Fixing, breaking and fixing an Amiga 600

[@JARVIS1187]

Can‘t wait to hold it back in my hands - and it’s working! Thank you SO MUCH again! Now I can play hours and hours of games! :) you made me really happy!

[@CRG]

Not a problem, hope it brings you many happy hours of gaming fun.

[@datriaxsondor590]

35:03 Ya, but that's why you rock, man. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone, and you own yours. Nothing wrong that. Nice work in restoring that back to working order, as usual. 👍

[@CRG]

Thanks for the vote of confidence 🙂

[@KorAllRBare]

*Solder Mask* Yup.. a toothpick dipped in solder mask can paint around makeshift self-adhesive copper pads to hold them solidly into place before wiring them all up.

[@CRG]

Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to try that in the future.

[@SuperVstech]

Wow. The skill and dexterity you showed fixing the drill damaged traces… impressive.

[@CRG]

Thanks, it just takes a little practise but as I always say if I can do it then anyone can.

[@RichardTroupe]

A good turnaround there! You definitely saved the board regardless of issues. It looks like a particularly tight space to be working in with those caps. Well done!

[@CRG]

It is tight in places but to be honest I also need to get myself some smaller tips for the iron. In fact, I'm going to do that right now!

[@somethingpeculiarthistime]

This is the best Patreon perk I've ever seen :)

[@CRG]

While yes it was a patrons machines and I'm forever grateful for the support I get on there, I more offered to do it just so I could help someone in the community. I'll gladly try to help anyone I can.

[@Mind-your-own-beeswax]

Hats off to you fella for owning up to making a cockup. We all do it from time to time.

[@eugenekiselev]

Thanks a lot for this video! As usual a lot to learn (especially thank you for showing mistakes , this is one of the most valuable parts in your videos!). I wish you could show how you disassemble and assemble that floppy but I guess you can't because of the language in those cut scenes :)

[@CRG]

It wasn't so much but because of the language but rather because it took a good 20 minutes to get apart. I did try to edit it into something coherent but it wasn't working out. The disassembly (once you know how) is easy enough, remove that plastic bit at the rear (there's a plastic clip on the top you need to remove, then take out the spring, then the plastic bit itself). Once that's out push the bottom part of the mech into the drive and the top bit will line up with channels cut in the side and just lift out. Assembly is just the opposite. Hope this helps.

[@eugenekiselev]

@@CRG thanks the whole lot ! Copied this to my notes for the future if I need to fully disassemble my floppy drive. Surprisingly the one I have I managed to fix just by recapping one single cap on it which didn’t require any significant disassembling , happy me :)

[@NeilFeltham]

I would never have thought about fixing those pads with copper tape. I am going to give this a go on a project that I am working on just now.

[@CRG]

Good luck, please let me know how you get on. A few comments have suggest using an epoxy to help hold them down. I have another similar project coming up soon which I know requires new pads so I'll be trying it then.

[@matto20v]

"Bloody 600's!!!" I'm really not sure how I feel about this model. But on another note, a great video as always! Thank you!

[@fu1r4]

20:20 The reason to drill those holes could also be that the table was tilted and to avoid the 600 to slip they have some pins in those holes.

[@CRG]

Possibly although I'm sure there are better ways to stop it moving. At least its fixed now.

[@ChuckyGang]

that padloss I suspect is due to old cap removal using twising and/or cutting that will weaken the pads.

[@CRG]

Possibly but at least its fixed now and should hopefully be good for many years to come.

[@50shadesofbeige88]

I think you did a fine job fixing up those pads. The whole machine would've been dead in the water if you hadn't taken it apart. Don't sweat it. 😊

[@CRG]

Worked out ok in the end 🙂

[@Stoobers]

Great job rescuing yet another Amiga :)

[@CRG]

Thanks, got another one to do in the next few weeks.

[@Stoobers]

@@CRG Nice :) I find it incredibly interesting watching you do your stuff mate. 👍🏼

[@wimwiddershins]

Drilling through the case and into the PCB is a new one! Bizarre!

[@50shadesofbeige88]

Wow thats a super clean looking Amiga!

[@CRG]

It is a lovely example, very white.

[@MrFixiit]

and the other thing to takeway from this is dont dill holes in your amiga :D. Nice video glen.

[@CRG]

Good point 🤣

[@CollinBaillie]

Another note, some UV solder mask might have been a good addition to those repaired tracks. Cheap enough to buy and adds protection against possible shorts and holds the wires securely in position.

[@CRG]

I don't think the wires will move as they are only spanning maybe 6mm but to be sure I'll add some mask to it before shipping.

[@LynxCarpathica]

I repaired a few of those Panasonics, but i only saw the motor-control board one fail so far. as far as I can remember. Those fail more often on teacs too. I guess it's high-is frequenzy maybe? Nice vid! Loved it.

[@skjerk]

Excellent video!

[@arminth]

Let's call it a Glen signature board!

[@CRG]

Maybe I should have signed it 😂

[@mikehibbett3301]

What is the flux you are using? It flows better than what I use

[@CRG]

I use chipquik SMD291. The 30CC syringe is £34 on amazon. Its expensive compared to some but I couldn't do without it.

[@iamdkk]

Using a razor blade on a scrap PCB you can reclaim similar sized pads by scoring around them and sliding the blade under. Glue the pads down with epoxy (you can get high-temp resistant epoxy but I found regular epoxy is good enough to withstand a small amount of soldering iron time. I usually let the epoxy set overnight). I used to be a hot air advocate for removing caps but recently moved the seemingly cringy method of holding down the cap and cutting the base of the can with side cutters, removing the rubber plug and cutting the plastic base free. I think when there is still wet electrolytic under the cap, applying heat can lead to pad loss.

[@CRG]

Thanks for the tips. I have another project coming up that needs pad repair and I think I'll try to recover pads from a scrap board then glue them in as you suggest. Removing caps is always a divisive subject in this retro computer hobby. I always used hot air as up until now I've never lost a pad but I fully accept there are other methods out there. I think everyone just needs to use the method they are most comfortable with.

[@crumplezone1]

Nice job fells, yeah I have recapped loads of A600 and those pads are notorious for breaking free of the PCB after the caps have leaked , to be honest I love the A600 but yes its down fall was the Cheap manufacturing methods of them done by commodore

[@CRG]

Does make me feel a little better knowing someone as experienced as yourself has suffered the same! I've got my own 600 on the shelf but not done much with it yet.

[@technretro7115]

I cut the replacement pads and tracks from old pcb's and stick them down with epoxy resin then tin them up when its set.

[@CRG]

Thanks for the tip, I have another project coming up soon that will need repair like this so I'll maybe try your suggestion.

[@technretro7115]

@@CRG its a permanent fix but for most pads you only need a pin head of epoxy as it spreads. Love the videos and the way they are delivered 🙌

[@technretro7115]

@@CRG without destroying the magic i use Gorilla Glue(two part epoxy). For pad repair I don't even squeeze it out i just use two cocktail sticks, one for the epoxy and one for the hardener. Poke each one into the each nozzle on the product and mix those two little bits together. Gorilla cures quite quickly though. Its workable for 5 mins tops then its quite rigit. If your quick with your soldering your good to go after an hour.

[@kaliban4758]

i think the reason why they never used shelving was that they want a "clean" look like when a painting is hung on the wall

[@CRG]

Possibly but even if you had to drill holes there was no need to keep going through the shield and hit the PCB. Although if it was just for wall art maybe it didn't matter if they damaged it.

[@kaliban4758]

@@CRG if they cared about damaging the mobo they would have removed it

[@Lucretia9000]

I don't know why you didn't superglue the original pads back down.

[@CRG]

In hindsight that's exactly what I should have done. I suppose at the time my initial thought was it'd be easier to use wire but after doing that and even if I had have fitted the correct caps the first time I think I still would have went back and redone the pads. This one really was one mistake after another, no excuse for it really but at least its fixed now.

[@brunorbf]

Nice work. Maybe the holes in the case can be repaired by placing glue tape, or masking tape, on the outside of the case, and from the inside, right over the tape's glue, filling the hole with superglue and baking soda. I would test it before with some useless piece of plastic to check the results. I managed to do some bars that way in an PSU enclosure I printed a year ago for my 3D printer (the grills were too weak and broke, so I had to resort to this technique).

[@envoycdx]

Nicely done. Impressive turn around on the board. Don't beat yourself up too much though.

[@richardparsons6156]

Why not just use leaded capacitor and shrinkwrap over the exposed legs and solder to the nearest components?

[@CRG]

No real reason why not and it had crossed my mind. I suppose the only reason not to is to retain the original look.

[@thromboid]

I came here hoping to find out the proper way to get the board and shielding out of the plastic case, haha! Best I could figure is flexing the case at the right to release the mouse/joystick ports. The slots in the shielding that mate with fins in the case make it hard to move any way but up.

[@dannyarnold9823]

When you are attempting a repair remember you can't break it more if it don't work in the first place, I had exactly the same fix to my 600 and it was because of leaking caps that weakened the pads and I used slug tape exactly as your example no problems.

[@fu1r4]

Why do the video change between cool and warm when you read the letter?

[@CRG]

New camera and me still learning how to use it 😂. The white balance was set to auto but that's fixed now so this won't happen again.

[@CollinBaillie]

Justification for a 2nd soldering station? Set it and lock it to a lower limited temp? Maybe one without the large tips that can produce extreme heat or without the thermal mass to sustain that high heat? Or if you have the space, stuck in a different area on the workbench. High power / high temp on one end of the bench while low power / low temp stuff at the other end. Maybe one of those Pinecil irons for the fine work, they're rated to be pretty decent and don't cost the earth. Just thoughts.

[@CRG]

Yeah I like that idea. I'll have a look for one of those small irons like the pinecil, or maybe leave it and see if Santa will bring me one 😉

[@BigBoy69143]

Getting a higher voltage on switched mode power supplies is normal and as you’ve discovered they need a load. Love your repairs but I would have super glued the damaged pads

[@CRG]

In hindsight that's exactly what I should have done but when they first came loose my initial thought was just get them out of the way. All a lesson though and next time I'll just glue them down!

[@cherrymountains72]

Regarding the damaged pads or troubles you had with them, you might want to check out the Gold Guard Pen. Just search of it and you’ll find it. I saw it on another repair channel and thought perhaps this is what you could use. Good luck :-).

[@renepedersen7141]

It's hard to avoid damaged pads, when changing capacitors in A600 :)

[@CRG]

Yeah I know they like to let go and I've seen plenty examples of it but its the first time its happened to me in an Amiga.

[@miked4377]

great job crg..

[@CRG]

Thanks

[@mogwaay]

I want to see more use of the term Farting About on retro computing videos, criminally underused in my opinion 😅

[@CRG]

Haha, noted for future use 🤣

[@bundesautobahn7]

I thought you'd just have to buy an adapter for a Schuko-Plug (the German two-prong plugs with the grounding pads) into a three-prong UK plug. But I didn't know the UK uses 230 V 50 Hz and not 240 V 50 Hz like in Germany. I live in Costa Rica, so it's US voltage (120 V 60 Hz) and plugs (Type B), but you can fit some plugs with 240 Volts with some hackery, but you'd still need to convert the plug. Maybe next time I could try to get some Schuko plugs from Germany to fit. One thing I like about that Amiga: It has a proper QWERTZ keyboard. ;)

[@CRG]

Yeah all of Europe is 230/240v 50hz. All we need to do is convert our plug tops to suit the outlet. The voltage in our walls is said to be 230v but in reality it measures anything up to about 245v. And yes it was nice to see the qwertz keyboard, it was the first one of those I've seen!

[@runeingebretsen8378]

if you are fixing computers,it would be smart to have all the tools you need to fix computers,even your mistakes.

[@CRG]

What would you recommend? Assuming you are referring to the replacement pads I made, I'd be grateful for any recommendations.

[@runeingebretsen8378]

@@CRG How about,........WYLIE dot repairing soldering lug

[@CRG]

I'll look into it, thanks.

[@mikehibbett3301]

They may have drilled the case so they could screw it to a desk, to avoid theft. Just a guess

[@e630fnr]

What a bodge job! Why on earth did you chop these pads of man? You could have used a bit of epoxy glue underneath to glue them back or even soldering mask on the side to secure them! And why the hot air when you can easily remove all caps simply by using two soldering irons like a soldering iron tweezer!

[@CRG]

In hindsight yes I probably should have just glued them down but it's done now. As for hot air, well, it's just my preference. Some people swear by two irons, other by cutting the caps off. As the saying goes each to their own.

[@e630fnr]

Well, cutting/twisting the caps off is an abomination really! @@CRG 😁

[@Voyager_2]

Oh stop blaming yourself about the pads. Boards that have leaky caps, the pads will de-laminate when you look at them funny. But I know the feeling. Its the main reason I don't do repairs anymore on the more expensive boards, and only true the friends network. People that understand that there is a possibility that a pad lift can happen, or that a 30 year old piece of technology can die without any reason. You did a very nice job here, but please use microfarad and not UUUUFFFFF 🙂

[@CRG]

I know but its hard not to. It's the first time I've lost pads in an Amiga! I always try to help anyone in the community but I have said before I don't want to get bogged down in repairs. I did refer to them as microfarad for most of the video, just slipped into old habits towards the end 🙂

[@SockyNoob]

Yet another case of an idiotic previous owner. Who the hell drills through a computer like that?

[@CRG]

Its a very good question but we'll never know the reason why. I can only assume for making wall art but could be anything.

[@EvilCoopra]

I'm guessing that someone did this around 1999-2001, when the Amigas were considered so worthless that you almost got paid if you were willing to pick them up. 😉