Mac OS 9 Lives

Mac OS 9 Discussion => Hardware => Topic started by: chrisNova777 on January 13, 2022, 05:52:50 PM

Title: ATX power supply converter kickstarter
Post by: chrisNova777 on January 13, 2022, 05:52:50 PM
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctb/atx2at-smart-converter-protect-your-retro-hardware

just saw this obviously its for vintage PC-AT systems from early mid 90s but i thought
it would be cool to share this.  would be amazing to have some type of solution to use a modern PSU with a vintage G4
to completely avoid any power voltage issues the g4's are more and more vintage as we all know

more info:
https://x86.fr/atx2at-smart-converter/
this page shows it being used to power a macintosh LC with a custom cable
(https://x86.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/MacLCs-768x432.jpg)
Title: Re: ATX power supply converter kickstarter
Post by: DieHard on January 13, 2022, 06:29:50 PM
Chris,

Thanks for posting, I read that whole linked page and that thing is amazing, I love the small LCD panel, I have some old converter stuff laying around, but nothing as cool as that
Title: Re: ATX power supply converter kickstarter
Post by: chrisNova777 on January 13, 2022, 07:19:11 PM
yea i love finding about new inventions that take care of common issues that get in the way of people being productive with old tech

i had the worchowski brothers (sisters? lol) newer film "mortal engines" playing the other night while i found this,  in the movie they are all about "re-discovering old tech" from the past couldnt help but see the parallels between that storyline and the type of things people have been up to in the background as things continue ever-changing going forward, look at how much things have changed since the first days i came on here..

im still fascinated by what makes the experience of using specific vintage platforms good or bad, i tried out a new version of linux last night and just something about the feel of using the os doesnt jive 100% with me,  compared to older versions of osx i felt more connected with.. it cant be simply nostalgia that makes the difference... 

i really wish they would settle into a different schedule of updating the macos..  releasing a new version of osx every year makes everyone feel like their being rushed to upgrade etc etc a 4 year cycle would make alot more sense but dont hold your breath for a new head-honcho at apple that actually cares enough + is actually involved with their hands in the clay the way steve jobs was, he may have been a dick to his employees but we all loved him for the results !
Title: Re: ATX power supply converter kickstarter
Post by: FBz on January 13, 2022, 07:36:37 PM
Yeah, I never liked the previous BIG abomination ATX power supplies, but this thing looks pretty stealthy (tiny footprint). And COOL.
Then I thought it must cost a fortune - then I read this at the bottom of the second link:

How to buyI need one!
There is some spares remaining from the Kickstarter campaign, but they will not be sold until all rewards are shipped.
Price will be €49 + shipping (€5 to France, €10 worldwide).

That’s 59 Euro which = $67.63 USD (today).

Great job Chris!
Title: Re: ATX power supply converter kickstarter
Post by: chrisNova777 on January 13, 2022, 08:06:56 PM
Chris,

Thanks for posting, I read that whole linked page and that thing is amazing, I love the small LCD panel, I have some old converter stuff laying around, but nothing as cool as that

yea i dont have much electrical experience as a hobbyist my dad knows alot more then me i used to do electronics soldering and work like that with my dad when i was like 11-12 years old hacking decoder boards to get PPV HBO via satellite dish ;)

but i often had hunches that dirty power could be to blame for some of the mac-wierdness many of us have experienced.. imagine a device like this that could more precisely regulate the voltage + ensure clean power? would this increase perforamnce? not sure but it cant hurt to eliminate any and all potential causes of problems when you have alot of time/energy invested in your vintage platform and people concerned with aging parts etc

coupled with modern mini-sized atx psu's might provide some future possibilities to specialized custom hack mac designers (also would help ATX tower conversions of G3/G4's?)