[comp.sys.atari.st] IDeas for a Sick ST?

melton@mcnc.org (Matthew Stickles Melton) (02/06/91)

My ST after three years of constant (literally) service has finally let me
down.  When I turn it on the power light is dimmer than usual, the monitor
goes to a sickly hue, and it sits there.  The internal disk read indicator 
light is on as well, and also dimmer than usual.  I at first suspected the
disk drive of being burned, but have eliminated that option by substitution
inside a working ST.

I now suspect the power supply.  I am an electrical engineer, but have very
little desire to fix a power supply since it is analog in nature.
But, I also am not going to mail it too Atari or some other fix-it house
and pay them several hundred $$$$ to fix it (the going rate).  I will screw
it up myself before I do that.  

Has anyone had this experience before, or have an ideas?

Matt Melton
melton@mcnc.org
"Absolutely nothing is impossible, but most things aren't worth the trouble"

chuck@mrcnext.uiuc.edu (charles bridgeland) (02/06/91)

melton@mcnc.org (Matthew Stickles Melton) writes:

>My ST after three years of constant (literally) service has finally let me
>down.  When I turn it on the power light is dimmer than usual, the monitor
>goes to a sickly hue, and it sits there.  The internal disk read indicator 
>light is on as well, and also dimmer than usual.  I at first suspected the
>disk drive of being burned, but have eliminated that option by substitution
>inside a working ST.

>I now suspect the power supply.  I am an electrical engineer, but have very
>little desire to fix a power supply since it is analog in nature.
>But, I also am not going to mail it too Atari or some other fix-it house
>and pay them several hundred $$$$ to fix it (the going rate).  I will screw
>it up myself before I do that.  


low voltage?   maybe a voltage regulator, which shouldn't be too hard to
--
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chuck bridgeland---anarchoRepublican
	--don't forget, we surround _them_, not the other way around"
chuck@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu     hire me so I can quit this pit.
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carter@cat27.cs.wisc.edu (Gregory Carter) (02/06/91)

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chuck bridgeland---anarchoRepublican
	--don't forget, we surround _them_, not the other way around"
chuck@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu     hire me so I can quit this pit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writes:
>My ST after three years of constant (literally) service has finally let me
>down.  When I turn it on the power light is dimmer than usual, the monitor
>goes to a sickly hue, and it sits there.  The internal disk read indicator 
>light is on as well, and also dimmer than usual.  I at first suspected the
>disk drive of being burned, but have eliminated that option by substitution
>inside a working ST.

>I now suspect the power supply.  I am an electrical engineer, but have very
>little desire to fix a power supply since it is analog in nature.
>But, I also am not going to mail it too Atari or some other fix-it house
>and pay them several hundred $$$$ to fix it (the going rate).  I will screw
>it up myself before I do that.  

  You didn't mention if you upgraded your ST via a memory upgrade.  I don't
know about other peoples problems, but when I put 4 megs in my ST, the
power supply HUMMED, probable indication of overload and after 3 months
of heavy USE promptly died.  I am almost positive that the extra RAM
shortened the life of my power supply.  I called BEST and they sell beefier
power supplies for your 1040ST for just this purpose(or use to anyway).

  If anybody gets a memory upgrade I would consider an investment in such
a new power supply.  You machine will run more reliably longer and a lot
cooler probably too.

--Gregory


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The WUNDER UNDER grad.  Able to spend his whole life on this rn news and
STILL build a workable compiler for CS 536. (BEAT THAT)
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PS: I even get my homework done too. (On time is another matter)