Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: danbeaver on February 16, 2015, 08:26:05 AM
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There seems to be confusion on what screws go where in a big box Amiga (A2000/3000/4000), so I would like to start a reference dialog on this. Once a hole is stripped with too large a screw (most commonly a 6-32 is shoved into an M3), the hole is ruined. It can be tapped larger, but not smaller.
For the outside case of the A2000/3000 the metric M4 screw is used (NEVER the coarse 6-32 so common on PC cases).
On the A4000D the three (3) outside screws on the back (2 for the case and one for the PSU) are metric M3 screws.
The A4000T being an adapted PC case (Enlight AT Tower) it uses the common 6-32 screws (both inside and outside)
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The inside of the A2000 uses several M4 screws to hold the PSU cradle in place.
The inside of the A4000D uses M3 screws for the front drive cradle, and daughterboard support beam, as well back HDD cradle. The HDD's themselves used 6-32's (for the most part), but the floppy and CD Drives use M3's. The A4000D's motherboard uses M3 screws to hold it in place on the metal base.
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I haven't been in the case of an A3000 in 3 years, and there are several other types of screws that may be used at some point, so please chip in and help those of us repairing/restoring/refurbishing our sweet babies.
Thank you
:)
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Good info!
Where do you find metric screws for your restorations? (Aren't you in the states?) Do you know if there is 1 common thread pitch for the metric screws that Commodore used?
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I can tell you that Lowes and Home Depot have virtually no useful screws, but the small local Ace Hardware had a good selection. In repairing riveted areas that fell apart, one could re-rivet them, but an M3 with a locking nut (plastic ring built in that acts like Loctite blue) works better and fits in places a rivet gun won't. I've also found them online, but it was so easy to pop in to a local place, I rarely bothered.
I need help though on the screw size that the A4000D uses for the card's back plane. While i save all my screws during work in a magnetic dish, some cases come devoid of proper screws leaving me "screwed."
The CPU card stand offs for the A3000/4000 can be found online.
My online sources are Jameco, MCMelectronics, Digi-key and a few others.
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This is another resource: http://www.metricscrews.us/
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Hmm Interesting information. And useful.
But careful, google might confuse the connotation of "the right way to screw our sweet babies" when a search is undertaken?
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I'm sorry, Pedophilia will land you in jail.
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I'm sorry, Pedophilia will land you in jail.
My point exactly. We might get an influx of undesirables to Amiga org. If we don't have enough already.
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By the way my 2000 has recessed washers (for the case screws) which I know is not genuine, but as they are Amiga beige they do give the amiga a more professional look, I think.
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Several of the screws for my A2000 were stripped when I got it. I replaced them all with (comparatively) giant ones, with Loctite blue. That sucker is never coming apart! ;)
*at least I didn't use Loctite red, that takes a torch to remove. ;)
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I have spray painted the screws on an A3000, but the bitch is the matching plastic washers :-(
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I need help though on the screw size that the A4000D uses for the card's back plane. While i save all my screws during work in a magnetic dish, some cases come devoid of proper screws leaving me "screwed."
Way to turn a phrase. ;) I've owned several Amigas, but never yet a 4000.
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Way to turn a phrase. ;) I've owned several Amigas, but never yet a 4000.
Why, interested?
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Why, interested?
Ah, no. I want to remain on the safe side of not hoarding. :)
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Ah, no. I want to remain on the safe side of not hoarding. :)
Yes, best to be cautious. Possible dangers are death/severe injury from crushing as stacks of Amiga's come tumbling down on you.
Or, death/severe lung damage from inhalation of toxic leaking battery fumes.
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I have spray painted the screws on an A3000, but the bitch is the matching plastic washers :-(
If they are nylon washers dye them with t shirt dye
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Regarding matching screw and washer color, I found a beige plastic screw cover at Lowe's that provides a "washer" and conceals the screw head. Just insert your screw into the hole, screw it into the case then flip the cover over the screw head.
Makes for a nice look.
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Ah, no. I want to remain on the safe side of not hoarding. :)
As I have posted before, those who accuse others of "Hoarding" only want to pay a fraction of the cost of acquiring, restoring, and preparing an Amiga for sale. Such people have a mental disorder in which they have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy; they are generally unhappy and disappointed when they are not given the special favors or admiration they believe they deserve.
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The CPU card stand offs for the A3000/4000 can be found online.
Got a part number/direct link for these? I need a bunch :)
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What you will be needing is a 17 mm spacer although there is some discussion that some accelerators used another size. In a pinch, you can take the barrel of a clear plastic Bic pen and cut it into 17 mm sections and then screw them with non-conductive washers to the MB and CPU.
The 16 mm MB spacer (http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-16255 (http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-16255)) is close, although the threaded nylon 18.7 mm spacer could be sanded to drop its height before being attached with the nylon screws http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-13666 (http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-13666). There is a 19 mm MB spacer (http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-16225 (http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-16225)).
You can go another route with a collection of spacers http://www.amazon.com/Spacers-Stand-off-Plastic-Accessories-Assortment/dp/B00LGB2N1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1424252784&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Spacers-Stand-off-Plastic-Accessories-Assortment/dp/B00LGB2N1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1424252784&sr=1-1).
Or go this route: http://www.mouser.com/Electromechanical/Hardware/Standoffs-Spacers/_/N-aictf?P=1z0x0msZ1z0z2t8 (http://www.mouser.com/Electromechanical/Hardware/Standoffs-Spacers/_/N-aictf?P=1z0x0msZ1z0z2t8). Or these are almost there at 16 mm http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Miniature-PCB-Supports-15-9mm-Spacer-Standoffs-Pack-of-10-/121360726820 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Miniature-PCB-Supports-15-9mm-Spacer-Standoffs-Pack-of-10-/121360726820). Or perhaps http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-Pieces-White-Cylindrical-Nylon-66-LED-PCB-Board-Spacer-Support-5mm-x-17mm-/190916364225 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-Pieces-White-Cylindrical-Nylon-66-LED-PCB-Board-Spacer-Support-5mm-x-17mm-/190916364225).
Perhaps: http://www.mart4ic.com/Spacer-Screw-Nut/10x-Nylon-Standoff-Spacer-M3-Male-x-M3-Female--17mm-c125803.html (http://www.mart4ic.com/Spacer-Screw-Nut/10x-Nylon-Standoff-Spacer-M3-Male-x-M3-Female--17mm-c125803.html)
Any other suggestions for these?
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@ danbeaver
Great resources, thanks! Will investigate further.
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A couple of updates to this thread which has morphed into an Amiga refurbishing resource:
http://www.cwe-usa.com/ (Cleveland Wire and Electronics) has for sale 23-pin D-SUB male and female solder connectors and hoods (having just received 5 F and hoods), and
http://www.metricscrews.us/ has the M3 counter sunk screws for the A4000D's PSU and to hold down the HDD brackets. I ordered several dozen of various M3 screws in different lengths
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http://www.cwe-usa.com/ (Cleveland Wire and Electronics) has for sale 23-pin D-SUB male and female solder connectors and hoods (having just received 5 F and hoods),
They seem to only list every DB connector bar DB23.
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http://www.connectworld.net/cgi-bin/cwe/05CQPDB23.html
Don't go buying them out now :)
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In addition to the direct reference by "Dutch" above,
Amiga monitor cables:
http://www.connectworld.net/cgi-bin/cwe/05MCAmiga.html
Amiga DB23 (Search):
http://www.connectworld.net/cgi-bin/cwe/process?7uLPyCcd;;15
--DB23 Switch boxes!
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As suggested my Oldsmobile_Mike, I think we should list the tools one needs for Amiga repair, restoration and modification. I'll start with:
Screw drivers Tiny, small, regular (flat and phillips) and a torx for THOSE screws!
Dremel Tool with cutting wheel, grinder, and polishing wheels.
Hammer (nuff said)
Slow Drill (like using a hex drill bit in a Black & Decker elctric screw driver
Regular power drill (prefer cordless)
Multimeter with continuity tested
Led headlamp
Soldering Iron + solder sucker + braid + fine wire (insulated, wirewrapping type)
Hobby knife (Exacto)
Small Crescent wrench
Small tweasers
Small clamps (Kelly's or similar)
Hot glue gun
Orbital sander
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Don't forget:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8160/7214525854_733237dd83_z.jpg)
:)
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Don't forget:
:)
Better yet, substitute Kroil for the WD40 (used to loosen frozen engine blocks) and weld rebar over it.
(http://www.amiga.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=171&pictureid=1265)]
(http://www.amiga.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4080&stc=1&d=1429747811)
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Hey, don't laugh about welding rebar over things. :)
I was working on a clients computer not too long ago, real old fellow who had a Son that had built him this PC in the Windows 95 days. Old PC, but met his needs very well still. Was all crufted up with spyware, so he called me.
He was also griping about it "losing time" everytime he'd shut it off. Simple fix, dead mobo battery.
I opened it up, and apparently the kid that built it wasn't sharp enough to figure out the little clip on the battery holder on the motherboard and I found myself with a Krazy Glue'd in battery.
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You forgot the 2 most important tools when working on Amigas:
1. Jack Daniels
2. Bottle of aspirin, motrin, or whatever!
Oh, and band-aids!!!!!!
As suggested my Oldsmobile_Mike, I think we should list the tools one needs for Amiga repair, restoration and modification. I'll start with:
Screw drivers Tiny, small, regular (flat and phillips) and a torx for THOSE screws!
Dremel Tool with cutting wheel, grinder, and polishing wheels.
Hammer (nuff said)
Slow Drill (like using a hex drill bit in a Black & Decker elctric screw driver
Regular power drill (prefer cordless)
Multimeter with continuity tested
Led headlamp
Soldering Iron + solder sucker + braid + fine wire (insulated, wirewrapping type)
Hobby knife (Exacto)
Small Crescent wrench
Small tweasers
Small clamps (Kelly's or similar)
Hot glue gun
Orbital sander
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Well as I have mentioned in several prior posts, band-aids are *REQUIRED* for anyone who opens an A3000 case and a tourniquet is helpful as well -- Lord you don't want a CSI team investigating your house after working on those.
Now while Lynchburg's Jack might ease the pain, it will likely not help in the repair aspect, but a good party after a significant upgrade sure has a better feel with Mr. Daniels at your side. Your best Bang-for-the-Buck on pills (outside of Demerol) would be the Motrin as generic for cost vs. half-life vs. side effects to aspirin or Tylenol.
Remember, "Cold steel is your best deal."
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Oh yes, be very, very wary of the dreaded A3000. Perhaps the best Amiga ever imho, but such a bitch to work on.
I remember when I got my A3000 new as a kid, and my Dad buying me some upgrades for it, trying to install them and my hands were just shredded and dripping blood off my fingernails.
No kidding. The A3000 doesn't just "Have some sharp edges to be careful of". It's like they machine honed every %&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@! edge inside that case for maximum killing capacity.
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Ok, this not directly hardware related, but may be useful:
Picasso96 Settings -- For a 60 Hz Monitor
Resolution: 640 x 480
CLK: 29.82
808 520
Resolution: 800 x 600
CLK: 38.02
1032 640
Resolution: 1120 x 832
CLK: 80.44
1440 910
Resolution: 1152 X 900
CLK: 84.38
1522 931
Resolution: 1024 x 768
CLK: 84.38
1336 800
Resolution: 1280 x 1024
CLK: 108.90
1600 1126
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
CLK: 165.38
2208 1118
[FONT="]Hex numbers for the addition on another file system[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]AmiCDFS 43444653[/FONT]
[FONT="]Fat95 46415400/01[/FONT]
[FONT="]FAT 46415400[/FONT]
[FONT="]NTFS 4E544653[/FONT]
[FONT="]PFS_AIO 50465300[/FONT]
[FONT="]PDS/03 50445303[/FONT]
[FONT="]PFS/03 50465303[/FONT]
[FONT="]SFS/00/02 53465300/02[/FONT]
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As I have posted before, those who accuse others of "Hoarding" only want to pay a fraction of the cost of acquiring, restoring, and preparing an Amiga for sale. Such people have a mental disorder in which they have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy; they are generally unhappy and disappointed when they are not given the special favors or admiration they believe they deserve.
Ha, I realize you posted this months ago, but I just wanted to say, I wouldn't ever call anyone who was selling a restored Amiga at whatever price as a "hoarder" considering they are willing to sell it, at whatever price.
The Hoarders are the %&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!s who have 20+ Amigas and they're sitting in a closet (just in case) and it does end up driving up the price. Or I go so far as to say those that are in the extreme price range on ebay (like 5k for a stock A4000D or something) would be in a class of their own. Those are usually of the "I don't really want to sell it, but someone told me I had to" variety.
slaapliedje
P.S. My Amiga came with some stripped screw holes too :( I had to use the typical PC screws to get the expansion cards to stay right, but at least you don't really see those with the case off.
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I have run into that and both Mike_442_Olds and I use LokTite "Blue" for stripped holes; the blue allows screws to be removed, the "Red" does NOT!
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Says right on the Red Loctite that you'll need to use heat to get things free, so just read the product card before buying. Use Red on a case screw and you're apt to snap the head off the screw/bolt with the threads stuck in the case.
For things involving stripped threads I prefer Purple, if I'm forced to use Loctite product.
There's far better products than Loctite, but it's the most available brand on the market, so I'll digress.
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On the A4000D the three (3) outside screws on the back (2 for the case and one for the PSU) are metric M3 screws.
Can anyone point me at a picture of these, or perhaps take some and pm me? (A4000 original screws that is.)
I can't for the life of me remember what the originals look like, but I should have them here _somewhere_ among all the pc and other case screws.