… or … am I stoned? :>
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Just another twelve-hundred
Ok, another day another job 🙂
This time it is the Amiga 1200 which is a super cool retro computer sought by a lot of folks nowadays.
I bought this unit in a non-working state. It was a bit dirty, with some scratches on the case but as it later turned out, required a bit more work inside 🙂
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Decrunching …
Disassembly followed quickly.
It slowly started to become obvious that this poor Amiga was heavily corroded.
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So far, I saw bugs, fungi, leaves, spiders, and other weird things inside computers, but this time it was a bit different lol.
I was STONED 😀
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Looks like someone tried to fix it before me 🙂
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Fixing electronics
To progress with this repair, I had to remove all ports, and RF modulators, and replace electrolytic capacitors.
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Some SMD pads on a PCB didn’t make it because of the corrosion 🙁
I’ve managed to fix that pad with a drop of resin. Once the resin cured, I could gently connect this pad to a trace with a bit of solder.
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Finally, I could clean the whole board of dust, flux residue, and other gunk. Below, are some pictures after cleaning.
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Next, I cleaned all ports with a steel brush on a rotary tool.
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I already knew that I will be replacing the RF modulator with the S-Video module. It outputs way better video than Color Composite and is often a cool alternative if you have a monitor or TV with an S-Video input.
To install it, I usually use two M3 screws. Connecting it is fairly straightforward as it takes 5V and GND from RF modulator vias. It also needs LUMA and CHROMA signals from CXA1145.
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Fully recapped motherboard S-video mod and ports in place 🙂
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Keyboard
A few of the keycaps had broken studs. I’ve gently removed studs that were stuck in plungers and bound them to corresponding keys by inserting a steel wire and using cyano-acrylic glue to hold them in place.
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The keyboard membrane was damaged and a lot of pads worn out so I’ve decided to replace it with a brand new keyboard membrane.
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Metal shielding
I had to get rid of all rust that covered the metal shielding. I’ve used an electrolytic method that I’ve described already in one of my previous posts. Below is a video with rust being removed from A500 shielding.
It worked like a charm so I’ve spray-painted it.
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Case
Finally, I had to clean all of the rust from a plastic case. To do it, I’ve covered all stains with Phosphoric Acid which nicely binds to Iron Oxide.
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Gotek and putting it all together
Finally, I was ready to assemble it. I’ve replaced the original 3.5″ floppy drive with a GOTEK interface that was installed on a 3D printed bracket.
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That’s it! 🙂
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Outro
If you want to get retro gear or hardware modules, please visit our shop -> https://retrohax.net/shop/
Please support our work by commenting here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
If you want to donate a dead computer then drop me an email. Extreme cases are welcome 🙂
two questions – 1) what does it take to make an A1200 work for USA / Power & 2) work for US NTSC Video?
Since A1200 uses an external PSU, you only need an Amiga PSU released for the US market – 110V/60Hz.
Regarding PAL/NTSC, if I remember correctly, it can be set in the early boot menu.