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Hi, well after owning an a600 for a whole day it's just suddenly started showing a purple/pink tint on every screen. It doesn't matter which game, it even has it on the main kickstart screen, I know that's purple too but its more of a pinky tint to the whole screen. Does this mean it's dying or is this a known issue that can be fixed easily, please someone help!:(
This could possibly be a capacitor issue if theyre starting to give up. It's not an issue I've come across before though. It's normally the sound which is affected first, which will start sounding crackly like an old vynl effect, but its not always the case...
I'm sure someone will be along soon with a bit more info than I have :)
Obvious things to try in the mean time is making sure all connections are nice and tight both ends etc if you havent already. :)
Yeah neither am I, I think it may have overheated because it feels warm underneath so I'm just trying to leave it off for a while and see what happens. I'm guessing if it works after a cool down then it will probably be the caps.
I had this exact same issue one time. In the end I just replaced the motherboard since this was back before helpful amiBay existed and literally nobody could be bothered to help me on this 'other' forum.
You might be right about heat issues though, I did remember the 600 was warmer then I'd have expected it to be. Best of luck fixing this.
My 600 gets pretty warm and it works fine. Are the caps leaking? - look at the solder pads next to the silver capacitors ...are the pads dull?
Its wise to point out we need to do some tests first before we blame the A600.
1. what video output source are you using?
RF, Composite or RGB Scart?
2. Have you tried another output source?
3. Have you tried another monitor?
---------------------------------------
If the answers are yes to all these questions, then we can continue
1. Possibly the video feed capacitors VIO and VOUT are failing - is on its way out - I would say replace
C459 ( 0.22UF ) capacitor.
C460 ( 10UF ) capacitor.
C408 ( 1,000UF ) capacitor.
C409 (100UF) capacitor.
ensure that you get the same voltage values or slightly higher - thats to say you can replace a 16v with 25 volt and it would be fine.
2. Final 4bit of each RGB component is produced by U31 and U32 respectively, both of these IC's are 74HCT244, both are also SMD, you can get these from various places for very little pennies, I may even have some spare, but to replace them you will need to use hot-air (or have ninja soldering Iron skills)
I seriously doubt that either of the logic IC's have developed fault, I suspect a video power feed in all honestly
Anyway, that would be my suggestion, I do hope that lot helps
Thanks everyone, well it definitely isn't a feed issue. I've tried it on both composite and RF on different. Sources and its the same. I did notice one of the caps was protruding slightly so I'm guessing its a caps issue. Would it be cheaper to replace the board?
Nope, replace the capacitors. Do it yourself or find a TV repair shop nearby.
A capacitor set for the A600 will cost you less than £10 (postage included), you can check on this very site the prices of a replacement A600 board.
Thanks rkauer, any ideas where I can get the cap sets from?
---------- Post added at 08:09 ---------- Previous post was at 07:43 ----------
hmmmm they are a bit but i just put that down to dust/dirt
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjnurney
if you can take a decent photo of the board (close up) we can tell (ish) if its the caps but it will be easier for you to see as you have the board in front of you.
look at the solder pads on other components - shiny and silver i expect but the pads on the caps or all of the caps will be dull and possibly in that local area too. its where the capacitor has leaked on the board.
i replaced all the caps on my A600 a few weeks ago and it works beautifully now. its not hard but the right tools and patience are needed.
mike.
thanks mike, do you have any idea where i can get the caps from and some directions as to which ones i need? I'm looking everywhere but getting no where fast. I really don't want to get another motherboard as i think i've spent enough on it as it is for it to do this within a day, but i guess that's the price you pay for buying old hardware. :( If anyone can point me in the direction of how to replace these caps and which ones i need it would be much appreciated as this has put a bit of a downer on my amiga experience
I'm sure you can find the caps you need here.... :)
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php...highlight=caps
As the above link says , ask Cosmos or check ebay but with Ebay you'll be buying in packs of ten or so usually.
what rev board is it?
Well, I'm really quite embarrassed that this has happened one day after me selling the Amiga! It never showed any signs of failure when I had it, although it's been sat for maybe two months since I used it. It was left in a dry place covered up from dust though.
I read your PM before this and I see you've already tried a different TV and both composite & RF connections.
All I can suggest is that if you get hold of a set of capacitors and leave the Amiga with me for a couple of days, I will replace them for you as I have access to decent de-soldering & soldering equipment at work. You'll need to buy the capacitors but there are people on here selling kits for not a lot of money. I'll not charge anything for the replacement as a gesture of good will since you've only just got the thing. Obviously I can't guarantee it will fix the problem though!
thanks drbrain that looks perfect!Quote:
Originally Posted by drbrain
---------- Post added at 09:25 ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 ----------
I'm not sure to be honest mike as im at work at the moment but i'll check when i get in. thanksQuote:
Originally Posted by mjnurney
It's 1.5, hayesey is going to get the caps from Cosmos and i'm going to attempt to fit it. It's all experience! Does anyone know if a standard floppy cable will work on the 600? I noticed the cable was a little worn so i'd like to replace it.
I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure its the same interface so you should get away with it. The only differences I'm aware are in the drive itself.
Can anyone confirm for me? :unsure:
Cool, cheers AmiNeo. I'll give it a shot, it can only not work!!:)
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeo
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrooooverCool, cheers AmiNeo. I'll give it a shot, it can only not work!!:)
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeo
Indeed! :thumbsup:
@Groooover
Just in case by 'standard' you mean 'PC standard' - make sure there's no twisting in the cable. Just like your existing cable. Other than that yes, it's the very same 34-wire flat cable.
Steal one from another A500/A600/A1200 or make one yourself or cut the untwisted part off a PC floppy cable, all should work.
But if the PVC is only mildly worn and no wire is exposed, I see no reason to swap the cable if it works fine.
Damn! yes it does have a twist in it. Ah well it's the plastic connector which has snapped so i'll just replace that in stead. Thanks BLTCON0!
Should it not work with the twist? Since thats only for drive selection signaling, to signal the first drive? Surely the Amiga would detect it only has 1 drive anyway? Or ignore the twist... (Genuinely asking since I'm unsure of the differences in the Amigas drives...) :unsure:
hmmm, im going to look into this as i thought the same. I'll let you know how i get on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmiNeo
Has the A600 a purple tint always..?
Well it appears BLTCON0 is correct, standard pc floppy cables can't be used because of the twist.
---------- Post added at 14:48 ---------- Previous post was at 14:47 ----------
Yes, i was playing a game and then bam the colours changed and it has a constant purply/pinky tint. You can see it more on white text. It makes the whole screen seem darker aswell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjnurney
You may find that an rgb smd capacitor has failed and not the caps your looking at. The rgb caps are underneath the board not above. I have had this on a couple of a1200s in the past and I made a post on here about some months ago..
If you can't get it going let me know and I'll take a look.
Your kidding! so it could be a different set of capacitor? Would the srt that cosmos sell be adequate for the job or are they completly different?
Also would this affect both composite and rf as it affects both outputs?
thanks mjnurney
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjnurney
Purple = Red and Blue... Perhaps the strength of the green has been suppressed. Sounds to me like a caps problem more and more. I'm no electrician, but if the voltage that handles the green output has suddenly found more attenuation / resistance on its channels, its output would be weaker. I'm guessing this is the basic theory behind it atleast, and the most likely thing to have changed the electrical output is probably the caps.
Its gotta be that or a bad contact somewhere...
@Mike
My friend, the A1200 video generation of RGB is copletely different to the A600 - in your case it is highly iuncommon that a monolitic smd capacitor woud develop a problem as yours did. Theres very little that effect a monolitic smd capacitor short of very high temperature.
@Groover
As stated before you need to replace the electrolytics first, - it is the cheapest option, should the problem persist, then you need to look at the two 75HCT244's that produce the 4bits (4 levels of intensity) of R, G and B (and B0) - should this still not alievate the problem then we need re-examine the problem.
Somthing that has been nibbling at me.... have you tried another Power Supply?
Your PSU's +12v could be on its way to fritzville
Many thanks Zetr0 your wisdom amazes me and i can just picture you as your avatar :)
I shall proceed replacing the electrolytics first and let you know the outcome. Hopefully this thread will be beneficial for other A600 users with the same problem.
Oh and thanks to everyone who has took the time to comment on my problem, i'm amazed at how welcoming/helpful you all are. Hopefully i'll be able to return the favour one day. Cheers, Steve
Ahh my apologies then, thanks for pointing this out kieth.
I'll watch with interest...
:-)
I think we can all say that :thumbsup: :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Groooover
Well i've just gone to take a picture of the purply/pink screen and now it's worse, im getting nothing on screen at all. No flashes of colour, nothing. I can hear the floppy drive clicking away every 2-3 seconds but that's it, not even any power led's??? I've attached some pictures which mainly focus on the top left of the board as that's where i think the issue may be but im not sure. I have noticed that c822 looks to be risen slightly. Can someone give me an opinion on the board and whether it's worth replacing the caps or whether i should just get another board. Thanks guys
@Mike
No need to worry my friend, its easy to get confused on some of the fundaments of the systems, I do it all the time, just ask RKauer, TheCorfiot or AndyLandy - I have made some pretty crazy assumptions when looking at the A1200 / A600 and A500... to know that on a logical level they are all completely different.... just doesn't initially look like it...Quote:
Originally Posted by mjnurney
besides its both humbling and exciting when I get something wrong as theres a new piece to the puzzle to learn =)
LOL, I even developed a 14 Mhz Accelerator for the A600 based on the A500 schematics... I didn't think for a moment that some signals were generated by the GAYLE that the A500/A2000 doesn't have.. ooohhh such failure...
@groover
C460 is your problem right there - replace that and you have proper voltage VIO and VOUT.
@guys
Sorry guys.... as much as I love to shroud myself in arcane mystery its just so not true lol - I dont look like my Avatar.... well once you take of the fake white beard, blue hat and cloak =)
Unfortunately its just science and a penchant for reading - I spend my dinner breaks and down time reading a lot of schematics, white papers and problems that are inherent to systems, from this I garner knowledge or somthing like that anyway ;)
hmmm fake white beard.... blue floppy wizzards hat, red cape.... R3Play in november...... interesting....
Would that cause the machine to not even light the power LEDs aswell? Also out of curiosity, how can you tell?
@groover
we will come to the LED in a bit
look closely to C460, you will notice at the base of the capacitor on its soldered leads they are dull - much duller than the other SMD capacitors on the board... this is indicative of leaking - as such they capacitor cannot take a charge and your VIO and VOUT are not at the corrrect levels for oppertation
Now the LED fault, is likely because the +12/-12 is not functioning as it should thus theres not enough juice to open a gate to turn on a light as it where... I do suspect that theres more than one Capacitor though... as such I would replace the whole power lot to be sure...
Ah I see what you mean, which power caps in particular do you mean?
---------- Post added at 19:10 ---------- Previous post was at 19:08 ----------
Also do you think this board is worth fixing?
worth fixing hmmm
weigh the cost the caps with
1. a working A600
2. the experience and learning of repairing a classic treasure
3. Another A600 saved from the landfill
4. Retrolicious Gaming potential
That seems worth a handfull of caps in my opinion.
=)
It's always worth fixing where an Amiga or retro machine is concerned. Thats the first thing you should learn around here ;).
As Z says, you'd best do the whole lot. If one is failing, others won't be far behind. Once thats done however you should have an A600 system thats as good as the day they were released.
:thumbsup:
Well I definitely want to get it running again I just didn't know whether the board was beyond the point of repair or not. But I suppose if I buy another board then it going to happen to that one sooner or later. Thanks for the advice, I felt a bit down when it didn't even power on but now it's a challenge! I'll keep you posted once I receive the caps.
Thats the spirit. Around here thats the equivalent of a battery dying in your watch. Much better to replace the battery than throw your watch away and get a new one, just keeping the strap :lol:
All the best with it. The adventure begins here!
Let's hope its as easy as replacing a watch battery! Lol
No Amiga should ever go into the bin, they dont make them anymore y'know ;) :lol: The people who frequent these boards are an unbelievable fountain of knowledge and they fall over themselves to help you :) I myself had my A4000 recapped and my A3640 accelerator upgraded by D0pefish (brilliant fella :thumbsup: ) and he currently has my A500+ in for repair too. And of course you have become familiar with our resident wizard Zetr0 (who also has an A500+ of mine being repaired LOL!). Hikey and Cosmos among others are well known for their excellent skills. Guys, we salute you all :bowdown: :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Groooover
I must admit I've never encountered any forum with a more helpful bunch of people. Thanks everyone
I'm just about to replace the caps on my a600 motherboard, any advice? I'm a bit worried about the two caps in front of the keyboard socket, will I have to remove the socket?
@Groover
If you are worried - leave them for the moment - its better to wait and build up the skill rather than butcher a motherboard.
To remove SMD caps I recomend a hot air rework station - while its not too hard to solder new ones on with a precision iron, its a lot more skill to remove them with this method.
Setting should be no-more than between 260c-280c and certainly no more that 290c with low-air pressure: or you will blow the other components off the board.
Remember to move the hot-air gun around the component(s) and not fixed on one spot - ensure that you are using the right shroud on the hot-air gun - for the job at hand =)
I had to send mine for repairs, my first attemp failed, leaving a few caps without traces...:roll: So Zetro his advice is very apropriate.
Last succ repair I did myself, I used two soldering irons low wattage that way it is very easy...(althoug probably very uncoventional method)
Watch some soldering/desoldering videos to see how the experts do it.
My Commodore 64 died the other day, but I couldn't just let it die! I had to replace the power supply and the memory (I soldered in sockets yay!) and it was worth it. My machine has years of life left in it, which unfortunately can't be said about many of its' fallen brothers.
Well guys, I did it anyway and the soldering was easier than I thought. But the down side is that it's no different. So Im thinking it might be the power supply? Any thoughts?
@Goooover
Just to recap (forgive the pun)
You have replaced ALL of the SMD and through-hole capacitors?
Normally I would of tried another PSU before throwing in new Caps (although you C460 deffinately needed replacement) - I would at this point suggest that you test your work thoroughly; dont leave anything to chance =)
Now, try out a new PSU, if you still have the same problem the we can revist the symptoms =)