C64 Power Supply
It was about time to replace my ageing Commodore 64 black power bricks as they can become unreliable with age. Using modern component will reduce power usage and the power supply will run cool to the touch, my original power supply can get almost too hot to touch if it has been on for extended periods of time.
I build 2 of these and was able to carefully remove the old components from the power supply and reuse the old case so the power supply looks original. Power supply #2 I was not so lucky as the epoxy was very well stuck to the case as was destroyed in the process, I was however able to salvage the cords.
What you need:
- 5V 3A DC power supply (Amazon)
- 9V 1A AC power supply (Amazon (120VAC ONLY))
- Project Box or similar (Amazon)
- 7 pin DIN cable (Digikey (Cable) or Digikey (Jack))
- Power Cable (Amazon)
To get started I cut the cases of the new power supplies open with a dremel or saw being careful not to cut too deep. Once I was are able to get the cases open I de-soldered the the power leads from the AC transformer and DC circuit board.
I then created a pcb to mount the components to, this is an optional step as you can just wire the cords directly to the components. C64 Power supply pinout
I then proceeded to cram the board into a project case that happen to be just a bit too small. This was a waterproof case which is a bit overkill for this project I just had one on hand from a previous project. I had to cut a bit away to fit everything inside. I used 3M double sided foam tape on the back side of the circuit board and a bit of hot glue on the corners to keep it in place. I notched out the case to fit the square cord stops and used a little bit of hot glue just to keep them stationary while I finished assembling the case.
Screw the box together, apply a sweet Commodore decal and the power supply is complete.
Future updates to this project will include a fuse on the mains power side to keep everything safe.