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I have gathered all photos of some phases of the work that i have done on the TRS-80 Model 1.

Below the descriptions:

• Cleaning of Nicotine.
• Replaced a bad capacitor.
• Testing.
• Floppy Drive before restoration.
• Replaced Australian Power Connector of the Floppy Drive.
• Restoration phases of the Floppy Drive.
• *Making the floppy disk for TRS-80 Model 1.
• Audio patch cable to hear the sound of the games.

*Is not been easy to make the Floppy for the TRS-80 Model 1 SSSD 35 TRK in FM format. Fortunately i have a old motherboard Pentium 133 with the right IO chip that supports writing format: MFM / FM SSSD.

Download: Some TRS-80 Model 1 games in ImageDisk format. (1126)

Video:

• Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1 (Testing Floppy Drive)
• Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1 (Frogger with Sound)
• Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1 (Attack Force with Sound)

I have received this computer Commodore CBM 8296-D 1 year ago. The computer has never worked, it only displays a black screen without any sound beep at the startup boot.

The repair it was very simple, i have replaced the PLA IC 324745-01 (UE5) and 324744-01 (UE6) with two EPROM 27C512 70ns (suitably programmed). The Universal PLA adapter was kindly donated by Manosoft.

Download:

• PLA Rom 8296(D) (873)
• EDIT Rom 324243-02b (864)

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.

I was very lucky in this repair, the fault is a broken belt that is used for the operation of the Floppy “Quick Disk”.

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I post some screenshots and a video of the repairing of a NEC PC-Engine LT console.

Defect in the console:

Some capacitors have leaked acid on the pcb, i had to clean with the right product made especially for cleaning the pcb before proceeding with the replacement operation. The LCD screen is was disassembled to remove the dirt inside.

This is a little description of the repair of a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1 for a Friend.

The computer comes with several problems.

• Some IC are dead or in shorted state.
• Keyboard flat cable.
• One key “L” is dead.

Finding the cause of the fault has not been easy, i had to ask for a help to Ian, this dude is an expert of TRS-80 repairs.

How you can see from the photos, i had to replace a number of IC.

• 4 x Video RAM 2102 (Z62 / Z63 / Z46 / Z48)
• 1 x Z80 (Z40)
• 1 X 74LS157 (Z31)
• 1 X 74LS93 (Z32)

Stage of the defect (before and after):

Keyboard repair (replacement of internal contacts):

Micro Computer Technical Reference Handbook:

Download: TRS-80 Micro Computer Technical Reference Handbook (2432)

This is the story of a Commodore CBM (PET) 3032 recovered in a pitiful state.

The motherboard was covered of rust and many IC are in short circuit. I had to replace some IC (broken or full of rust), rebuild some paths of the pcb and clean very well.

I have also restored the inside of the case, using an anti-rust gel painting.

Photos and Description of the work made:

Read more…

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This is a Video RGB Hack for the console Sega SG-1000 II (Mark 2).

The Sega 315-5066 Video Chip inside the Sega SG-1000 II (Mark 2) used in the latest version of the console uses two video output formats: NTSC Composite video (converted to RF), and RGB (not connected).

The RGB Video is the stuff from which all other formats are born. Once your RGB is tapped it can be easily converted to Component or S-video, giving stunning output far superior to what the Sega SG-1000 II natively offers (only RF).

There are several caveats, of course. The biggest is the quality of the RGB output – it’s not very bright, and will result in an image without much contrast, so you will probably need to add an amplifier. Even on monitors that display a very good image without the amp you’ll sometimes find the sync signal needs an amp to generate a stable image.

I have used the same RGB/Sync Amplifier used on the PC-Engine, components and the Original schematic are shown below.

Schematic:

Components:

• 4 x 2SC1815 (Transistor)
• 4 x 220 μF 16v (Electrolytic capacitor)
• 4 x 10 μF 16v (Electrolytic capacitor)
• 4 x 75 Ω (Resistor)
• 8 x 10 KΩ (Resistor)
• 1 x 300 Ω (Resistor)

The three photos below show the connection between the RGB Amplifier and the PCB of the Sega SG-1000 II.

In this rainy day i have decided to commit myself to create a boot floppy disk for my Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 4P.

The right steps to create the boot disk:

Download LS-DOS or TRSDos (DMK version) floppy image from here , now you need to use the DMK2IMD program, a tool inside the package ImageDisk to convert the DMK floppy image to IMD (ImageDisk), then … burn it with ImageDisk.

Download:

• LS-Dos v6.3.1 (IMD) (1642)
• TRSDos v6.2 (IMD) (1711)

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I have found a Kaypro 4/84 in a non working state and some days ago i have decided to open it and i have realized that some components of the power supply are exploded and the video pcb was cracked.

I have not repaired the power supply because some components like the two burned transistors (Motorola W30 and V30) are not on the market, if you have more information about these components please leave me a message.

I had to fix the video pcb and i have installed a 200w Slim ATX power supply inside the Kaypro. I have made also other improvements to the computer, replaced the battery, totally exhausted and installing the KayPlus rom that offers some enhancements to this computer.

Below you can find the image of the Floppy Disk CP/M 2.2F 62k patched + Tools KayPlus in IMD format (ImageDisk) for the Kaypro 4/84.

Download: Kaypro 4/84 CP/M 2.2F 62k + Tools KayPlus (1417)

In these days i have had the necessity of a computer with the DOS operating system to create Boot Disk with the ImageDisk program, so i decided to retrieve my old Olidata P133 and install FreeDOS.

I have installed:

• 3COM 3C905 PCI Ethernet Card.
• TCP/IP Stack via 3COM 3C905 Packet Driver.
• Amstrad 1640 5 1/4 Floppy Drive (I had to change a jumper, see photos)
• Upgraded SIMM Ram (100 Mb)
• DOS Driver for Crystal 4232 Sound Card (SoundBlaster Compatible)
• A small fan for the cpu.
• Some Games and Utility.

Gallery:

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My Work Bench for small electronic Repair.

I am very happy to have repaired for my friend four PCB Commodore in one and half hour.

The defects are:

• Motherboard Commodore 64 ASSY 250466 with IEC bus broken. (replaced ic 7406 – U8)
• Motherboard Commodore 64 ASSY 250407 with a Video Output problem with some programs, like FIBR File Manager. (replaced ic 6526 – U2)
• Motherboard Commodore 64 ASSY 250425 with strange character at startup. (replaced ic 4264 – U12)
• Motherboard Commodore Floppy 1541 ASSY 1540050 REV C with IEC bus broken. (replaced ic 7406 – UB1 and ic 7414 – UA1)

My Modern PC with a 5.25 Floppy Drive (Epson SD-600).

This Floppy Drive model works perfectly with the programs: Omniflop / winImage / raWrite.

Download: Diskette Configuration Guide (1382)

I have recovered a Osborn 1 in pretty nice cosmetic conditions but broken ;-(

List of broken stuff:

• Startup Garbage screen.
• Long startup beep.
• Reset works 1 times out of 20.
• Modem port desoldered.
• Powersupply ripple.
• Some screws missing.

Solutions & Fixes:

• Powersupply Ripples: Replaced some capacitors.
• Modem Port de-soldered: Fixed the cold solder.
• Startup garbage screen/long beep/reset: I have replaced a broken 4116 RAM.
• Screws missing: Replaced with a new one.

I have to thank Terry ‘Tezza’ of Classic Computers Blog for the piggyback ram guide.

I used an oscilloscope to find the faulty ram cause all ram in my motherboard seemed to work well. In the photo #9 you can see the signal of the pin 2 (data in) of a faulty ram, while in the photo #8 the same signal of a working a ram.