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avatar_Sebastian Blanco

Finally got my hands on a 6128 plus and was not easy

Started by Sebastian Blanco, 16:28, 28 November 18

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Sebastian Blanco

Hi guys finally got my hands on a CPC computer that almost works ok  :P
First its history !

This is the 3 CPC computer i purchase but i think it will be finally the one i can use.First i got a 6128 and after a gazillion things never got the keyboard to work and sold it.Then i got a 464 but loading software using the audio input hack show to be a pain full process.
So in place of purchasing a floppy controller i choose to try to buy a 6128 plus.
This proved to be no easy feat because all of them where located in France, and i discovered quickly that french sellers don't like to ship to other country's.Finally i got to a french 6128 plus seller on ebay for 160 usd (not cheap), the computer have a broken amstrad monitor that didn't work and was marked at untested. Asked him to ship only the computer.

He don't enabled international shipping on his sale, so i contacted him and he reply in English that is almost a miracle usually i got reply's in french, so he says that is willing to ship to my country that i purchase on his sale. But i was not enabled to do so because he don't enabled international shipping and he seems unable to know or willing to change it.

So i have to make a made up address in France to purchase on ebay, then pay him outside of ebay (risky) and send him my shipping data.I asked him to declare it for 30 USD and package the computer properly, this proved to be a futile request he declared the value for a 100 euros and used 2 newspaper pages as packaging material, the computer was floating in an almost empty big box.

The funny thing was that the seller forgot to add my name to the box so when it arrived and was hold by custom (an i have to pay 85 usd in taxes) because it was declared for a 100 euros in the invoice, then the nice guys at customs refused to give me the package because my name was not in the forms or the box.

After a week and 3 trips to the custom building and having to get some papers to certify that i work in the shipping address i was able to convince them to free the package that was not give to me but to the postal service for delivery at my address.
So after another week of waiting finally the computer was here  ;D And miraculously in one piece.

So i build the scart cable wired up a power supply and it worked on the first shoot !.

So i modded the cables to the 3 floppy to a female idc 34 pin and hooked my gotek after fiddling around an hour using the flash floppy cfg file i got it to work

Then i discovered that there's something wrong in the keyboard membrane, the f9 f6 f3 up down right arrow keys don't work.Someone knows how to fix this ?, or there's some membrane for sale like for the spectrum ?.

Im almost there  :P

Shining

You can first try to give the membrane a cleanup. Mostly it's only very dusty.


It's very easy to open it...
TGS is back

Download my productions at:
cpc.scifinet.org

gotcha

I'm not familiar with the 6128+ membrane, but on the 6128, issues are generally solved by simply cleaning the membrane: there are 2 'leaves' that can be separated and then we can clean at the middle.
Anyway, good choice with this french version of the 6128 +  ;) Where are you located ?

Sebastian Blanco

I'm located in Uruguay, i removed the membrane but the two leaves look like they are stuck together will try to separate themAnother question the AZERTY keyboard layout is determined by the ROM or the membrane ?.Because i could love to change it to QWERTY if possible.

gotcha

Maybe wait for the confirmation from someone who already cleaned the 6128+ membrane. It may differ from the 6128 membrane.
In order to change the keyboard layout, you'll need to get a different cartridge. Note that if you get the C4CPC from @gerald , you can easily change the ROM in addition of getting access to all the 6128+ cartridge games.
There were no Spanish version of the 6128+ ? As far as I remember, there were a Spanish version of the 6128.


Sebastian Blanco

I may also ask if someone is experience in using a flash floppy gotek in the amstrad ?.I have it running great but the hxc diskete menu fails to load, is possible to use it on the flash floppy ?, or theres an alternative ?

tjohnson

I've got a gotek flashed with hxc software it works fine on my plus machine.  What is the actual issue your are having?

pelrun

The HXC software only works on drives running the HXC firmware. Your gotek has flashfloppy instead, so you'll have to use flashfloppy's tools.

Sebastian Blanco

Well got some reply to my questions using the wiki, must say is the best wiki on the all 8bit world :D.Got the english rom and parados and no burning ruber


but i can confirm that theres someting bad in the membrane i cleaned it but the up down left . f3 f6 f9 keys don't workThey are all in the same trace on the membrane so it must be bad  :picard: so i'm screw.
'

Bryce

Congratulations on your successes. I wouldn't consider the lack of F3,F6,F9 to be "screwed". How often do those keys get used??

Bryce.

robcfg

If you can track the trace to where it's broken, you can apply some conductive silver paint to make it work again. But be very careful as to not spread it to other traces.

Bryce

Quote from: robcfg on 08:33, 29 November 18
If you can track the trace to where it's broken, you can apply some conductive silver paint to make it work again. But be very careful as to not spread it to other traces.
A thin strip of tape either side of the trace stops the silver paint from spreading and also makes the layer of paint thicker. But don't put the tape over other tracks, because it will tear the track off when you remove it!


Bryce.

Sebastian Blanco

Thanks for the tips guys, will give it a shot to this fix.Like you say Bryce my main problem is not the F keys that don't work but the cursors UP,DOWN,LEFT are in the same trace and they don't work.I have discovered quickly that they are very necessary to navigate any menus.

Bryce

Ah, I thought it was just those three keys, not the whole row. Not having arrow keys is an issue.


Bryce.

AmstradNoob

Quote from: Sebastian Blanco on 16:28, 28 November 18
Hi guys finally got my hands on a CPC computer that almost works ok  :P
First its history !....


Can you please let me know how the power cable should go? I want to fit a gotek to mine as well. I've already bought a data cable, but I'm not sure how the power cable should be wired?

GUNHED

About the membrane: Once I had a similar problem with my 6128 Plus. And I used "Pressluft", I mean air pressure to blow out the dust. Unexpectedly it worked.  :)
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Sebastian Blanco

Well i ended up fixing the arrow keys, it was a track in the membrane cut, i used a silver based paint to fix it.My first shot was using a cheap Chinese one from ebay, it was fake ! not made of silver and was non conductive. :picard:
To remove the paint i ended up removing the hole track in the membrane and have to redo it completely using a high quality silver paint i got from a local company.
But the result where great now i have cursor keys  ;D
Then the retrobright !.



Sebastian Blanco

Quote from: AmstradNoob on 19:22, 04 December 18

Can you please let me know how the power cable should go? I want to fit a gotek to mine as well. I've already bought a data cable, but I'm not sure how the power cable should be wired?
It was easy, just cut the original plug red is +5 and black is -gnd.Wire them to a 3.5 plug red to red, black to black.The gotek only need +5 so left the yellow wire unplugged.
This is how i end up doing it, the cable i use for the plug is yellow because the plug was not from a pc i removed it from something else.





LambdaMikel

Congrats on fixing it! Good job!  :)
Keyboard membranes can be a nightmare.

AmstradNoob

Quote from: Sebastian Blanco on 15:49, 07 December 18
It was easy, just cut the original plug red is +5 and black is -gnd.Wire them to a 3.5 plug red to red, black to black.The gotek only need +5 so left the yellow wire unplugged.
This is how i end up doing it, the cable i use for the plug is yellow because the plug was not from a pc i removed it from something else...


Thank you very much! I'll give it a go, when I get my 3D printed internal setup.


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