Bought Amiga 500+ and will not boot power light flashing green

[kernoman]

Hi,

I bought an Amiga 500+ off ebay which arrived yesterday however when I plugged it in and powered it on the power light blinks from dull to bright for 10 times and on the 11th its lit for a second or so before the 10 blinks process starts again. I hooked it up to a screen and the display is white during the 10 blinks and black on the 11th then back to white - any ideas?

Thanks

K

[DDNI]

hi Kernoman,
open it up and look at the battery. They leak and destroy the board.
If yours has not leaked remove it (carefully).

If it has leaked, take pictures and post them here for us to laugh at .... Sorry advise on.

Good luck.

[kernoman]

OK it looks like the battery has leaked, it was all crusty and when i tried to remove it the thing pratically fell out - pics attached




Is it dead doc?

[DDNI]

OH Shit that looks awful.... (bedside manner FAIL).

Hmm It dont look good, the PCB is bubbled and lifted. There is corrosion on many components and tracks. Hmmmmm
Compare it to this image to get a feel for the extent of the damage.
http://www.amiga-hardware.com/downlo...s_rev8a1_4.jpg


I wouldn't have much hope of resurrecting that poor miggy. But there are wiser technoids on here than me.
Who sold you that? Was it sold as working?


Where is Zetr0 when we need him? lol

[kernoman]

NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo - I was hoping you wernt going to say that...and yep it was sold as working...

[DDNI]

Try giving the area a clean with Vinegar or lemon juice.
Then clean with Isopropyl alcohol (if you have some).
Let the thing dry for a few days and power it up.
Be careful not rub too hard on those flaky looking areas.
Post pics of the area after you have cleaned it.

Good luck.

[prowler]

Originally Posted by DDNI

Try giving the area a clean with Vinegar or lemon juice.

No! Never use acids to clean an area of printed circuit board - especially one whose tracks are already damaged by battery or capacitor leakage.

Plain tap water is the best solvent to use for this, followed by isopropyl alcohol or methylated spirits to remove stiubborn deposits.

Use a 12mm paint brush with the bristles cut to about 8-10mm length to apply the solvents, brushing toward the edge of the board.

Then follow the remainder of DDNI's suggestions.

[DDNI]

For me the vinegar approach has worked very well.
I have found that battery "ACID" leakage is actually Alkali in nature.... weird eh?

I think that whatever you use on that poor miggy, you need to be very gentle...

[prowler]

I have no previous knowledge of this battery leakage being referred to as battery "acid".

My point is that subsequent application of an acid solvent will only serve to promote further corrosion, whatever the cause of the original damage.

Although the appearance of freshly-exposed bright metal surfaces might give the impression of a better clean-up job, ordinary tap water is sufficient to remove all the harmful deposits without removing any of the remaining conductive circuit.

[DH]

Originally Posted by kernoman

NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo - I was hoping you wernt going to say that...and yep it was sold as working...

Sorry to be a pain, but whoever sold you this miggy has seemingly conned you. Get back in touch with him/her and tell him/her it's stuffed, it ceases to fire up. Get your money back, and try again. I think he/she already knew it was shafted and if he/she refuses to respond with a refund then report him/her to ebay.

I wouldn't even try to fix it yet, until I know whether I can return it and get a refund.

[prowler]

Originally Posted by DemonHellraiser

I wouldn't even try to fix it yet, until I know whether I can return it and get a refund.

You're too late, mate! He's already removed the battery.

In any case, I don't think the board is quite as badly damaged as DDNI has implied, and that is why I have advised against the use of acid solvents.

It's quite possible that the battery residue is providing a conductive path between some of the damaged tracks and pads, and it is this which is causing the boot failure.

If cleaning the board in the way suggested does bring the machine back to life, then I would suggest coating the exposed tracks and pads with clear nail varnish to prevent oxidation and preserve what's left of the printed circuit.

[DH]

Originally Posted by prowler

You're too late, mate! He's already removed the battery.

Yes of course, silly me

I agree with you Prowler, the board doesn't look that bad, a quick clean, some TLC and I'm sure the miggy will be fine

[prowler]

Come back, kernoman! There's still all to play for!

[DDNI]

@prowler, I hope you are right.

@Kernoman, how much did you lay out for the computer?

[PowerPie5000]

Even if you have removed the battery i would still contact the seller and send him/her a picture of the board and demand a full refund as this person seems to be just another arsehole seller out to make a quick buck - i really hate the ones who lie throught their teeth! Make sure you leave a big dirty negative too

[DH]

^

[kernoman]

Wow, I checked this thread about an hour or so ago and there were no further posts and now look at it

I will contact the ebay seller to find out where I stand with this however you have given me hope that I can bring this miggy back to life so if they dont offer up a refund then I will have a go at cleaning it up.

I will keep this thread updated with how I get on and if i do clean it I will be sure to post some pictures

Thanks to all who have contributed so far...

[prowler]

Thanks for the update, kernoman!

Keep us posted on your progress. We're all keen to see a you get a good result here!

[DH]

Yep! We sure are keen to see a good result, good luck with the ebay seller and failing that good luck with the miggy

Fingers crossed mate, whichever way it goes

[Yoto]

@Kernoman
If you used PayPal, cant you just cancel the payment and return the item?
Nasty PCB picture mate, i wish you good luck...