CD32 Repairs and Recap | Trash to Treasure pt2

[@LGR]

Quite the satisfying restoration. And tedious, haha all those caps. Nice job.

[@RMCRetro]

The zen like state of the recap job is how I find inner peace Clint. Ohmmm. Looking forward to playing some games now.

[@swesorjones4027]

Oh hi. Didn't expect to see you here.

[@CocoaEm]

The Caps look like they have seen some things

[@semplew]

Hail to the king! 😁

[@ag3ntorange164]

Great to see you here. I'm a huge fan!

[@ModernVintageGamer]

brilliant stuff, you've mastered the art of making a very tedious recap compelling viewing. Well done sir

[@1stage]

Agreed. You are a madman.

[@JanBeta]

Nice job! Looking forward to the A1200 upgrade part. :)

[@philscomputerlab]

So that's why all the ATI Radeon cards have pen marks on the caps? :D Seriously, fantastic effort. I get way too frustrated when trying to film my soldering, so that was great to watch!

[@TheHighlander71]

A testament to your patience. Replacing that many surface mounted caps is a job and a half.

[@CRG]

Having done this very same job at the weekend I thought you'd like to know that on my revision 3 board from the factory both the caps you mentioned were installed the correct way and are labelled on the board correctly. I highly recommend to anyone trying this to test the pads as you showed rather than just assuming they are the wrong way round.

[@RMCRetro]

Ooh now that is interesting. Differences on the same revision board could definitely cause some confusion if assumptions are made

[@AlexWitney]

The patience you have for this work is incredible, great video.

[@RMCRetro]

Cheers. The reward of a working system is worth it 🖒

[@tinman7551]

It’s like your videos are the blueprints of every amazing computer and console of my teenage years. I cannot thank you enough for these treasures. Your de-soldering and recap-ing of the board is epic and incredibly inspirational. I’m so building my own station to start practicing!

[@RMCRetro]

Good man I always love to hear of people being inspired to get going. Break things until you make them work :D

[@DrLilo]

When you spend the whole day watching Retro Man Cave and Jan Beta restoration videos and a new one is delivered as if by magic.

[@B3tanTyronne]

I was late to the cd32 party and picked up one up on ebay a few years back - for me one of the benefits is that due to their being practically no copy protection on it, it is quite happy to play a backup copy of a game as it is the original - which makes playing hard to get or very expensive originals possible.

[@fuzzywzhe]

You may just as well run UAE on a raspberry pi. Compatibility is near 100%, and it's doing cycle accurate simulation.

[@LEVELMotorsports]

What a labor of love. This was great to watch.

[@pedroserapio8075]

Watching this videos it's like viewing the fireplace channel in Christmas Night, with the addition of the voice-over it's perfect. Lovely work. My congratulations.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you Pedro I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@Dkentflyer]

Excellent work diagnosing the faulty cap, great video.

[@rachelgraves2470]

I really wanted a cd32 as a kid, and I still do one. I miss my 500+ and keep trying my luck on freecycle !

[@neilblack8362]

This is a golden age for retro game/hardware content! Excellent video as always.

[@Cmdad]

This brings back some great memories. I bought a CD-rom drive for my A1200 back in the day, it connected via PCMCIA and emulated that chip you spoke about, i dont recall the brand. I remember the intro to microcosm wowing me and my siblings. We would watch that intro over and over again in amazement of the FMV graphics!

[@GadgetUK164]

De-ja-vu there on the reversed capacitor checks! Back to black works wonders on systems like this, but as you say - it doesn't last forever - makes you wonder where that silicone goes?!?! Good job though! It's a bit easier just adding the solder onto the cap connection as you hold the cap in place btw, rather than sliding the cap into a molten blob of solder - but there's many ways to crack a nut I guess! PlastX or Novus works well on the drive window too - where they have been scratched on hard surfaces when upside down etc. Nice to see this one saved from a fate worse than leakage!

[@RMCRetro]

GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I'll look those up for the window thank you. Interestingly in another comment someone had a rev 3 board which is labelled and fitted correctly so it's not a given they are wrong. Well worth double checking! Great to see you here as always 🖒

[@miikasuominen3845]

When I got my CD32, I instantly checked the capacitors. As I had done some background research of CD32. On mine they were fitted correctly, though I cannot be sure, if someone had corrected them earlier... Though I have a memory, that I didn't see soldering marks on capacitors. Anyway, I didn't do anything else, because the machine is in very good order. Very clean and no scratches. And what is most important, CD reads very, very well :) I just need a good gamepad for it now and I won't pay 100€ for one, so that too is going to be a challenge ;) Not so lucky on my STFM and STE, though. I'll probably start by getting a repair kit for their PSUs... And of course, then there is always the Acorn Archimedes with quite bad corrosion from leaked (clock/memory) cap... That one is going to be a real test ;) I need more time and money :D

[@robtaylor2045]

Great job. Inspired me to recap my CD32s when I have enough spare time.

[@lancesimcox6348]

Awesome job RetroManCave really looking forward to part 3 now.

[@MarkFixesStuff]

Atten 8586 hot air rework station here. Hot air is great. Reversed audio caps. All the classics!

[@scoobytim129]

Great work, love your vids and the CD32 was one of my many consoles it's good to see one brought back to life.

[@Colidace]

My lovely CD32@1200+HDD! This is my second (after A500) and my last AMIGA model. I sell it in 1996 for PC :( I love your videos. Ah memories...

[@exoyt7575]

Awsome video, thank you for all the care you put in them!

[@RMCRetro]

EXO 2xii you're welcome and thank you for watching

[@jongant4937]

Brill video as always. My (very spoilt) friend from school had one from launch. Luckily he got bored of it very quickly so I borrowed it and played it to death. Never really got on with Liberation but Diggers 2 was fun - kind of a Terraria, 20 years earlier. I think they were the packaged launch titles. There was a nice castles strategy game but don't recall the name.

[@aiclonevoices3704]

I've bought a CD32 off Ebay in great condition. Having played Superfrog this afternoon, I ran into a problem where the right audio channel suddenly started outputting really quietly. Having done some research online, I have reason to believe that the fault lies with some capacitors. Is there any way I can quickly identify which capacitors are the culprit by any chance please?

[@Rip-Van-Tinkle]

Great episode Neil, and some top detective work. Excited to hear of upgrade plans too, this is what I had planned to do back in the day but didn't get to do it, so very interested to see how that works out.

[@electronash]

MadPete It is amazing how many people are scared of learning to read a few block diagrams and schematics tbh. I hope vids like Neils will encourage more people to give it a go, as it can help narrow down certain faults VERY quickly at times. (assuming the rest of the caps in a device might be OK, and the fault is only in one area.) For people who are only just starting to read schematics, it can be daunting, but a good tip is that you can often work backwards from the video / audio outputs instead. You should then instantly see the caps and other components that are involved in those outputs, find the designator (eg. C236 etc.), then locate it on the board. You don't necessarily re-cap every retro machine of course, but many of them were only designed to last maybe 5-6 years (if that), so if you ,REALLY care to preserve these machines for many more years / decades, then replacing the electrolytics very often helps. There is still a big issue atm with "fake" / poor quality cheap caps though, and the fallout from an apparent case of espionage and stolen electrolyte formulas. Only a few trusted sources of good electrolytics remain, like Panasonic, Vishay, Dubillier, Nichicon, but they can often be quite expensive when a lot of caps are needed. Personally, I have often just took a chance on some lesser-known brands, and they are still often preferable to bulging / leaky original caps. (eg. I re-capped a 3DO FZ-1 the other day, and used some rather cheap "105C" rated caps from an eBay UK seller. They might not be the best quality caps, but I think they will be more than good enough, and way better than the failing originals.) Best to periodically check them though, or even better - check them with an ESR meter that is designed to work in-circuit. ;)

[@qettyz]

Bringing CD32 back to life. Easily earned sub!

[@ste309w]

Earlier today I got out my Cd32 and took its top off (ooh er!). I found those two large black caps near the psu input are reversed like yours, bulged and have a strange brown residue on them. Obviously these will have to be replaced and I'm hesitant to turn it on till I have. Thanks for making this video, you may have just saved my console!

[@RMCRetro]

ste309w excellent work well done. Saved just in time 🖒🕹

[@ste309w]

RetroManCave Cheers! Hopefully all will be good once I've done that. Not looking forward to a complete recap.

[@ste309w]

Hi again. What capacitors would you recommend to replace those 2? I can't quite make out the voltage and resistance rating on the sides because of the residue. I think they're rated at 10v? Thanks.

[@frigbychilwether]

Hi, Impressive work. I am amazed at your recapping. I just don't have steady enough hands for that kind of fine work. Soldering a 15 pin D-Sub was hard enough.

[@tonylorentzen]

I'm baffled this channel doesn't have more subscribers. Primo content!

[@Dr.D00p]

It has a great subscription number, given the niche subject.

[@aspectcarl]

Discovered you by KZbin recommendation and loving your work, another happy subber

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks and welcome to the cave Carl

[@NLDXBOX]

Aaah, that nice Super Stardust music at the start bring back memories. Nice job and keep those awesome video's coming!

[@ilikethispost7826]

Another fantastic vid. Glad to see you restoring old tech. It must be really satisfying to do. Could you recomend any books to learn the basics of elictronics to learn how to do this?.

[@LambdaCalculus379]

Glad to see another CD32 brought back from the brink! Great work!

[@smittenthekitteninmittens2679]

such a neat re-cap!! more so considering the amount of them..i guess it's helpful that the majority are not soldered through the board!!

[@ibd1977]

Nice work mate, enjoying your content...Keep it up.

[@RDJ134]

Awesome as always can wait to see the 3th part with expansion and other cool stuff. Great work :)

[@redcray0n]

Loving the music choice this episode! Can’t wait for the next part :)

[@BaumInventions]

Its nice to see that it actually was exactly this fault. Well done video!

[@RMCRetro]

It's always nice to track it down instead of blanket fixing it if possible, we learn more that way

[@fl366]

Great happy to see some Great retro hardware given new life!

[@steelscooter]

Still got my CD32 and A1200 and they work great. The A1200 has a 50mhz 030 accelerator and compact flash with Whdload. Wouldn't swap them for all the tea in China

[@QunMang]

Excellent. I can only wish I had a steady enough hand to do restoration work like this. I had an Amiga 500 back in the day, and had wanted a CD32, or at even an A1200 or 4000. Couldn't afford any of them, so instead I managed a used hard drive enclosure for my 500, and a modest Supra accelerator which had a 68010 CPU. And of course a modest RAM upgrade as well (I don't remember how much, but it was more than the official underside plugin RAM board. I was even looking forward to the upcoming AAA chipset, which alas never came before C= went bust. Sadly, I eventually had to sell the Amiga to get a more modern Windows-based PC.

[@RMCRetro]

Qun Mang a sad and familiar tale indeed. Thank you for sharing your memories

[@QunMang]

And thank you, sir, for taking the time to reply, and especially for what you you do on this channel.

[@mkrete]

Great work! Love the channel.

[@MindFlareRetro]

A fantastic addition to the Cave, and brought back to full health by just recapping -- replacing the RGB encoder chip would have been a fun exercise =/. Well done.

[@flashdniwer4263]

No fires or explosions 🌋📀💣 Woo Hoo !! 😄 Luv these nitty gritty into the electronic weeds videos.👍 And u got a nice vice. Kudos. 👌

[@martinh4982]

You must have the patience of a saint! Just watching all that recapping was painful!

[@BrekMartin]

Nice :) Another one saved. Those two cap footprints are actually hybrid, and are silk screened correctly for SMT caps. It’s just been misinterpreted for the thru-mounts they actually used.

[@RMCRetro]

Ah now that would explain the confusion at C= a little better. Thanks for that

[@ptrwiv]

Great job. Although I didn’t have a CD32 or A1200, I did have the CD expansion for the A500+ which involved putting the CD into a caddy before slotting it into the drive. I’ve not seen any mentions of this drive on retro channels or the like :/ I remember the videos from Pandora’s CD (intended for the CD32) clearly from all those years ago.

[@RMCRetro]

The A570. I too had that back in the day long after CDTV had failed but the PDTV CD's kept me busy for hours and hours. I'd love to get one.

[@BobM925]

I remember my CD32, I had the SX-1 expansion with a floppy drive etc. Due to the downfall of Commodore I put it all up for sale in Micro Mart some time in 1995, and bought an SVGA monitor for my PC with the proceeds. The thing I remember clearest of all - when playing Cannon Fodder during the level load screens (when the helicopter flew past) the CD drive made an alarming racket, yet it seemed to work just fine. Odd. Thanks for the memories keep up the good work 👍

[@RMCRetro]

You will enjoy episode 3 in a couple of weeks when some recent orders arrive then :). Cannon Fodder was a game I watched Jon Hare demo at an expo way back when it was in beta on a gigantic screen. When it came out I played it so much I would hear the damn "eurgh" sound of the soldiers in my sleep. Great memories

[@BobM925]

RetroManCave I was playing it on an emulator not so long back, still a funny and playable game I think

[@David-st1yt]

Hi, interesting video. What I don't quite understand is if the console works fine when the capacators are installed in either direction, what is the harm in it? Thank you

[@Kundalini12]

Impressive video. That would be way too daunting a task for me.

[@DubiousEngineering]

Here’s an interesting thought... if you don’t have a hot air gun station you can use a 12v halogen lamp (car headlight) on a 6v supply to regulate the heat output... careful of your eyes... and yes the heat is less direct!

[@EduArana]

Great video! That monitor is so cool :p

[@therushden]

Fantastic video, as usual.👍will you fit, or is there one of those fancy flash drives that has all the games on it? I'd imagine cd32 cds to be a bit thin on the ground.

[@robbyxp1]

Lovely video. That was a job and a half with so many caps!

[@lwilton]

Nice job. I've still got a CD32 sitting in the living room, somewhere, Haven't tried to power it up in years, maybe i should. If I recall it was a developer machine got straight from CBM.

[@TheGreatWent1]

up until year 2000 the CD32 & SX-1 was my PC ... good stuff

[@Os.-]

Another great video, thanks for sharing :) Am curious where you source your capacitors in the UK?

[@osakamakers447]

This is a great video! Just one question: where did you find the system block diagram?

[@RMCRetro]

It's in this service manual goo.gl/5hnhxT

[@Snowmation]

Great video man, very informative...as was part one!

[@stomperthemixer1]

Awesome parts one and two, love these videos keep them coming buddy

[@robertdutcher8081]

Amazing soldering. Taught me a lot. Thank you.

[@michaelsworkshop9031]

Excellent recap of a recap...

[@Zadster]

Can I suggest Servisol Foam Cleanser 30 for cleaning enclosures? I have used it for more years than I care to remember and it seems to lift off dirt better than pretty much anything. It never seems to attack plastics or leave a residue like general household sprays can. Expensive at Maplin, but quite a lot cheaper elsewhere (CPC etc).

[@RMCRetro]

Ah yes I know the stuff, might be worth getting a few in stock for future work

[@rexvanderpool]

Awesome job. Where did you find that diagram of the board that led you to the capacitor 237?

[@RMCRetro]

It's from a service manual. A quick google should lead you to the manual but if not let me know I have a copy

[@bagdaduk]

I remember seeing this for the first time on The Big Breakfast morning TV show.

[@greedygreggor]

Good job! impressive hand skills and a fab refurb :)

[@DennisRamberg]

I'm really looking forward seeing more since I'm interested in getting a CD32. But I would really love to be able to connect a hard drive and RGB output :D (Haven't done the research yet though) so I am guessing the upcoming A1200 transformation will be very interesting one indeed. :) And this restoration was deeply satisfying btw.

[@Lirio2u]

Hello, What kind of pen did you use to mark the caps? I am guessing that you could wipe off the ink with no trouble.

[@RMCRetro]

Lirio2u it was just a sharpie pen

[@davethomas1241]

I love watching these videos

[@JamalStHill]

Am I the only one that thinks he has an amazingly soothing voice?

[@RyanUkAus]

Love the look of this system and yours came up great! Just a shame no real exclusive software took advantage of it. I happened to come across an unused CD32 not too long ago but it turned out to be one destined for the Canadian market so is NTSC, would like to get it running PAL and not have to switch upon booting it each time!

[@spidermcgavenport8767]

I'd love to own this console one day i will and probably have to replace the caps also thank you for this fix.

[@RetroRecipes]

Lovely video. But equally, every time you post a video I hope it will be about that sexy looking yellow computer from the cave tour! 😉🤞

[@RMCRetro]

Soon Chris....soon!

[@TheRealMentat001]

Damn fine soldering job! SMDs always scares the pi** out of me.

[@refractionpcsx2]

Nice job on that recap! Surface mount capacitors scare me lol. The only thing I would have done differently is I would have put some fresh grease on the cd laser rails just to complete the job, but it was an excellent restoration none the less :)

[@RMCRetro]

Nice idea I might just do that. No odd noises from it but it would be a nice touch for preventative maintenance

[@refractionpcsx2]

Indeed :) Always a good idea for preventative maintenance, may as well make sure that laser continues to work :)

[@rosstee]

@@refractionpcsx2 Hi, my CD32 board is away being professionally recapped at the moment, and the CD drive works fine but I’d like to grease the rails as you suggest - should then have a solid machine once the board returns. What grease is best - not sure where to get some? Any videos on the subject? Thanks!

[@refractionpcsx2]

@@rosstee I'm not 100% on the stuff, but I believe Molykote EM-30L is the go-to for this kind of thing

[@rosstee]

@@refractionpcsx2 Ok, thanks for the quick response. I’ll have a look.

[@roadtonever]

How often do the silver caps fail compared to the black electrolytics?

[@fortnitegod2647]

Those smd capacitors why did they use so many? The machine looks near museum quality you've future proofed yet another retro micro for another day. Great vid Neil 😋...Kim

[@AndyGarton]

Great job as always! What are you using for controllers, the originals? Did they need any work?

[@RMCRetro]

I picked one up at an expo recently which is fine and I have 2 being donated, one is broken so when they arrive I might include a repair in part 3... we shall see!

[@dassrull]

Is this safe to do with a hot air gun without preheating the board first?

[@Gretchen1978]

well done! very inspiring restoration!

[@Edman_79]

Funny thing, I thought that these solid state capacitors should hold for very long time and I mean - long time. Far longer than electrolytic. I guess you learn something new every day :) But it is also becoming quite obvious to me that I'll have very hard time trying to do repair like this in case I'll finally decide to try. My hands shake like hell, oh goodness... it looks so easy when you watch someone who knows what to do. Well, excellent work as always.

[@lordmithras47]

Polymer capacitors are designed to last 20 years under normal usage, whereas electrolytics typically have a 5-10 year lifespan.

[@benbaselet2026]

Those were all electrolytics he replaced.

[@Edman_79]

Even my 775 Gigabyte motherboard cardboard box says in big print that they replaced most of caps with solid state ones for higher durability. By description, I consider electrolytic caps to be those standard non-solid aluminum electrolytic bulging bastards - just to make it simple.

[@Ben-fr8gi]

I have very shaky hands too, and not the best grip. But I do manage to solder and paint. A good work surface where I can rest my elbows is important, and taking a moment to work out the best angle to work at. I try to take the strain off my hands by moving the object around rather than soldering at a difficult angle. But anyone starting out soldering, shaky hands or not should start with some trash boards to learn first.

[@thyatron]

Very well Done Retro Man

[@davidcarr4991]

"At long last, Trill is a free man.... but he will forever curse his parents for naming him after budgie food.."

[@1ytcommenter]

I saw the CD32 at only one dealer in the area back in the time. And unfortunately that CD32 was not for sale. It was part of a kind of promotion piece. So I ended up buying a CDTV set including the CDTV, the black monitor, the keyboard and mouse and the remote control trackball and I was not really unhappy about it. Later i bought the genlock card and the expansion memory card.

[@RMCRetro]

Good or not the CDTV sure did look good

[@1ytcommenter]

Of course it did and still does.

[@ProjectGeek1]

What a interesting machine, Commodore sure did love the UK. Never saw that here :(

[@MrAzztech]

awesome work RMC !

[@smiljanicn]

What is the name of game at 15:32? Cheers, video production is like on Discovery channel, well done!

[@shortymtb]

TF328 gave my CD32 a new lease on life, best thing I've bought for a long time.. :)

[@RMCRetro]

I'd very much like to try one, we'll see what part 3 brings

[@MontieMongoose]

Great video as always

[@brostenen]

Wonderfull.... Congrats on a once again, working machine. They are wonderfull.

[@iwgnma]

very neat job with that recap. Great video

[@betonmolenislol]

i can't find the tune playing around the 8:00 mark in the music list, which one is that? (great video, admirable smd rework!!)

[@RMCRetro]

Here you go kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnbWp2yFg7Gml5I

[@ag3ntorange164]

I think your videos must inflate the prices of these things! Presented with what amounts to a video restoration manual, they make the purchase a less daunting prospect. Compelling presentation. Great job as always!

[@petermcilroy1176]

I had a CD32 and an SX-1 expansion. I couldn’t afford an SX32 Pro that I would have liked and eventually sold the lot for a pitifully low price. I look forward to the expansions episode.

[@janbeck8269]

Which flux are you using, please?

[@MauroSanna]

Lovely video as usual! Where can I get an S-Video cable for my CD32? I can't find one on ebay.

[@RMCRetro]

Svideo isn't specific to the CD32, just a regular Svideo cable. Although do check if you have the 8pin French version of the board or the more common one to make sure you get the right cable.

[@AmigaWolf]

You can buy them almost everywhere a S-Video cable, on ebay.co.uk: S-Video to Scart: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCART-to-SVIDEO-SVHS-S-VHS-S-Video-Lead-Video-DVD-PC-TV-Audio-Vision-Cable-1m/140797555584?_trkparms=aid%3D555019%26algo%3DPL.BANDIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151005190540%26meid%3D77 169c98dc074ee293ae66e4e9fd8f49%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D140797555584&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226 S-Video to S-Video: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1m-GOLD-S-Video-S-Video-Wire-SVHS-Lead-Super-Video-Cable-Tv-1-Metre-male-to-male/140803545249?hash=item20c88b98a1:g:rIUAAOSwKfVXGLa0 SCART Adaptor: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCART-Adaptor-AV-Block-To-3-RCA-Phono-Composite-S-Video-With-In-Out-Switch-GOLD/351024723130?epid=1871375945&hash=item51bab434ba:g:h7QAAOSwR6RaAFuX Scart to hdmi converter (i have one and works fantastic): www.amazon.co.uk/Neoteck-Aluminum-Converter-Headphone-Smartphones-SCART-HDMI-Upgraded-Version/dp/B01KHT1MWI/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1519059605&sr=1-4&keywords=scart+to+hdmi+converter

[@TopSecretVid]

You have a link to the capacitor kit used??

[@Synthematix]

Ive just finished renovating my technics rs-bx727 quartz tape deck, fitted sockets for the 4066 chips and replaced them with texas instruments and changed 30 capacitors 4 resistors and other bits, before the vu meter wasnt accurate when recording its spot on now

[@RMCRetro]

Nice work I bet that was satisfying so see fixed as a result

[@Synthematix]

Mate the recordings it makes sound beautiful! best tape deck ive ever owned

[@CJWarlock]

Supercool! Congrats on the repair. :) Amiga rulez! :D