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Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: MiAmigo on September 21, 2012, 03:06:37 AM

Title: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: MiAmigo on September 21, 2012, 03:06:37 AM
WAY BACK in 2008, four years after I got my very first A2000 for rebuilding, and was something of an intermediate veteran at this game, I also purchased, among lots of other stuff, an 'as-is' A2000 motherboard, barebones. It was fully populated with what I was told were all the chips, and very probably (but not certainly) the latest of each of those, including the kickstart chip.

I left it in the box it was shipped in, and even forgot I had it - until I purchased my second A2000 about a month ago.

While looking for some parts in my workshop, I found the box containing the barebones A2000 mobo, and one look at it brought out a long sigh, and a rememberance of why I socked it away all those years ago, and never touched it.

Each and every single chip on the motherboard is PLASTERED with a impossible-to-remove white sticker which says WARNING! Opening this unit voids all return rights. If you need help contact the Computer Bargain Store followed by a presumably long extinct (or re-used) 1-800 number.

Every single chip is plastered with these stickers. They have, to this moment - resisted all attempts by me to remove them (without damaging the chips) so that I can at least try to identify these chips and their version numbers.

I'm going to finally do it this time, however, since I now have two other machines that could use some of these chips.

Time to crank up an appropriate 80's movie, like Big Trouble In Little China, and get to work!

(Note: Any suggestions on how I can get this done faster and easier would be greatly appreciated!)
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: commodorejohn on September 21, 2012, 03:07:59 AM
Quote from: MiAmigo;708900
(Note: Any suggestions on how I can get this done faster and easier would be greatly appreciated!)
Call them and demand support :D
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: MiAmigo on September 21, 2012, 03:09:15 AM
Quote from: commodorejohn;708901
Call them and demand support :D


Ha-ha! This board is so old, that call would have to more than likely be a seance!

Update: This is my progress so far.
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: MiAmigo on September 21, 2012, 04:32:55 AM
And I'm done. After sitting on this board for so many years without using it, I decided it was time to throw caution to the winds. So, I got a single-edged razor and carefully shaved the labels off of each chip. Surprisingly, they came off rather cleanly, although some did leave a thin film of their original glue.

The last, most difficult chip to clean was Fat Agnus, who sits in her mighty fortress with a wall that rises so high that I did not have room to manuever the razor without possibly damaging the chip or myself. It took a while longer, but I finally got that label off, too. I left the sticker on the mobo because I didn't want to risk destroying traces with the razor.

Now I can finally catalog these chips and see if I can use any of them!

Hmm, I wonder if Sting was referring to Agnus when he made Fortress Around Your Heart?
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: paul1981 on September 21, 2012, 11:20:48 AM
WD-40 is good for getting glue residue off.
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: djos on September 21, 2012, 11:58:33 AM
Amazingly enuf the best sticker gum remover is WD-40 (I totally agree Paul) - once the sticker is gone then use Isopropyl Alcohol to remove the WD-40. :cool:
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: Boot_WB on September 21, 2012, 03:09:12 PM
Quote from: djos;708931
Amazingly enuf the best sticker gum remover is WD-40 (I totally agree Paul) - once the sticker is gone then use Isopropyl Alcohol to remove the WD-40. :cool:


Heh. My first thought was "Isopropyl alcohol" - just skip the wd40 entirely.

I'd imagine the venn diagrams of "geek" and "familiar with isopropyl alcohol" have quite some overlap. ;-)
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: save2600 on September 21, 2012, 09:35:16 PM
Going out of your way to place a worthless redundant sticker on all those chips is about the douchebaggiest thing I've ever seen a tech or company do. :mad:
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: MiAmigo on September 21, 2012, 09:37:07 PM
Quote from: save2600;708956
Going out of your way to place a worthless redundant sticker on all those chips is about the douchebaggiest thing I've ever seen a tech or company do. :mad:


I agree, lol! They even put them on the smallest chips! That's why I let it sit for so long. Even the shop who sold it to me (cheap!) didn't want to be bothered with it!
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: djos on September 22, 2012, 12:32:40 AM
Quote from: Boot_WB;708937
Heh. My first thought was "Isopropyl alcohol" - just skip the wd40 entirely.

I'd imagine the venn diagrams of "geek" and "familiar with isopropyl alcohol" have quite some overlap. ;-)
Isopropyl by itself doesn't work very well on sticker residue.
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: bbond007 on September 22, 2012, 12:40:36 AM
Quote from: paul1981;708926
WD-40 is good for getting glue residue off.

I was just going to say that..

There is also something called "goo be gone" that works even better.

I removed the pin stripping from my truck with WD40 :) would have taken $100 in goo be gone...
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: djos on September 22, 2012, 12:47:19 AM
Quote from: save2600;708956
Going out of your way to place a worthless redundant sticker on all those chips is about the douchebaggiest thing I've ever seen a tech or company do. :mad:
I totally agree, electrocution is too good a punishment for the person that decided to do that!!!!
Title: Re: What I'm Doing Right Now (09/20/12 - 21:07 hrs CST.)
Post by: MiAmigo on September 22, 2012, 01:03:47 AM
Quote from: djos;708966
I totally agree, electrocution is too good a punishment for the person that decided to do that!!!!


Just imagine the time it must have taken! Even the slimmest, tiny chips had those stickers!

Suffice to say, I almost got that board for free. I purchased it sight unseen over the phone, and when the box arrived, and I tore it open, I suddenly understood the price. I'd actually forgotten I had it until a couple of weeks ago.