New Amiga 3000! But leave the battery alone!

[TjLaZer]

How do know what is inside the case?  Where did you get that pic, from the seller?
No way is that pic from that computer in the auction.  If the A3000 was boxed and
wrapped in plastic, it not used then there is no way there would be that much dust on
the other parts of the motherboard..sorry but no way!

Rich

That pic is not from that A3000.  But lets be real here, almost ALL A2000/3000/4000 computers have had the NiCad battery LEAK by 2012.  (key word Almost)  But who would take a risk for 2 grand?  Not me.

[Vlabguy1]

That pic is not from that A3000.  But lets be real here, almost ALL A2000/3000/4000 computers have had the NiCad battery LEAK by 2012.  (key word Almost)  But who would take a risk for 2 grand?  Not me.

True..but there could be a chance the battery is mint..as it looks like everything is mint, just meaning it was most likely stored in a cool dry place all it's life.  I would have if I had the
disposable income..
Like I typed above I have several A4000 motherboards and the orig. batteries show
zero signs of leaking.  
Either way tis a lot of cash, but it is a nice new machine.  Coolness.

Rich

[magnetic]

TJ

You know a lot about amigas but I'm going to disagree with you on this one. I think that the batter must have been energized at some point for it to start to decompose and leak. So I think they will be fine and the battery will be pristine. Pretty amazing to find an NOS a3000.

I also have to disagree with all amigas still in use have had batt leakage. That is for sure incorrect. I have worked on and owned many amigas that their batteries were perfect even now. The problem is when they are stored and not used. it seems ones that get daily usage dont have the problem? (A lot of toasters I upgraded/repaired that were used in studios daily had no batt probs)

[lassie]

I must say that Amiga went through the roof in price. But as you all says, there is a good chance there are some damage inside. But maybe he will just keep it unused, but i think he be better of to check it.

[runequester]

Maybe this is from growing up in the country side, without a ton of money, but there's no way I'd spend 2 grand without knowing if it worked or not.

[Vlabguy1]

Maybe this is from growing up in the country side, without a ton of money, but there's no way I'd spend 2 grand without knowing if it worked or not.

So it might be worth more if tested, inspected and in perfect working order .  Dang
I could have bought it then flipped it after I tested it .

Rich

[runequester]

So it might be worth more if tested, inspected and in perfect working order .  Dang
I could have bought it then flipped it after I tested it .

Rich

haha

I am a bit surprised it went for that much, but the "never used" aspect drove it up a lot I wager. Even 3000 Towers tend not to go for nearly that much.

[mechy]

Actually, I bought a NOS A4000 a couple years ago and the battery was in pristine condition. I suspect if they've never been charged they won't leak. Similarly, I've got a brand new spare NiCd that's been sitting in a bag for absolute ages that also hasn't leaked.

actually discharged batteries often leak. i have had some nicads and nimh amiga replacement batts in the plastic storage from years ago that gained fuzz on them in the drawer. luckily i quit using them eons ago.

Its very hit and miss which ones will leak. i've gotten 15 year old amigas with perfect looking batteries,and one board the other day with a bad one.
brand of batteries also does not seem to matter.

Mech

[mechy]

TJ

You know a lot about amigas but I'm going to disagree with you on this one. I think that the batter must have been energized at some point for it to start to decompose and leak. So I think they will be fine and the battery will be pristine. Pretty amazing to find an NOS a3000.

I also have to disagree with all amigas still in use have had batt leakage. That is for sure incorrect. I have worked on and owned many amigas that their batteries were perfect even now. The problem is when they are stored and not used. it seems ones that get daily usage dont have the problem? (A lot of toasters I upgraded/repaired that were used in studios daily had no batt probs)

This is wrong. the worst thing to do to batteries weather lead acid or nicad or Nimh is to leave them dead flat. batteries do not like this.
there could be many reasons for why some leak some dont, including some had a good mfg process and quality control,some did not.
soldering process could of hurt some from the get go(too much heat).
storage and usage make a difference.
many variables here.
I've seen some good and some bad, but only a fool leaves a 15-20 year old battery on a board regardless of leaks or not. IT will leak eventually and why risk it.

I have had many boards where the battery looked good at first glance but acid had wicked its way down the legs into solder joints,just because you dont see green/white fuzz don't assume its not leaking.
mech

[lassie]

haha

I am a bit surprised it went for that much, but the "never used" aspect drove it up a lot I wager. Even 3000 Towers tend not to go for nearly that much.

I have seen a Amiga 3000T these days for around 1000 dollars with 040 CPU and other neat stuff in good working order. That one i will rather have

[Dale]

I was shocked it went for that much!  I was one of the guys asking him to check the battery.  So if you are never going to open it, or turn it on, what good is it?   The minute you turn it on, it becomes a "used" amiga anyway.  I just don't understand why it would go for so much, I was thinking it would do quite well if It make it to 8 or 9 hundred.

[TjLaZer]

Well every single Amiga 2/3/4000 I have ever touched the last several years has had some leakage.  Some were pretty minor, others really bad.  My old A3000T MB I had, had a very slight leak.  I thought, Oh good I got lucky!  Only a little bit of fuzz on the battery, MB seemed untouched. WRONG.  There was some leakage and it ate traces.  Ruined the board.

My recent local Amiga find, a FREE A3000D, also had some minor leakage, luckily it did not spread too far and I was able to clean it up. I hope it stays working!

My point was, knowing all this, who would pay that much for a big box Amiga without atleast checking to see if the battery leaked.  Not a smart move unless you just want mint parts and a dead motherboard...

edit - here is some relevant reading if anyone has some spare time.

http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62944

[8bitbubsy]

Hey guess what?  Here is what is inside the case!
http://geir.mork.no/images/a3000full.jpg

Fun fact: That picture is actually of an A3000 mobo that I bought together with a smashed A3000 case from moijk several months ago. I still have the mobo around somewhere, but it's worth as much as a brick! (no, I couldn't resurrect the mobo even after trying to bridge several traces )

[edd_jedi]

I'm amazed how many people are missing the point with this item. You do not buy a brand new vintage computer to use. If you want one to use, you buy a $50 second hand one. People buy NOS computers of this age as collectables. I would bet good money that this A3000 will never be taken out of its bags. The second you turn on/test an unused vintage computer, its value drops 70%.

I am an Amiga enthusiast but I also collect brand new vintage games consoles, and there is serious demand for them. A brand new, unused SNES is worth around $500, where as a second hand one is worth about $40. So there most definitely is a market for these, and I actually think the price was very fair. I would have paid that for it if they would ship to the UK.

[TjLaZer]

I'm amazed how many people are missing the point with this item. You do not buy a brand new vintage computer to use. If you want one to use, you buy a $50 second hand one. People buy NOS computers of this age as collectables. I would bet good money that this A3000 will never be taken out of its bags. The second you turn on/test an unused vintage computer, its value drops 70%.

I am an Amiga enthusiast but I also collect brand new vintage games consoles, and there is serious demand for them. A brand new, unused SNES is worth around $500, where as a second hand one is worth about $40. So there most definitely is a market for these, and I actually think the price was very fair. I would have paid that for it if they would ship to the UK.

I'm sorry but you would have to be a COMPLETE MORON to buy a NOS computer with NiCad battery leakage all over the system board!  Just to say it is BRAND NEW and never used or opened up.

I think the fact that it has an original NiCad battery in it and it is ~22 years old, it could/should not hold it's value very much!  But there are lots of morons with lots of $$ to throw away it seems so whatever...

Now I do know that NOS vintage gear will fetch alot, and I should know as I am a collector myself and have some mint systems.  The point is, with leaky batteries, it will devalue the item.  And I was just pointing it out that's all.

If you are in the know you know, and you can see where the value is.  If you ever find one, look at a NOS Atari Falcon 030 computer or TT030 sold on eBay or other sites and see what it will fetch.  (those don't have NiCard batteries in them.)

[edd_jedi]

Sorry mate, but you need to look at it from the other side. I understand that as an Amiga enthusiast to you it may seem crazy to buy something that might not work and/or be damaged, but collectors want to buy things that are new and untouched. Take classic cars for example - collectors don't snub original, low mileage cars just because the tyres and hoses will have perished over time. A collector wants something to be original, and an enthusiast wants it to be in good working order. 2 completely different things, neither make anybody a moron.