CD32 not working at all

[BusMaster]

Hi all,

I have a CD32 that is simply not working anymore. The power supply is okay and powers up another CD32 with SX32 and is stable.

From the start, the CD32 had a FMV cartridge and after a short while when playing a VCD the sound would break up like a poor DAB reception. It had been doing this a a while and I decided that I would look at what was the cause (CD32 or FMV). I kept the cartridge installed and ran a CD32 demo disk. It had just got to a load screen when the whole system went off, no power LED or anything. Unplugging the cartridge made no difference.

I sent the machine off for a recap just in case a cap went short, and it had been 10 years since its last one. I have it back and still it does not power up. The power switch has been replaced, and everything is off still. I can hear a faint whistle/whine from around the power input to the machine.

Is there a common fault that has these symptoms? Anyone seen this before?

Thanks,
BM

[Daedalus]

Did whoever did the recap test it while they had it?

[Leon Besson]

YHPM! Bromigo!

And to second Daedalus. Whoever you sent it to be recapped, should have at least tested this out and advised on the next course of action. If not then I wouldn’t want to use them, as they sound like they just took your money and couldn’t be bothered.

[BusMaster]

I had this machine at a good place who did nice work on my machines. The switch felt a bit dicky but I just replaced it anyway as I had one. I didn’t give the go ahead for full investigation, as its normally something I would take a stab at, its only power after all, and a permanent fault.

[supaduper]

Here is Amiga PCB explorer, load the CD32 pcb and check the voltages and also check the 0ohm resistor directly next to the switch to see if it has blown

https://www.amigapcb.org/

[Daedalus]

I think it's a little overconfident to do any work on any machine and just assume it's gone to plan without testing. I always test a machine both before and after doing a recap or any other invasive work on a machine.

But my point was also that if they tested it and found it worked fine for them, it could point to another issue, perhaps a bad power connector or switch that happened to work fine for their test but isn't fine with your own setup.

[BusMaster]

Originally Posted by supaduper

Here is Amiga PCB explorer, load the CD32 pcb and check the voltages and also check the 0ohm resistor directly next to the switch to see if it has blown

https://www.amigapcb.org/

Originally Posted by Daedalus

I think it's a little overconfident to do any work on any machine and just assume it's gone to plan without testing. I always test a machine both before and after doing a recap or any other invasive work on a machine.

But my point was also that if they tested it and found it worked fine for them, it could point to another issue, perhaps a bad power connector or switch that happened to work fine for their test but isn't fine with your own setup.

Thanks supadupa, thats next weekend booked now!

The company was very upfront and I am in no way pointing blame on them, it just went wrong at home and was hoping recap would solve it, its really like a rail is shorted, hence caps on power side. Win some, lose some.
Very happy to give this a go, but wont go too far and if the resister is okay and I dont see any shorts to gnd then I will have to seek external repair, or retire it.

[8 Bit Dreams]

Ive done a lot of CD32 recaps and repairs in the past, often voltage supervisor IC is dead when CD32 stays with black screen after powering it on,
Reset needs to go High some seconds after console is switched on, CPU remains in reset loop if /RST remains low, so You need to replace this IC..

[BusMaster]

Originally Posted by 8 Bit Dreams

Ive done a lot of CD32 recaps and repairs in the past, often voltage supervisor IC is dead when CD32 stays with black screen after powering it on,
Reset needs to go High some seconds after console is switched on, CPU remains in reset loop if /RST remains low, so You need to replace this IC..

Hi. Would that be U14?
I think there is a short on the 12v rail. I can read 0 ohms between 12v pin to ground. Its on the bench at the moment waiting for me to take another look at it.

Thanks.
BM

[supaduper]

8 bit dreams is talking about the IC mentioned here
https://www.tsb.space/knowledge-base...with-a-tc54vc/

[8 Bit Dreams]

Yes, this is exactly what I mean!
This ic is near the leaking caps, and is often destroyed by acid.

Usually I'm starting with DIAGROM to check any signs of life, if console boots - I go further with diadnostic, if it doesn't - I'm checking CLK, voltages, and Reset Signal...

[BusMaster]

Originally Posted by 8 Bit Dreams

Yes, this is exactly what I mean!
This ic is near the leaking caps, and is often destroyed by acid.

Usually I'm starting with DIAGROM to check any signs of life, if console boots - I go further with diadnostic, if it doesn't - I'm checking CLK, voltages, and Reset Signal...

Thanks again all. I looked for a pre-emptive replacement IC, and Digikey has the suggested part in stock, a little over £1 but postage is a little steep so looking for anything else that I may need to get free postage!

I am still concerned about the 12v shorting to ground though…does the IC tie into this or is it 5v?

[8 Bit Dreams]

You should really test Your unit in steps I've described
Start with diagROM to see if it comes to life, if not - check clock, reset Line and voltagees