Re: PC Power Supplies vs. A2

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

!smentzer@ecom.net (Steve Mentzer) wrote:

>I have a neat question:
>
>Has anyone been able to safely convert a PC switching power supply for use in 
>an Apple II. I have read the schematics, and the voltage requirements and 
>provisions are OK. I would have to break out the old soldering iron, but my 
>question is simple.
>
>Is It Safe? (for the IIgs that is)

Very safe if you do it right.  I built a GS tower unit and it is powered by
a standard (couple of hundred watts) Wintel power supply.  The GS
uses the same voltages (+ and - 5V; + and - 12V) as the Wintels and
Macintoshes.

Go to the ground ftp server and get the voltages that go to each pin
on the GS motherboard power connector.  Then just splice, maybe
solder, and insulate with heat shrink tubing the correct voltage wires
from the power supply to the GS power plug for the motherboard
power connector.

Warning...the first time I did this, I read the pin layout wrong and
REVERSED the splicing layout.  FRIED a perfectly good GS
motherboard.  ;-(

However, the replacement motherboard with the fixed power layout
is now running quitely on my GS tower...