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From: dryfoo@bloom-beacon.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Power supplies
Message-ID: <1086@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Date: Tue, 7-Jul-87 16:51:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: bloom-be.1086
Posted: Tue Jul  7 16:51:11 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Jul-87 03:26:09 EDT
References: <8707051015.aa23068@SMOKE.BRL.ARPA>
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: dryfoo@athena.mit.edu (Gary L. Dryfoos)
Distribution: world
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lines: 40


I have recently purchased a power supply from BTE:

BTE Computers
14644 N. Cave Creek #6
Phoenix, AZ 85022
(602) 867-8962
$59 (regular for $44)

I bought the $44 model, which still had twice the amps of Apple's own.
It also had only one ground wire.

It also had an interesting flaw.  The symptoms: a startup disk
(AppleWorks or any DOS or ProDOS disk) would boot just fine, but typing
any single keystroke gave many repeats of that character.

Since I was replacing a burned-out power-supply, I feared that some
keyboard chip had fried.  No chip replacement could solve the problem.
We finally, in desperation, plugged in a spare Apple supply.  No
problems!  Everything was fine.

Why?  I tested the voltage on all four lines from the BTE supply (a
Seasonic) and found that the two negative lines (-5v and -12v) had been
reversed in the plug.

I called BTE, and then sent back the supply, along with two copies of my
diagnostic report and the unit's serial number.

They sent me another supply via UPS Blue label (next day service), which
is the way I'd ordered the original one.  The new one is not a Seasonic
(I don't see any brand name on it) and the housing looks different.  In
any case, it works just fine.  They are very friendly on the phone, and
anxious to avoid hassles.  Evidently, importing Apple power supplies is
NOT their main line of business, and they don't want to have to spend a
lot of time mollifying unhappy customers.

In short: I am glad I did business with them, and I hope they used my
diagnostic report.

By the way, what is the problem with only one ground wire?