Generic Power Supply

[Squaresoft74]

Hello,

Has anyone ever used one of these PSU clone ?
.

They were made by "Madcow" and PCB is dated "Jun:03.1999".
They can fit into any FAT PS1 since they have both 7 and 5 pins connectors available, which is nice.

But are they at least safe to use at all ?

[Shadow]

Nope, never tried it, but it looks well designed and it looks like it should be safe.

[Squaresoft74]

Looks good then.
Only flaw i can see right now is the 220-110v connector that only holds with the 2 solder points.
I'll replace it with an original connector since it also holds with 2 screws.

I'll test it for a while and see if that doesn't warm up too much.

[rama3]

Hm, I've got to disagree on the looks of this supply. To me, it looks like a cost reduced clone of the original.

I can't say much about the primary side, but look at the secondary!
Where is the reset controller IC and all the filtering passives?
The capacitors look small, and all I can read on one of them is "vent" :p

These probably work, but they're not quality.

[Squaresoft74]

Would it be safer to mod an original one like this ?

[rama3]

Since this involves mains power, I really don't want to recommend it.
Originals are okay within their specifications.
You probably want to power an early machine, and those use a bit more juice.
It will certainly work, but maybe a component will be stressed more than it should be (unlikely, but still).

[Squaresoft74]

So in the end, what would be the best solution to replace a Scph-100X's power supply with one that doesn't warm up as much as their original one ?

[Shadow]

Hm, I've got to disagree on the looks of this supply. To me, it looks like a cost reduced clone of the original.

I can't say much about the primary side, but look at the secondary!
Where is the reset controller IC and all the filtering passives?
The capacitors look small, and all I can read on one of them is "vent" :p

These probably work, but they're not quality.

Compared to wall adaptors you get these days from China, I thought it was pretty decent. Still, it's not going to be nearly as reliable as the genuine Sony ones.

So in the end, what would be the best solution to replace a Scph-100X's power supply with one that doesn't warm up as much as their original one ?

If you're skilled enough, you could tweak the existing Sony design or build your own from scratch.

[rama3]

Also, the 100x design was produced for quite a while. Later models use power supplies from Nichicon, with similar performance to their 700x / 900x versions. So if you can find one of those, this is the best replacement.

I suppose your second best option is indeed a conversion of a regular 700x / 900x to 7 pin.
Keep the mains power in mind!

[Squaresoft74]

If you're skilled enough, you could tweak the existing Sony design or build your own from scratch.

Not an option for me i'm affraid.

Also, the 100x design was produced for quite a while. Later models use power supplies from Nichicon, with similar performance to their 700x / 900x versions. So if you can find one of those, this is the best replacement.

You mean like the second one on the bottom:

I suppose your second best option is indeed a conversion of a regular 700x / 900x to 7 pin.
Keep the mains power in mind!

Thanks to both of you for your advices.

[rama3]

Yep, that's one.
You can see how they're better by the heat marks around the input switcher (ie: none on the Nichicon ;p).