Need help with repair of Apollo 060 card (UK)

[AmiBoy]

Hi everyone, I hope you are all staying safe and well.

Wondering if their is anyone in the UK who could look at trying to repair my Apollo A1200 060 accelerator card for me (I have 0 skills/experience at any electronics repairs).

I had a battery leak a few years ago, which I did clean up but mothballed my Towered A1200 as I just wasn't using it much (and it just wasn't booting). Have pulled it out recently as wanted use it after getting a big nostalgia hit and remembered system wont boot with the Apollo card installed.

Thanks

[utri007]

Amibay would be a better place for this question? Do it need to be UK or is Europe OK?

[AmiBoy]

Hi utri007,

Thanks for the bump.

Given current situation I would prefer to send it to someone within the UK as probably a much better chance I can get it to them quicker and easier (and then back again).

If the world wasn't quite in the middle of this crisis I would probably send it to stachu over in Poland (I think) and ask him if he can look at at it for me.

[TribbleSmasher]

Maybe you just need to try and clean the contacts on the mainboard connector with alcohol, re-set the RAM stick and check the seating of the oscillator on the turbo. Just to check off the obious.

[scuzzb494]

Incredibly temperamental. I love/hate mine. Some days works fine and then others just keeps playing up something rotten. I assume you are talking about the one with the power converter. I have to have a folded bit of paper under it to keep it working. Also I had a problem with a short on one of the shielding that stopped her working. I often have to twiddle the thing on the connector to get a good fix. And the power has to be from the A500 brick for me or its a no go. Cost me a fortune in the day and even back then I swapped it out for the Blizzard with the SCSI cus the Apollo seemed to conflict with the PCMCIA.  Don't get me wrong its brilliant when its working... but when its not... a real pain. Mine has a bit of battery leak also. I just don't worry about it.

Try fiddling and then hitting it with a stick or something.

https://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_july18/scuzzblogdjuly18_0803.htm
https://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_july19/scuzzblogdjuly19_1003.htm

Have you tried taking the motherboard out of the tower laying flat and just having an external floppy and mouse connected plus the accelerator. Power could be tricking out somewhere.

PS This rogue jumper on the A1200 was shorting out on the shielding and stopping the Apollo from working.
https://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog_july18_9/car_sbd_040718_45.jpg

Sorry if we are talking about a different Apollo by the way I know there are other types

I have an EZ Tower that drives me bonkers cus every now and then I have to fully remove the motherboard, lay flat and fire up and then she is OK for a month or two.

[Brian Hoskins]

Mine has a bit of battery leak also. I just don't worry about it.

I had a look at your photos, the leakage is very minimal but you can see how it has already reached out to the 74-logic chip next to it and I think I can also see evidence of it getting at the via next to the SMT capacitor.

The leakage appears to get airborne.  On my A500+ it extended way across the motherboard, far further than the site of the leakage itself.

So, now is the time to take action on that battery while your accelerator is still in good condition.

[AmiBoy]

Hi scuzzb494,

Yep, same type of Apollo card. Some pictures of the damage can be found in a thread which I posted last year;

https://forum.amiga.org/index.php?topic=74187.0

Although I got hold of someone that could look at it for me, I have not had chance to ship it out to them and given current situation I dont feel like trying to get it posted outside the UK right now (part of me worries that it might get lost in the post - and I don't want to loose this card).

Dont think my battery leak damage is as bad as yours, but system just doesn't seem to want to do anything when its installed. If I am remembering correctly the system was starting to go flaky many years ago, where I was having to take it out a lot and re-seat it onto the slot &/or re-seat the memory modules, but then system just stopped working completely.

[Brian Hoskins]

AmiBoy,

I am able to extend an offer of help to you but for the moment it is going to be somewhat limited due to time pressures at work and home.

I am willing to offer the following:

• Remove battery and clean existing leakage
• Inspection of resulting damage from leakage, if any
• Some basic electronics tests around the card to see if there is anything else obviously wrong

This is all I have the time to commit to in my current circumstances.  Obviously I can't guarantee that this will be enough to return you a working card because the real cause of this problem might be something other than the leakage.  But at the very least you will have the battery removed, the card cleaned of leakage, and some idea of whether there was lasting damage from that or not.  So that seems worth doing to start with and see what happens from there.

If you would like to take me up on this offer you will need to get the card to me by Tuesday Morning [14th] at the latest, because I have a spare day to look at it then.  My plan will be to do the above work Tuesday, return card to you Tuesday Afternoon or Wednesday Morning.

Just reply here or send me a PM if you want to go ahead with that.

[utri007]

When you have a towerized A1200 reason for a problems is usually lack of volgae/power. Power is injected to A1200 motherboard through busboard and that just doesn't work. Thats why people used to connect floppu power connector from PSU to motherboard. I got wires where original A1200's power conenctor was and connected wires directly to PSU. This way A1200 get power from two ways, from busboard and power connector.

[Brunty]

I guess you've answered my question from your other thread

I've been using an ACA 030 card but would like my 060 working again too, so please post up any info you find that may help!

[Brian Hoskins]

Obviously we've missed the option to get this done Tuesday next week now, but it was tight to begin with.

I'll get another opportunity Sunday 19th, meaning I would need the card to me by Saturday 18th at the latest.

If that interests you, just let me know.  Otherwise, good look with it and if I can help with general advice then if I can I will!

[AmiBoy]

Hi Brian,

Thank you for the offer, I will PM you for details, hopefully I can get to a post office to get it shipped out if not ill try see if can get a courier to collect it from my house.

[Brian Hoskins]

Details sent, although nothing shows up in my 'Sent' box here on amiga.org.  If you don't see a message within the hour can you let me know so I can try again?

[AmiBoy]

Hi Brian,

Thanks so much for you're assistance. Just need a couple extra details that I've PM'd you about before I can send the package.