Power Supply

From C64-Wiki

[edit] Description

Over the power supply connector the C64 receives its voltage. The connector of the external power supply must be plugged in this connector. The power supply provides 5 volt direct current (DC) and 9 volt alternating current (AC). Next to the power supply connector the power switch is located.

[edit] Contact assignment

The power supply connector is a 7 pin DIN connector (DIN 45329).

Pin	Signal	Comment
1	GND	Ground
2	GND	Ground
3	GND	Ground
4	-	unassigned, possibly 5 volt, too
5	+ 5V DC	5 volt direct current
6	9V AC	9 volt alternating current
7	9V AC	9 volt alternating current

Advice:

It should be possible to load the 5 volt of the external power supply with at least 1.5 ampere.

The 9 volt alternating current (AC) is the reference frequency for the internal clock and - after alignment - is used for the power supply of the SID chip (9 or 12 volt) and the motor of the Datasette (6 volt).

The pin assignment has been thoroughly checked (pin 1 is between pin 4 and 6, pin 3 is between pin 5 and 7). You can find differing assignments on the internet which have never existed and are just completely wrong. Nevertheless, we cannot warrant the correctness. The inversion of pin 6 and 7 would have no consequences in case of the alternating current, as well as the inversion of pin 4 (unused) and pin 5 (5 volt) will only cut the C64 from the current supply. If you build your own power supply or if you repair a power supply cable, it is recommendable to check everything twice, for "nothing dies as silently as a microprocessor."