We’re not exactly fans of using original PSUs for our fleet of Amigas. Let’s face it—they’re ancient, unreliable, and about as trustworthy as a cat guarding a fishbowl. That’s why all of our power supplies have been upgraded to sport Mean Well PSUs (you can check out our experience in the article below).
But then, we spotted this little gem on eBay and knew it had to join our collection of weird and wonderful Amiga accessories. Listed as “fully working,” it turned out to be as functional as a chocolate teapot. Naturally, we added it to our to-do list and then promptly forgot about it.
Fast-forward over a year, and we unearthed it from the back of a shelf. It was time to bring this little piece of Amiga history back to life.
What is the Goliath PSU?
The Datel Goliath PSU isn’t exactly a marvel of engineering. It’s essentially an ATX PSU wearing an adapter cape to deliver the appropriate voltages to the Amiga power connector (+5, +12, -5, and GND).
From what little information we could dig up, this PSU seemed to have been sold mostly in Europe, which makes sense—it has that “Euro-kitsch” charm about it.
Yep, it was broken
Firing it up after all that time gave us a predictable result: still very dead. The voltage lines to the Amiga power cord were flatlined at zero. The internal PSU was beyond help. Instead of attempting to fix this relic, we decided to Frankenstein it by swapping in a spare 600W Gigabyte PSU.
Not Fully working 🙁
Yes, that’s the original PSU and yes they are electrical blocks 😀
The Replacement Parts
Apart from the donor PSU, the only other component needed was an ATX power board. Sure, we could have wired the Amiga supply harness directly to the new PSU, but where’s the fun in that? The ATX boards have fuses on the power lines, adding an extra layer of protection—and we’re all about protecting our beloved Amigas.
ATX Power Board on Amazon – https://amzn.to/42rF2iN
The Swap
First, we tested the ON/OFF switch for output, identified the right wires, and soldered them to the ATX power board’s switch. This allowed the Goliath’s tactile power button to spring back to life.
Fused ATX power Adapter
Once the switch was functional, we turned our attention to the PSU’s unnecessary extra cables. These were snipped, heat-shrinked, and bundled like they were heading to cable purgatory. Sure, we could’ve desoldered them properly, but hey, time is money—and laziness is free.
Lots of cables for the bin!
Snip snip!
With the unnecessary cables mercilessly snipped and bundled away, the replacement PSU was installed and connected to the ATX power board. The final challenge? Cracking the code on the wiring for the Amiga harness—like deciphering a treasure map, but with less pirates and more voltage.
Armed with my trusty multimeter (a gadget that earns its keep every single time), I sketched out a wiring diagram, stripped the wires with surgical precision, and connected them to the appropriate terminals on the ATX power board. Voilà! A masterpiece of practical engineering—or, at the very least, a functional PSU.
Assembly
A healthy dose of hot glue, cable ties, Kapton tape, and a dash of Amiga disk labels later, it was time for the big test. With a multimeter in hand and nerves of steel, I powered it on. Success! The replacement Goliath breathed life into one of our spare Amiga main boards without breaking a sweat.
Let’s call this… a BETA version. It ain’t pretty, but it works.
It ain’t pretty but works. Let’s call this a BETA version
GREAT SUCCESS
Verdict
This might have been a scrappy, slapdash project, but it’s comforting to know our Amiga fleet now has a reliable PSU option. Even our Hulk 1200—with all its upgrades, including hard drives, a TF1260 Rev. 6 060, and a PiZero A314 adapter for internet connectivity—handled the Goliath’s 600W of power with ease. Goliath POWERRRRRR!
GOLIATH POWERRRRRR!
Hulk ready to take on the demands of the Retro32 BBS with all 600W of Goliath power behind it
What’s next
The only thing left to do is swap out all that hot glue for a neat 3D-printed insert. Maybe I’ll tackle that in the next few years—or, you know, whenever I stop procrastinating.
Let’s hear from you
Do you remember the Datel Goliath PSU? Did you own one back in the day? Any fond (or not-so-fond) memories of Amiga PSUs? If you have any juicy details about the mighty Goliath, drop a comment below. Let’s chat retro tech!
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
