Amstrad CPC464 and Module MP1 Repair - British Retro Computers
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Trying to fix an Amstrad CPC464 and Module MP1.
(Buzzing Noise, No Power, Broken Keyboard , Faulty cassette)
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Please remember I am an amateur attempting repairs. In these videos I try to fix junk I have bought on eBay. This is NOT a how-to video. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or even safe. Please do not copy anything shown in this video. If you do so it is entirely at your own risk.
THIS VIDEO IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY.
DO NOT CONSIDER ANY PART OF THIS VIDEO INSTRUCTION
Back in 1987/88 I actually bought a decent word processor for my CPC464 and used it to write and store all my degree dissertations. OK, it wasn't Microsoft word but it was more than capable of the necessary headings and formats needed, especially when printed on my daisy wheel printer.
For leisure, the games were not bad, I recall having Roland on the Ropes, Roland in the Caves, etc. These types of machines and the ability to mess around with BASIC programming helped many to learn how computers worked.
It's great that you are rescuing some of these classic devices.
Thanks Right Wing. I also had a CPC I used for word processing. The 80 column display was something the C64 couldn't do and the greenscreen monitor I had was crystal clear for the time. I even had PASCAL on ROM and did some non-basic programming. I even had a mouse that I have never seen one like it to this day. Happy days. Thanks for your comments and kind words. The channel has been neglected a bit recently but expect new content soon! Cheers Roger
Hi mate good to see you back. Watching this video makes me realise just how easily pleased we were as children playing games on those Amstrad's and lesser consoles compared to what the kids have now, suppose we didn't know any better. Keep up the good work as they bring back so many fond memories. Mick 👍🍻
Thanks Mick, good to be back too. Although I have been absent new videos I have been working on some projects for the channel that hopefully we will see soon. Yes we did have fun on those old computers, I used to play Ghostbusters for hours on my cpc, Chuckie Egg, Pyjamarama too. What's available today is quite astonishing, how funny it would be to go back in time with a PS5. I am glad you enjoyed the nostalgia hit! Thank you so much for your comments.
Just binge watched some of your content and have enjoyed watching them. I am in the middle of cleaning 2 Amstrad 6128's and a restoring a CTM644 colour monitor recovered from the loft. These computers are bullet proof (apart from the drive belts). Greetings from Lancashire. Keep up the good work. Subscribed also 👍.
Hello Lancashire! I lived in Bolton for 7 years and in Preston for a little bit. My wife (who i met in the USA) is from Chorley! Glad to have you on board so pleased you are enjoying the content. I am not sure what happened to my 6128 greenscreen. It was the last home computer before I moved to using PCs in the late 80s.... Great machine. Loved playing pyjamarama. I did a 464 on the channel (also had one of those as a kid) bit rough and ready a kind of make do repair. Thanks for the support. Work is hectic just now but new vids will be coming. Cheers
Great video 👌🏻 My first computer was a CPC6128. Every CPC repair video I watch it’s always something small. Those Amstrads are flippin bullet proof. I now have all 3 CPC’s in my collection and all work flawlessly. Belt change on the disk drive models are usually all that’s needed.
Glad you enjoyed the vid thanks. I had a CPC464 and then a CPC6128 the last 8 bit I had before I moved over to PCs. Great machines. I wish I still had the 6128 I'm not actually sure what happend to it, think maybe my sister had it or could still be in mums loft! Back in the day I played a lot of Ghostbusters and Pyjamarama while wasting my life trying to code a zaxxon clone in assembler on it, I never managed it although it did lead to a 10 year stint as a software engineer before I moved into a new field. Anyway happy memories and great machines. Thanks again for the feedback I'll keep my eyes peeled for a 6128 to have on the channel.
Enjoyed that. Had to wait a month, the suspense was building! I think I like how you find a little bit of joy in the small mistakes or wrong decisions you make. Keep up the good work.
Hi Clarence, so glad you enjoyed the video and thanks so much for taking time to make a comment. I am so sorry for the months wait. I work a day-job full time, and run a second business both completely unrelated to the channel so its sometimes a bit challenging to keep the videos coming. But comments like your own really keep me motivated so I am very grateful for the support. I’m also glad you enjoy my mistakes, I learn a lot from them too and hope that recognising the imperfection of my repairs will encourage more people to have a go. Its not to everyones taste, but I don’t force them to watch it. Anyhow thanks again for your comments, patience and continued support. It is genuinely very much appreciated.
Epoxy Putty - that's a fantastic tip!
Thanks Stuart, I was a bit worried about starting the video with that so I'm very grateful for the feedback. Thanks!
When I heard the wow and flutter I really didn't expect that game to load. I'm sure my old Commodore 64 would have played to the end of the tape and hung if the audio was even just a little sub optimal 😆 Another good video but maybe wear gloves when using those kitchen cleaners, they eat skin!
Hi Matthew, yeah that wow and flutter was quite something huh? Techmoan wouldn't have been impressed! But it seemed to do the job, I bet most people use direct audio in nowadays. You make a good point about gloves I'm terrible for that one of my videos features very bleached fingers. Anyhow glad you enjoyed the vid. Thanks so much for your comments and continued support.
Another interesting video. Thank you, Sir
You are very welcome. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment, it really makes a difference and I appreciate it.
Ah that damn little friction rubber in the tape mech, thats gone in two of my old 464s too. The datacorder really is the weakspot of the 464. That rubber, the main drive band, and the tape counter reset button. My pause mechanisms were both missing a piece too somehow. Good thing that Zaxon developed his wonderful little discdrive emulator card!
Of course if you cant get hold of one of those, there is always the external audio source fix to bypass the internal tape mech. You can play MP3s into it, use an external tape deck... they even brought out games for the Amstrad on CD at one point, I think the first was a compilation, like the 50 game packs.
Has anyone out there serviced one of the colour 664 monitors? I have one that blows its 2A internal fuse as soon as I turn it on but I cant see any resistor heat damaged patches on the PCB, nor blown or leaky caps. Where would you start in troubleshooting, considering it cant be tested while powered?
Hi greytail thanks for your detailed comments, very much appreciated. I have seen those audio in mods that might be a good idea, I've also thought of using one of those dummy cassettes that people used to use in cars with no aux in. They are like a cassette but have a cable to a jack you can plug into a phone or computer. That way as long as the audio works the drive itself isn't too crucial. One of the posters here also commented that the had successfully fixed that wheel with a day o ring. I agree though some kind of solid state storage is the best approach.
Regarding the monitor I have never tried to repair one of those. I agree the visual indication is the starting point, sounds like that didn't show up anything. Since it keeps blowing the fuse perhaps (unplugged) switch on and see if there is a path to ground through a shorted part. I also test diodes and transistors with diode test on my meter you can usually test in situ and it's pretty quick to do. Be careful in those monitors though big caps and the CRT can retain crazy big voltages even when powered off.
@@RetroTechRepair Yeah, I know about the caps, and the CRT basicly being a massive one in itself, thats why I'm reluctant to go poking around in there myself to be honest, I've taken one hit from a TV capacitor, really not something I'd like to repeat ^_^'
As to the plug in casette, I've tried that and it can be kinda finnicky, as with the hardware mod to plug in an external audio source you have to get the volume just right. Find the sweetspot though and you're good. The only trouble you have then is when you're doing a mulit-part load where the machine will pause the tape itself.
I know that the 'corders for other machines like the speccy sometimes have a 'remote' connector, which will pause by a signal, it'd just be a matter of finding where that signal is in the amstrad's datacorder and getting it out.
@@Graytail Good Info. I never thought about the pauses. Not a problem on a speccy as it doesnt have a remote, but on many others dragon, electron, bbc and others it definitely would be.
They are such fun machines ! I had the European version by Schneider, and that was not as colourful as the ones across the little pond, so I was always jealous.
Hi Phrea I was exactly the other way! I had a UK CPC464 and thought the coloured keys cheapened the look and wanted a Schneider, I did eventually get CPC6128 which had the grey keys that I much prefer. Funny how people always seem to want what they don't have.
@@RetroTechRepair Haha, something with greener grass on the other side ! :D Thanks for the great video and great content all round ! Without people like you, people like me would be quite bored !
@@phreapersoonlijk glad to be of service. Without people like you I wouldn't be doing this. :)
@@RetroTechRepair Well, the thing is, that you are very grateful for loyal watchers like me, but bigger channels make me feel guilty because they thank the people who donate via like Patreon and say they do it for them. But I simply do not have the money to donate to ANY channel, let alone like a hundred that I'm subbed to, where they only thank those who actively donate money. [and they all ask their viewers for donations] I am not a very rich person at all, I have to live off of like 20 bucks a week to survive. And there's all these channels asking for donations via Patreon and stuff, and giving them like early access and all, and there's nothing I can do about it. I just sit here, feeling like sh*te to be honest, while I was one of their first and most loyal subscribers. :/ How am I supposed to feel good, while literally hundreds of channels ask me for donations to keep them afloat, where I can't even keep myself afloat ! :/
I WILL delete this later, because who needs the rambling of a sad poor old dude who's got nothing to donate anyway.
Should I just unsubscribe to all the channels that I love, because I can't afford to donate to them? Should I ignore the rest out of spite or something? I LOVE the channels I am subbed to, but they keep people like me more and more out of the loop with exclusive video's for people who pay the most, or anything.
Just to make sure, RTR, This is NOT your fault or geared towards you !! This is just me finally finding a place where I can out my frustrations.
This has NOTHING, again, to do with you, @Retro Tech Repair
23:28 you can't just not tell is what lost its battle with gravity !
That would be telling... Honestly I don't remember, but it sounded substantial. Thanks for your comment... Made me chuckle.
@@RetroTechRepair That's ok !
New name for your channel should be nostalgic repair.
Maybe it should. Glad to bring back happy memories to people! Thanks so much for your comment and continued support.
I have used a o ring to fix the wheel on mine had to use a pretty fat o ring that was smaller than the wheel
Good to know. A fatter o ring would probably have worked well. I didn't have one to hand despite quite a large selection. Thanks for the tip. Hope you enjoyed the vid.
@@RetroTechRepair no proplem just thought i would say it can be done and yes i enjoyed it and learned some new bits myself 🙂
Appreciate it! Thanks. It's foot to k is it can be done I actually bought a huge selection of o rings just for the purpose of repairing cassette mechs so I was annoyed I didn't have a suitable one on hand. I should probably have mentioned that in the video so I am glad you pointed it out
I never even k ew epoxy putty existed! I've been trying to repair an old CD player with brittle, busted plastic so have bought some (99p on ebay so probably rubbish lol) to give it a go.
Thanks for the feedback Jason J. Glad I could help. I've used poundland epoxy adhesive without issues the ebay Stuff will probably be fine. Ive heard of people using super glue and baking soda in a kind of paste but haven't tried it myself. Good luck with the repair. Hope it works out.
Don't forget to put your toothbrush overnight in a glass of water, if it still tastes funny try hot water with some Vanish oxi white.
LoL I would except all my teeth fell out shortly after this video so I don't need the toothbrush anymore.
But how much did you pay for them buddie???.
Thanks for your question. The broken keyboard one was £32 in eBay, I had to put £15 in parts into it so after fees when I sold it on it was a loss. The non working one was part of a job lot so I can't put a price on it really. Hope that helps. Thanks again for your comment.
@@RetroTechRepair Not a problem buddie thanks for the great work you do👍
@@areyouserious3092 you are very welcome. Thanks for your likes and comments. Much appreciated support for the channel