Filthy A2000 mb needs cleaning -- Help!!
 

Hi,

I just picked up a woebegone A2000 off Ebay. I knew that I was going to have to clean it up a bit from the pics, but I was shocked when I opened up the case. I swear there was at least 20 years worth of dust and filth at least a quarter inch deep all over the motherboard. Of course to make it worse, you guessed it, the battery had leaked! :o

Okay..... When I recovered enough to breath again, I decided that the first thing I could do was neutralize any lingering battery acid by making a paste of baking soda and water and smear it around the area surrounding the battery. Once I had the motherboard out of the case I could then remove the battery and give the mb a good soak in alcohol and then rinse with distilled water.

Now comes the irritating thing. How the heck do you get the A2000 mb out of the flaming case? I have unscrewed the screws holding the mb to the bottom of the case, but it's not budging. What am I missing? :banghead

I've had my A2000 board out before and don't remember it being too much trouble... do you need to unscrew all the little nuts next to the ports at the back to get the mobo free??

Hi,

Found two more screws holding the md to the case, one on one of the mouse port jack and the other on the serial jack. who'd thought C= would have been so sneaky. :nervous

Anyway I'll post before and after pics if anyone is interested.

As for cleaning the mobo just stick it in the dishwasher with your next load and then dry it out properly.

@DropCheck

Before and after pics... YES PLEASE... we love restoration projects here at the EAB :)

And dirty p0rn - eh, Zetr0?

pr0n pictures are mana for zetr0 :D

WHOOT :)

Hardware Pr0n :D

1) remove battery first
2) preferably all socketed chips too
3) don't wash PCB's with your dirty dishes, else you'll have bits of food stuck all around your PCB

@Jopylicious

good call on things to do first, I would add that not to wash it higher than 65 degrees... and not to worry about the soap tab as the salt crystals will clean it for you.

:)

I wonder should I removed the socketed chips before I soak? Does anyone know?:shocked

@Dropcheck

i would say... YES :)

arguably as long as you air it well after wards it wont make much difference. but if your gonna do a job.... its best to do the job properly ;)

1) Yep, got the battery out first thing.

2) Decided to leave in, at least for now. There's a 2 meg Fast Ram Agnus mod on the board and I didn't fancy removing and then installing it again without the proper chip puller. Actually I don't know how I could remove it short of simply pulling the mod board off by hand. There's no way I could get a PLC chip puller to the Agnus socket on the mb. You'll see in the pics I'll post later.

3) Aww... shucks... I was hoping to start a fad, spagetti and meatballs ala Amiga 2000 motherboard. What'd you think?:crazy

Caution..... Caution..... Do not try this at home children. Soaking in 3 quarts of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol for 20min is not recommended without proper ventilation. Could lead to possible brain damage and certain flights of fancy. I told the policeman 'that I was just pickin' flowers' as he led me down the roof ladder to the ground. I don't think he believed me, but he had such a nice smile. :spin

Stay tuned. Drying will take a couple days or so. Then I'll start putting everything back together again. Pics are coming!

LOL

promise of hardware pics, such promises are taken very seriously.... some of us here need hardware pron to survive....

If you don't come through with the goods then Zetr0 will stick you like a pig.

PS. What does the gnomes sign in your avatar say Zetr0?

"Need Mana"

as in manna juice for the wizard avatar that i usually have...


only 69 more posts and i will have enough mana to reclaim my avatar :)

Okay.... now that I have sobered up from the alcohol fumes. ;)

With the cover off and just looking at the front, I didn't think it would be too bad....

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/front.jpg


I was wrong.

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/inside1.jpg
http://www.dropchecks.com/images/inside2.jpg
http://www.dropchecks.com/images/psbefore.jpg

But then I spied something strange. My web browser sped to the Amiga Big Book of Hardware website. After much searching and comparing it seems this piece is a fabled 2 meg Fast Ram Super Agnus mod board.

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/mysteryboard.jpg
http://www.dropchecks.com/images/mysteryboard2.jpg

One thing for sure I had to get that battery off and this poor board and ps into the bath. No self respecting Amiga 2000 mb would be caught dead looking like this. :spin

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/dustyboard.jpg

So off came the leaking battery and into the bath the board went.

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/gonebattery.jpg

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/takingabath.jpg

After much swishing and brushing with a pastry brush I pulled her out to dry.

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/dryingout.jpg

Of course I couldn't forget about the ps. I wasn't going to put that dust bowl object back in uncleaned. :)

http://www.dropchecks.com/images/psafter.jpg

Now I'm not finished just yet. But this should get you by until the next batch of pics Zetr0. :)

wow 1 spanking clean machine. thats some good gleaming there

Awesome stuff!!!!!!

Did it work when you recieved it? How much was it?