Can all registered uses please login, even just for a few minutes..
It helps build a picture where our "good traffic" is coming from..
Thanks :)

A full Spectrum of emotions

Blogs & guides and tales of woo by forum members.
Post Reply
User avatar
chronicthehedgehog
Site sponsor
Site sponsor
Posts: 384
Joined: Sun May 08, 2022 6:11 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by chronicthehedgehog »

Have you checked that the power jack isn't shorted? That was the case with the last broken Spectrum I bought. It's still broken though :D

edit:

I replaced TR4/5 so many times the board just couldn't take it. That was before I bought a de-soldering station though :)
User avatar
rubber_jonnie
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15073
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
Location: Essex
Contact:

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by rubber_jonnie »

HigashiJun wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 8:45 am The kind of situation I hate...

BTW, this is probably unrelated to your issue, but have you considered replacing the 7805 voltage regulator with a Traco Power TSR 1-2450 ? Your machine will run much cooler than ever.

I had a Traco Power regulator in my Oric ATMOS and it did wonders...
Yes, I'm considering getting some Tracos, though the 7805 is working and I do have a bag of spare 7805's and I feel that they are a little overpriced.

However, I'm more than a little peeved with myself because I made a schoolboy error, and this shows the risks of doing stuff late in the day after you got up at 05:30 and did a long day because of a long commute to the office.

Below are the pinouts of the original transistor (On the left) and the alternative (On the right):

PXL_20230914_082147681.jpg
PXL_20230914_082147681.jpg (168.96 KiB) Viewed 1119 times

The specs match, but the pin orientation doesn't, and because it was late and I didn't pay attention, the replacement went up in smoke. Luckily I have an 'ammo' belt of the replacements, so had another to fit, however I now have no +12v or -5v at the 4116's. Nor do I have it at the LM1889 socket either...

So I'm paying the price for pressing on when I was tired, but it happens to us all. I need to go print out the schematic for that section of the circuit and try to figure out what I may have killed.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
User avatar
exxos
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 28678
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:19 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by exxos »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 10:23 am So I'm paying the price for pressing on when I was tired, but it happens to us all.
Welcome to my world :P
User avatar
rubber_jonnie
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15073
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
Location: Essex
Contact:

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by rubber_jonnie »

exxos wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 10:31 am
rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 10:23 am So I'm paying the price for pressing on when I was tired, but it happens to us all.
Welcome to my world :P
Thank you for your support :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
User avatar
HigashiJun
Posts: 2390
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:21 am
Location: Tokyo

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by HigashiJun »

@rubber_jonnie

Yes, doing something when you're tired after a long work day always leads to mistakes...

I tend to think that work days should be forbidden by the law.

:lol:
User avatar
rubber_jonnie
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15073
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
Location: Essex
Contact:

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by rubber_jonnie »

HigashiJun wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 11:12 am @rubber_jonnie

Yes, doing something when you're tired after a long work day always leads to mistakes...

I tend to think that work days should be forbidden by the law.

:lol:
I quite agree!!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
User avatar
rubber_jonnie
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15073
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
Location: Essex
Contact:

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by rubber_jonnie »

So a quick update on the 'RJ Breaks his Spectrum +' saga.

I took a look at the board closely and spotted this:

PXL_20230914_103315742.jpg
PXL_20230914_103315742.jpg (359.45 KiB) Viewed 1100 times

Can you spot the diode that isn't dioding any more?

I removed it and it fell apart:

PXL_20230914_104005362.jpg
PXL_20230914_104005362.jpg (104.87 KiB) Viewed 1100 times

Luckily it's a 1N4148, of which I have many, so I'll drop one in and see how we go.

And we didn't go anywhere, still no 12v or -5v.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
User avatar
HigashiJun
Posts: 2390
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:21 am
Location: Tokyo

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by HigashiJun »

Hope you'll find what's going on quickly and make your machine run smoothly.
User avatar
rubber_jonnie
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15073
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
Location: Essex
Contact:

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by rubber_jonnie »

HigashiJun wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 12:36 pm Hope you'll find what's going on quickly and make your machine run smoothly.
Thanks, me too!!!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
User avatar
JezC
Posts: 2819
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2017 11:44 pm

Re: A full Spectrum of emotions

Post by JezC »

Careful @rubber_jonnie or @PhilC will be after you for taking over his job .. :fire: :fire: :fire: :hide:
Post Reply

Return to “MEMBER BLOGS”