AMIGA 3000 VGA Video flicker?

[TjLaZer]

I have a 3000, 060/60MHz, OS 3.9, 2/16/64MB, CV64 setup.  Been working fine then a few days ago the monitor starts to look like it is flickering a little.  All the P96 screenmodes were solid before now they have flicker.  Even the flickerfixer on NTSC/PAL does the same thing.  I suspected the Sony monitor so I tried another and same thing.  Could there be a problem with the 3000 itself?  I am going to crack her open tonight to see if there is anything obvious.

[Matt_H]

There's one account of a battery eating through the Amber circuitry... but that doesn't explain P96 flickering. And you've safely removed/replaced your battery, of course. ;-)

Maybe something's wrong with the monitor's power or VGA cable? Can you try the setup on a different electrical circuit (too much power being drawn)?

Also check for interference from other sources. I've got a VGA monitor and a C=1084 right next to each other on my desk, and when they're both on, the flicker on both is pretty serious.

And of course check that all boards/chips are securly seated.

[TjLaZer]

I did not learn my lesson.  The battery has leaked.  But it still works. I had checked it a few months ago so it must of just leaked or burst from the hot weather.  The only reason I did not remove it was the 3000 needs a battery for the SCSI and it had not leaked.

I just removed it and there is some leakage around the Positive end (two prongs)  It looks ok but not sure what I can do to fix it.  What can I do to remedy this?  I used Baking Soda and water to clean the area and wiped it up.

[melott]

@TjLaZer

I've been using my A3k for a couple years now without
a battery. I was lucky, I had a little leakage but the
only thing that was damaged (I think) was the charging
circuit. I replaced the battery but it didn't work so
I removed it and left it out.
I've had no problems with the SCSI (works fine).

[Matt_H]

That actually doesn't sound like very serious damage. If it's only been a month or two, the system's probably okay. The case that I read about had some near-holes in the motherboard, not just a bit of acid at a few points. I wish I could remember where I read it... it was only a few days ago. Maybe it was here on A.org?

Grab some isopropyl alcohol from a drugstore and use some cotton balls to clean up the acid. If I remember the RTC repair guide/threads correctly, often just cleaning the acid off will improve the contact connections.

[TjLaZer]

Yeah I read the RTC guides again and it said the green contacts will cause intermitent connections to the ICs.  The may be my problem as everything works at this point, just the Deinterlacer was flakey.  I have not tried it since the operation so wish me luck!

[TjLaZer]

I performed the Vartasectomy and cleaned up the area of damage with Baking Soda and Water solution and a toothbrush.  The damage area is about the size of a quarter.  I let it dry overnight and powered her up today and everything seems to be working fine again!  Solid flicker free display again.

What is the best thing to do regarding the solder risist damage?  It is copper/brown where the green resist was, does this pose a problem?  Do I need to clear coat it at all?

[Matt_H]

Glad to hear it worked, but it's still strange that your P96 video was flickering too.