A4000 Haul With Questions!

wXR · 26 December 2010, 01:37

Guys,

I got a bloody amazing Christmas present from a friend today:

Raw Amiga 4000 motherboard, Revision B. I am told it doesn't work properly. (comes with Riser for Zorro slots)
The grossly expensive Cyberstorm PPC card with 060 (one obvious 50MHz crystal installed) and SCSI (!!)
Prometheus PCI Expansion card w/some NIC and Voodoo3 installed (!!!!)

All of this was "raw" in an old cardboard box! Obviously it all deserves way better treatment than that, but I've never owned an Amiga 4000 before, let alone all of this extra kit. I have no idea what to do with this thing, so your guidance is appreciated. First order of business is getting some power to the motherboard to try and figure out what's wrong. Which brings me to my first question:

How the hell can I get power to this thing? I can use a standard ATX supply with some modifications, right? What do you guys recommend? Will those cool little PicoPSUs handle a 4000 with all this extra muscle?

And what about towering it, assuming I can get the motherboard working again? What is the latest recommended method of doing this without spending a whole lot of money?

By the way, if I can't get the motherboard going, is there anyone here who can take a look at it? I am in the New York area.

Cool!

rkauer · 26 December 2010, 02:31

Congratulations on the Amiga!

The 4000 is a way cool machine and deserves the best treatment.

Now, the A4000 uses a custom power socket that is a bit hard to find. I will try to get an original PSU.

Register on Amibay, I'm sure someone there will have a spare PSU for you.

Now, the case: the best is still the classic desktop case, which I think you'll also find easily. Last option is a soulless pc tower hacked to accommodate the 4k with the Prometheus (this board requires a heavily modified case/tower to be good to go).

On the mobo issue: first check the battery area for leakage. Sack the battery immediately if the bugger is still there.

More advices will show up.

AmigaFriend · 26 December 2010, 03:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkauer

On the mobo issue: first check the battery area for leakage. Sack the battery immediately if the bugger is still there.

From your photo you still have it. Do what rkauer says ASAP. Battery leakage it's the fast way to kill you mobo traces.

wXR · 26 December 2010, 13:49

OK will get that off of there ASAP. How can I clean it up if there's leakage (and yes, it looks like there is

)? Is it possible to repair the traces if they've been real damage?

rkauer · 26 December 2010, 20:17

Yes to both questions.

Only a huge leakage can effectively kill an A4000D motherboard.

I know because I had one...

For the leak treatment: start pouring lemon juice over the area, wait half an hour and use tap water to wash both the residues and the juice. Then use isopropylic alcohol to expel the water and let the board dry for a couple of days.

After that, check for broken traces with a multimeter. Enamel wire or jump wire & solder to the rescue, then.

26 December 2010, 01:37	#1
wXR Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York Posts: 552	A4000 Haul With Questions! Guys, I got a bloody amazing Christmas present from a friend today: Raw Amiga 4000 motherboard, Revision B. I am told it doesn't work properly. (comes with Riser for Zorro slots) The grossly expensive Cyberstorm PPC card with 060 (one obvious 50MHz crystal installed) and SCSI (!!) Prometheus PCI Expansion card w/some NIC and Voodoo3 installed (!!!!) All of this was "raw" in an old cardboard box! Obviously it all deserves way better treatment than that, but I've never owned an Amiga 4000 before, let alone all of this extra kit. I have no idea what to do with this thing, so your guidance is appreciated. First order of business is getting some power to the motherboard to try and figure out what's wrong. Which brings me to my first question: How the hell can I get power to this thing? I can use a standard ATX supply with some modifications, right? What do you guys recommend? Will those cool little PicoPSUs handle a 4000 with all this extra muscle? And what about towering it, assuming I can get the motherboard working again? What is the latest recommended method of doing this without spending a whole lot of money? By the way, if I can't get the motherboard going, is there anyone here who can take a look at it? I am in the New York area. Cool! Attached Thumbnails

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26 December 2010, 02:31	#2
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	Congratulations on the Amiga! The 4000 is a way cool machine and deserves the best treatment. Now, the A4000 uses a custom power socket that is a bit hard to find. I will try to get an original PSU. Register on Amibay, I'm sure someone there will have a spare PSU for you. Now, the case: the best is still the classic desktop case, which I think you'll also find easily. Last option is a soulless pc tower hacked to accommodate the 4k with the Prometheus (this board requires a heavily modified case/tower to be good to go). On the mobo issue: first check the battery area for leakage. Sack the battery immediately if the bugger is still there. More advices will show up.

26 December 2010, 13:49	#4
wXR Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York Posts: 552	OK will get that off of there ASAP. How can I clean it up if there's leakage (and yes, it looks like there is )? Is it possible to repair the traces if they've been real damage?

26 December 2010, 20:17	#5
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	Yes to both questions. Only a huge leakage can effectively kill an A4000D motherboard. I know because I had one... For the leak treatment: start pouring lemon juice over the area, wait half an hour and use tap water to wash both the residues and the juice. Then use isopropylic alcohol to expel the water and let the board dry for a couple of days. After that, check for broken traces with a multimeter. Enamel wire or jump wire & solder to the rescue, then.

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