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Archive for the ‘Projects / Repairs’ Category

Some things to repair, test and still other to keep.

May 10th, 2013 No comments

A dear friend sent to me a few things to repair or test, i will see to do my best.

Things to repair/testing:

  • Commodore 64/128 – 1764 Ram Expansion (dead)
  • Commodore 64 Power Supply for the Commodore 1764 Ram Expansion (pcb broken)
  • ZX Spectrum Plus (7805 over burned)
  • Texas Instruments TI-99/A (black screen)
  • Amstrad 464 + (replace case and keyboard)
  • Kung-fu Master Jamma pcb Board (no audio)
  • Arabian Sinclair Spectrum 2+ (dead + tape problem + keyboard problem)
  • Sinclair ZX81 (video problem / testing)
  • Sinclair ZX80 (video problem / testing)
  • Sega SC-3000 (cpu bad socket)

Things for spare parts or to keep:

  • Sinclair ZX80 Original Power Supply.
  • Commodore VIC-20 Boxed cartridges.
  • Sega SC-3000 Basic cartridge.
  • Commodore Dual Floppy Drive 8250 motherboard (spare parts)
  • Commodore CBM 8296 motherboard (spare parts)
  • Sharp CE-510F Dual Floppy Drive for Sharp PC-5000 (Boxed)
  • Chalkboard Powerpad + Expansions (Boxed)
  • Tape Recorder for Commodore (spare parts)

Brand New Commodore Amiga 1200 Keyboard (UK)

May 7th, 2013 1 comment

Replaced a old yellowed Amiga 1200 keyboard with a new one.

Aoyue 857A++ SMD Rework Station donated by a Friend

April 10th, 2013 No comments

I have made some works for a friend and i didn’t want money, the friend then wanted to contribute to my Electronic Lab with this Hot Air Desoldering Station. Thanks, i appreciate it.

Video demostration:

source: aoyue.com

Commodore VC-1541 Repaired & Aligned

April 6th, 2013 No comments

I have repaired an Commodore VC-1541 Floppy Drive donated by Alessio. The Floppy Drive doesn’t take any commands via IEC.

The components that have been replaced are:

  • 1 x 7406
  • 1 x 74LS14

New Donation: Commodore VC-1541 to Repair + Klain Tape + Some IC.

April 4th, 2013 No comments

Material donated:

  • Commodore VC-1541 (need to fix it)
  • Microcomputer Data Recorder Klain for Commodore 64/VIC20/PET.
  • Some IC.

Thanks Alessio for the donation.

HP-85: Pinch Roller reconstruction / Cleaning Rubber / DC-1000 Fix

March 23rd, 2013 1 comment

I had several problems with the repair of the Hewlett-Packard HP-85.

The first problem was the way to reconstruct the pinch roller using a latex tube, this is a very bad choice, then i have used a 10mm heat shrink, this choice instead is very good.

The second problem was the rubber parts of the pinch roller are literally dissolved and the rubber is went to cover the optical diode and part of the pcb and of course nothing has worked and the tape drive was always in stalled state.

After cleaning, the drive started to work perfectly. The last problem are the magnetic tapes 3M DC-1000 instead of HP DC-100, for the correct operation you must perform a modification by adding a resistor of 2kohm in parallel to the already present on the pcb. After this mod you need to format the tape with the “erasetape” command.

I must also thank John of the site vintagecomputers.freeserve.co.uk for the support.

Download:

source: voidware.com/calcs/hp85rep hp9845.net vintagecomputers.freeserve.co.uk

Replace Sinclair ZX81 Keyboard membrane (include Keyboard)

March 19th, 2013 No comments
Sinclair ZX81 Keyboard membrane

Replacement:

Simple steps to replace the keyboard Membrane of the Sinclair ZX81. The removal of the old keyboard is not illustrated but it is a very easy job.

  • Open the Sinclair ZX81.
  • Place the membrane.
  • Remove the adhesive protection.
  • Place the membrane and press firmly.
  • Check the Membrane Connector.
  • Gently insert the connectors on the pcb side.
  • Close the Sinclair ZX81.
  • Enjoy.

source: rwapsoftware.co.uk

Motherboard Commodore CBM 4008 Repaired for a friend

March 17th, 2013 No comments

I have repaired an motherboard of a Commodore CBM 4008 for a friend. The computer at the start-up shows only a black screen

The components that have been replaced are:

  • 1 x Video Ram 2114
  • 2 x SN74LS244
  • 1 x 6520

The computer after the repair works perfectly. You can see from the Photo.

Homemade video connector for the computer Enterprise 64/128

March 16th, 2013 No comments

Homemade video connector for the computer Enterprise 64/128.

source: enterprise.iko.hu

Enterprise 64 (SixtyFour) Repaired for a friend

March 15th, 2013 1 comment

I have repaired an Enterprise 64 (SixtyFour) for a friend. The defect via Composite or RF was a Black Screen but with the RGB output you could see a video signals without vertical sync.

The components that have been replaced are:

  • 1 x BC337
  • 1 x 74LS86 (HSync/VSync to Csync)
  • 1 x 74LS32 (HSync/VSync to Csync)

The computer after the repair works perfectly. You can see from the Photo.

Download: Enterprise 64/128 Schematics (1064)

source: enterprise.iko.hu

Repairing Console Amstrad GX4000

March 10th, 2013 5 comments

Console Amstrad GX4000 Repaired.

The fault is was caused by a wrong power connection. It was ‘resting’ the power plug of 11v on the power plug of 5v (monitor input).

Replaced parts:

  • 1 x Z80A
  • 2 x RAM 41464P

The components have been recovered from the Amstrad 464+

Repairing MBX Interface Expansion System for TI-99/4A

March 10th, 2013 No comments

TI-99/4A MBX Expansion System Repaired.

The interface MBX Expansion System was dead and the power voltage was in short-circuited. The failure was caused by the filter between the power supply and the 7805.

Video:

Enterprise 64 & Archimedes 310: A few things to repair for a friend.

March 3rd, 2013 No comments

A few things to repair for a friend.

  • Enterprise 64
  • Archimedes 310

Defect: unknown.

Atari 800XL repaired for a friend

March 3rd, 2013 1 comment

I have repaired an Atari 800XL for a friend. The failure was caused by a faulty cpu, the computer freezes after 10 minutes of operation, using an oscilloscope i have noticed that the clock pin of the cpu did not give me more signal but when i have used the synthetic ice spray on the cpu has resumed to work.

This type of cpu (Atari customized 6502 – C014806-12 Sally) is not easy to find but fortunately a friend of mine (Carlo) has found a spare part for me.

Mattel Intellivision (PAL) RGB Video Mod

March 2nd, 2013 5 comments
Testing the RGB Video Mod

Details:

Jump here for the commercial RGB mod for the Mattel Intellivision

I have found this RGB mod for the Mattel Intellivision console fom a site, i have searched on the net if anyone has tried this mod, but nothing, so, i have tried to do it myself.

This mod is not easy to do, especially if one has no experience in electronics, however the result at the end is spectacular.

Schematics (click to zoom):