checking A1200 battery and caps ?

[pubzombie]

Hi all,
Ive got three A1200s set up. And Ive never checked them for battery leak or capacitor leakage.
One has a 030 blizzard the others are unexpended.
Is there any particular place on the board I should be looking? a part particularly prone to problems?
cheers.
edit - all three year dates are 1978 that makes me suspect a battery is flat at least?
S

[ajk]

The capacitors you are looking for are little silver cans with black bases. The leakage would appear as oily residue around them, the solder joints may be dull instead of shiny and if it's really bad, the green solder mask might be flaking off too. Dust also tends to stick to the leaked electrolyte more than elsewhere on the board.

An A1200 does not as standard have a real-time clock, so it's normal that the date has dropped back to 1978. The one with the Blizzard should have a clock, so its battery is probably long since gone.

[pubzombie]

ok - gonna check them ! Thank you ajk

[pubzombie]

Originally Posted by ajk

The capacitors you are looking for are little silver cans with black bases. The leakage would appear as oily residue around them, the solder joints may be dull instead of shiny and if it's really bad, the green solder mask might be flaking off too. Dust also tends to stick to the leaked electrolyte more than elsewhere on the board.

An A1200 does not as standard have a real-time clock, so it's normal that the date has dropped back to 1978. The one with the Blizzard should have a clock, so its battery is probably long since gone.

the caps on my main A1200 seem dry and ok.
However, the battery on the 030 is indeed long dead - its not leaking as far as I can see but needs changing.
NOOB alert - how do I change it lol!! And do I need an exact replacement.
It seems to have a plastic surround and i cant seem to slide it out as there is a processor in the way (FPU???)
thanks for your time and help!!!
Steve

[indigolemon]

Originally Posted by pubzombie

the caps on my main A1200 seem dry and ok.
However, the battery on the 030 is indeed long dead - its not leaking as far as I can see but needs changing.
NOOB alert - how do I change it lol!! And do I need an exact replacement.
It seems to have a plastic surround and i cant seem to slide it out as there is a processor in the way (FPU???)
thanks for your time and help!!!
Steve

Hi Steve,

To be honest even if the caps seem fine, if you know they have never been changed, I'd factor in plans to get them done at some point soon anyway. Commodore used cheap parts (no one expected us to be using these machines 20+ years later!), and ideally you want them swapped for quality parts before they leak - as that way you avoid any damage.

The battery on the Blizzard is soldered in place, however it's not prone to leaking so you don't have to worry about that. Its likely to be either a VL2020 (rechargeable) or a CR2032 variant (non-rechargeable). It would be worth checking which it is, and getting that swapped by someone handy with a soldering iron.

[edit] Your pictures show it's a VL2020 - BMW used these in their car keyfobs so they are pretty easy to get hold of

Graham

[ajk]

Indeed, that VL2020 is a rechargeable variant (although even they will of course eventually stop working) which is soldered in place. Even though it looks like the battery is clipped into a holder, those tabs are actually welded on so it can't be replaced other than by soldering. Not difficult to do, but if you don't have any experience with such things, best left to someone who does.

[pubzombie]

ajk/indigolemon,
thank you! Im paranoid now - need to check the rest of my amigas, C64s and C128s!!!
I can build my own PCs but not touched a soldering iron for a long time. Will need to find somebody who knows what they are doing
Steve