The Power Supply Tower of Death

The Power Supply Tower of Death

These bricks once powered the Commodore 64. Today, they make a better tower than a power source.

It is known in Commodore circles that there are two kinds of original C64 power supplies: ones that have already blown out a C64, and ones that will eventually blow out a C64. That’s an exaggeration, but the danger is real. A failing supply can send too much voltage down the five-volt line and destroy chips inside the computer, usually without warning. The components inside many of these original supplies are encased in a block of resin, making an internal repair or modification impractical.

The small device shown in the display case plugs between a power supply and the C64. It watches the voltage and cuts power if it rises too high. It’s a clever way to protect a vintage machine from a failing vintage power supply.

So admire the tower. Just don’t plug one of its bricks into a C64 without checking it and using protection—or buy a new power supply with modern overvoltage protection built in.