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Behold . . . Most Honorable and Esteemed . . . . Nuts and Voltites ( and thats HEAVEEEEE on the NUTS)
Well here I am showing up for my annual Sabbatical and see that this is the only interesting thread now going on
. . .albeit . . . . even with some bickering developing.
I checked out that power supply and find that it is now having the physical stigma/eqiuivalency of a " personna non grata "
type of item, with the original supplied OEM Brother version, having a message now posted at THE Brother Home site,of :
" We're sorry, this item has been discontinued and is no longer available."
Now, doesn't that just reek of being suggestive of a defective ancillary product ? ? ? ?
Photo of . . . . .Ye Olde Brudder OEM . . . . . and all so Powerfull Supply:
SINCE . . . . you will now find that everybody and their dogs brother is making, and now offerening equivalent replacement units.
In the past, I was able to acquire JUST that bare bones unit at a Ham flea market fo' a meager 15 Amellican dollah, but, with no extra
tape cartridges, no power unit and no f**kbook.
I only downloaded its book . . .130 pages . . .babycakes! . . . in order to see the COMBINATION of tandem key presses, required
in order to get special symbol functions.
The likes of which, I have now used so frequently, that I have them commited to my brains cache memory.
A full half or more of that concerned info was dedicated to computer interfacing . . .which I have no desire of using . . . with my making
of such simple labels.
A public library . . . and book titling . . .MAYBE yes!
I have only needed to re battery the unit , twice in the interim.
Heres my research feedback for you:
I was going to test using a new set of Alkaline cells and rapidly fabbed up a test aid for creating a series insert for ease of interruption
of the units total current loop for acquiring readings.
Now, for the uninitated . . .hunching over and raptly listening . . . . way up in the peanut gallery . . . .this units battery layout is two cells
end to end, with four sets put side to side for a "square" flat pack.
I happened to have a sheet of .005 in brass shim stock, (Which I've slowly been using off of, for the last 25 years) so I cut two strips 1/4 in
wide by a 2 in length.
I then cut two 1/2 in wide by 3 in long " insulators " from Scotch clear packaging tape (the one that makes SO much collateral noise . . .
when unreeling a piece )
Each brass contact strip then gets centered on its insulative tapes sticky side and is adhered. A piece of sticky double side tape joins the CENTRAL
slick sides of the two tape insulators, leaving the contacts then being externally opposed, but insulated apart.
I installed 6 cells and then I lifted out a set of two cells and placed this aid between the center of them and had both cell ends in the ends of the
battery holder with their centers up in the air, then a slow lowering of them, pressed the + and - of those cells into each strip of the test aid..
Four crossing strips of tape held the cells from popping out due to the cover not being in place.
I then tack soldered a decimal 1 ohm film resistor across the brass strips ends, producing a current shunt.
Set up Ye Olde Tek scope for monitoring:
and then . . .AND THEN . . .
Just testing in the printing mode, seems like a simple period or comma is pulling about a rapid 250 ma by the heating matrix, while the more
complex font combinations are pulling quick 500-600 ma bursts.
With a longer text tape then ready to be printed . . . I hit the feed button and there is an initial start up burst of ~200 milliseconds duration where
~900 ma is being pulled and then settles in at ~600 ma of motor running current.
Now . . . if this was MY problem to solve, I would be initually doing a dynamic evaluation of that OEM Brother AD-60 power supply.
By the large size of that unit we seem to be dealing with a linear supply with a 60~ transformer internal , whereas, a switch mode design
is usually being only 2/3 to a half of that physical sizing.
Also check out the weight of the unit as for expecting the mass and weight of a power transformer being inside. Or, if the unit is being of a switch mode
design genre, it would be as light as a popcorn fart.
The next testing would be the units voltage sag when subjected to ~ full loading.
I'm expecting the unit to be putting out somewhat above that 9.5 VDC spec when you just plug in the power unit solo and take a DC reading of the
unloaded output voltage with your DVM at the power connector end.
(Also confirm its connector shell as actually being of + polarity.)
As an aside evaluation, additionally put the DVM in AC mode and retest and perchance see if there is any residual AC voltage presence.
(With none really being expected.)
If that is passing testing, then a dynamic loading would be next, and a common 10 ohm loading resistor would be an adequate load.
To preclude any test lead "fumbling", use two clip type test leads to each of the close inner sides of the resistor, and with them then
going over to each meter probe tip.
Then you can fold around the resistor ends close enough to be able to TEMPORARILY make connect with the power connector end.
Plug in the supply and make a reading of the units DC voltage output at this subjected degree of loading. Do it QUICK, no longer than it takes
for acquiring a stable meter reading to just have developed.
I specified that latter, just in case you are so "components" poor that you don't have a pot to piss in . . .figuratively.
OR if you happen to not have a 10 or 5 watt unit, and are using a 2 watt film in a pinch. Which you could do . . . IF BEING VERY QUICK.
I have seen some 2W metal FILM units running at a dull red glow . . . . . ( Like its papa was a toaster and its mama was a Calrod heating element.)
Now, either that voltage didn't pull down over ~15 % from our prior unloaded value, or it did , and if the latter is the case; flip the metering to AC
mode again and test to see what, if any, AC (ripple) reading is being present.
Use the same QUICK reading technique.
Should that AC ripple be up in the 5% borderline and on upward, I suspect bad internal electrolytic filter capacitors.
That units code dating is suggestive of the time frame of the "Great Taiwanese Capacitor Debacle" where they distributed scads of electrolytic
capacitors which failed in quick order if subjected to operating temps that then onset internal chemical decomposition and a spiraling upward of ESR.
And then there was a and final decline of produced overall capacitance . . . .with some of them blowing their tops or at the least, rupturing /flexing
the pressure slits and pooching up the tops..
(Computer power supplies-Big screen TV's, particularly the flat screen ones where the power supplies are so heat taxed - camcorders-consumer
electronics . . .slowly failed . . . ad infinitum )
Be it that the capacitor sourcing actually was from TAIWAN . . . . . OR if they ACTUALLY were being second sourced . . .on the cheap . . . from
mainland China.
With that power supplies plastic casing unit being ultrasonically welded, they don't just pull apart for evaluation/repairs.
HOWEVER I have pulled units apart by S L O W surgical use of a Zona razor saw aside to the seams . . .its just to touchy for using a cut off wheel
in a Dremel tool.
That brings us up to the possibility that the supply may have met all of the above specs, and you could suspicion the problem as being the internal
wiring and any hidden shunting or series circuitry being associated with that power connector receptacle (its zero clearance in there !).
Parts like series or shunting diodes or zener diodes or low voltage power VDR's /varistors.
To confirm that, pull out all batteries to the Brother unit and take metering in hand and switch to low ohms and touch one meter probe
to that outside shell of the power connector.
Use the other meter probe to find which of the 8 battery connector is reading ~zero ohms and that is your + battery connection into the unit
circuitry, and IIRC the battery connector diagonally across from that one will be one that was previously receiving a - cell contact end.
To double confirm that, use your meters ohms function to confirm the intercell jumpers between the other 6 battery contacts.
The + and - will not interconnect to them.
You then can use that tested power supply and connect it with 2 jumper leads/clips between those + and - battery connectors .
In a pinch, a brass/the best / steel . .ok) . . wood screw can provide a tapered "screwable" in contact for the recessed hole in the
power connector to permit clipping onto.
This system should now test out just like you are using batteries.
Which would then suggest an internal problem in the parts/wiring/ancillary interfacing associated with that power input jack.
Standing by for any developed feedback . . . . . .
Thassssitttt.
73's de Edd
[email protected]. . . . . . . . (Interstellar~~~~~Warp~~~~Speed)
[email protected]. . . . . . . . . (Firewalled*Spam*Cookies*Crumbs)
The next time when I go to the ATM, and just after the money comes out, I'm going to
jump up and down, then flail my arms wildly about and finally shout out, for all to hear.
"I won!" "I won!" . . . its the 3rd time this week ! ! ! "
####7 Copywight 2014 by Elmer Fudd. All wights wesewved. !.