Archie A3000 inbound

[HigashiJun]

@rubber_jonnie

It's already done.

The battery was removed by the previous owner and the board looks clean at first sight, but I have to check thoroughly.

Sorry, I did not take more pics...

I have already ordered some missing chips (the RTC and x2 74HCT245T) and asked CJE for a keyboard.

TBH, I first bought this A5000 to scavenge the ARM3 CPU for a CPU upgrade in my A3000, but since the motherboard looks good, I was inspired...

[HigashiJun]

[rubber_jonnie]

@rubber_jonnie

It's already done.

The battery was removed by the previous owner and the board looks clean at first sight, but I have to check thoroughly.

Sorry, I did not take more pics...

I have already ordered some missing chips (the RTC and x2 74HCT245T) and asked CJE for a keyboard.

TBH, I first bought this A5000 to scavenge the ARM3 CPU for a CPU upgrade in my A3000, but since the motherboard looks good, I was inspired...

Yeah, I had to replace the CMOS/RTC chip and the 245's in mine, the battery goo really gets everywhere. Be aware that there is a long trace that runs along the same edge where the battery is, and this failed AFTER my other repairs due to the battery goo, so I'd give it a good going over with vinegar and IPA.

I would add that despite being told they are usually fine, I also found SMD caps leaking on the mainboard, so give them a damn good look over as well, as they caused me issues too.

No keyboard, ouch. Do you have a mouse, or are you getting one from CJE too? Bloody expensive bits, and reminds me I haven't yet finished my mouse ball recreation!

[HigashiJun]

Yeah, I had to replace the CMOS/RTC chip and the 245's in mine, the battery goo really gets everywhere. Be aware that there is a long trace that runs along the same edge where the battery is, and this failed AFTER my other repairs due to the battery goo, so I'd give it a good going over with vinegar and IPA.

I would add that despite being told they are usually fine, I also found SMD caps leaking on the mainboard, so give them a damn good look over as well, as they caused me issues too.

No keyboard, ouch. Do you have a mouse, or are you getting one from CJE too? Bloody expensive bits, and reminds me I haven't yet finished my mouse ball recreation!

The board looks really pristine compared to the one in my A3000, so I guess the previous owner removed the battery quickly.

After a quick glance, the SMD caps look alright.

Yes, parts are expansive but I always prefer original ones, so there's no way to avoid high prices...

I will for my tests use the A3000 mouse, and then buy another one for the A5000 but I want to give priority to other expansions first.

[rubber_jonnie]

The board looks really pristine compared to the one in my A3000, so I guess the previous owner removed the battery quickly.

Fingers crossed

After a quick glance, the SMD caps look alright.

Probably variable depending on where it was stored and for how long. Did you have to import it, or did you find it locally?

Yes, parts are expansive but I always prefer original ones, so there's no way to avoid high prices...

They certainly are, and I don't think there is much option with the Archies. I managed to get a replacement mouse on ebay with a bad button, if you recall it was the plug that was the issue, but for the price compared to NOS, it was worth the effort of fixing it.

I was lucky mine at least came with a keyboard and mouse, even if the mouse ball was dust!!

I will for my tests use the A3000 mouse, and then buy another one for the A5000 but I want to give priority to other expansions first.

Yeah, I can understand that.

[HigashiJun]

@rubber_jonnie

I will post some pictures of the A5000 motherboard once I get the required chips and start the repair job.

I remember your mouse story... The hardest part of such a repair is to find the appropriate mouse ball if yours is in a bad shape. And unlike Ataris, the best option is to make your own one.

The A5000 came from the UK and to be honest, I never saw an Acorn computer on the local auction sites.

More to come later...

[rubber_jonnie]

@rubber_jonnie

I will post some pictures of the A5000 motherboard once I get the required chips and start the repair job.

I remember your mouse story... The hardest part of such a repair is to find the appropriate mouse ball if yours is in a bad shape. And unlike Ataris, the best option is to make your own one.

The A5000 came from the UK and to be honest, I never saw an Acorn computer on the local auction sites.

More to come later...

Sounds cool, looking forward to seeing how yours looks inside. Still working on a mouse ball solution, I can't make them heavy enough!

[HigashiJun]

Update: a keyboard and a mouse are on their way...

[rubber_jonnie]

Update: a keyboard and a mouse are on their way...

Nice

[alexh]

Maybe start a new thread for the A5000? I am very interested as my A5000 alpha motherboard has been out of the case on my desk for almost 2 years now. I snipped off the battery, neutralised with white vinegar and rinsed with deionised water and IPA but as I am cleaning the green Verdigris away very gently with a cotton bud I accidentally wiped away an SMT resistor (that had it's pads affected by battery damage) and so stopped.