ACORN A5000 inbound

[stephen_usher]

I think the mouse is dealt with by the keyboard processor. Use some contact cleaner as the micro-DIN connector isn't great after all this time. I have to wiggle the mouse connector on my A4000 to get it fully working.

[HigashiJun]

Yes, but my A3000 mouse works flawlessly...

I will try to clean the mouse side connector and see what happens.

[HigashiJun]

Hmm, there are more issues than expected with the A5000...

- Sometimes boot directly to RiscOS desktop, but sometimes it's just a black screen with a blinking cursor. A reset or a power off/power on often solves this issue.

- Only 1 MB of RAM is recognized, but the machine has 2 MB onboard and 2 extra MB on the RAM expansion.

- No floppy icon on the desktop.

I found another broken trace, but I don't think it will solve any of the above mentioned issues.

[rubber_jonnie]

Hmm, there are more issues than expected with the A5000...

- Sometimes boot directly to RiscOS desktop, but sometimes it's just a black screen with a blinking cursor. A reset or a power off/power on often solves this issue.

- Only 1 MB of RAM is recognized, but the machine has 2 MB onboard and 2 extra MB on the RAM expansion.

- No floppy icon on the desktop.

I found another broken trace, but I don't think it will solve any of the above mentioned issues.

I 'fixed' mine and then got some weird issues similar to yours and ended up replacing the electrolytics around the RAM as all were leaky with dull solder nearby.

Also, there is a really long trace that runs up the board towards the front and the RAM area and on mine it was eaten through and I had to rewire.

As for the mouse aside from Deoxit or similar in the DIN socket, it may be worth pulling the keyboard apart and checking for bad solder joints on the socket.

[HigashiJun]

@rubber_jonnie

I will definitely check all that.

I guess the mouse is another problem. Its a Logitech M-PG15 as I wrote earlier, but was not made for Acorn, so the pinout maybe different. A cable (or a rewire) from CJE would surely do the trick.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185652872744?h ... R8iQtMCIYw

My A3000 mouse works great with the A5000.

[rubber_jonnie]

@rubber_jonnie

I will definitely check all that.

I guess the mouse is another problem. Its a Logitech M-PG15 as I wrote earlier, but was not made for Acorn, so the pinout maybe different. A cable (or a rewire) from CJE would surely do the trick.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185652872744?h ... R8iQtMCIYw

My A3000 mouse works great with the A5000.

You may be able to rewire the mouse internal plug yourself, looks like the pins can be easily moved.

Also check continuity from the mouse to the plug if you haven't already tried, as that cable isn't cheap, which seems to be a theme with these machines, expense...

[HigashiJun]

@rubber_jonnie

Yes, I will first try to rewire.

The cable is an alternative just in case.

[stephen_usher]

Is the NVRAM working OK? Sometimes booting to black screen is a sign of NVRAM settings not being right or being lost.

The drive settings (and whether they show up on the desktop) is also held in NVRAM.

[rubber_jonnie]

Is the NVRAM working OK? Sometimes booting to black screen is a sign of NVRAM settings not being right or being lost.

The drive settings (and whether they show up on the desktop) is also held in NVRAM.

That's right, no battery means a CMOS reset, so you need to reset it on every boot unless you're really quick!

[HigashiJun]

@stephen_usher @rubber_jonnie

The CMOS should be OK.

It keeps all the previous information stored in it (RAM DISK, etc.).

When I say 'reset', I mean the button at the back of the keyboard, not the 'R' key or 'DEL' at boot.