Posted By
Sidney
on 2018-06-17
07:59:36
|  Plus 4 Psu
Hi There, I have a dilemma, I bought a wonderful Vic20/C64 Psu from a company in Poland through ebay and it is fantastic, I have the machines on for hours and it barely gets warm, compared to the Commodore Psu's that can heat a house they get so hot!!
I recently messaged the company regarding the possibility of a plus4 psu and they said they can do it but it would be made to order as the demand wasn't there for it.
My questions are- How easy is it for them to make a plus 4 psu? Are the voltages the same as the C64 and it's merely the connection that's different or is it more complicated than that?
Is it a simple case of making a C64/Vic psu then swapping the connectors or is it (again) more complicated than that? I'm guessing it is but I could be wrong.
The company has very kindly offered a nice discount for me based on the fact that I would essentially be a beta tester for the product should they make more but I am wary because I'm paranoid about trashing my machine!
Could you fine people recommend/advise on this as the plus 4 is still a relatively new beast to me and my recapped/refurbished/heatsinked model is very precious to me and I don't want to damage it.
Any help would gratefully received.
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Posted By
MMS
on 2018-06-17
08:05:16
 | Re: Plus 4 Psu
Yes, they use the same voltage. I have an early plus/4 came with the c64 psu socket and i use it with a c64 psu.
There are some suggestion that if you have plus/4 square psu problems, just swap the psu socket on thr mainboard and run it further with a more easily available c64 psu.
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Posted By
KiCHY
on 2018-06-18
04:11:49
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
Several plus/4 models came with a round shaped power socket, all the others have a square one. If you're a lucky one you could directly use a C64 PSU.
[EDIT]
So, before ordering that test PSU, check the shape of your plussy's power socket.
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Posted By
Patrick
on 2018-06-18
02:09:21
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
There are also c64 to plus4 power plug adapters. They are rare, but out there!!
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Posted By
MIK
on 2018-06-18
09:34:36
 | Re: Plus 4 Psu
It's not something I've ever worried about...
Most Plus/4 PSU's have not had a hard life as they were not work horses for an endless supply of games like many a C64 was. Most C16's & Plus/4's in the UK ended up in storage by 1989. There be life in the old beasts yet, and they keep your feet warm in the winter. 
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Posted By
sidney
on 2018-06-22
19:48:40
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
Hi Guys, as ever- you are an awesome bunch! My plus 4 has the square connector so no dice regarding using a c64 psu. So I guess i can go ahead and get those guys in Poland to make me one?!
With regard to Mik's point (and he always makes good ones to be fair!) my plus 4 psu does get very warm but I'm guessing that is not a big problem regarding the operating of the computer?
I ask all this as I am relatively new to the system although I have had the C16 for a few years but that uses my TFW8bit psu that it conveniently shares with my many ZX Spectrums, I wish the plus 4 did the same!
So my final question would be- How reliable do you feel the original plus four Psu's are and do you continue to have faith in them in the 21st century?
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Posted By
MMS
on 2018-06-26
15:50:09
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
I think the Plus/4 PSUs are not so bad as the C16 (it was really too weak for the task, so THAT was awful). 
ZX Spectrum ones were much better.
Plus/4 and C64 PSUs are identical inside. Some ppl know bad stories about C64 PSUs, and I think the main reason is the overheating.
Maybe the warmup is due to the epoxy/resin they used inside (I think it is more a heat insulator, than a heat conductor). Maybe it plays a major role in the defective (overheated) components too.
It made the defective PSU non-repairable, and maybe it was the target, I mean to buy a new one from Commodore if get failed. It was one of the most expensive component of the computer, close to 10€ (as raw material).
Here you can see how PSU looks inside, and here find an alternative one, this is exactly the same as the Plus/4 needs.
https://wej.k.vu/broken_stuff/c64_power_supply_repair/
I have some experience from the secondary school how to build such a thing (I have a profession from power electronics, even hand made a working transformer  ), but I am sure I will never do myself such a thing again, as my life it too precious to me  (eg. I have no high voltage tester at home...)
So yes, I highly suggest to buy a new one from the mentioned professional team, or Ray Carlsen, who offers really robust Commodore PSUs will work for next 3 decades. (but his ones are for 110V)
forum/27823#29370
http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/universal_ps/misc/
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Posted By
MIK
on 2018-06-26
16:48:45
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
I have 5-6 Plus/4 PSU's and while none have died I have spares ready and waiting and why I'll be sticking with them. Sure mine gets warm, maybe after an hour or so it'll be really warm to the touch but I normally take a break every now and then to put the kettle on. A couple of hours in and it's time for something to eat so I normally switch off to give it a rest before I return. Depends what I'm playing really.
One thing though which is obvious as you know, being that old always switch it off at the mains, (or pull the plug out) when your not using it/them.
I had a C16 PSU play up once. It didn't die or give a voltage overload but the reverse. It started to lack power and when I pressed play on tape it would sometimes reset the machine. I was scratching my head at first as it was random but yeah not what you might expect when something starts to fade. No damage was done to the C16 any way.
Indeed I have used a 48k ZX Spectrum PSU before now on one of my C16's, solid very good and didn't really get warm. I was tempted to stick with it which I did for a good while, but out of the blue I wanted to play Ikari Warriors on the speccy so took it back and put a C16 PSU back on the C16.
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Posted By
Sidney
on 2018-07-07
17:37:42
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
I thank you all for your contributions on this matter
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Posted By
Sidney
on 2018-07-07
17:38:44
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
I thank you all for your contributions on this matter
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Posted By
Sidney
on 2018-07-07
17:48:37
| Re: Plus 4 Psu
I'm not sure what my I pad was playing at as only one line of it waso posted!
It was meant to say the above plus -
I think I will be taking my old chum MIK'so advice, if he can use several plus4 Psu's withour issue and be happy with them then frankly that's good enough for me. His advice has never harmed me in the past, quite the reverse in fact. Who knows one day I will probably get used to the warmth....even grow to live it.
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