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Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

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exxos
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by exxos »

Slowly increasing the current on the 5v and videl is getting "burn your fingers hot".

20261006_141818.jpg
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by rubber_jonnie »

exxos wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 1:44 pm
I will do that, but likely next week as need to dismantle the whole thing and too poorly to start doing that right now.
Hope you feel beeter soon.
exxos wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 1:44 pm But its burned the PCB under the switch by the looks of it, can't tell without removing it all, but looks like the burnt part is between the mains track and switch, and mounting bolt.
Makes me wonder if the mounting bolt/screw/nut was too long and played a part in shorting it. I'll await the switch post mortem with interest.
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by rubber_jonnie »

exxos wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 2:21 pm Slowly increasing the current on the 5v and videl is getting "burn your fingers hot".


20261006_141818.jpg
If you lift the VCC pin of the Videl does it help?
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...
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by exxos »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 2:24 pm If you lift the VCC pin of the Videl does it help?
That's my next point of call.. But not in my current poorly state..
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by alexh »

Wishing you a speedy recovery.
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by rubber_jonnie »

exxos wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 2:30 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 2:24 pm If you lift the VCC pin of the Videl does it help?
That's my next point of call.. But not in my current poorly state..
Fair enough, hope you feel better soon.

Feeling a bit grim myself after my flu jab. I know it's not a live jab, but it still makes me feel crappy.
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...
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by kohli79 »

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll be able to save the Falcon. :(
And get well soon!
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by exxos »

Plot twist.. The burned track is actually earth! So looks to have had "flashover" from earth to the CT60 pins.
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by PhilC »

exxos wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 4:38 pm Plot twist.. The burned track is actually earth! So looks to have had "flashover" from earth to the CT60 pins.
You'll need to remove the switch etc to look at that PCB properly. Also could have grounded through ct60 via exploded 144xl?
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Re: Falcon030 dead after Centuriontech CT60/CT60PSU incident - investigation begins

Post by exxos »

PhilC wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2026 4:56 pm You'll need to remove the switch etc to look at that PCB properly. Also could have grounded through ct60 via exploded 144xl?
But there's the thing, it's a system wide ground and I even checked the power supply. Main's earth goes in from the socket through a bunch of wiring and the PCB, goes to the main power supply board and I continuity checked it through a standoff and even deliberately left it loose to check as well, which connects to ground on the motherboard.

So if everything has the same ground potential and theoretically the highest voltage on the mode pin would just be five volts. So where is the huge potential difference come from..

Everything is ground reference to the same voltage potential. So there is nothing to flash over because essentially it is a straight piece of wire.. Where somehow it's ended up with probably a few thousand volts to jump over that distance.. Which my poorly functioning brain currently says is theoretically impossible? :stars:

Even if you take out the 5v aspect out, and just treated it one ground loop, it basically goes from mains to the power supply board to the Falcon to the CT60 back to the mains board and somehow on that length it has ended up with a few thousand volts between each end even though they are the same signal :lol:
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