My Take

If you ask anyone on X (Twitter) or in IRC, "I need a new power supply for my C64 or 128 or Amiga, where can I get one?" The answer always comes back to, you should order one from Ray Carlsen.

I haven't needed a new power supply, so I've never ordered one of Ray's. But I've only ever heard good things from the people who have.

It's a reliable power supply that doesn't need a "saver" to make it safe, and it will work with higher power consumption devices (like certain REUs). Laurence Gonsalves — Twitter, 2017

The most difficult thing about describing what he offers is the wide variety of models. In fact he builds custom power supplies, with custom features, so the options greatly exceed those sample models listed here and on his site.

The side images here show some examples of his work, and what you might consider to be "standard" models. The break down by price and quality seems to be as follows:

"BareBones" models consist of one or more "wall warts" which have their cables are joined together inside the power plug for the computer or drive. For example, a C64 needs both 5VDC and 9VAC. Each of these can be supplied by a separate wall wart, and then joined together inside one jack to be plugged into the power port on the C64. Cheap and cheerful, gets the job done, but it isn't the most beautiful solution.

A step up from BareBones are brick power supplies, very much like those that were used by Commodore themselves. The brick is made of a plastic shell surrounding the electronics. And a power cable that goes from the brick to the wall, with one or more cables from the brick to the computer. For example, Model P64-128 is a plastic brick, with output connectors for both the C64 and the 128. Only one computer can be powered at a time, but the same brick can physically be used for either type of computer.

And the step above that, consider these the deluxe models, are housed in a metal case. These models not only look the sharpest, but they can be used to power multiple devices, computer and drives, at the same time.

For custom options and to place an order, email Ray direct, and see what he can do for you and your Commodore's needs.

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Description

These photos are samples of the power supplies I [Ray Carson] make, which range from very simple "wall wart" designs that power a C64 only, to elaborate units that can power several devices at the same time.

Note that multiple-output power supplies are the most cost effective. For example, one PS can be built to power an Amiga, the C64 and C128, one or more 1581/1541-II drives, the Plus/4, C16, RAMLink, etc. or any combination of the above. More elaborate (and expensive) designs will allow many devices to run at the same time. The user should decide what will work best for them so a PS can be designed to closely meet those needs and note waste money on unnecessary options.

A standard C64/128 PS will have a single 5 foot (1.5 meter) power cable with two connectors on the end in a Y configuration. Fewer cables mean less clutter on the desktop but if separate cables or a single cable with adapter(s) is preferred, that's easy to implement, and longer cables can be installed if desired.

A standard AC power cord is used on 120V power supplies for the USA and Canada, and an IEC socket (same as a printer or monitor) is installed on the 230V supplies for Europe and Australia so the user can get the appropriate AC cord locally that fits their mains.

A power switch is installed on all supplies for the Amiga since there are none on those computers. The C64/128 and other 8 bit computer series have power switches so a power switch is not normally provided on the PS, but it can be if desired.