Great video as always, Mark! I think that board is going to be so time consuming that it's probably not worth it. Not to mention that with the other issues you mentioned even if you fixed all the surface things it might not work anyway. I think a new board is the way to go.
Yes a board transplant, moving as much original components over as possible, especially the CPU. Perhaps we should perform some tests on the original board to detect if there is any chance it can be used? If the board passes the tests then perhaps continue with it. May involve a lot of trace testing to detect those hidden issues.
Reminds me of the c64C that was outdoors for a decade, which Adrian Black actually managed to get working. The climate difference across the pond in Oregon was probably kinder to the c64C, the rusting on this CPC is quite devastating. If anything, it is a fascinating look at the damage nature can produce given enough time. While I think it's probably a waste of time to try and rescue it, you hate to see a classic micro like that suffer in that state. I kind of hope you do attempt it though, even if it doesn't work out. The effort would be commendable. PS: Never risk sticking anything in a dirty socket!
It will be a little while yet whilst I obtain (and save up for!) the parts. In the mean time I will be doing my Spectrum 48k Super Build with a clear case and clicky keyboard.
@@MarkFixesStuff I'm working on something myself at the moment for retro computing during lockdown...new product...not out there yet...fills and unfilled gap for Retro computing... :) - also involves a clicky keyboard!
Hey Mark.. great series.. I personally would be more interested in seeing you resurrect the old motherboard. I know it will be pretty painful but also very satisfying to watch.. cheers for the awesome content!
Fair play for attempting this, huge undertaking. The board looks knackered so if you can transplant the chips probably be best and clean your flithy socket
I'm always looking for some retro-junk in shady places where people could try to dump things they didn't want to bring to a proper waste reclamation center, no luck except on more modern PCs... good video Mark!! always good to see amstrad content 'cause I am an italian fan boy of the cpc 6128
Mark this board is toast and a new CPC replica board would be a nice watch mate. Curious to see what silicone ICs work. Waiting for the next installment with bated breath
Yep, a repro or donor board is what i would do. I fact, I may have to do this with one of mine which has developed an odd grounding fault, where it will only operating while ground via the DIN on a monitor. Kudos for trying though Mark, but about 4 minutes in when I saw the extent of the damage, it was a case of as long as the chips have held up. Enjoying these videos I must say, will be great to see it reborn out of the woods.
The Japanese tool brand "Engineer" makes these screw extraction pliers called the PZ-58 "Neji-Saurus" that would be perfect for this kind of job where the screw head is sticking out. I've used them to remove badly corroded tiny screws from a TRS-80 CoCo keyboard, for instance, as well as lots of ruined small fasteners on cars. Shop around, since there are lots of gouging resellers.
Great job so far! I think trying to restore this board will be more interesting than transplanting the chips into a new board. Just to see if it can be done!
Hmm, the “silicon soul”, I like that! I think a transplant into a fresh board would be a fun project, but I’d be really interested in any further tips you can share with us about diagnosing these “hidden” problems! I’m part-way through restoring a ZX Spectrum that has some frustrating issues lurking somewhere below the surface, but it’s so rewarding to coax life back into these old fossils. Anyway, good luck with the resurrection, whatever form you decide to take it!
Lovely video as always Mark! The board seems unfixable, but still it would be very interesting to see how far you can take it. And yes I always read the patreon posts.. 😁
Great stuff. Definitely try a replica board with all those chips as the original board looks kerput at the minute. Look forwards to seeing where this will go next
That's a magic hack with the Dremel. I had a rusty screw in a gamegear and tried using the Dremel with a grinding stone attachment. It took bloody ages. Now I feel daft after watching how easy you got them screws out.
New board seems like the logical solution. This one might be too far gone, not to mention that trying to catch every instance of broken traces or intermittent contacts will be "fun"
I kept shouting “vinegar!” at the screen, and sorry about that, but all the rust and mentions of lime scale, made me think that perhaps the entire board should be treated as a leaked battery-repair! Scrub everything in vinegar to get rid of rust, lime, corrosion etc., and then start removing components, repairing the pcb, and re-solder the working components. Lots of work, but much more satisfying than transplanting working chips to a new board ...
The keys look good tho. They still have colour :) The new pcb idea sounds good to me. The chips are getting harder to replace so if any are usable that is good. The case can clean up like the keys. the keyboard membrane may be toast tho. That may be a problem not sure if anyone makes repros of those. I know Speccy +2 ones are not available at mo so may be the same. But yeah I would loose the pcb if possible. It is gonna be a challenge that one.
I'm still upset you don't have an exact timeframe of when or how long this CPC was abandoned for, that is critical to my existence. ^_^ Oh I've smelled things like that, boggy rotten smells. Chemistry, geology, and biology all wrapped up in one. :P
pretty poor state.....like telling john merrick he had mild issues🤣🤣🤣 love the way a leaf bigger than any of the case slots got in there.......guess nature found a way
I think you would have been better served soaking it in vinegar for at least a few hours. Contact cleaner may do well with oil and light oxidation, but vinegar would have made short work of the lime that was making your de-soldering efforts so difficult. A few hours shouldn't harm the electronics, Just be sure to thoroughly rinse it with water then IPA after.
I have a really strange morbid curiosity that wants to see the original board get stripped down further and aggressively cleaned, if traces and via's get vaporized so be it, and then make the call to move to a repro board then, as you are going to know by then if the original is a total lost cause, and will make the choice for you anyway :D
Realise I'm a little late to the party so you probably won't see the comment, but one thought I had was do both (greedy I know!). Build a fully socketed new board and use that to check all the ICs, then try to resurrect the old board, at least knowing the ICs are all alive?
@@MarkFixesStuff I was really hopping you could resuscitate it without a new board TBH but if it is way too damaged as it looks then I'm curious how you would use the remains and make it work again. :)
I suppose any normal person would transplant parts to another board! But are you a normal person??? Go on, you know you want to. Take up the challenge and give the original board a good going over. 🤪👍
Whilst maybe possibly, I don't think repairing that PCB is worth the effort. Salvaging as many active components as possible and putting them into a remake PCB would be the way I would go.
+1 for the new board transplant - That will be a good result!
"Look at my dirty socket" 🤣 I agree with Terry and Dave on this one. Transplant to new board.
Great video as always, Mark! I think that board is going to be so time consuming that it's probably not worth it. Not to mention that with the other issues you mentioned even if you fixed all the surface things it might not work anyway. I think a new board is the way to go.
Hmmm. I know you’re right... but still tempted to try. But I also know it’ll burn so much time...
Nothing worse than a "High Speed Snatch". Excellent video.
Yes a board transplant, moving as much original components over as possible, especially the CPU. Perhaps we should perform some tests on the original board to detect if there is any chance it can be used? If the board passes the tests then perhaps continue with it. May involve a lot of trace testing to detect those hidden issues.
Reminds me of the c64C that was outdoors for a decade, which Adrian Black actually managed to get working. The climate difference across the pond in Oregon was probably kinder to the c64C, the rusting on this CPC is quite devastating. If anything, it is a fascinating look at the damage nature can produce given enough time. While I think it's probably a waste of time to try and rescue it, you hate to see a classic micro like that suffer in that state. I kind of hope you do attempt it though, even if it doesn't work out. The effort would be commendable.
PS: Never risk sticking anything in a dirty socket!
Part 3??? Can't wait!!!
It will be a little while yet whilst I obtain (and save up for!) the parts. In the mean time I will be doing my Spectrum 48k Super Build with a clear case and clicky keyboard.
@@MarkFixesStuff I'm working on something myself at the moment for retro computing during lockdown...new product...not out there yet...fills and unfilled gap for Retro computing... :) - also involves a clicky keyboard!
I support your idea of transplanting the ICs to a new reproduction board!
"Like a rusty tiger's eye"
- Mark Fixes Stuff, 2020
Yeah new board with old chips shounds great that oldboard is beyond saving
I have the new board now. Just saving up to fund parts now.
"High speed snatch" !!! My wife just asked me "WTF ARE YOU WATCHING?!". Great stuff... stay awesome Mark !!
Hey Mark.. great series.. I personally would be more interested in seeing you resurrect the old motherboard. I know it will be pretty painful but also very satisfying to watch.. cheers for the awesome content!
"I dont use IC pullers because they just break stuff".. I am so pleased someone said that. :)
Fair play for attempting this, huge undertaking. The board looks knackered so if you can transplant the chips probably be best and clean your flithy socket
Hi Mark,
Love your vids mate.
Yours and Adrian Black's are the best one's on TH-cam bar none.
Good luck and best wishes Mark.
I'd certainly be fascinated to watch you try to get all those manky components to work on a new PCB!
Definitely a new board. Looking forward to seeing life in this old abandoned machine
Superb stuff. I’ve been waiting for this one 😃
It would be amazing to get that board working again although you’ll probably go mad doing so!
I'm always looking for some retro-junk in shady places where people could try to dump things they didn't want to bring to a proper waste reclamation center, no luck except on more modern PCs... good video Mark!! always good to see amstrad content 'cause I am an italian fan boy of the cpc 6128
Mark has the best commentary
I’d like to see the board resurrected but I’m not the one having to prise those resistors out, so transplanting the chips may be the way to go.
Mark this board is toast and a new CPC replica board would be a nice watch mate. Curious to see what silicone ICs work. Waiting for the next installment with bated breath
Coming soon-ish!
For stubborn corroded pins you can use citric acid granules near the pin and melt them with the soldering iron.
I've had problems with high speed snatches in the past, so now I just use one reliable one.
Brave man do ing all that. Hope the chips are still working !
Yep, a repro or donor board is what i would do. I fact, I may have to do this with one of mine which has developed an odd grounding fault, where it will only operating while ground via the DIN on a monitor. Kudos for trying though Mark, but about 4 minutes in when I saw the extent of the damage, it was a case of as long as the chips have held up. Enjoying these videos I must say, will be great to see it reborn out of the woods.
The Japanese tool brand "Engineer" makes these screw extraction pliers called the PZ-58 "Neji-Saurus" that would be perfect for this kind of job where the screw head is sticking out. I've used them to remove badly corroded tiny screws from a TRS-80 CoCo keyboard, for instance, as well as lots of ruined small fasteners on cars. Shop around, since there are lots of gouging resellers.
Great job so far! I think trying to restore this board will be more interesting than transplanting the chips into a new board. Just to see if it can be done!
That would be cool. I wondering if I can do both somehow.
Hmm, the “silicon soul”, I like that!
I think a transplant into a fresh board would be a fun project, but I’d be really interested in any further tips you can share with us about diagnosing these “hidden” problems! I’m part-way through restoring a ZX Spectrum that has some frustrating issues lurking somewhere below the surface, but it’s so rewarding to coax life back into these old fossils.
Anyway, good luck with the resurrection, whatever form you decide to take it!
Lovely video as always Mark! The board seems unfixable, but still it would be very interesting to see how far you can take it. And yes I always read the patreon posts.. 😁
Oops. I’d better start making an effort for them to make sense then!
@@MarkFixesStuff Naah, no worries, funny is better than sensible. 😛
Great stuff. Definitely try a replica board with all those chips as the original board looks kerput at the minute. Look forwards to seeing where this will go next
That's a magic hack with the Dremel. I had a rusty screw in a gamegear and tried using the Dremel with a grinding stone attachment. It took bloody ages. Now I feel daft after watching how easy you got them screws out.
You're not wrong Mark, many's a time I've damaged my tool on a high-speed snatch.
Would the resistors move easier with flux and a hot air gun potentially?? It does look pretty knackered
I'm afraid the whole thing perished when my house burned to the ground. We will never know....
love your channel!
New board seems like the logical solution. This one might be too far gone, not to mention that trying to catch every instance of broken traces or intermittent contacts will be "fun"
That's a good idea from Terry & Dave. Will you use your dirty sockets, or will you go clean ?
you did well to get most of the good stuff off, Great Video mate :o)
Thanks mate. It's an ongoing concern right now.
Would love to see the replica CPC board project 👍
It’s coming... probably other side of Xmas now though!
It’s coming... probably other side of Xmas now though!
It’s coming... probably other side of Xmas now though!
After Xmas now
I kept shouting “vinegar!” at the screen, and sorry about that, but all the rust and mentions of lime scale, made me think that perhaps the entire board should be treated as a leaked battery-repair! Scrub everything in vinegar to get rid of rust, lime, corrosion etc., and then start removing components, repairing the pcb, and re-solder the working components. Lots of work, but much more satisfying than transplanting working chips to a new board ...
I like the idea of using a replica board and just reusing the chips. That board is toast. Possibly can be saved, but it would be a lot of work.
The keys look good tho. They still have colour :) The new pcb idea sounds good to me. The chips are getting harder to replace so if any are usable that is good. The case can clean up like the keys. the keyboard membrane may be toast tho. That may be a problem not sure if anyone makes repros of those. I know Speccy +2 ones are not available at mo so may be the same. But yeah I would loose the pcb if possible. It is gonna be a challenge that one.
Good video. Lots of dirty innuendo. Just the job.
A new board would be the way to go, in my opinion.
Fix the board, why should Adrian's C64 get all the glory! ;-)
Where is part 3? I just can't find it.
I'm afraid my house burned down and everything was destroyed in the fire. I lost everything in my home.
Oh my god...is this really true or are you kidding me, Mark?
Pfff Mark, what a work. I think the idea of re-use the chips on a new board is best. That board will always be giving problems if you can fix it.
You told me fibs, innuendo all over the place 😆😍.
Looking forward to seeing how much you save mate, looks grim ☹️
I'm still upset you don't have an exact timeframe of when or how long this CPC was abandoned for, that is critical to my existence. ^_^ Oh I've smelled things like that, boggy rotten smells. Chemistry, geology, and biology all wrapped up in one. :P
Found RMC throught LGR and Mark through RMC. The YT retro community is cool.
Definitely use a replica motherboard. I would be interested to see What you were able to pull off the old board work at all on a new one.
pretty poor state.....like telling john merrick he had mild issues🤣🤣🤣
love the way a leaf bigger than any of the case slots got in there.......guess nature found a way
do it. DO IT!
I think you would have been better served soaking it in vinegar for at least a few hours. Contact cleaner may do well with oil and light oxidation, but vinegar would have made short work of the lime that was making your de-soldering efforts so difficult. A few hours shouldn't harm the electronics, Just be sure to thoroughly rinse it with water then IPA after.
I have a really strange morbid curiosity that wants to see the original board get stripped down further and aggressively cleaned, if traces and via's get vaporized so be it, and then make the call to move to a repro board then, as you are going to know by then if the original is a total lost cause, and will make the choice for you anyway :D
"Penetrating Fluid" oh yeah!
This video was pure filth, and I loved it.
It is rather a Carry On.
Anyone have schematic artwork to have PCBWay create a new board for you?
I know someone who has just made one but it’s not released yet!
Realise I'm a little late to the party so you probably won't see the comment, but one thought I had was do both (greedy I know!). Build a fully socketed new board and use that to check all the ICs, then try to resurrect the old board, at least knowing the ICs are all alive?
Part 3? :)
Waiting on parts for part three
@@MarkFixesStuff I was really hopping you could resuscitate it without a new board TBH but if it is way too damaged as it looks then I'm curious how you would use the remains and make it work again. :)
Oh Matron fixes stuff !
11:09 What a dirty Socket.
I think the Gummi Crew is right. Let them have a go at it.
Average Double entendre rate, one per sentence.
Transplant it. That board is toast.
I suppose any normal person would transplant parts to another board! But are you a normal person??? Go on, you know you want to. Take up the challenge and give the original board a good going over. 🤪👍
Gets it moist and then just goes to sleep...
Break cleaner works 🙂
Yes transplant to new board
Anyone else want to see a MFS movie where he has to return a cursed Amstrad to the haunted forest from whence it came?
I found my original xbox in a trash dump. I could not believe. It was also in a very awful state, but not as bad as this computer though.
My tip can’t penetrate this one ☝️
Whilst maybe possibly, I don't think repairing that PCB is worth the effort. Salvaging as many active components as possible and putting them into a remake PCB would be the way I would go.
No!!!! try to restore the original pcb
I reckon a new board could be the way to go or you really are going to be spending hours and hours defuzzing some dirty holes...
PS... End cards... 😉
Board transplant.
Too far gone I'm afraid :-(
Transplant. Open Hardware Surgery needed...call Mark Fixes Stuff now,...new...naw..nee naw...
A high-speed snatch won't do your tool much good, either.
Like a frankfurter in a blender
This is kinda like watching someone try to resuscitate a months-dead corpse
Transplant
Should have left it. Feckin' shite. I destroyed mine with a chainsaw
Soak it in rust remover first.
Too late. It was lost when my house burned down 😢
that board isn't worth the effort, i vote transplant
That whole computer isn't worth the effort... but that's not why we're watching!
@@McVaio That whole reply isn't worth the effort this is democracy
don't remove the screw, you'll void warranty !!!