Help with new maybe-dead Amiga

[CLXIV]

Hi guys, I just got my very first Amiga (500, rev 5) and I could really use some help with it. I think it's dead... but maybe it can be fixed?

The eBay listing looked like it was in great condition (looking at the pics now they chose their angles carefully to avoid showing damage). So I get it out the box and see the side expansion cover is all bent out of shape and won't attach and the lower half of the case is actually bent out under the lip of the upper half. There's also something rattling loose inside.

Anyway I figured I should test the thing before I open it up to sort things out and I did get the floppy disk hand screen. Popped in my Workbench floppy but it wouldn't boot. Went to eject the floppy and it won't eject - seems the drive isn't seated right so the disk is hitting the edge of the case.

So obviously at that point I need to open it. I unplug and set aside the keyboard, loosen the floppy drive* screw in the plastic fork bit that sticks up and then settle the drive down so the eject button is flush with the case and screw the drive back into the fork. Replug the keyboard, power it on and... it's dead. No lights, no video output.

I notice a whining from the power supply that I didn't hear on that first successful power-on but other than that, no signs of life. Switched off the power supply and hear something very much like a hard disk spinning down.

I should mention at this point the seller expressed a lack of faith in the bundled PSU (let's call it PSU1) so I bought the best condition (best looking condition anyway) tested power supply I could find on eBay. That can be called PSU2, and that's what I've been using to this point.

I figure at this stage there's no harm in trying the bundled PSU1 and seeing if I have any luck with that. This time I still get no lights but get some kind of video output (like a widescreen horizontal swathe of blue with a thin white running along the top). But that's all I get.

So I open the Amiga of the Damned back up again and remove the metal shielding just to make sure I've got the keyboard connector properly in (mine is much stiffer than what I've seen in Youtube videos and requires a little effort to free and plug in). I also unplugged and replugged the floppy drive connectors while I was in there.

Power it back up and this time neither PSU gives any output at all (PSU2 still whines and "spins down" when switched off).

I should mention first of all, I'm no electrical engineer and lack the device and the know-how to test continuity etc like those Youtubers do. Secondly, I am familiar with the insides of PCs and ground myself frequently. That said, the exposed metal of both PSU connectors gave me little shocks several times with my clumsy unplug/replugs and I could have sworn the port next to the power (not video - the other one) zapped me too.

Crushingly disappointing for my first attempt at getting into real hardware Amiga (and I'm over £200 in already) but maybe not all is lost. Would really appreciate any guidance!

* oh and this drive is literally held together by tape. Well, they TRIED to hold it together with tape (specifically holding down the top lid). The tape was old and nasty so the lid of the drive was loose (hence that rattling I mentioned).

[CLXIV]

False alarm - I think the computer is fine!

Seller got back to me and turns out if I pull up on the power connector and hold it in really hard then it works fine. Course my arm gets tired after a while so I'll be needing yet another PSU...

I think the other PSU I bought (PSU2) is just a bad power supply (well obviously both are bad but that one especially).

Phew :-D

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by CLXIV

False alarm - I think the computer is fine!

Seller got back to me and turns out if I pull up on the power connector and hold it in really hard then it works fine. Course my arm gets tired after a while so I'll be needing yet another PSU...

I think the other PSU I bought (PSU2) is just a bad power supply (well obviously both are bad but that one especially).

Phew :-D

You should probably buy a *new* PSU for your Amiga, therey are a few models out there. (Ive posted videos on youtube on 3-4 of those)
Dont buy more 30 years old original PSUs just to have the original thing unless you can have them recapped/repaired by a professional.

[CLXIV]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

You should probably buy a *new* PSU for your Amiga, therey are a few models out there. (Ive posted videos on youtube on 3-4 of those)
Dont buy more 30 years old original PSUs just to have the original thing unless you can have them recapped/repaired by a professional.

Busted. But I genuinely do want original hardware - it's important to me. Hopefully I get lucky with PSU3.

[CLXIV]

Well if anyone's interested, PSU3 is bad too. Not AS bad - it sometimes powers on and I got a 30 minute game of Lemmings out of it. Seems to need some recovery time after a session else it just keeps clicking.

Definitely some wisdom above^ - professional refurb or a newly-built PSU.

[Screechstar]

Definitely! The original PSU's are just on the path to failure and could be causing problems in the Amiga with over-voltage or under-voltage.

Are you handy with a multimeter as it would be worth checking what your Amiga is currently seeing voltage wise?

A clicking PSU means it's struggling to maintain the correct voltages. Mine do that if ever they're turned on while not plugged-in to the Amiga, so not under any load.

If you've the larger PSU's a Meanwell RT50B fits inside the original case, with a little fettling.

[CLXIV]

Nope - I have once again misdiagnosed the problem and jumped to conclusions. The seller reckons the power port on the motherboard is faulty and I'm inclined to agree.

After pushing the plug in harder at the top, it's now working fine (and this one is staying in place so I can actually use the computer without holding the power in constantly!).

So not ideal, but it's working (kind of - I don't trust the floppy drive but that's another story).

(and nah I don't have the device or the know-how but much like soldering - one of these days!)

[nogginthenog]

Sounds like a cold joint. The solder has cracked and just needs a touch with a hot soldering iron.

e.g.
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...3005221b7b6a72

A cheap soldering iron will do the job just fine.

[CLXIV]

Yeah that's what the seller said but problem is (other than me lacking a soldering iron or the ability to use one) that there's a plastic framework around the inside of the port that I think would make it quite tricky to get at the joints. I could probably remove it (but probably break it in the process!).

[fxgogo]

So can I suggest you send the Amiga off for some repairs. I did this with my A1200 after an aborted attempt to recap it myself. I used Retro Passion, but there are many others. The A500 will serve you well, but especially as you don’t want to get dirty with electronics (totally understandable), it will pay you to do it.

And power supplies are almost always replaced. Too much risk not to. I need to do the same for my C64

[CLXIV]

I was actually initially planning on buying the whole thing from Retro Passion! Wish now that I had done but impulse bidded low on eBay (wasn't expecting to win).

I'm now planning on swapping out internals for stuff from RP (case and keyboard are fine and I've restored them to perfect condition so no need to replace those).

It may not always be the case but for me the old saying was true - buy cheap, buy twice (and though RP's prices seem steep, they are actually not unreasonable given the time he's putting into the restoration, recapping everything etc).

[lilwshu]

If you're into original hardware it is definitely worth getting hold of a basic soldering iron and some solder as you will likely be needing it again, and repeated engagements of repair services and parts replacement lotteries gets very expensive. If it's a dry joint the repair process is:

Remove motherboard (maybe 20 mins for a first attempt, videos on youtube, most time consuming bit is getting the nuts out of the metal shielding)
Let soldering iron heat up
Hold soldering iron to joints under the power socket until they melt (3-5 seconds), maybe add a bit of fresh solder if you are feeling fancy
Test it

I have found on various A500s and PSUs that some of them are a very tight fit if they aren't the ones the machine came with for reasons I haven't worked out yet, you can do better testing with the motherboard out of the case and the RF shield.

[CLXIV]

Appreciate the helpful guidance :-) I would really like to level up my skills with soldering and electrical stuff (checking continuity with multimeters and all that) and eventually I will do. I have an old GeForce2 MX that I've been planning for ages to rescue by replacing a bad capacitor (hopefully that's the only problem!).

I have a nicer MX anyway (Hercules 3D Prophet) and actually a GTS too... and on top of that, MXs are only £5 on eBay. So it seems silly paying the cost of a decent soldering iron kit just for that, but that being said, it would be satisfying to rescue an old broken bit of history.

And you're probably right that I'd end up getting a lot more use out of the kit thanks to the Amiga :-)