Does anyone know a suitable replacement for the PET 4016 power supply? I realize some of the circuit hardware is soldered right to the power supply, so there won't be any direct "drop in replacement."
My PET actually works OK - there may not be anything wrong with the power supply itself. BUT - recently while the machine was powered off (but still plugged in), it made a brief sizzle noise and smoked a little bit (light wisps of white smoke that smelled somewhat like marshmallows).
I'm told there may have been a capacitor that "died open" (film capacitor?), which means while the machine can still work (powers on), there is a risk of further damage (even fire) -- which makes me curious, is that a general concern when working with very old electronics? (i.e. had I not been right next to the machine when it happened, reading a BASIC book -- I wouldn't even have known that this had happened; similarly if I had gotten a used PET, I don't know if this was a thing that had already happened to it).
The PET is famous for having that "large" capacitor right next to the power supply and mainboard - I don't think the issue is referring to THAT capacitor. Apparently there is a smaller capacitor somewhere right near where the power plugs in? In the photo attached, what is the "made in HAITI" 8128 component?
A week after this incident (again, the PET is working, I've used it for many hours since then -- but I keep the power cable unplugged when it's not in use) -- I was lightly cleaning off some dust inside the PET, but I noticed that "marshmallow" odor was still present. It was faint, but the odor seemed to be strongest around this "8128" component -- implying the original incident was from inside that component (or perhaps the odor is just from the glue in the area being overheated? there is what appears to be some old brown glue on some of the wiring). Something got hot and caused a bit of faint smoke - there were a couple styrafoam pieces that had fallen underneath the power supply over the years (slipped in by the creases around the monitor, I imagine), so originally I just thought it was one of those that had slipped into a bad spot.
So while that "8128" part might be the only thing suspect, then I got thinking: maybe I should just find a substitute for the entire power supply? Except that, I'm quite bad a soldering ? Just getting that "8128" part out cleanly to inspect the inside will be a chore (I'm wondering if the smoke was actually from some internal plastic in there melting?).
Thoughts appreciated, thanks!
