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Offline royneTopic starter

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Amiga restoration
« on: May 11, 2007, 01:04:33 PM »
My first project

As a kid my father purchased a Commodore 64 (i think a month nagging or something like that did the trick). Later I bought a 500+ and a 1200 now this era has come and gone for me Commodore died! Once in a while I pop in to remember the former glory of those days.

But last week…

While cleaning out the basement at work what did I find… two Amiga 4000 a 030 and 040. Dusty missing some plastic and screws, but they both worked fine.

I never had or even saw one before so this was awesome. It first came to me the most fun I ever head in front of a computer was the Amiga era. So why not restore them to their former glory.

All of you here are doing a splendid job in keeping the era alive.

So this is my part.

I will keep a log of my progress and take some pictures and upload while I’m working. Maybe it will inspire someone to do that long overdue makeover on the stuff in the closet.

And as I don’t know squat I will probably need all the help I can get!

So the first thing I need to know is the color sample code of casing and front of an Amiga 4000 desktop. If I can’t clean them 100% ill hire a professional painter to do this for me but I need to know the exact colors.

Stay tuned!
 

Offline Retromania

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Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2007, 02:03:53 PM »
Hi Royne and welcome!

That sounds like quite a find - good luck with the restoration!  I have a couple of 4000's but am not sure what kind of grey/cream colour the cases are - I certainly don't know if there is a specific name for it.  Try looking at some of the images of A4000's on this site in the Images section - that might help.  Also, for parts, check out Amigakit.

Looking forward to seeing how you get on!

All the best

Retro :-)
 

Offline McVenco

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Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2007, 02:53:40 PM »
Welcome!

Nice basement find you've got there!

If you haven't done it already, please check the batteries on the motherboard for leakage. Best would be to remove them anyway, you can always replace them later...
| A4000 | CS-MK3 060@50 | Picasso IV |
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Offline AJCopland

Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2007, 05:21:50 PM »
I always wanted an A4000 when I was a kid, so jealous right now.

Good luck finding two of them in your basement is just an astounding find!

Look forward to reading your updates.

Andy
Be Positive towards the Amiga community!
 

Offline amazing

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Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2007, 07:30:31 PM »
the guy i bought my blizzard 030 from has bought a couple of a4000's 040 (25)
im so jeaulous
a1200 blizzard 68030@50mhz/128mb/slimlinecdrom/os3.9
1x MINIMIG...Arm+mem upgrade---build 3
2x a500 1mb internal+2mb in a supraram kick 1.3
c64_1541 with z80 processor
c64 c aldi model+1541 II
3x vic-20_vic1541
1541 III by j.derogee
 

Offline WotTheFook

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Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2007, 10:02:41 PM »
The nearest colours I could find are MG / Austin Rover Old English White or Antique White, the latter one is available as a Plastikote aerosol and is very close.

You should be able to get the MG/Rover Old English White from a car paint store, make sure the can you get is acrylic paint so it will be compatible with the plastic parts.

 :-D

WTF
 

Offline royneTopic starter

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Before
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2007, 02:35:35 PM »
Thank you for the tip Retro i checked the batteries and they are not leaking
and seam to be in good shape. But ill do as you suggested and remove them asap.

I have uploaded some before shots.

030



040





Monitors




Believe it or not i found this in the same box as everything else. Seams my first order of businesses is to correct this mistake!
 

Offline Oli_hd

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Re: Before
« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2007, 04:23:32 PM »
you are one lucky son of a b...
Just finding two A4000's stashed is one thing but one has a Fastlane card, one of the most desirable cards. (imho)
Also seems to have an opalvision card in. (not much use now)
I cant make out what the other card is, the one with all the simm sockets, a RTG video card maybe?
Dam nice find. (£300+ easy, heck the fastlane is £80's worth)
 

Offline Retromania

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Re: Before
« Reply #8 on: May 12, 2007, 04:31:37 PM »
@ Royne

It was McVenco who gave you the tip about checking the battery!  But thanks anyway :-)

The front panels on both machines look good - not yellowed at all.  They both look like they are in good shape.  Blimey - what an amazing find.

I'm off to our basement at work first thing on Monday morning!!! ;-)

Retro
 

Offline royneTopic starter

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Re: Before
« Reply #9 on: May 12, 2007, 05:47:31 PM »
@ Retro
ops my mistake but you gave me some tips as well =)

"The front panels on both machines look good - not yellowed at all."
well the camera flash did wonders for the yellow tint.. No you are probably right that they are in good shape. As i don't know squat i just suspected them to be all white and shining as the day they where built. But they will be :)  


@ Oli_hd
Ill make the most of my find. And i give you my word if i don't! I wont put the stuff in the basement! Ill put it back in rotation with you guy's. Where it belongs!  

@ McVenco
redirecting thanks for battery change to you

@ WotTheFook
I have sent what you told me to a painter lets see if he can decode the binary in your post ;)
Thanks  
 

Offline Tahoe

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Re: Before
« Reply #10 on: May 12, 2007, 06:01:11 PM »
Hya! What that top card in the 030 machine? The light colored one with the 4 SIMM sockets?

Looks like some kind of SCSI controller; but I can see no internal connector?

(not the fastlane pictured in the 040 version, that's nice)
Greetings from Wilnis, The Netherlands
Now owning ALL Amiga models and most; if not all; flavours of them...My Amiga Museum
 

Offline royneTopic starter

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Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2007, 11:04:13 PM »
Well i finally got around to my first try of cleaning them.
Maybe this step is boring non Amiga stuff but i want to document everything so...


The big problem as seen on the image below was that the rubber foots under had melted resulting in black stuff with the same properties of oil mixed with asphalt (not joking).


I have no idea if this is something that is common on Amiga desktops but i hope not.

If i start telling all the ways i failed cleaning this stuff of you will laugh and call me a retard. ;)

Removing the rubber foots was easy ones you figure out that it isn't glued on. Its attached as a sticker, you just need something sharp to get trough the oily stuff.


After you peal up a part of the sticker you can remove the rubber with your fingers.

so now i need to buy new shiny ones.. any one selling ;)


with the rubber foots removed i needed a way to clean the rubber, plastic oil from hell. My strongest whiskey didn't work. I ended up using 85% Alcogel, the stuff nurses use to clean their hands. It worked but it still --  the better part of a day to get it all off.

A word of waring.
If you want to remove peaces of the old guaranty / warranty label. do NOT use anything sharper then your thumbnail. I almost chipped the paint using a knife.


Well after all this i am happy with the result. Ill get to work on the plastic next. the 030 have a nasty crack in it. Maybe i have to turn to amigakit.



@Tahoe
maybe a modem. hear is another picture of the 030 top card output.



until next time.
 

Offline Matt_H

Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2007, 11:18:58 PM »
@ royne & others

The mystery board is a GVP TBC
 

Offline amigakid

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Re: Amiga restoration
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2007, 11:27:46 PM »
Ok I want to make a find like that, hell i'd be happy to find just one A4000.  Lucky as hell