ScuzzBlog: Diaries March 2017
Entry 11th March 2017: Post: 1
The retro gods hate me
Hi
Could I have more bad luck.. seriously.
I decided to pull the Atom from store and see if it works.
Another computer that I purchased and quite seriously never
tested. I set to and moved a bunch of Spectrums including one
of the two Spectrum+ that I have working. This Spectrum looks
like it spent its life in a paint shop with tiny white splatters
all over the top. Also the Return key sticks. I thought, why
not swap out the keyboard with one of the busted Spectrums so
I get a good case top and working set of keys. Big mistake.
When I opened up the computer the smaller of the two ribbons
snapped off at the connector. Looking at the ribbon you could
see that it had been held together with masking tape. This stuff
goes brittle over time. I then had to carefully pick the busted
part of the ribbon out of the connector. So the keyboard membrane
was a gonner and now I needed a new one.
I must have checked half a dozen, including swapping out the 128K
types but none were working. Each one had a particular issue.
This one Spectrum would not type ‘ Y ‘ but after a while would
type all the letters to the left of the ‘Y’ then only the letters
to the right. At times I got all the keys working. So after a
painful session I lost one more Spectrum.
Next up a knock at the door and a big box. I mean a big box.
Inside was a PCW9512 which is a computer with built in monitor
made by Amstrad. I have been trying to get a working one of these
for years. Sold as not working though the guy selling it assured
me that the machine went through the start up sequence which
would demonstrate that the drive was working. Anyway, plugged
in and inserted my Locomotive software.... and no surprise its
busted.
I decided to bite the bullet and have a go stripping the machine
down. Remember that last time I tried this I actually blew the
thing up. The computer has basically a TV built into the computer
so you have the tube and all the risks associated with that. The
mechanics or electronics for the monitor screen sit on a board
cantilevered out from a bracket over the top of the motherboard.
And then below the motherboard is the disk drive. I need to get
to the disk drive.
So I unscrew the plastic outer case removing the side control
knobs. I then make a note of the many cables and connectors
feeding the boards and the disk drive. The drive is hidden by a
large bracket that supports the monitor screen. Next I unscrew
the bottom screw fixing to the motherboard which I can partially
withdraw. Next I remove the one side bracket and securing screws
to the monitor board. I can then extract this albeit the brackets
are very difficult to handle. Now I have motherboard and monitor
electrics hanging from the main loom and connector to the tube
on the monitor which is hard wired to the tube. Last time I touched
something and the whole thing blew up. I can now see the four
screws holding disk drive. The two on the right are easy. The ones
on the left are very tricky. The one to the front has no space
over so I use a pair of pliers
There are three casings to the disk drive and the ribbon and electric
supply disappear into a slot in the back. Carefully you have to pull
the drive off the front fascia and then rotate below the hanging
boards so you can pull out the ribbon and electric. You now have
the drive free. Remove the outer casing and you get the inner casing.
Then remove three small brass screws and two electronic connectors
to get to the disk mechanism.
Working, my ass. The belt was glued to the pulley wheel . Hadn’t
worked for years. It was like jelly. Took me over two hours to clean
it off.
I then fit a new belt and rebuilt the PCW9512. Switched her on and
like magic.... didn’t work. The drive is aching along slowly. A motor
issue by the sounds of it. I was so unhappy.
Not wanting to give up I felt sufficiently confident to have a go at
my other PCW9512. So I spent the next couple of hours replacing the
belt in that machine. Switched her on and like magic, she didn’t work.
I tried again and checked all the way back to the drive to see if I
had missed anything, but no... just busted.
It was very late by now and I had boxes still out for retrieving the
Acorn Atom. I prepared my tea and extracted the Atom. I mean I couldn’t
have any more bad luck could I. So I plugged in the Atom.. Nothing.
Dead. Not anything. I was gutted.
So I sat down to watch Big Bang and have my tea at well after 10 o’clock.
Big Bang finished and I was conscious of a noise coming from where
the Atom was. On the screen was this nonsense. Loads of jumbled up
numbers in a perfect square. I started bashing the keyboard. No response
and then I hit the break key and like magic.... went into the cursor.
I typed some BASIC and worked fine. I switched off and back on. Same
jumble of numbers, then hit break and straight into BASIC. Works a treat.
So I guess I can have my cuppa tea now. Seriously, do not go back to
the eighties for your computer retro fun. The stuff was seriously junk.
Just doesn’t last. I doubt in time any of it will survive. Saying
all that I am getting mighty suspicious of these belts I get off Ebay.
Dunno. Tomorrow is another day.
scuzz
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