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Re: Jimmy's A2000 - A restoration saga

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 4:00 pm
by Mr.Toast
@G8rduc awesome to hear the history on this! It sounds like a thrill of opportunity, tragic realization, and now some light at the end of the tunnel type of stuff!.

@3dVice thanks man! I actually prefer SMT components for rework, believe it or not. Tends to be less destructive to PCBs but that also means you are probably dealing with more than a simple 2 layer board. Part of that is just having the right tools for the job and some optics for us old guys.

@obitus1990 dude. Fiberglass shards SUCK. Even with gloves and trying to keep a clean workspace, they still manage to find their way into the most painful of spots. Pro tip: Fiberglass will find its way into your shorts :o I don't think I can bring myself to break out the orbital sander any time soon, but the dremel buffing pads really do work wonders and allow for delicate enough maneuvering. They're not cheap though.

Yesterday, I ended up using an entire pad stripping down an Amiga 2000 keyboard back-board that had loads of awful corrosion from God-knows-what fluids. The buffing pads worked wonders to remove paint and corrosion. That thing is painted and waiting for reassembly (new paint, conformal coating on the PCB). Unlike Mitsumi keyboards, each key has a mechanical assembly with four solder points in order to expose the PCB. Unfortunately thats a trap for any contaminantes that fall in between the keys. Super ick. My desoldering station got quite a workout this last weekend.

@oggie, as far as I can tell, battery damage is different on every Amiga. Sometimes it depends on the orientation of the chassis when it was put in storage. Sometimes it can drip it's evil onto other parts/cards. Sometimes it does practically no damage at all-even at the same age. Its all a freaking mystery, man. You should take some pics of the damage and post it here for us to poke at!

Thanks all!

Re: Jimmy's A2000 - A restoration saga

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:13 pm
by intric8
@oggie, as far as I can tell, battery damage is different on every Amiga. Sometimes it depends on the orientation of the chassis when it was put in storage. Sometimes it can drip it's evil onto other parts/cards. Sometimes it does practically no damage at all-even at the same age. Its all a freaking mystery, man. You should take some pics of the damage and post it here for us to poke at!
Man, that is the truth. I had some acid once not drip, but magically float across a board and dive deep in-between a chip leg and a socket. Everything on the outside looked pristine. But once the chip was removed, the socket - the metal that hugs a chip's legs - just fell apart. I couldn't believe it. Mattsoft's approach of soaking an entire motherboard in white vinegar really is a great strategy, not just focusing on the localized obvious area.

Re: Jimmy's A2000 - A restoration saga

Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:51 am
by jdryyz
Wow! Great work on this one. I revived an A2000 with less damage than this but it had me going for a while. I would not have pulled it off without time, patience and the right tools. Still, despite a functional A2000, I think I would've received a C- / D grade on my work. :)

So it looks like you are using a VGA adapter on your RGB output. I assume that means you are also using the VGA input on your OSSC. In my early tests on this, I found the output to my monitors less than desirable. The SCART input on the OSSC proved more compatible with the Amiga but it too has some faults.

I was curious on the model HP monitor you are using also.

Re: Jimmy's A2000 - A restoration saga

Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2019 12:40 pm
by Mr.Toast
@jdryyz - Very keen eye you have there! Yes, I am running an old school DB23 to VGA to OSSC HDMI. I have tried SCART and keep a DB23 to SCART conversion cable. In all honesty, with this setup, I did not notice any significant differences in quality output. If I pushed it to high resolution, I suspect the SCART would provide a better output. This is mostly for bench testing in this configuration as my "playtime" Amiga (usually my A1200) is set up with a 1084S on a permanent basis elsewhere.

The HP monitor was actually a lucky dumpster dive. Its a model HP2709m circa 2009 with an HDMI switcher on the back. 1084 capable, it typically is my YouTube side monitor when I am on the bench and a test display when I need it. Its somewhat bulky but super clean image through HDMI when displaying video content. I would not recommended it as a working desktop monitor as the pixel intensity is a bit hot for text from modern machines. Unfortunately, it does not work with lower operating frequencies our Amiga systems output natively. If this one dies and I cannot fix it, I would shop for another used one just like it.

Toast.

Re: Jimmy's A2000 - A restoration saga

Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2019 12:57 pm
by jdryyz
Interesting. Thank you for the info.