probably better for a 386/486 computer than most ATX units out there. Will a modern 800W Corsair work with an adapter and have cleaner power? Yes, probably, but for the components used in these old machines that run on 5V it's not going to make any difference, unlike new processors which run at much lower voltages and every mV of ripple counts. Also, keep in mind the cost of a new power supply + AT-ATX adapter + SATA-Molex adapter(s) + SATA-Berg (Floppy) adapter(s)... why spend money on that when he has a perfectly good unit? You can even refurbish the Astec unit with new caps (although the original Japanese ones should still be fine) and a silent fan for much cheaper!

Won this on ebay

Didnt know specs or anything and it was(still is) pretty beaten up.

Stripped it down and gave it some TLC. Cleaned up very well and is a fair bit sturdier now.

486 sx 25mhz - 4mb ram - 122mb HDD.

TheMobRules wrote on 2020-06-15, 17:37:

I don't know where this myth that AT units are much more likely to blow up than ATX ones came from, but people just keep on repe […]
Show full quote

SodaSuccubus wrote on 2020-06-15, 16:52:

I would never trust an AT PSU personally. Recap it if you want, but honestly assuming it's not a case that needs one of those weird nonstandard PSU positions or anything proprietary, I'd rather just grab a At-ATX adapter and go from there.

I don't know where this myth that AT units are much more likely to blow up than ATX ones came from, but people just keep on repeating that. In fact, most of the cases of power supplies dying and taking components to the grave with them was due to the +5VBSB line going bad in ATX PSUs, which usually killed the components that were powered by the SB line. AT PSUs don't even have a SB line (except for some custom designs).

Sure, an AT PSU can die, but the chances of it taking other components out is the same as an ATX unit of similar quality.

What actually matters is how well the unit was designed and the quality of the components it was built with, and for example that Astec posted by 386SX is probably better for a 386/486 computer than most ATX units out there. Will a modern 800W Corsair work with an adapter and have cleaner power? Yes, probably, but for the components used in these old machines that run on 5V it's not going to make any difference, unlike new processors which run at much lower voltages and every mV of ripple counts. Also, keep in mind the cost of a new power supply + AT-ATX adapter + SATA-Molex adapter(s) + SATA-Berg (Floppy) adapter(s)... why spend money on that when he has a perfectly good unit? You can even refurbish the Astec unit with new caps (although the original Japanese ones should still be fine) and a silent fan for much cheaper!

Im not denying the fact AT PSUs are safe and can be made just as efficient as any other quality modern PSU, but when you have a bunch of spare quality name brand ATX units lying around, or you don't have an AT, or you don't know how to soldier and repair a PSU yet, I don't see any particularly good reasion to go about hunting one down. Especially one that's been through god knows what in use.

Power isn't something you wanna play around with, and if you can't repair your AT. I feel much safer throwing a good ATX in their instead. You can get a cheap 500watt EVGA for $50 or less last I checked . 5volt rail is trivial past a certain point, depending on your build.

Just all down to preference. 386SX looks like he might be able to repair his.

If you got the skill and got the supplies for a repair, why not save some cash and fix your AT for instead 😀

SodaSuccubus wrote on 2020-06-15, 18:25:

Im not denying the fact AT PSUs are safe and can be made just as efficient as any other quality modern PSU, but when you have a […]
Show full quote

TheMobRules wrote on 2020-06-15, 17:37:

I don't know where this myth that AT units are much more likely to blow up than ATX ones came from, but people just keep on repe […]
Show full quote

SodaSuccubus wrote on 2020-06-15, 16:52:

I would never trust an AT PSU personally. Recap it if you want, but honestly assuming it's not a case that needs one of those weird nonstandard PSU positions or anything proprietary, I'd rather just grab a At-ATX adapter and go from there.

I don't know where this myth that AT units are much more likely to blow up than ATX ones came from, but people just keep on repeating that. In fact, most of the cases of power supplies dying and taking components to the grave with them was due to the +5VBSB line going bad in ATX PSUs, which usually killed the components that were powered by the SB line. AT PSUs don't even have a SB line (except for some custom designs).

Sure, an AT PSU can die, but the chances of it taking other components out is the same as an ATX unit of similar quality.

What actually matters is how well the unit was designed and the quality of the components it was built with, and for example that Astec posted by 386SX is probably better for a 386/486 computer than most ATX units out there. Will a modern 800W Corsair work with an adapter and have cleaner power? Yes, probably, but for the components used in these old machines that run on 5V it's not going to make any difference, unlike new processors which run at much lower voltages and every mV of ripple counts. Also, keep in mind the cost of a new power supply + AT-ATX adapter + SATA-Molex adapter(s) + SATA-Berg (Floppy) adapter(s)... why spend money on that when he has a perfectly good unit? You can even refurbish the Astec unit with new caps (although the original Japanese ones should still be fine) and a silent fan for much cheaper!

Im not denying the fact AT PSUs are safe and can be made just as efficient as any other quality modern PSU, but when you have a bunch of spare quality name brand ATX units lying around, or you don't have an AT, or you don't know how to soldier and repair a PSU yet, I don't see any particularly good reasion to go about hunting one down. Especially one that's been through god knows what in use.

Power isn't something you wanna play around with, and if you can't repair your AT. I feel much safer throwing a good ATX in their instead. You can get a cheap 500watt EVGA for $50 or less last I checked . 5volt rail is trivial past a certain point, depending on your build.

Just all down to preference. 386SX looks like he might be able to repair his.

If you got the skill and got the supplies for a repair, why not save some cash and fix your AT for instead 😀

I've one AT psu that died some days ago but I don't think I'll repair cause it's really too cheap in everything. But these above seems to have nothing to repair at all beside maybe I might consider changing capacitors even if they seems ok. It would have sense considering how much time has passed since they're built.
But before I've to try looking at the back of the pcb; sometimes I've seen there's an awful amount of solder on the back covering most part of the psu pcb.

SodaSuccubus wrote on 2020-06-15, 18:25:

Power isn't something you wanna play around with, and if you can't repair your AT. I feel much safer throwing a good ATX in their instead. You can get a cheap 500watt EVGA for $50 or less last I checked . 5volt rail is trivial past a certain point, depending on your build.

Yeah, it's definitely a valid point of view, personally most of what I build uses components salvaged for as less money as possible, so spending like $50 + misc. adapters in order to power a 386 is a bit much to me, especially considering that newer PSUs look out of place on an AT case. Usually I'm only willing to spend more if it means I can get it looking more period accurate (though I'm not terribly strict either)... so again, personal preference. My objection is more related to the "AT PSUs are just time bombs waiting to go off and burn down your house" argument which I have seen many times. Not denying that there are units of terrible quality, but I think it's useful to be able to recognize which ones are well built.

386SX wrote on 2020-06-15, 18:48:

But before I've to try looking at the back of the pcb; sometimes I've seen there's an awful amount of solder on the back covering most part of the psu pcb.

In my experience that is a more common thing with late 90's/early 00's ATX units, usually where the cables are soldered to the board (FSP really likes solder blobs). But in general AT PSUs are sparsely populated in comparison, so they're very easy to recap. Another important thing to look for is burn marks/dark spots around certain components, those mean that it ran too hot for a period of time. In that case, yes, get rid of it unless it's a proprietary unit that you are stuck with.

TheMobRules wrote on 2020-06-15, 17:37:

I don't know where this myth that AT units are much more likely to blow up than ATX ones came from, but people just keep on repe […]
Show full quote

SodaSuccubus wrote on 2020-06-15, 16:52:

I would never trust an AT PSU personally. Recap it if you want, but honestly assuming it's not a case that needs one of those weird nonstandard PSU positions or anything proprietary, I'd rather just grab a At-ATX adapter and go from there.

I don't know where this myth that AT units are much more likely to blow up than ATX ones came from, but people just keep on repeating that. In fact, most of the cases of power supplies dying and taking components to the grave with them was due to the +5VBSB line going bad in ATX PSUs, which usually killed the components that were powered by the SB line. AT PSUs don't even have a SB line (except for some custom designs).

Sure, an AT PSU can die, but the chances of it taking other components out is the same as an ATX unit of similar quality.

What actually matters is how well the unit was designed and the quality of the components it was built with, and for example that Astec posted by 386SX is probably better for a 386/486 computer than most ATX units out there. Will a modern 800W Corsair work with an adapter and have cleaner power? Yes, probably, but for the components used in these old machines that run on 5V it's not going to make any difference, unlike new processors which run at much lower voltages and every mV of ripple counts. Also, keep in mind the cost of a new power supply + AT-ATX adapter + SATA-Molex adapter(s) + SATA-Berg (Floppy) adapter(s)... why spend money on that when he has a perfectly good unit? You can even refurbish the Astec unit with new caps (although the original Japanese ones should still be fine) and a silent fan for much cheaper!

I have had some early 2000s ATX PSUs blow up on me and even take other hardware with it. I haven't had an AT PSU die catastrophically unlike the ATX PSUs.

Windows9566 wrote on 2020-06-15, 19:18:

I have had some early 2000s ATX PSUs blow up on me and even take other hardware with it. I haven't had an AT PSU die catastrophically unlike the ATX PSUs.

Must have been a Seasonic PSU - blowing and leaking caps > 500.000 units

LewisRaz wrote on 2020-06-15, 17:46:

Won this on ebay […]
Show full quote

Won this on ebay

Didnt know specs or anything and it was(still is) pretty beaten up.

Stripped it down and gave it some TLC. Cleaned up very well and is a fair bit sturdier now.

486 sx 25mhz - 4mb ram - 122mb HDD.

download/file.php?id=85966&mode=view

That's good-looking 😀

Was/is the battery still okay? Or did you take it out?

Cyrix200+ wrote on 2020-06-15, 19:36:

download/file.php?id=85966&mode=view […]
Show full quote

LewisRaz wrote on 2020-06-15, 17:46:

Won this on ebay […]
Show full quote

Won this on ebay

Didnt know specs or anything and it was(still is) pretty beaten up.

Stripped it down and gave it some TLC. Cleaned up very well and is a fair bit sturdier now.

486 sx 25mhz - 4mb ram - 122mb HDD.

download/file.php?id=85966&mode=view

That's good-looking 😀

Was/is the battery still okay? Or did you take it out?

The CMOS complained about being corrupt upon first boot but has retained its settings today at least. I Have physically removed the main battery as I am using an out of spec PSU (1 volt over) and did not want to risk any funny business with that.

Discovered the brightness and contrast settings so now the screen is actually usable too.

The 85 card lot and 6 motherboard lot arrived today.

Not a ton of amazing cards but still a really great deal for what I paid:

More:

And this card... which was strangely wrapped separately on the outside of the box:

Yes, I already removed the barrel batteries from the motherboards. Funnily enough, neither barrel battery looked like it had leaked at all despite the really bad looking damage on the one board. I already did a vinegar bath on both of the boards with barrel batteries and I will try messing with them at some later time.

Very nice stuff! Lots of NIC filler but definitely some goodies...

Promise VLB IDE with BIOS
Matrox IS-Atlas based Compaq VGA card
CL GD5428(?) VLB
Creative Riva 128
Turtle Beach ISA card (can't remember which model now)
AD Echo sound card
And some other decent VGA and sound cards
That VLB board with the CR2032 battery looks a bit rough but if it works it would be nice and doesn't need a battery modification.

Thanks for taking the time to post pics! It's always fun! 😀

Yes. The Promise VLB controller and the Turtle Beach sound card are probably winners there...

Nice lot. Of note to me were:

ISA Crystal+Wavefront Sound Card (AWESOME!) (EDIT: Oh wait wow, that's a Tropez32, it's CS4232+OPL3+2MB Wavetable.. You hit the jackpot!!! This is the ultimate ISA sound card!)
ISA OPTi OPL3 Sound Card
ISA AZTECH Sound Card/Modem x2
ISA ESS Audiodrive ES1868 (I think?)
ISA ESS Audiodrive ES1688
ISA Creative CT2950 (Too bad it has no OPL3)
ISA Creative CT2960 x2
ISA Creative CT4170 x2
ISA Creative CT4180
ISA Realtek VGA (What model is this?)
VLB Promise Controller
VLB Trident VGA (Very curious about what the model number is and how it performs!)
VLB CL-GD5428 (Apparently full 2MB)
PCI Matrox Impression (COOL!!!)
PCI Matrox Millennium II
PCI S3 Virge
PCI ATI Mach64 (I think?)
PCI Sigmatek RealMagic
AGP Intel i740 (I think?.. Or is that a Savage3D?)

The motherboards are not familiar to me but the UMC Socket 3 looks like a good board..

Bought an AST Bravo LP 4/33.

seleryba wrote on 2020-06-15, 21:12:

Bought an AST Bravo LP 4/33.

9026DEA7-B5A9-40DB-9C30-0B037E0EC7A9.jpeg

C9C5634E-B9DF-442C-841F-5C9EC9B5ACA1.jpeg

Very nice! I just got an AST NB 4/33 today

appiah4 wrote on 2020-06-15, 21:11:

Nice lot. Of note to me were: […]
Show full quote

Nice lot. Of note to me were:

ISA Crystal+Wavefront Sound Card (AWESOME!) (EDIT: Oh wait wow, that's a Tropez32, it's CS4232+OPL3+2MB Wavetable.. You hit the jackpot!!! This is the ultimate ISA sound card!)
ISA OPTi OPL3 Sound Card
ISA AZTECH Sound Card/Modem x2
ISA ESS Audiodrive ES1868 (I think?)
ISA ESS Audiodrive ES1688
ISA Creative CT2950 (Too bad it has no OPL3)
ISA Creative CT2960 x2
ISA Creative CT4170 x2
ISA Creative CT4180
ISA Realtek VGA (What model is this?)
VLB Promise Controller
VLB Trident VGA (Very curious about what the model number is and how it performs!)
VLB CL-GD5428 (Apparently full 2MB)
PCI Matrox Impression (COOL!!!)
PCI Matrox Millennium II
PCI S3 Virge
PCI ATI Mach64 (I think?)
PCI Sigmatek RealMagic
AGP Intel i740 (I think?.. Or is that a Savage3D?)

The motherboards are not familiar to me but the UMC Socket 3 looks like a good board..

The TB soundcard is apparently the same as a Tropez + but without the RAM slots. I now have the Tropez, Tropez +, and this card. This was the card that was very easily seen in the seller's pics as it was on the very top.
ISA Realtek VGA - card model number - JA-8227D-V1 - chip model - RTG31051EH
VLB Promise model is - EIDE2300PLUS - Might use this on an older VLB system. My current setup is using an 8GB CF card and the BIOS supports at least up to 8.4GB. I haven't tried anything bigger.
VLB Trident - 9420
PCI ATI Mach64 - yes.
one AGP is a Creative CT6620 - Permedia 2
other AGP is a Trident Blade 3D 9880 Turbo

The UMC board is exactly the same board as the one in my current VLB 486 system except the ISA slots are black instead of white. The one I am currently using was sold under the PC-Chips brand.

I really need to go through my hoard of 486 boards and figure out which ones I want to keep.

Anybody care to hazard a guess at how much I paid for this whole lot?