@@robingrosset6941 I think I saw one on eBay once starting at like $300. I wonder what it sold for. I've never seen another one in person. I still have all my stuff for it.
Great video. I have all the other Franklins in my collection, but I have never laid eyes on an Ace 100. Very rare. I have seen few still photos of the inside. You demo was quite interesting. I wonder what the inside of the top looks like? Is is ribbed like the base bottom?
Hello Robin, the card close to the power supply and with a ribbon cable conecting to the motherboard is the on that time called "language card" as you said is a memory expansión card, it duplica tes the addresses being used by the basic intérpreter, is for the computer to have memory space for using languages other than the basic intérpreter stored in the ROMs, the one you saw working, it uses the audio input and output jacks to Connect to a almost standard audio cassette recorder to store and read program and data, the other card is the floppy drive interface card
Interesting video about a machine I remember reading about in Byte magazine back in the 80s. Thank you. I suspect the improvement in the 5 volt regulation was not due to the cleaning (although not impossible). In a unit that's almost 40 years old there would have been a great reduction in capacity of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply, and with some use it is likely that they would have re-formed a little. However, unless you wish to retain the authenticity and not use the computer, I would recommend replacing the reservoir and filter electrolytics in the power supply. The filter capacitors should be a low ESR type. There is also a risk that very old capacitors may fail dramatically... The ceramic or glass bodied style of diodes that you commented on were quite common in the 70s and 80s and used in high current applications. I think the ones soldered to the heatsink are likely to be in the 5 volt output circuit of the switching power supply, and so they would not be a full bridge rectifier. In a such a circuit (this is a form of buck regulator - a step-down switching supply configuration) it would be normal to have half-wave rectification from the transformer, since it is not dealing with sine waves but very high frequency pulses. There is also normally a flyback diode between ground and the coil winding on the driving side. One or both of these circuit elements may use one or more diodes in parallel. Lastly, a word of advice - it's generally a good idea to connect the meter for voltage monitoring *before* switching on the power. If the voltages are on the high side of normal, you can then immediately kill the power, hopefully before the magic smoke is let out from some of the ICs on that lovely motherboard.
I have an ACE 100 and the power supply was also bad. The -12 volt failed and caused corruption with the ram. I put a modern one in side the stock ace power supply. ACE also copied the DiskII drives exactly and had their ACE banding on them. I lucked out and found a set of those randomly on ebay.
Ads just started on my channel in the last week, so its new to me . Just turned off all overlay and midroll ads. Most of the recent stuff has been short so they could not put midrolls ads. But I see what you mean on some of the longer ones. Its off now and I will keep them off for anything new. I agree they are annoying.
Very cool! I still have mine!
Wow, these are pretty rare, can't be many around? I never see them on eBay for example.
@@robingrosset6941 I think I saw one on eBay once starting at like $300. I wonder what it sold for. I've never seen another one in person. I still have all my stuff for it.
Great video. I have all the other Franklins in my collection, but I have never laid eyes on an Ace 100. Very rare. I have seen few still photos of the inside. You demo was quite interesting. I wonder what the inside of the top looks like? Is is ribbed like the base bottom?
Hello Robin, the card close to the power supply and with a ribbon cable conecting to the motherboard is the on that time called "language card" as you said is a memory expansión card, it duplica tes the addresses being used by the basic intérpreter, is for the computer to have memory space for using languages other than the basic intérpreter stored in the ROMs, the one you saw working, it uses the audio input and output jacks to Connect to a almost standard audio cassette recorder to store and read program and data, the other card is the floppy drive interface card
Interesting video about a machine I remember reading about in Byte magazine back in the 80s. Thank you. I suspect the improvement in the 5 volt regulation was not due to the cleaning (although not impossible). In a unit that's almost 40 years old there would have been a great reduction in capacity of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply, and with some use it is likely that they would have re-formed a little. However, unless you wish to retain the authenticity and not use the computer, I would recommend replacing the reservoir and filter electrolytics in the power supply. The filter capacitors should be a low ESR type. There is also a risk that very old capacitors may fail dramatically...
The ceramic or glass bodied style of diodes that you commented on were quite common in the 70s and 80s and used in high current applications. I think the ones soldered to the heatsink are likely to be in the 5 volt output circuit of the switching power supply, and so they would not be a full bridge rectifier. In a such a circuit (this is a form of buck regulator - a step-down switching supply configuration) it would be normal to have half-wave rectification from the transformer, since it is not dealing with sine waves but very high frequency pulses. There is also normally a flyback diode between ground and the coil winding on the driving side. One or both of these circuit elements may use one or more diodes in parallel.
Lastly, a word of advice - it's generally a good idea to connect the meter for voltage monitoring *before* switching on the power. If the voltages are on the high side of normal, you can then immediately kill the power, hopefully before the magic smoke is let out from some of the ICs on that lovely motherboard.
I have an ACE 100 and the power supply was also bad. The -12 volt failed and caused corruption with the ram. I put a modern one in side the stock ace power supply. ACE also copied the DiskII drives exactly and had their ACE banding on them. I lucked out and found a set of those randomly on ebay.
Yeah, that little duct wasn't there.
Yeah, hacking in... the fan is really loud too.. I think I need to replace it with something modern and quiet.
Bill Sydnes designed 3 turkeys!
Franklin ACE
IBM PC Junior
Amiga 600
All 3 did major financial damage to their makers!
Smart guy, way too much ads interuppting. Never going to watch this chanel again
Ads just started on my channel in the last week, so its new to me . Just turned off all overlay and midroll ads. Most of the recent stuff has been short so they could not put midrolls ads. But I see what you mean on some of the longer ones. Its off now and I will keep them off for anything new. I agree they are annoying.
@@robingrosset6941 I did not mean to sound negative, since your content is OK ;)
@@robingrosset6941 I guess I have to watch more of your content now, just beause you are honest