Old AMIGAs 101
or
"How To Care and Feed Your Aging AMIGA"
Almost all of the "Classic" (I prefer the term "original") AMIGAs are at least 10 years or older now. When they were first designed and produced, I am sure that no one ever intended that they still be in use so many years later (reference the consumer computer market as a guide).
Much of the technology for producing motherboards in the late 1980s and early 1990s called for socketed chips which has since given way to surface mount (for good reason in many cases). Over time (and with repeated heating and cooling) these socketed chips have a way of "working up" from their originally secured locations. It may be the smallest fraction of a millimeter but this is all that it can take for a bad connection to that chip. Many AMIGA users have found it useful to periodically open up the computer and reseat the old socketed chips. In many cases, this is as simple as using a finger or thumb to press the chip back into place (CAUTION! Be sure your AMIGA is turned off and unplugged. Also be sure to protect your AMIGA from electrostatic discharge (ESD) as this will damage the aging components on the motherboard). Other users prefer to actually remove the socketed chips and re-install them using an appropriate chip pulling tool (careful not to bend pins upon extraction or insertion).
Another (far more serious) problem is leaking batteries. Is there any "blue / green fuzz" on or around the battery on your motherboard? If there is, YOUR BATTERY IS LEAKING AND DAMAGING YOUR MOTHERBOARD! Clean it up now! Remove the battery! You do not need to replace the battery to continue using your AMIGA! You just won't have any clock / date functions saved while the machine is powered off so you will need to reset the date / calander each time you boot up if you so desire.
Finally, examine the motherboard for signs of capacitor or resister damage. The damaged components may actually have a "burned" look to them or they may not. If you do locate some bad caps or resistors, have a friend who is handy with a soldering iron replace the defective components with like items (they may be hard to find).
There was a great little analysis tool for the AMIGA a few years back called "The Advanced AMIGA Analyzer". If you can locate one of these, BUY IT! It uses both hardware and software to run a series of tests on your computer that will be invaluable to you in helping to keep your computer running reliabley.
One last item...CLEAN CONDITIONED POWER! Is your AMIGA plugged into a wall outlet? BAD!!!!! BAD!! BAD!! There is no such thing as "clean" power coming from the utility company anywhere in the world! There are just varying degrees of power spikes and lows. Get a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) for your aging AMIGA today! The AMIGA, like all other computers is far more sensitive to power changes than other consumer electronic items. It doesn't take much to cause your faithful AMIGA to either shut down, "brown out" or "fry itself" when the electicity coming out of the wall is acting up. Given the age of your computer and the scarcity of available spares, do you really want to take a chance?
If you find this post useful, I will be happy to post more tips for caring for your AMIGA. Good day.
Regards,
ltstanfo
