Good point.. and if you have the later PSU with the 95,000uF 12V cap, pay close attention to that guy.
FYI, power supplies in the Altair typically work like this: In the chassis, there are two regulated +18 / -18V supplies of 1A each, and an unregulated ~8V supply capable of substantial current. On the individual boards, the 8V supply is commonly regulated down to 5V (with 7805, etc.) and when needed, the +/-18V supplies to +12V / -12V with simple zener diode shunt circuits. On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 4:43 PM, Eric Smith <[email protected]> wrote: > On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 3:23 PM, Kip Koon <[email protected]> wrote: > > I also have an original Altair 8800 that has not been powered up since I > was > > in my late teens or early twenties. I'm 56 now and I was wondering if > > anyone has put together a document for successfully restoring Altair > > computers specifically and retro style computers in general. > > IMPORTANT: Do NOT power up until you've tested the DC power supplies > *without* the boards installed. Check DC voltages and ripple. Aluminum > electrolytic filter capacitors may need to be reformed or replaced. > (But let's not restart the argument about which to do!) >
