A1200net case with yellowing

[YouKnowWho]

I have one too! Sitting in a box since start of pandemic. I'll check it soon. My goodness, yours looks like it's been in prison with a smoker!

I say in a prison because I got a clear LCD TV/Monitor for this setup in storage too, and the only clear TV/Monitors are prison TVs (monitor/VGA/HDMI/Digital Tuner/Component/S-video/Composite - NICE!) that are see-through clear so that you don't smuggle in a shank.

I wonder what that thing was in prison for and how much time it did and what it witnessed?

 

[miggymad]

Just checked both my 2 white and 1 translucent A1200.net cases and no signs of yellowing. I think it's definitely something to keep an eye on over the coming months. Also the keycaps and replacement mouse shells might be something else to keep an eye on as time passes by as well ...

 

[awmosoft]

I have two transparent cases and one was yellowed and the other not. I cntacted A1200.NET about the case. They told me if there is a new production run I will get a repacelment of my yellowed case.

When I bought my first Commodore A1200, the orginal case only yellowed after 20 years. My transparent case already yellowed after maybe 5 years.

The last one other picture I bought the case first and the Yellowed transparent case after a couple of years.

I kept them in my A1200.NET box and I don't smoke.

 

[Xanxi]

I have just checked mine (which by the way is translucent, not transparent) and it seems fine. Got this one from an Australian shop as they were the last in the world to have it available.

Yellowing is annoying but actually my A500Plus from 1991 had already started to yellow in the late 90's on the front where it was exposed to the sun (was on a tablet-drawer in the fashion of the computer desks of the 90's and this part was exposed even with the drawer pushed off). To this day, it is still more yellow there than on the rest of the case.
On the other hand, i have my historical A1200 which was still pristine white until around 2020 on my desk, and now that it has been in storage while replaced by another one, i have noticed the last time i used it than it was now faint yellow.
Unfortunately, it is better to live with it, or to move to black cases, they never disappoint.

 

[Templar]

I have bought a black case, but although the color seems fine after 2-3 years, the problem was with the floppy drive. It doesn't fit completely like the original case, especially the eject button, therefore...

 

[JohnM73]

Interesting that some others have had issues with the translucent case. Wondering if there was a batch problem at some point perhaps (mould release agent not cleaned off and causing a reaction over time?). Just had an off-board reply from Jan Beta saying his clear 1200 case from 7 years remains unyellowed. I guess it’s a bit of a lottery. Fingers crossed my second 1200 clear case (if they have a good one in stock) will last.

 

[YouKnowWho]

To me the appeal of the case was black. I got a clear just for some prison fun. @Templar - that floppy eject button was a real let down by them. It's such a frequently touched element of the case. Probably most touched. Perfect example of how a small thing can ruin the whole product. I think I've been promised a solution (replacement button) over 4 years ago.

 

[StanMoonie]

To me the appeal of the case was black. I got a clear just for some prison fun. @Templar - that floppy eject button was a real let down by them. It's such a frequently touched element of the case. Probably most touched. Perfect example of how a small thing can ruin the whole product. I think I've been promised a solution (replacement button) over 4 years ago.

I talk with them a couple of years ago about the eject button and well I got the indication they really didn't care. I just thought it was really poor planning on there part to make a eject button did not fit most Amigas.

 

[Xanxi]

What is the problem with the eject button?
They can't provide one for each type of original or modified drives around.

I have i think 6 of those cases.
At first i was using a button matching the color of my keycaps, either white or black 3D printed. Now i have them made for cheap at JLCPCB to match whatever i want on the case, thanks to the 3D models available everywhere. I even have a translucent one for my translucent case and a grey resin one for my grey case, ready for ALPS modified drive (or Samsung, i forgot). Way more professional looking than those people are 3d printing at home.

 

[YouKnowWho]

I checked, my clear is still looking good, except the screw mounting points due to hardware. Now that I'm looking for colour change, those are really noticeable.

@Xanxi? Why not? Little plastic button would not add to the cost, even if 5 were included. It just wasn't done well at the start and not corrected.

3D printing...sure. But you pay a decent penny for a case, and the thing you touch the most in the case kit needs to be...well, I'm saying it...kinda cheap?

 

[amigean]

I have an orange and a blue A1200net cases and they both look, feel and fit/function great in every possible way.

I sympathise with the frustration around yellowing, it pains me to see it on original cases.

At the same time, I have a lot of appreciation for the work the A1200net folks did, which isn't to be sneezed at. The parts of the process they controlled, went fine (if anything all the accessories and possibilities they thought of are commendable at least) - the problem seems to be at the manufacturing end of things and sadly the avoidance of yellowing is probably not high on the priority list of whatever manufacturer was contracted for this.

Likewise, the economics of manufacturing moulded plastic parts require large orders, which require finance, storage, etc so not something that can be done for a small batch of defective cases. Fortunately, demand for cases seems to be healthy, and possibly likely to grow with all the new hardware available, so new production runs could make sense.

Hopefully I'm right in my interpretation of the intent of the good folks at A1200net and they will strive to put things right as soon as there's another run.

 

[Xanxi]

@Xanxi[/USER]? Why not? Little plastic button would not add to the cost, even if 5 were included. It just wasn't done well at the start and not corrected.

3D printing...sure. But you pay a decent penny for a case, and the thing you touch the most in the case kit needs to be...well, I'm saying it...kinda cheap?

No my JLCPCB buttons are not cheap at all. 3D printing DIY at home almost always looks cheap, but not JLCPCB's stuff.
I don't have the pictures of my buttons at hand but look at the case of my USBSID-Pico (lower part black resin, top part transparent resin, only a few dust on the case sorry).

 

[Templar]

What is the problem with the eject button?
They can't provide one for each type of original or modified drives around.

You cannot advertise that all drives will fit without any problems, and especially most (if not all) of the A1200s came with a Mitsumi drive. It was supposed to use your floppy's eject button, but obviously the hole was not alligned properly.

 

[Xanxi]

You cannot advertise that all drives will fit without any problems, and especially most (if not all) of the A1200s came with a Mitsumi drive. It was supposed to use your floppy's eject button, but obviously the hole was not alligned properly.

You mean they don't fit the original drive?
I think most A1200s i have seen came with a Panasonic drive. Those Panasonic drives are hardly working by now because they are the only ones on the Amiga which need recapping, including a cap needing to remove the heads to reach it, so they are laying here forever until i would have the time to fix them (remove the heads, use a lot of time to realign). Chinon, Mitsumi or others are fine after cleaning and greasing only.
So i only have replacement drives for the A1200s by now and each 3D model for a suitable Amiga button i have found for them has been ok with the case (original or A1200.net), so unsure of why you are facing an issue.

 

[YouKnowWho]

@Xanxi...It looks like you are volunteering to print us a bunch of buttons and make right what A1200.net made wrong, yes?

 

[Templar]

Escom's A1200 came with the Panasonic drive as far as I remember, mine is original, I have two of them and they have Mitsumis. Either way, that's not the case, the problem is that the eject button can't fully be aligned, that's all.

 

[Xanxi]

I volunteer to give you the link to JLCPCB https://jlcpcb.com/ that i have put to good use since my pal @darefail told me about them.


About the drive brands, i think it may depends on the region you are.
Around me that was mostly Chinon FB354 in A500/A500Plus, Chinon FZ354 in A600, the dreadfull Panasonic JU-something in the A1200 including Commodore (i ever only had 1 Escom). Chinon FB354 are the best but i don't think they would fit the A1200.

 

[Xanxi]

About a potential use for the one button included with the A1200.net cases, you may remember this drive that Amigakit used to sell, and other shops as resellers as well.
That is a modified drive, Sony if i remember, and not an Amiga original one. The button is not printed but made of two parts glued together (i noticed once i broke it after 15 years using it).
So one could do the same, and cut and glue the colored button on top of the original one of the drive.

 

[Watson]

For reference. The white A1200.net case I still have (for the moment). There's been no yellowing but the Chinon FB354 is not the best fit. No issues with the eject button. I will let the picture speak for themselves.

 

[JohnM73]

Supplier just sent me a picture of another unit in stock, and that has the very same yellowing. As Jan Beta's 7+ year old case remains perfectly clear he says, would seem to indicate a possible batch issue then with current stock. Annoying. Guess I'll play the waiting game for now and hope future stock is better once again.