All,
Potentially useful info for the list:
1) Stylewriter power supply uses zero-screws (or whatever you call them).
2) Stylewriter PS has a seperate fuse in the - leg of the output, and it's easy
to desolder.
The long version:
Sat down with murder in my eye to work on the power supply.
Pete Turnbull wrote (on another thread)
>They look like a Torx screw head turned inside out. Imagine something
>between a pan head and a round head (ie slightly domed) with six small
>notches in the edge. The sides are sloping/curved and they're usually
>hardened, and the edges of the notches are slightly rounded off so you
>can't get a grip with pliers. There's a picture at
>http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/zeroscrew.jpg
A perfect description of the three fasteners holding the case
together - as I realized once I had them out in the light of day.
Unfortunately I *got* them out in the light of day by trying to pop them
loose after heating with a soldering iron. Instead of melting the studs the
threads were threaded into, I melted the barrels of the recesses the screw
heads were in. Things Got Smelly, the case creaked apart, and the recess
barrels were left with the studs, screws still firmly in place. However, at
that point, I was able to grab the severed barrels, squeeze with pliers
until the walls of the barrel gripped the zero-screw head, and twist out
the zero-screw.
Anybody need 3 slightly used zero-screws? *I* sure as heck don't!
To put back together, I plan to find longer pan-head screws with
similar diameter and thread pitch, put around the studs plastic soda straws
long enough to reach up to the other side of the case, then put the
pan-head screws (with washers as needed) through the holes that originally
formed the tops of the recessions and through the straws into the studs.
(The soda straws are to electrically isolate the screws from whatever
voltages are flying around inside, because the recess barrels ain't gonna
do it, now being in pieces in my trash can (with extreme prejudice).)
Inside, there's a big transformer. One side has 2 leads wired to
the blades that go into the wall. The other side has 3 leads going to a
circuit board. The leads on either end go through diodes to the "+" output.
The lead in the center (marked "C.T" - let me guess - center tap?) goes
through a cylindrical glass fuse to the "-" output. There's a big capacitor
(electrolytic? Black cylinder) between "+" and "-" and a few small
(ceramic?) disk capacators scattered around.
The fuse had shuffled off its mortal coil. I mean, even *before* I
desoldered it. Which, BTW and of course, I think I did without damaging
anything.
This thing is so simple even I can almost understand it. Now I need
a 3.7 (? something like that) Amp fuse with pigtails, and a couple screws,
and who knows, maybe I'll be back in power. Definitely going to be a
web-shopping day.
Comments, 'attaboys, "enough-already-with-the-d*mn-printer"'s,
etc., all welcome.
- Mark
Received on Wed Jan 23 2002 - 10:16:36 GMT
