Commodore vic 20 poweroff

[Tapley, Mark B.]

> On Mar 16, 2022, at 3:29 PM, Jim MacKenzie via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> [EXTERNAL EMAIL]
> 
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> 
> -----Original Message-----
>> On Wed, 16 Mar 2022, Diedrich, Bryce via cctech wrote:
>>> Just got a Commodore Vic-20. What is the safest way to power it off 
>>> when I am done using it?
> 
> In all seriousness, in the 8-bit days I always had everything on a power bar
> - computer, floppy drive(s) (if applicable), monitor, printer.  I'd turn
> everything on and off with the power bar switch.  I did the same on my
> Amiga, too.
> 
> I'd leave peripherals I didn't always use, like the printer, turned off with
> their own power switch much of the time.
> 
> This keeps the AC power off the supplies, saving a little electricity and
> protecting the devices against some surges, and saves wear and tear on the
> power switches.  Power bars are cheap and easy enough to replace if needed.
> And it's convenient.
> 
> Jim

Mostly concur. I actually have 2 really nice pizza-box “power bars” which are about the same footprint as a small CRT monitor. They have a single “master” switch, so can be operated as above, and also individual switches for computer, monitor, printer, … so that you can sequence all of the peripherals on before the computer itself if that is desireable. I’m pretty sure my TRS-80 recommended that, and the monitor it had would definitely cause a minor flicker in the lights at power-on, so it makes sense to me to get that transient over with before turning on the computer’s power supply.
		- Mark