PSA: You should never do this when you buy an Amiga...

[Jonnycat26]

I'm sure everyone knows not to do this, but it's still a kind of funny/sad story anyhow.

The A1200 was, for me, the computer that 'got away'.   Way back in college, I sold my A500 and almost bought an A1200, but was lured over to the dark side of PC ownership.  While it worked, I missed being an Amiga user, and more importantly, a Commodore owner.  

For the last few years, I've been on the lookout for an A1200 in the local area.   One popped up on craigslist a few months back, and I snatched it up.   The guy selling it picked it up at an estate sale, and claimed it 'more or less worked, but you may have to turn it off and on a few times to get the workbench to come up'.

Not so much...

I knew it would need to be recapped.  I still had to plug it in and turn it on.   Owning an 1200 was a long time coming for me, and just turning it on once wouldn't hurt.   Right?

Except it wouldn't turn on.   I got a very distorted screen.   But still, the seller said turn it on and off a few times.   So I did.   And then came a popping noise, and smoke, and that horrible smell of dying hardware.

Long story short, sent it off to be recapped and was informed that either the LISA or ALICE, or more likely both, were toast.

So...  in summary.   If you're lucky enough to pick up a classic Amiga, recap it asap.  Don't tempt fate!

[Jonnycat26]

I try to comfort myself by thinking that it was probably never going to power on properly, and was DOA despite the seller's claims to the contrary.

So now, I have to figure out if I want to look for another one, or just buy a miST.    Part of the 'fun' for me was going to be to restore a classic, so I'm not sure if the miST is the way to go.

[Jonnycat26]

Sounds like the power supply failed to me. It's never a good idea to switch something on and off rapidly, if it doesn't work properly on the first go, take the time to find out why.

I wasn't flipping it that rapidly, and was giving it time between on/off cycles.   I was under the impression that it just needed a few 'tries' to boot, because that's what the seller told me.

Buyer beware, I suppose.