*Before anyone else mentions the 2 caps the wrong way around (from manfacture!)* - yes, aware, 10 people have pointed it out lol, and I did spot one of them looking domed in the video :o) I've looked at the schematics, and if you're interested, one is on the power smoothing just after the switch on vcc, the other is a bypass cap for the video section again from vcc to gnd. I will swap them out in part 2, along with the laser. Part 2 - ua-cam.com/video/q5W3n_XiSOk/v-deo.html Terrible Fire 030 accelerators I mentioned in the video:- ua-cam.com/channels/u4uiUtALy1ILAxNh7TGsmQ.html The RGB mod video I mentioned from RetroGameModz:- ua-cam.com/video/CosmnuWvQ0Y/v-deo.html You can purchase "The Dream of Rowan" here (currently 030 only):- rowan.amiten.es/preorders.html Modern Vintage Gamers review of that game:- ua-cam.com/video/sGpM5TAoBoU/v-deo.html
On Amibay someone sells a kit of a TF328 plus a Kipper2k riser board, the latter adds RGB plus PS/2. That may be a nice no soldering required upgrade for you. Also, check out RetroGameModz video about re-calibrating the CD32 cdrom drive circuits if you haven't already :)
Thanks =D Will try and get one from there! Yes, I've referred to RetroGameModz video there a lot in the RF adjustments I've done to various other CD systems (PS1, 3DO, Saturn, GameCube - all thanks to that video he did =D ).
The link to the amibay thread: www.amibay.com/showthread.php?95039-TF328-Bundle-IDE-8MB-RAM-for-CD32-RISER :) P.s. Reason for less chips than an A1200 is they integrated CIA's and Budgie in Akiko; and there is no IDE/pcmcia hence no Gayle chip
I thought I had replied to this already but strangely my message has vanished lol. Yes, you need to be careful with any PSU replacement etc but if the PSU has clean stable 5v and 12v rails it will be fine! Perhaps the caps were bad in the PSU you used?
Lovely pick up in such good condition. CD32 is one of those systems like the GX4000 I remember sneering at in the bargain bins. Now I wish I had bought them all!
Thanks, yes - really pleased with its overall condition! Haha @ GX4000 - I thought that too, wish I had bought 10 of them lol. Even 1 would have been good as it would now be mint =/ Similar thing with the Atari Lynx 2 - remember when they sold them all off cheap? I bought two back then at £20 each brand new boxed. Sadly I gave them away a few years later =/
I just recapped a CD32 that looked pristine like the one in the video here. All solder joints for the caps, and solder joints for all components were really shiny except a couple of caps that had solder joints not quite as shiny as the other ones. Still shiny but not as shiny. And no visible corrosion anywhere. Anyway, after I started removing caps I found that 4 or 5 of them had started leaking at the underside. Solder below them was not shiny on the ones that had leaked. It was not visible without removing them. Only small hint was that couple that did not have as shiny joints as all the other ones. Even ones that had really shiny joints had leaked under them. And of course the fishy smell when I unsoldered the legs. This goes to show that a visual inspection without removing the caps is not enough. I'm pretty sure by now every A600, A1200, A4000 and CD32 have leaking caps.
I snagged my CD32 from ebay about three years ago, what a sorry state she was in... HEAVY water damage, the entire RF shield is as rusty as the underside of a ford escort. Several caps needed replacing, mosly in the video circuit, the output had a chunk that was just missing near the top of the screen. Bought a recapping kit from ebay, cost about 11 quid. Replacing surface mount caps in a machine of this age is such fun, six of the caps' pads lifted and broke off so I had to bypass the damage. Now I have beautiful crisp video, and only one audio channel at a time, and the fading smell of electroite from the failed caps.. guess I didnt get all of it off the board yet. Still, the console only cost me £40, plus £11 for the cap kit. That through-hole cap up near the RF can is a surface mount in mine, for me the one next to it was a TH instead of an SM. I guess our machines were made late in the day! Now... if I could just find an expansion bay cover for less than £25... So few people even put anything in that bay, why are so many CD32s missing this cover? The damn thing is screwed on!
Sounds like that was hard work with all that water damage =/ I don't understand where all those expansion covers go either?!?!? As you say, they are screwed on, and there's few expansions to go inside them. Maybe every one had an SX1 or something...
I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten to put the plug housing or heatshrink over the wires before soldering. It's weird isn't it - no matter how confident we are before starting, we still bloody forget it. lol
I would be tempted to use that ATX psu as a power supply for multiple systems by essntially using each of the molex/sata connectors for different systems. After all, they pretty much all use the same kind of power, 6 and 12 volts with grounding wires. This would let you have a rig like a set of shelves with all the systems plugged in and ready for use with a minimal amount of power leads coming out. Add a scart switcher and scan doubler then it sounds (in theory at least) like a pretty convenient rig for a lot of old systems.
My best tip to clean almost whatever is to use "Pronto": a wax spray for furnitures and more. It's perfect for plastics (or just whatever) and they will look as new, while also protecting them a bit like wax does.
Thanks! There are many ways to crack a nut =D I often use "Back to Black" on systems like this, its a sillicone based wax. Some people prefer to use furniture polish etc. I will check out that "Pronto" =D
Yep. I've tried many things, and none like this. Better don't try any other brand, just it. I use Pronto for furnitures. They have another but this one is the one I mostly use. I use it with whatever, it won't damage anything. With dark plastics like the CD32 or a Megadrive as example you'll notice it more.
Nice one. Love to see this up and going. Its amazing seeing how much not working or "junk" systems are going for now. I don't know whether its because the working ones are starting to dry up or whether the fixing up movement is driving up the price because of its success. I think the days of picking up not-working systems for a couple of quid is gone. Paying a significant amount of money for these non-working systems is getting to be the norm.
Thanks =D I think it's a combination of the two things you mentioned there! On one hand there are more of them being restored to 100%, but there's more demand now since the TF328 030 Terrible Fire accelerator was created - I've seen prices increase steadily since he produce the TF328. I see the same shortages of faulty systems now though as well. eg. faulty C64 three years ago would be £15 - £20, now they are selling for much more than that faulty, and less on eBay =/
I know about C64 ;) The reason I went for the Duo was faulty PC engines are going for £50 faulty with no controller. Working ones are going for £70-80 with no controller. Controllers are going for £30-50. I am planning on getting the System3 with a PC Engine but I'm a stickler for not selling things. I'll probably end up having both lol.
Hehe =D Yes, it seems like when ever I buy a system recently, months later it has increased in price already. I bought mine sold as working with controller and a game just over 12 months ago for around £50.
I remember "repairing" CD drives in that way. Unfortunately the potentiometer increases laser bias current, which drastically shorten its life. So it helps, but for a very short period of time, after then laser dies completely. The true reason for drive not reading disc is usually dust on the optics (also under the lens), and poor voltage filtering.
Yes, regards the bias current drastically shortening the laser life - that's precisely why I ordered some new lasers! They don't last long at all when you have to increase the voltage there.
Great vid there Gadget I've never had the CD32 and can't believe the lack of ic's compared to the A1200. After 24 years of play, I think it was time the laser gave up the ghost. And I do agree with you that the controllers for this console are a rip off at £65. .... Happy new year to you and will look forward to part 2......Kim 😋
Thanks =D Hehe, good point there at 24 years of play lol! Not bad innings really - try and get 24 years out of a 360 of PS3 lol. Yeah, £65 for a controller - not happening lol. I've bought a PS2 controller adapter for now. Happy new year!!!
That looks really clean on the inside, suspiciously clean. That shielding don't look like it matches that case. Even the well where the CD goes was spotless and that's the sort of place that collects dust. No fluff no dead spiders in the corners. Lol my initials are CSG so I'm quite proud to see it on the Amiga chips. I remember when i designed them back in the day, Yeah I wish lol. Ahh the old laser voltage pot, I suspected as much but refrained from commenting until I'd watched till the end. Those flat ribbon connectors drive me nuts. Especially the one on my A1200. Push one side up the other goes down and vice versa Grrrrr.
Hehe, yes - it does look suspiciously clean lol! Having said that, I bet a lot of CD32's havent had much use over the years! Many just stored away etc. LOL @ CSG =D And those flat flex connectors are a pain the a**! The one I hate the most is the keyboard connector on the 1200 and 600! After a number of reconnections the carbon can wear off the edge connector of the cable =/
Nightmare dude. Keep meaning to ask you. I have a Panasonic external CD-ROM drive with the SCSI style card connector. Model is KXL-D740, could I use it on my A1200 at all. It only comes with a DOS floppy driver all boxed as new just sat there. Would love to be able to use it on an Amiga. Here is the PDF of the Manual. What do you think is it DOS only? ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/panasonic/business/office/spec_sheets/kxld740.pdf I know your busy dude so appreciate any guidance really. Cut and paste the link, clicking dont work for some reason, lol. All the best.
Sorry for my slow reply - I am just catching up with messages. I think most SCSI drives will work with the Amiga provided you have a SCSI interface. The hard part is finding a SCSI interface that works with the Amiga!
Don‘t let goodlooking solderpads fool you. On SMD Amigas they leak all the time. BTW you got one of the boards were C408 and C811 are installed (and marked on the board) the wrong way. The negative stripe should face the power switch.
Thanks for pointing out about those caps the wrong way around =D I will check and fix that in the next part! =D I dont see any leakage anywhere and it seems to be working well (except for the laser of course), but I will keep an eye on the caps once I fix the laser!
Leaking caps are very often not visible, because they leak on the underside. It is very recommendable to renew them all. The risk of destroyed traces or solder pads on the board is too high.
I bought one too, from ebay last spring. It was in perfect condition and works very well. The first thing I checked was those 2 condensators. For some reason, they were correct way on my machine. Maybe somebody had already fixed them... Though it didn't look like that...
Yes, here is a little story about this, with pictures. Though it's kinda hard to see the proper way, because he had to twist the caps to sideway position. There's also an fantastic YT-video from RetroGameModz about adjusting CD32 laser. But I'm sure you already knew that, because I have a memory, that I saw you praising the video on the comment section ;) And, of course, one should. Because that is totally awesome information on adjusting the laser on CD32! Sadly I don't have (yet) an oscilloscope to make that kind of adjustments... Maybe one day ;)
Another grate video!! So easy to do when making a connector up, lost count of the times I’ve done that lol. I must dig my CD32 out now! I picked mine up as faulty a while back for £40 with PSU but not a nice cosmetically as yours, mine has a crack in the clear plastic on the lid :( and mine has more issues than a bad laser, it loads a game fine then you get graphical corruption then a crash about 60 seconds in. still should make for a fun repair.
Thanks Jay =D Yeah, it's fun finding ways to avoid buying the power brick at stupid prices lol. Anyone would think they had gold in them or something! £50 for +5 and +12 is crazy lol I bet that crash is just the caps!?! Could be RAM though too I guess. But £40 was a great deal, even with the crack in the window! I am sure a spare drive lid might come up for sale at somepoint anyway.
By the way Chris, if you want any spare parts for that CD32, I've got a whole CD32 motherboard my end that you can have. You can take parts off, or just plonk the whole board in as a replacement.
Thanks! I feel your pain - we all do things like that, I've regretted most of the things I sold in the past that I still haven't replaced. AWE32 was one of them. I really regret letting that sound card go lol.
Nice. Was thinking about trying one of these but don't have any discs so can't really justify it lol. A tusty paperclip between green and black is a permanent feature of my ATX!
What a great find -- such great condition. A CD32 is on my collector's list, along with an Amiga 600 -- both hard to find in their NTSC variants and at a reasonable price. Looking forward to part 2.
Yes, it's in great condtion really =D Been on my list for a long time, wish I had picked one up sooner for half the price lol. In working condition they are going for crazy money now =/
Even with Jack Tramiel gone Commodore knew how to save a buck on system design. It all feels a bit cheapish. You'll probably be hunting for amiga cd games now Chris? I've never seen those in the wild. Fun video as always. Hope you're well Chris.
Thanks =D Yes, they do have a bit of a cheap feel compared to say the 500 or 1200 etc. The controllers are the thing that I feel lets them down really. The controllers look nice but from what I understand they are a bit poor to use and dont last. Might just buy a few original CD32 games if the price is right, but there's no copy protection so easy to burn stuff etc. Happy new year! =D
The CD32 is very fussy with certain CD-R's, I've found the bluer bottomed ones particularly seem to make the laser struggle to read the disc, where as the black bottomed Playstation type CD-R's if burned at a slower speed seem to be pretty good, I was fortunate enough to get an SX32 for mine and added a HDD and extra Fast RAM, they probably cost a fortune now but no need to worry about the CD Laser or Disc rot, you can find discs compiled by people online that are jam packed with classic Amiga WHD/JST installs with really nice GUI's containing info' on the game, screen shots and then you just select the one you want and wait for it to load, it pretty much treats the CD as a HDD, another quick tip, the lids are notorious for the backside left hinge snapping, just above the controller ports, if you don't hold it all the way up when lifting/opening it, and you just let it go this can and does cause the pressure/breakage of said hinge, it's a great under rated machine and much like my Megadrive has never had any issues, other than requiring the occasional clean. Here's a cool site for you to have a look at: cd32covers.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks for the info =D Will check out that link and thanks for the tips on downloading collections etc, and the hinge thing - I wasn't aware of that, I will mention it in the next video =D Nice @ SX32!! Those are rare and worth a few quid now lol
I think I paid £149 on release for the SX32, they go for over £1,000 now, there's always the external disk drive by Analogic option, they're on eBay regularly, and I believe they are still reasonably priced, the compilation CD's are great but there's no real way to save games what with the machine having a measly 1KB of non-volatile EEPROM, and if you want to save some titles it uses the whole 1KB, I just had a look on eBay the DD's go for £150, worth it if you have the spare cash, anyway have fun with it, another thing I noticed it doesn't like PC keyboards, which will fit in the AUX, so I had to resort to buying an A4000 Keyboard again not cheap, the CDTV one also works.
Ouch! That's a lot of money, but as you say they are worth a lot more now =D You should sell it whilst the goings good lol. I will look out for an Analogic drive but not that bothered about FDD support to be fair. Hard to believe Commodore put 1KB of non-volatile RAM in there lol. Thanks for info regards the keyboard =D
Thanks =D Yes, its strange how the RF shields always go that way isn't it lol? Despite nothing really coming into contact with them they just deteroriate.
Think I'd replace all those horrible little capacitors, even when they've not leaked, they're dreadful and cause all sorts of problems in Tektronix TDS series 'scopes too.
I've been looking for a ZX Spectrum +2 for a long time and recently one popped up for £29.99 so I jumped on that and bought it. The cassette deck was faulty so I removed it and put an internal power supply in it with a switched plug. Also took the keyboard apart completely and cleaned it, it was disgusting.
Nice video. Quality is just so poor inside these units -- those reworked and birdshat boards look horrifying. I would suggest adding some older (1980s) pressed CDs to your test kit -- classical music CDs were the original popular genre on redbook audio CD, and there should be tons of them around cheap in thrift stores to grab some and keep onhand for testing. It just rules out any of the weird crap they started doing with CD track contents in the late 90s and 2000s, ensures you're using something with the same physical characteristics as what testers did back then, and also will likely reduce the risk of copyright flagging issues on UA-cam as a bonus. Keep up the great videos (and get off that carpet) !
Thanks =D Not sure what that 'birdshat' stuff is lol - funny, it does look like that though lol. I will investigate further in the next part. As long as you dont play more than 5 seconds or so the copyright thing isn't an issue.
When did this system get soo expensive! Though there seems to be a lot of silly priced "buy it now" items on eBay. Great vid, I have 2 CD32s and a couple of expansions I picked up years ago, hoping to get them out and enjoy them again soon so having a look at the inside will be useful should there be any issues (Thanks). On the English Amiga Boards there is a some discussion regards modding Sega Megadrive controllers for 4 button use which might tide you over until you get something more suitable, otherwise there are several 3rd party adaptors on Ebay that are for using Sony Playstation controllers. You can also get keyboard adaptors to use PC Keyboards with the AUX port, though an Amiga 4000 keyboard will work as is, and earlier model big box Amiga keyboards with a Din to PS/2 adaptor.
The way these have shot up in price is in part due to the Terrible Fire accelerators lol, at least that's what I believe is the cause. Since the 030 TF328 came out I've seen the price of the CD32 climb, more so in the last month. Loads around the £300 - £400 mark at the moment which is just crazy imo. Thanks for the tip there on the Megadrive controller mod, if you could post a link that would be awesome!!!! I bought one of the Playstation controller adapters following your comment there, so thanks for that =D =D I will also look for an AUX to USB adapter too soon!
I have found one thread here, but it is just one of many. eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=22633 Seems to be some debate as to the effectiveness of the mod in the thread and it only gives you 2 buttons as there is apparently a chip in official CD32 controllers that do some magic (which the modern adaptors emulate). hmm, should my finances improve, TF, or furia or vampire! choices choices!
Ah mate CD32 and lasers.... I had a nightmare. In the end I ended up buying a the full laser assembly from amikit. I ask kicked off with the seller also and he said he had a spare working assembly also, so now I have both, and both work. I think I picked up a AUX to usb also so can use a usb keyboard. Defo rgb mod it as it makes a massive difference.
Great lol - you've installed fears into my mind now lol. Won't sleep until those lasers arrive now and I know one way or another what pain I am in for! I've taken a gamble and ordered 3 very cheap replacements from China... Nice tip there on the AUX to USB adapter!!! I need to get one of those!
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I remember when I was looking for lasers nobody had them so you've done well ordering 3. It will be easy for you but I spend hours/days trying to get it to play games. I remember at one point I had it playing only originals not silver's ahhhhh
Hehe, you over estimate my abilities lol! Messing with CD systems has been just as painful for me in the past lol, especially when it comes to getting burnt discs working lol.
I double checked it. Romain is right. I had the same problem on the CD32 I recapped. The 1000uF caps had bulged. The rest of the caps looked fine, but I replaced all of them anyway.
Yeah, I was watching back at 17:08 earlier and those 2 thru hole caps do look bad. A few people have also mentioned a couple of caps being the wrong way around - guessing its those two! Will swap them out in the next part =D
@bwack - sorry I didn't see your reply until now! I noticed those two thru hole caps today too. Just domed ever so slightly. I went looking as a few people had mentioned two caps being on the board the wrong way - pretty sure its those two little blighters! =D Thanks =D
That's useful to know =D I guess its a popular model! That's good because it might mean spares will be available for some time yet. Unlike the 3DO where the lasers are pretty rare =/
The mystery at 20.58 I can answer ,yes its is factory, there should be attached to that gunk a brass spring clip for what purpose god only knows, but they always fall off never to be seen again :)
Thanks lol! I wonder where the spring thing went lol. I guess maybe it connects the board to the shielding or something? Will have a look when I am next in there...
I`d say someone got in there before you and looked at it puzzled then shrugged..then threw it over their shoulder ! :) Also its a flat bent spring not your normal coiled springy spring :)
Thanks =D Yes, lovely system, although not a massive library of official games. Obviously all the Amiga library in general though so its certainly not limited! I bet you wish you kept it now lol! Although if you have a 1200 you've got it all really, just minus the CD part.
Hi Gadget, I bought x2 of the KSS210A from 'swle2000' on eBay, one for use, one for spare. It seems to work well - as I said in my video the pot had to be adjusted 'a gnats bollock' to get it to read the 444, 555 etc compilations burned at 8x speed max (Verbatim) from go... I might buy some new old stock CDRs that will burn at a lower speed and re-burn them as I don't want to stress the new laser out reading a weak CDR layer. I tend not to use the CD drive unless I have lots of stuff to put on the internal CF card all in one go. It's a real shame CD-RWs don't work :'( Unless someone has found a RW media that works? I may use the 'second CF adaptor' Edu made and run a ribbon cable outside the rear of my case above the riser somehow *hmmmm thinks*
Yes - carpet is best to avoid, ESD mat is what I should be using. I do have one and will use it (and ESD wrist strap) when I come to work on the laser. I also had a woolen jumper on too btw :o) As Ichinin says - as long as I dont touch the components or connections it will be fine. That was one reason why I commented on joystick ports being buffered by a TTL chip - because on the Amiga its real easy to kill a CIA by touching joystick pins when trying to connect a mouse or stick etc, and introduce some ESD to the pins there. That was precisely why I went looking at the schematics to work out what was handling the input, and initially I was shocked that AKIKO handles that, but then thank goodness noticed that there's a TTL chip inbetween, else we would see a number of CD32's failing from ESD damage on the controller ports. It might not seem like I take ESD seriously, and I often dont mention it - perhaps I should, but I do take it seriously where it needs to be taken seriously.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods hey, no problem. it's just that I've seen plenty of people doing this lately especially on ebay auctions. I'm sure you know what your doing and I didn't mean to be a jerk by mentioning this.
I've seen lots of bad auctions too on eBay, saw one C128D Motherboard i wanted to buy (cheap too) but the seller had posed it directly on a plastic carpet, almost wanted to scratch my eyes out.
No worries =D Yes, its a good point and I do forget to mention sometimes! Rest assured the wrist strap and mat will be used when I get the board out and when I fit the TF328!
Hope you can fix it gadget,playing now banshee on my cd32,with rgb,buyed something on amibay that you put in the backport and gives me rgb. www.amibay.com/showthread.php?65295-CD32-RGB-adaptor&highlight=amiga+cd32+rgb
*Before anyone else mentions the 2 caps the wrong way around (from manfacture!)* - yes, aware, 10 people have pointed it out lol, and I did spot one of them looking domed in the video :o) I've looked at the schematics, and if you're interested, one is on the power smoothing just after the switch on vcc, the other is a bypass cap for the video section again from vcc to gnd. I will swap them out in part 2, along with the laser.
Part 2 - ua-cam.com/video/q5W3n_XiSOk/v-deo.html
Terrible Fire 030 accelerators I mentioned in the video:-
ua-cam.com/channels/u4uiUtALy1ILAxNh7TGsmQ.html
The RGB mod video I mentioned from RetroGameModz:-
ua-cam.com/video/CosmnuWvQ0Y/v-deo.html
You can purchase "The Dream of Rowan" here (currently 030 only):-
rowan.amiten.es/preorders.html
Modern Vintage Gamers review of that game:-
ua-cam.com/video/sGpM5TAoBoU/v-deo.html
On Amibay someone sells a kit of a TF328 plus a Kipper2k riser board, the latter adds RGB plus PS/2. That may be a nice no soldering required upgrade for you. Also, check out RetroGameModz video about re-calibrating the CD32 cdrom drive circuits if you haven't already :)
Thanks =D Will try and get one from there! Yes, I've referred to RetroGameModz video there a lot in the RF adjustments I've done to various other CD systems (PS1, 3DO, Saturn, GameCube - all thanks to that video he did =D ).
The link to the amibay thread: www.amibay.com/showthread.php?95039-TF328-Bundle-IDE-8MB-RAM-for-CD32-RISER :)
P.s. Reason for less chips than an A1200 is they integrated CIA's and Budgie in Akiko; and there is no IDE/pcmcia hence no Gayle chip
I thought I had replied to this already but strangely my message has vanished lol. Yes, you need to be careful with any PSU replacement etc but if the PSU has clean stable 5v and 12v rails it will be fine! Perhaps the caps were bad in the PSU you used?
And thanks btw =D
Lovely pick up in such good condition. CD32 is one of those systems like the GX4000 I remember sneering at in the bargain bins. Now I wish I had bought them all!
Thanks, yes - really pleased with its overall condition! Haha @ GX4000 - I thought that too, wish I had bought 10 of them lol. Even 1 would have been good as it would now be mint =/ Similar thing with the Atari Lynx 2 - remember when they sold them all off cheap? I bought two back then at £20 each brand new boxed. Sadly I gave them away a few years later =/
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods - or the C64 GS. They were a joke at the time, but they're no laughing matter now.
+Phil Rodgers Hehe, yes, you're right!
I just recapped a CD32 that looked pristine like the one in the video here. All solder joints for the caps, and solder joints for all components were really shiny except a couple of caps that had solder joints not quite as shiny as the other ones. Still shiny but not as shiny. And no visible corrosion anywhere. Anyway, after I started removing caps I found that 4 or 5 of them had started leaking at the underside. Solder below them was not shiny on the ones that had leaked. It was not visible without removing them. Only small hint was that couple that did not have as shiny joints as all the other ones. Even ones that had really shiny joints had leaked under them. And of course the fishy smell when I unsoldered the legs. This goes to show that a visual inspection without removing the caps is not enough. I'm pretty sure by now every A600, A1200, A4000 and CD32 have leaking caps.
It's on my list of things to do - I've had the cap kit sat here since Nov 2019 lol! Same story with my A1200!
I snagged my CD32 from ebay about three years ago, what a sorry state she was in... HEAVY water damage, the entire RF shield is as rusty as the underside of a ford escort. Several caps needed replacing, mosly in the video circuit, the output had a chunk that was just missing near the top of the screen. Bought a recapping kit from ebay, cost about 11 quid. Replacing surface mount caps in a machine of this age is such fun, six of the caps' pads lifted and broke off so I had to bypass the damage. Now I have beautiful crisp video, and only one audio channel at a time, and the fading smell of electroite from the failed caps.. guess I didnt get all of it off the board yet. Still, the console only cost me £40, plus £11 for the cap kit.
That through-hole cap up near the RF can is a surface mount in mine, for me the one next to it was a TH instead of an SM. I guess our machines were made late in the day!
Now... if I could just find an expansion bay cover for less than £25... So few people even put anything in that bay, why are so many CD32s missing this cover? The damn thing is screwed on!
Sounds like that was hard work with all that water damage =/ I don't understand where all those expansion covers go either?!?!? As you say, they are screwed on, and there's few expansions to go inside them. Maybe every one had an SX1 or something...
I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten to put the plug housing or heatshrink over the wires before soldering.
It's weird isn't it - no matter how confident we are before starting, we still bloody forget it. lol
LOL! So true! I will finish that connector off properly in the next part =D
Literally every time...
Gadget UK with an Amiga video? Only my 2 favourite things ;)
Thanks lol =D
I would be tempted to use that ATX psu as a power supply for multiple systems by essntially using each of the molex/sata connectors for different systems. After all, they pretty much all use the same kind of power, 6 and 12 volts with grounding wires. This would let you have a rig like a set of shelves with all the systems plugged in and ready for use with a minimal amount of power leads coming out. Add a scart switcher and scan doubler then it sounds (in theory at least) like a pretty convenient rig for a lot of old systems.
My best tip to clean almost whatever is to use "Pronto": a wax spray for furnitures and more. It's perfect for plastics (or just whatever) and they will look as new, while also protecting them a bit like wax does.
Thanks! There are many ways to crack a nut =D I often use "Back to Black" on systems like this, its a sillicone based wax. Some people prefer to use furniture polish etc. I will check out that "Pronto" =D
Yep. I've tried many things, and none like this. Better don't try any other brand, just it. I use Pronto for furnitures. They have another but this one is the one I mostly use. I use it with whatever, it won't damage anything. With dark plastics like the CD32 or a Megadrive as example you'll notice it more.
Nice one. Love to see this up and going. Its amazing seeing how much not working or "junk" systems are going for now. I don't know whether its because the working ones are starting to dry up or whether the fixing up movement is driving up the price because of its success.
I think the days of picking up not-working systems for a couple of quid is gone. Paying a significant amount of money for these non-working systems is getting to be the norm.
Thanks =D I think it's a combination of the two things you mentioned there! On one hand there are more of them being restored to 100%, but there's more demand now since the TF328 030 Terrible Fire accelerator was created - I've seen prices increase steadily since he produce the TF328. I see the same shortages of faulty systems now though as well. eg. faulty C64 three years ago would be £15 - £20, now they are selling for much more than that faulty, and less on eBay =/
I know about C64 ;) The reason I went for the Duo was faulty PC engines are going for £50 faulty with no controller. Working ones are going for £70-80 with no controller. Controllers are going for £30-50. I am planning on getting the System3 with a PC Engine but I'm a stickler for not selling things. I'll probably end up having both lol.
Hehe =D Yes, it seems like when ever I buy a system recently, months later it has increased in price already. I bought mine sold as working with controller and a game just over 12 months ago for around £50.
I remember "repairing" CD drives in that way. Unfortunately the potentiometer increases laser bias current, which drastically shorten its life. So it helps, but for a very short period of time, after then laser dies completely. The true reason for drive not reading disc is usually dust on the optics (also under the lens), and poor voltage filtering.
Yes, regards the bias current drastically shortening the laser life - that's precisely why I ordered some new lasers! They don't last long at all when you have to increase the voltage there.
Great pick up, I'm super jealous, an Amiga CD32 from eBay in such good condition. Hats off, Nice find there Chris.
Thanks =D Yes, quite amazing condition really, especially since the photos were really fuzzy low res.
Great vid there Gadget I've never had the CD32 and can't believe the lack of ic's compared to the A1200. After 24 years of play, I think it was time the laser gave up the ghost. And I do agree with you that the controllers for this console are a rip off at £65. .... Happy new year to you and will look forward to part 2......Kim 😋
Thanks =D Hehe, good point there at 24 years of play lol! Not bad innings really - try and get 24 years out of a 360 of PS3 lol. Yeah, £65 for a controller - not happening lol. I've bought a PS2 controller adapter for now. Happy new year!!!
That looks really clean on the inside, suspiciously clean. That shielding don't look like it matches that case. Even the well where the CD goes was spotless and that's the sort of place that collects dust. No fluff no dead spiders in the corners. Lol my initials are CSG so I'm quite proud to see it on the Amiga chips. I remember when i designed them back in the day, Yeah I wish lol. Ahh the old laser voltage pot, I suspected as much but refrained from commenting until I'd watched till the end. Those flat ribbon connectors drive me nuts. Especially the one on my A1200. Push one side up the other goes down and vice versa Grrrrr.
Hehe, yes - it does look suspiciously clean lol! Having said that, I bet a lot of CD32's havent had much use over the years! Many just stored away etc. LOL @ CSG =D And those flat flex connectors are a pain the a**! The one I hate the most is the keyboard connector on the 1200 and 600! After a number of reconnections the carbon can wear off the edge connector of the cable =/
Nightmare dude. Keep meaning to ask you. I have a Panasonic external
CD-ROM drive with the SCSI style card connector. Model is KXL-D740, could I use it on my A1200 at all. It only comes with a DOS floppy driver all boxed as new just sat there. Would love to be able to use it on an Amiga. Here is the PDF of the Manual. What do you think is it DOS only?
ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/panasonic/business/office/spec_sheets/kxld740.pdf
I know your busy dude so appreciate any guidance really. Cut and paste the link, clicking dont work for some reason, lol. All the best.
Sorry for my slow reply - I am just catching up with messages. I think most SCSI drives will work with the Amiga provided you have a SCSI interface. The hard part is finding a SCSI interface that works with the Amiga!
Ive tried all sorts, I will do more research.
Did you get a SCSI interface - something like a Squirrel?
"A short video" - 36 mins. later, and I LOVE IT, as always.
LOL :o) Thanks!
For touching up those paint chips, you could use a toothpick as a "paintbrush", and a magnifying glass. Like touching up paint chips on a car.
Great tip there! Never tried a tooth pick, will give that a go!
Don‘t let goodlooking solderpads fool you. On SMD Amigas they leak all the time. BTW you got one of the boards were C408 and C811 are installed (and marked on the board) the wrong way. The negative stripe should face the power switch.
Thanks for pointing out about those caps the wrong way around =D I will check and fix that in the next part! =D I dont see any leakage anywhere and it seems to be working well (except for the laser of course), but I will keep an eye on the caps once I fix the laser!
Leaking caps are very often not visible, because they leak on the underside. It is very recommendable to renew them all. The risk of destroyed traces or solder pads on the board is too high.
I bought one too, from ebay last spring. It was in perfect condition and works very well. The first thing I checked was those 2 condensators. For some reason, they were correct way on my machine. Maybe somebody had already fixed them... Though it didn't look like that...
Thanks, I will check out those 2 capacitors =D
Yes, here is a little story about this, with pictures. Though it's kinda hard to see the proper way, because he had to twist the caps to sideway position. There's also an fantastic YT-video from RetroGameModz about adjusting CD32 laser. But I'm sure you already knew that, because I have a memory, that I saw you praising the video on the comment section ;) And, of course, one should. Because that is totally awesome information on adjusting the laser on CD32! Sadly I don't have (yet) an oscilloscope to make that kind of adjustments... Maybe one day ;)
Another grate video!! So easy to do when making a connector up, lost count of the times I’ve done that lol. I must dig my CD32 out now! I picked mine up as faulty a while back for £40 with PSU but not a nice cosmetically as yours, mine has a crack in the clear plastic on the lid :( and mine has more issues than a bad laser, it loads a game fine then you get graphical corruption then a crash about 60 seconds in. still should make for a fun repair.
Thanks Jay =D Yeah, it's fun finding ways to avoid buying the power brick at stupid prices lol. Anyone would think they had gold in them or something! £50 for +5 and +12 is crazy lol I bet that crash is just the caps!?! Could be RAM though too I guess. But £40 was a great deal, even with the crack in the window! I am sure a spare drive lid might come up for sale at somepoint anyway.
By the way Chris, if you want any spare parts for that CD32, I've got a whole CD32 motherboard my end that you can have. You can take parts off, or just plonk the whole board in as a replacement.
Thanks, very much appreciated =D Touch wood I shouldn't need any spare parts other than a couple of caps and the laser =D
Excellent find - kicking myself today if course - I had a ntsc version (yes they do exist) back in the day that I sold during a move :(.
Thanks! I feel your pain - we all do things like that, I've regretted most of the things I sold in the past that I still haven't replaced. AWE32 was one of them. I really regret letting that sound card go lol.
Nice. Was thinking about trying one of these but don't have any discs so can't really justify it lol. A tusty paperclip between green and black is a permanent feature of my ATX!
Yeah, they are a nice system but if you have a 1200, there's not much else it provides really except for CD audio.
What a great find -- such great condition. A CD32 is on my collector's list, along with an Amiga 600 -- both hard to find in their NTSC variants and at a reasonable price. Looking forward to part 2.
Yes, it's in great condtion really =D Been on my list for a long time, wish I had picked one up sooner for half the price lol. In working condition they are going for crazy money now =/
Thanks btw =D
Even with Jack Tramiel gone Commodore knew how to save a buck on system design. It all feels a bit cheapish.
You'll probably be hunting for amiga cd games now Chris? I've never seen those in the wild.
Fun video as always. Hope you're well Chris.
Thanks =D Yes, they do have a bit of a cheap feel compared to say the 500 or 1200 etc. The controllers are the thing that I feel lets them down really. The controllers look nice but from what I understand they are a bit poor to use and dont last. Might just buy a few original CD32 games if the price is right, but there's no copy protection so easy to burn stuff etc. Happy new year! =D
The CD32 is very fussy with certain CD-R's, I've found the bluer bottomed ones particularly seem to make the laser struggle to read the disc, where as the black bottomed Playstation type CD-R's if burned at a slower speed seem to be pretty good, I was fortunate enough to get an SX32 for mine and added a HDD and extra Fast RAM, they probably cost a fortune now but no need to worry about the CD Laser or Disc rot, you can find discs compiled by people online that are jam packed with classic Amiga WHD/JST installs with really nice GUI's containing info' on the game, screen shots and then you just select the one you want and wait for it to load, it pretty much treats the CD as a HDD, another quick tip, the lids are notorious for the backside left hinge snapping, just above the controller ports, if you don't hold it all the way up when lifting/opening it, and you just let it go this can and does cause the pressure/breakage of said hinge, it's a great under rated machine and much like my Megadrive has never had any issues, other than requiring the occasional clean.
Here's a cool site for you to have a look at: cd32covers.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks for the info =D Will check out that link and thanks for the tips on downloading collections etc, and the hinge thing - I wasn't aware of that, I will mention it in the next video =D Nice @ SX32!! Those are rare and worth a few quid now lol
I think I paid £149 on release for the SX32, they go for over £1,000 now, there's always the external disk drive by Analogic option, they're on eBay regularly, and I believe they are still reasonably priced, the compilation CD's are great but there's no real way to save games what with the machine having a measly 1KB of non-volatile EEPROM, and if you want to save some titles it uses the whole 1KB, I just had a look on eBay the DD's go for £150, worth it if you have the spare cash, anyway have fun with it, another thing I noticed it doesn't like PC keyboards, which will fit in the AUX, so I had to resort to buying an A4000 Keyboard again not cheap, the CDTV one also works.
Ouch! That's a lot of money, but as you say they are worth a lot more now =D You should sell it whilst the goings good lol. I will look out for an Analogic drive but not that bothered about FDD support to be fair. Hard to believe Commodore put 1KB of non-volatile RAM in there lol. Thanks for info regards the keyboard =D
HELL YES! MAN DON'T LEAVE THIS LONG AGAIN MATE!
Hehe, thanks =D
Great pickup! Shame the old RF shields never hold up. Been cleaning mine and then rubbing with a cloth & WD40.
Thanks =D Yes, its strange how the RF shields always go that way isn't it lol? Despite nothing really coming into contact with them they just deteroriate.
Think I'd replace all those horrible little capacitors, even when they've not leaked, they're dreadful and cause all sorts of problems in Tektronix TDS series 'scopes too.
Nice one mate! I really want one of these and a 3DO to add to my collection :) would have to RGB mod both though.
Thanks =D TBH the composite looks good so far and I bet S-Video looks amazing. Will test S-Video out soon.
I've been looking for a ZX Spectrum +2 for a long time and recently one popped up for £29.99 so I jumped on that and bought it. The cassette deck was faulty so I removed it and put an internal power supply in it with a switched plug. Also took the keyboard apart completely and cleaned it, it was disgusting.
Thanks for the video, great as always.
Thanks, and thanks for watching and commenting =D
Nice video. Quality is just so poor inside these units -- those reworked and birdshat boards look horrifying. I would suggest adding some older (1980s) pressed CDs to your test kit -- classical music CDs were the original popular genre on redbook audio CD, and there should be tons of them around cheap in thrift stores to grab some and keep onhand for testing. It just rules out any of the weird crap they started doing with CD track contents in the late 90s and 2000s, ensures you're using something with the same physical characteristics as what testers did back then, and also will likely reduce the risk of copyright flagging issues on UA-cam as a bonus. Keep up the great videos (and get off that carpet) !
Thanks =D Not sure what that 'birdshat' stuff is lol - funny, it does look like that though lol. I will investigate further in the next part. As long as you dont play more than 5 seconds or so the copyright thing isn't an issue.
When did this system get soo expensive! Though there seems to be a lot of silly priced "buy it now" items on eBay.
Great vid, I have 2 CD32s and a couple of expansions I picked up years ago, hoping to get them out and enjoy them again soon so having a look at the inside will be useful should there be any issues (Thanks).
On the English Amiga Boards there is a some discussion regards modding Sega Megadrive controllers for 4 button use which might tide you over until you get something more suitable, otherwise there are several 3rd party adaptors on Ebay that are for using Sony Playstation controllers.
You can also get keyboard adaptors to use PC Keyboards with the AUX port, though an Amiga 4000 keyboard will work as is, and earlier model big box Amiga keyboards with a Din to PS/2 adaptor.
The way these have shot up in price is in part due to the Terrible Fire accelerators lol, at least that's what I believe is the cause. Since the 030 TF328 came out I've seen the price of the CD32 climb, more so in the last month. Loads around the £300 - £400 mark at the moment which is just crazy imo. Thanks for the tip there on the Megadrive controller mod, if you could post a link that would be awesome!!!! I bought one of the Playstation controller adapters following your comment there, so thanks for that =D =D I will also look for an AUX to USB adapter too soon!
I have found one thread here, but it is just one of many.
eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=22633
Seems to be some debate as to the effectiveness of the mod in the thread and it only gives you 2 buttons as there is apparently a chip in official CD32 controllers that do some magic (which the modern adaptors emulate).
hmm, should my finances improve, TF, or furia or vampire! choices choices!
Thanks, I will take a look =D
Quality video incomming! 😁
=D Thanks!
Ah mate CD32 and lasers.... I had a nightmare. In the end I ended up buying a the full laser assembly from amikit. I ask kicked off with the seller also and he said he had a spare working assembly also, so now I have both, and both work. I think I picked up a AUX to usb also so can use a usb keyboard. Defo rgb mod it as it makes a massive difference.
Great lol - you've installed fears into my mind now lol. Won't sleep until those lasers arrive now and I know one way or another what pain I am in for! I've taken a gamble and ordered 3 very cheap replacements from China... Nice tip there on the AUX to USB adapter!!! I need to get one of those!
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I remember when I was looking for lasers nobody had them so you've done well ordering 3. It will be easy for you but I spend hours/days trying to get it to play games. I remember at one point I had it playing only originals not silver's ahhhhh
Hehe, you over estimate my abilities lol! Messing with CD systems has been just as painful for me in the past lol, especially when it comes to getting burnt discs working lol.
17:02 Is that through-hole resistor bodged onto SMD pads a sign of a previous repair?
I think its a factory mod!
Ahh, nice!
Please change the 1000uF thru hole capacitors. The silk screen is wrong on rev3 boards, and so are the capacitors.
Thanks, will do =D
I double checked it. Romain is right. I had the same problem on the CD32 I recapped. The 1000uF caps had bulged. The rest of the caps looked fine, but I replaced all of them anyway.
Yeah, I was watching back at 17:08 earlier and those 2 thru hole caps do look bad. A few people have also mentioned a couple of caps being the wrong way around - guessing its those two! Will swap them out in the next part =D
@bwack - sorry I didn't see your reply until now! I noticed those two thru hole caps today too. Just domed ever so slightly. I went looking as a few people had mentioned two caps being on the board the wrong way - pretty sure its those two little blighters! =D Thanks =D
Music to no second prize. Just went back 30 years!
those kss-210a are easy to find, at least here in Brazil, even the genuine ones
That's useful to know =D I guess its a popular model! That's good because it might mean spares will be available for some time yet. Unlike the 3DO where the lasers are pretty rare =/
If you have an S-Video lead and compatible TV the picture is beautiful.
Certainly is =D Whilst RGB will be better, there's not much in it. I found the same thing with my N64 - S-Video looks amazing =O
I am not normaly realy into consoles (except for the very old Japanese made ones), but this one is a great exception.
Like look of cd32. Never owned on sadly. You should check out Amiga Jay. He does cd32 collections nicely presented.
Thanks for the tip there, will check out his channel =D
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods Dont think he has a channel but is on eab and website cd32covers.blogspot.co.uk/
Hah, I have a KSS210A in my old Aiwa, compatible replacements are pretty common.
Hehe, yes - they seem to be used in a lot of other devices, which is good as it means a reasonable supply of them for the CD32 =D
Not to brag or anything, but I uderstood right away what was in that sized box. I used to have a cd32 with sx-1 ... thing on it. 200 MB harddisk.
=D Well spotted!!! I would love an SX-1 but they are so rare now lol
The mystery at 20.58 I can answer ,yes its is factory, there should be attached to that gunk a brass spring clip for what purpose god only knows, but they always fall off never to be seen again :)
Thanks lol! I wonder where the spring thing went lol. I guess maybe it connects the board to the shielding or something? Will have a look when I am next in there...
I`d say someone got in there before you and looked at it puzzled then shrugged..then threw it over their shoulder ! :)
Also its a flat bent spring not your normal coiled springy spring :)
nice amiga i wish i had one in my collection gratz
Thanks! Yes - lovely machine! Always wanted a CD32! I also want a 2000 and 4000 at some point - might need to sell a kidney first though!
ty
i have amiga 500 and 1200 and this system would get a speciale place
That shielding looks super Rusty
Yeah, most Amigas end up with shielding looking that way =/
Great :) CD32 is great systems some years ago it had value couple of $ £. Now its expensive and "rare" i had luck to get it price of joystick.
Thanks =D Yes, lovely system, although not a massive library of official games. Obviously all the Amiga library in general though so its certainly not limited! I bet you wish you kept it now lol! Although if you have a 1200 you've got it all really, just minus the CD part.
Hi Gadget, I bought x2 of the KSS210A from 'swle2000' on eBay, one for use, one for spare. It seems to work well - as I said in my video the pot had to be adjusted 'a gnats bollock' to get it to read the 444, 555 etc compilations burned at 8x speed max (Verbatim) from go... I might buy some new old stock CDRs that will burn at a lower speed and re-burn them as I don't want to stress the new laser out reading a weak CDR layer.
I tend not to use the CD drive unless I have lots of stuff to put on the internal CF card all in one go. It's a real shame CD-RWs don't work :'( Unless someone has found a RW media that works?
I may use the 'second CF adaptor' Edu made and run a ribbon cable outside the rear of my case above the riser somehow *hmmmm thinks*
Yeah, I've ordered 3 from China, will give those a go =D I've got the TF328 in there now so I probably wont use the drive much either! =D
Hahah awesome! Welcome to the TF328 gang
Thx a lot!
Electronics on a piece of synthetic carpet...
As long as the machine is grounded and he's not taking the motherboard out and rubbing it on the carpet, there is nothing wrong with what he does.
Yes - carpet is best to avoid, ESD mat is what I should be using. I do have one and will use it (and ESD wrist strap) when I come to work on the laser. I also had a woolen jumper on too btw :o) As Ichinin says - as long as I dont touch the components or connections it will be fine. That was one reason why I commented on joystick ports being buffered by a TTL chip - because on the Amiga its real easy to kill a CIA by touching joystick pins when trying to connect a mouse or stick etc, and introduce some ESD to the pins there. That was precisely why I went looking at the schematics to work out what was handling the input, and initially I was shocked that AKIKO handles that, but then thank goodness noticed that there's a TTL chip inbetween, else we would see a number of CD32's failing from ESD damage on the controller ports. It might not seem like I take ESD seriously, and I often dont mention it - perhaps I should, but I do take it seriously where it needs to be taken seriously.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods hey, no problem. it's just that I've seen plenty of people doing this lately especially on ebay auctions. I'm sure you know what your doing and I didn't mean to be a jerk by mentioning this.
I've seen lots of bad auctions too on eBay, saw one C128D Motherboard i wanted to buy (cheap too) but the seller had posed it directly on a plastic carpet, almost wanted to scratch my eyes out.
No worries =D Yes, its a good point and I do forget to mention sometimes! Rest assured the wrist strap and mat will be used when I get the board out and when I fit the TF328!
Hope you can fix it gadget,playing now banshee on my cd32,with rgb,buyed something on amibay that you put in the backport and gives me rgb.
www.amibay.com/showthread.php?65295-CD32-RGB-adaptor&highlight=amiga+cd32+rgb
Thanks =D That adapter looks interesting, will check that out =D Banshee is great - looking forward to playing that on the CD32!
Hi Chris, I left you a private message on Amibay bud :)
Thanks, replied! I thought it was you "Jeff Jones" - but wasn't 100% sure =D
Yes its my YT name double Barrelled lol like Klark Kent PMSL
Hehe :o) Left you a feedback on AmiBay!
Ditto Dude I broke your Amibay cherry PMSL again :)
Haha =D Thanks