Sound issues?

[thermalthong]

After digging out my A600 and recently also purchasing a 1200 and 500 i have noticed that the sound on all systems is pretty crap to say the least! It is very rough and bitty and tbh, not how i remember it all those years ago. I have read somewhere that this can be down to a 'coin battery' which is located in all Amiga's and if on its way out, can effect the sound quality. Is this true? If so how do i go about getting a replacement and are they easy to replace? If not what else could it be? Me and computers do not get along (dont even know what a hard drive looks like!) and i wouldnt have a clue where to start with regards to replacing a battery on an Amiga (sounds silly i know) or if another problem was present so any info on this would be welcome but please, explain it so i can understand it (i.e baby language!) as otherwise i will be lost!

Kind Regards and thanks,

Wayne.

[DH]

Probably best to replace all caps on the board, the sound problem will be due to the caps for the audio, which have deteriorated over time.

There's more experienced guys on here that can answer you better. This is well documented somewhere in another thread/threads, you just need to do a little searching

EDIT: Here's one http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=62100

[thermalthong]

Still feeling my way round the site. Apologies for that. How hard are these capacitors to do and what ones should i use so i never have to change them again? Looking at that link it seems there is a split decision on the best ones to use!

[DH]

A1200 http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=47326
A600 http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=44138

Can't find anything to do with the A500 yet, but I'm sure there is one

[thermalthong]

Thanks very much for the links mate. What is this coin battery in the Amiga which people are talking about?

[DonAmiga]

there's only a battery in your A500 you'll need to open it up and best to remove it, it will be a barrel type which could be leaking.

[thermalthong]

So no battery at all in the A600 or A1200? On the A500 can you replace the battery or just do away with it all together? If so where can i buy a replacement and is it an easy change? Does the A500 suffer with capacitor issues like the A1200 and A600?

[DonAmiga]

You could just do away with it. If you want to buy http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/...ywords=battery And they do a repair service, if your no good with soldering? Also Amigakit post here on EAB

[DH]

I always thought the A500 to A1200 models didn't have batteries, because you had to get an expansion card with a battery and a clock. Obviously, I could be wrong, It was a loooong time ago since I owned a real miggy.

EDIT: Just checked the technical Reference Manual, and no the A500 does not have a Battery for a real time clock. Jesus, I'm getting too old to remember all of this stuff

Yes, the A500 also has issues with capacitors, over time they break down and the performance is greatly impaired. Old type capacitors break down over time, so anything old will suffer. Replacing them with modern capacitors should give a much longer life span in comparison.

[thermalthong]

Having trouble loading the page (link works but very slow on this computer im on) where are they based?

EDIT: Dont worry found it, Cardiff! Guess i will have to send them away then, p+p is not gonna be cheap!

[DonAmiga]

Originally Posted by DemonHellraiser

I always thought the A500 to A1200 models didn't have batteries, because you had to get an expansion card with a battery and a clock.

Is it not just on the early A500 which have the battery, don't ask me what revision, my brain is going into shut down mode ready for logging off lol

[thermalthong]

Sorry i know its late and im bugging you all with these silly questions lol. Just remembered that i have another A500 in the loft which may be the newer type which has sound issues as well! God this is all getting confusing!

[DH]

Originally Posted by DonAmiga

Is it not just on the early A500 which have the battery, don't ask me what revision, my brain is going into shut down mode ready for logging off lol

I can't find any evidence to suggest that an A500, A600 nor an A1200 had a battery fitted to any revisions of their motherboards. As mentioned earlier, these were added in the trapdoor expansion some using the barrel type and others using the coin type depending on the age of the expansion card. From the A2000 to the A3000 the motherboards were fitted with barrel type batteries and for the A4000 it was the coin type.

Originally Posted by thermalthong

Sorry i know its late and im bugging you all with these silly questions lol. Just remembered that i have another A500 in the loft which may be the newer type which has sound issues as well! God this is all getting confusing!

Don't worry about the lateness, some people stay up all night All Amigas are old enough to warrant the caps being changed. It's up to you, but I reckon the advice you'll get from the experts on here will advise you to change them pronto. Also, if you're not confident in taking on the task, ask someone with the experience to do it for you or you could end up making things far worse than they already are.

[thermalthong]

I want them working 100% so will get them all done evetually and would get it done by someone who knows about computers to do it, My friend works for a laptop and computer repair company so may see if it is summat he can do.

[Fingerlickin_B]

A500+ has the battery

As for the A4000, desktop = barrel battery (except revision D), A4000T = coin battery.

PZ.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by thermalthong

I want them working 100% so will get them all done evetually and would get it done by someone who knows about computers to do it, My friend works for a laptop and computer repair company so may see if it is summat he can do.

If they do actual repair instead of just replacing components, I'm sure he will be able to do it as long as you provide him with all the new components and a schematic (can be useful in case there's some broken traces).

My A600 had audio issues as well, and it turned out to be a broken trace caused by a leaking audio cap, so simply replacing the cap may not fix the issue. When the caps are out, it is important to inspect the area below them as that's often where the problems are.

[thermalthong]

Cool i will get him to inspect it fully. Where can i get a schematic?

[demolition]

Originally Posted by thermalthong

Cool i will get him to espect it fully. Where can i get a schematic?

Here

[DH]

Originally Posted by Fingerlickin_B

A500+ has the battery

As for the A4000, desktop = barrel battery (except revision D), A4000T = coin battery.

PZ.

Yes, I already knew the A500+ had the battery, as for the A4000, thanks for clearing that up mate