another rusty A4000 restoration

@salaxi54 & @BLTCON0

Thanks for support! :)

@D.B

Thanks also for your kind words! :), and about that you say, well my main purpouse with this project was making some justice to this A4000 as I don't cared very much about its state during those last years, but it stills there everytime the Amiga's addiction abstinence syndrome come :).

Even considering its happy days of it as one of my main workhorse computers are gone (it was its role at least until 2005) rather than withdrawn my interest on it I've found myself still using it with quite regularity (powered on at least once a week, even now), so I decided than it earned its own reward by being there along all those years.

Also watching this forum and some blogs around of what was actually people doing with their amigas encouraged me to take a determination and start this project with a goal to give it the same healthy status it had on its glory days.

For the zorro and that, I always liked the classic side of the amiga so making it a pimped zorro box is also my goal.

Also say that I was never a big fan of PPCs (but I respect the people who still have and use it), when those cards where launch in the late 90s I found them expensive for the use you could give to them (remember those early PPC days with nothing more than some optimized small utilities like archivers and so on?).

Then in early past decade when PPCs were becoming more useful I simply had not the money to spend on one of these, and later by 2004 or so when I had enough money, my interest on amiga in general was declining (say no real PPC OS yet) plus a growing feeling of being a bit upset with amigas in general (and I consider that I hold there for a quite long time, much ex-amiga users that I know just being upset and withdrawn their machines in the late 90s).

Nowadays I recognice ther was much effort behind OS4 and Morphos and I'll like to give them a try but as you said paying those prices for a processor that has not more juice than a Pentium-II clunker is not a real useful option (at least not for me), I'd rather go towards more "modern" hardware like the x1000 and so on :).

For sure Its nice to tell "hey I can run a 7 years old lo-res divx movie on that 18 years old computer" but sadly one have to be realistic on what spends his money.

With this I do not want to start a war (PPC vs. m68k users :lol:), far for it, as I said I respect the huge efforts done by the PPC comunity side to keep them running and even today I still looking to them with a bit of healthy envy ;).



And well , this is no the end, there is a lot of work to be done so stay tuned :)

Hi there amibayers, I'm back again with this never ending 4000 story. :lol:

Do you remember the first post on this thread and the pics of the PSU, didn't you ?

Well, todays post is about that PSU mess, if you ask me for a title for this post I'll call it:

THE HORROR, THE HORROR !!!


Well finally I got the enough courage to star the PSU overhaul, as I was letting that job by the "I'll do it tomorrow" way of not doing the things that I've to do. Lets star with some pics:

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...120088_res.jpg

A short introduction, as you look in that picture you will probably say "hey it was not in that wrong shape after all" a 4.94 Volts on the +5V line with the amiga under load and all the zorro cards plugged is quite good for a nearly 20 years old PSU, but that was not that easy, as this PSU has some strange behavior (I blame cold solder joints for that) of ramdomly getting very obstinate to power ON, say you press the switch , a short pulse of power comes an then nothing, some times I've to press the switch on an off up to 20 times to start it.

The most weird thing of this is that behavior happens only on humid days, on dryer ones everything starts up at the first try.

Sometimes, when I want to turn on this 4000 I feel like trying to start a 30 years old car on a cold day with a clogged carburetor. :lol:

So time to mend it up, see below.

The horror itself:

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...040495_res.jpg


So lets open it and see what's in there (nothing good for sure):


http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...040496_res.jpg


If you already think that it is a mouse nest, whait and see this other view:

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...040497_res.jpg


Creepy, isn't it ?

So for sure this board is shouting for a good shower, and here it comes:


http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...040501_res.jpg

Well, the shower has no the enough pressure to remove all the sticky goo, so the next step a good bath under the tap:

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...040502_res.jpg

Well at this point I poured it after with IPA all around to remove part of the water an then once the IPA got dry I dryed it with a hairdryer, now I'll let it for some days to finally dry all over (mind that I'm playing with 220V AC cicuitry so a good several days dryout is not a bad idea here).

After all I'll replace all the caps with good quality panasonic couterparts , solder refreshing and do some cabling renewal.

And meanwhile I'll have to fix its housing, the horror again:

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...040507_res.jpg


Yes, Rust, again... :double:double:picard

Hope you liked it, more to come someday. :)

Really liking this thread ... keep up with the great work ... it is inspiring :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sjwaller

Really liking this thread ... keep up with the great work ... it is inspiring :thumbsup:

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Thanks mate :)

I've almost finished the re-capping on the PSU and have done some fixes on the PCB (fixing a broken via/track on it and replacing some screwed components) , hope this night I'll able to do a first turn-on and do some testing with it it.

Also this afternoon I've done some works on the PSU cabinet, kind of a boring task like sanding it and then applying a first hand of rust treatment.

I'm quite tired now, some times I feel like I'm building it from scratch :lol: , hope next week I can manage to get all done.

After that there only will be left to do only some cosmetic things on it like doing retrobright and so on.

Well after sourcing the PSU capacitors and after dealing with some damaged tracks an one broken via, i.e. a capacitor was barely sitting one of its legs on air, is surprising that it even was able to function, I finished the rework on it now.

For testing purposes I attached teporally a molex cable and plugged an old sacrificeable hard disk on it (these PSUs do need to have some load to start working) :

So I pushed the on button expecting some huge BLAM! and fireworks and not!


http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...2/IMGP0714.jpg

A success!

Look a those shiny new Panasonic caps! :D

However I feel a bit upset with the results as the volt readings were a bit low.

4.95 - 4.96 volts on the +5V line which is quite ok but expected something closer to 5 (considering the light load that a bare hard disk is)

11.38V on the +12V line, well I do not care so much about that measure as the +12V is only used for powering motors, fans and such so it is not as important as an strong +5V line.

Well that's all for today, sorry for no more decent pics but I've not around the camera that I used to take pics with, this time I used an older one that is worse for closeups and macro shots.

The project's end is becoming closer. :D

Still going...

Some PSU cabinet rework pics (sorry, quite bad quality pics this time, a mix from phone cam & old poor digital camera :picard).

After sanding, further cleaning and applying anti-rust product:

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...012161_res.jpg


After 3 coats of primer, note that Zinc based primer is used in this project, remember that I'm dealing with rust, thing that I'll never want to see it again on my beloved 4000, not until at least twenty years from now or so. :dry: :

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...012165_res.jpg


After all of the above I added a pair of coats of plain grey paint and Voila:


http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...GP0718_res.jpg


A bit better now, isn't it ? hehe. :cool:


The fan added there is a SanAce which claims epic air flow and low noise, well, next time I'll see if this claim is true, meanwhile the cabinet is hollow, that's for another update .


See you next time. :)

Hi again, I've some updates:

Now I've finished the rework of the PSU and here are the results:


http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...GP0781_res.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...GP0780_res.jpg


:cool:

I have to say that while doing some test before plugging it to the amiga I've suffered from some panic moments due to a misbelief of me assuming that what really is the PWR_GOOD signal was a -5V rail but not so...

:deadhorse


Well, once I ruled out my mistake and once checked again that everything was perfect I decided to test it today and... :



http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...GP0726_res.jpg

IT'S ALIVE!!! :ninja:


:pint:


PS: Also you can have a look now at the horrible old kitchen from my new home, sweet home. :lol:

Really loving this thread :).

I can't believe how good its looking already, desperate to see how your A4000 looks once it's finished.

Can i ask what colour of paint you used on the case and PSU? It looks more grey than silver? I want to paint one of my cases but I'm worried that it'll come out too silver, your's looks just perfect!

@jamiem: thanks! :)

Well hard to tell the exact paints used as I've not them around, I'll have access to them tomorrow and I'll list them here (also their RAL codes if available).

Mostly they were from the CRC brand for the chassis and some local dealer own brand for the PSU itself.

I Have to say that for the PSU it was a plain gray paint, on some pics it looks like some silver hue but actually isn't.

And for the chassis I think that its good looks were purely accidental, as the first coats were silver paint but I had to correct some unwanted dust deffect (overspray mistakes I think) by sanding it and then redo with anorher coat of more plain grey paint, so the final result It's like a grey paint but with a silver translucent touch, quite nice I think, but was more like a beginner's luck than any intentional method. :lol:

For the chassis It helped also a lot for a good result finnishing it with a coat of clearcoat.

Hope it helps.

Awesome work:yourock:

^Indeed!
+1

Thanks to both @Amstrad and @BLTCON0 :)

At this point few things to reach the end, I've to do something with the hard drive holders as are also somewhat rusty, don't know if do the anti rust & repaint mantra to them or try to gather another ones in better shape.

Also retrobright of the plastics and finally an overhaul of a keyboard, I've three candidate Keyboards:

- The original one, SP layout, rubber cone type and with some keys that didn't work, also the case was very tatty & badly yellowed but the keys are ok as were all removed and stored on a drawer long ago (don't ask why :nuts:) .

- An A2000 Keyboard internals (the one that I've used previously the lyra adapter that I use today) also SP layout and rubber cone type with some failing keys, this can be a good parts donor (for carbon contacts and such).

- An A4000T keyboard (A.Technologies), UK layout and metal springs type, some keys are dodgy, well this one can't be a parts donor as the key anchors and the carbon contacts are not the same than the previous ones but the good part is that the case is almost perfect, a bit yellowed but dent & scratch free so this will be the donor for the case and a perfect candidate for retrobright, it lacks the commodore badge but who cares. :p

Fun isn't it ? some big amount of patient and time will be needed again , this project is more like a penitence than a hobby. :lol:

@lostrego
Of course you must restore the existing hard drive cage! It's just too easy getting another one :-D

In what way is the A4000T key design different? Can you post a photo of the stuff you mention? The only difference I've seen in the Mitsumi design is A500 style keys have a mixed square+round sleeve + matching key anchor, while A2000 style keys (the grainy ones) have a square sleeve all the way + matching anchor. Did they use the A500 style keys in that A4000T keyboard?

Exactly.

On earlier A4000Ds they used A2000 style keyboards (large circuit board with no membrane and key retrocess by rubber cones).

On later A4000Ds and almost every 4000T the A500 style was used (with mebrane and key retrocess by metal springs).

Hi all, I've almost forgot to update this project so here goes a quick update:

It's almost finished only left putting an original keyboard in working order, do some internal cabling (the FDD drive isn't connected to anything :p), some missing screws for holding zorro cards backplates an minor cosmetic things (stickers etc...).

BTW here gose a pair of quick pics of it running with the case lid closed for its first time over a decade! :


http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...231030_res.jpg


And:


http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/...231055_res.jpg


Finally I had to replace its front fascia as the one it had was a bit dented, this one is a bit yellower but its yellowing is uniform so it's a perfect candidate for retrobright once springtime arrives. :cool:

I had also to buy the specific floppy drive bay cover for full height drives as this 4000 originally mounted the taller chinon FB-357A drive and now uses the FZ-357A which is single height, now it makes a perfect fit.

Also I've found the "rare" original 5.25 bay cover lost in a drawer at my parent's house (along the case lid that was also there).


Now it became very reliable I've done some test letting it working for more than 24 hours doing intensive CPU tasks and runs like a charm.:)

Until next update. :)

Thanks for sharing the recent updates :thumbsup:

If you want to do the retr0bright before the spring you can always buy a UV bulb :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fitzsteve

Thanks for sharing the recent updates :thumbsup:

If you want to do the retr0bright before the spring you can always buy a UV bulb :)

---

I'm considering it but I was told that it is way slower than doing it with natural sunlight, I'll do some research though. :coffee:

Slower is better, believe me.

Then a fine lacquer spray over the resulting treatment to avoid the yellowing return.

One of the best threads ever. Thanks my friend, great job!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rkauer

Slower is better, believe me.

Then a fine lacquer spray over the resulting treatment to avoid the yellowing return.

---

Thanks rkauer for your (always) wise advice :thumbsup:, I've to do some in deep study of the retr0bright thing as I'm a complete n00b on that matter :unsure:, I've already some of the items needed as a bottle of 120 vol peroxide (that I've to dilute, obviously) and some advice from a local friend that have done It successfully to an A1200 and a mac classic with superb results, time will tell but I'll take it with calm, is not an urgent priority now.

And for lacquer do you mean the normal lacquer used for paint finishing (i.e. the ones that come on spray bombs) or any other kind ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by netagra

One of the best threads ever. Thanks my friend, great job!!!

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Thank you for your support. :thumbsup:

Thread revival alert :D

This is epic! I wish that I saw this post back in late 2017 because I acquired a very nasty A4000D, in a realy bad way, rusted to hell and fubard motherboard, dead psu. So I began tearing it all down. I am going to do the same as you paint wise, spraying of the chassis. But its the back I/O sticker... I tried to pull mine off and split it :( it was already in bad shape as it was but I was rather peeved about it at the time. I will never find an orginal so need to re-create it somehow.

Oh man, I've almost forgot this one. :lol:

The sticker removal part was a bit tricky, the key is using the worst, oldest and bluntest knife you have laying around and a gentle dose of heat (a regular hair dryer should do the job) and peel it reapplying heat frequently, must be done very slowly and carefully, specially on its narrower part, the one located at the RGB, audio and keyboard ports.


Maybe you can manage to recreate a replica, it seems doable with a sheet of color and thickness correct vinyl sticker, then printing the ports labels in a similar font and finally cutting it using the old one as a template, maybe the printing part is the most difficult as you'll have to calculate the right proportions and places of every label.


Anyway good luck with your project, that 4000 also deserves some TLC for sure, It would be nice if you post some pictures of the process :)


And as a thread revival and a 6 year follow up report... :ROTFLOL2:, the subject of this restoration worked flawlessly all those years until yesterday that got a fault on the RGB video output as seen here:


http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php...-video-problem

:dry:

I'll try to fix it as soon as I can.