Vic 20 not powering up

[Retro Dreams]

Hi guys,

My Vic 20 recently died and I don't know why. I suspect it's the power supply because it has done that before. But when that did happen, I unplugged and left it for a while and it was fine. Yet in this case, its the opposite, I just hope I didn't fry it. The fuse doesn't seem to be blown, however. I reseated all the chips to no avail. There seems to still be voltage on the 6502 processor when checked with a multimeter. Any advice?

Thanks

[srowe]

Ray Carlsen's guide is a good start

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/ ... /vic20.txt

[Retro Dreams]

I checked the power supply connecter with a multimeter and there were sparks and I almost was shocked I can now safely assume that its sending a crazy amount of voltage to the vic 20. I also forgot to unplug the power supply from the wall Does anyone know if it can be repairable or if my vic 20 is fried for good

[norm8332]

I checked the power supply connecter with a multimeter and there were sparks and I almost was shocked I can now safely assume that its sending a crazy amount of voltage to the vic 20. I also forgot to unplug the power supply from the wall Does anyone know if it can be repairable or if my vic 20 is fried for good

If this is the CR version (the one with the round power connector) You may have shorted the 9vac when checking with the meter. This will blow a fuse in the power supply that cannot be replaced if it is a potted supply (filled with epoxy). Almost any VIC-20 can be repaired, but it depends or your electronics repair experience whether it will be successful. I would reference the guide linked to above for starters. If you haven't worked on computers like this before, I would start with youtube to get some pointers.

[Retro Dreams]

I opened the power supply and nothing seemed to be wrong when referenced to a photo online of a working one... Still not getting any power. I asked around and my friend suggested that if there's a over-voltage, the vic 20 will automatically stop receiving power from the supply. I'm not sure if this theory is correct, but I hope it is. If anyone can confirm this theory, it would be greatly appreciated.