Trying to switch on an old PCW8512

[OinkEsFabuloso]

Hi there!

This is my first post, so hi everybody! 

I just remembered my very old PCW was somewhere at my parent's basement and decided to try to see if it still works. Aaaaand... it doesn't 

So, I think I'll need some basic orientation.

It powers on ok and the screen lights up, but the A: drive makes an awful noise for a while and nothing else happens. Where should I first look into?

I've got several LocoScript disks, Frank Bruno's Boxing game and one Dr. Logo disk... none of them seem to work.

Pictures:
PCW8512 - Pictures - Imgur

The sound the drive makes:
https://soundcloud.com/oinkesfabuloso/1609-21-de-diciembre

I was thinking: Is there a way to boot from the other drive? Can I open it up to swap the drives? I've read something about the drives being different from one another (different capacity), is that so?

Thank you very much for your help! 

[CraigsBar]

Hi there!

This is my first post, so hi everybody! 

I just remembered my very old PCW was somewhere at my parent's basement and decided to try to see if it still works. Aaaaand... it doesn't 

So, I think I'll need some basic orientation.

It powers on ok and the screen lights up, but the A: drive makes an awful noise for a while and nothing else happens. Where should I first look into?

I've got several LocoScript disks, Frank Bruno's Boxing game and one Dr. Logo disk... none of them seem to work.

Pictures:
PCW8512 - Pictures - Imgur

The sound the drive makes:
https://soundcloud.com/oinkesfabuloso/1609-21-de-diciembre

I was thinking: Is there a way to boot from the other drive? Can I open it up to swap the drives? I've read something about the drives being different from one another (different capacity), is that so?

Thank you very much for your help! 

Drive belt guaranteed. Get replacements in eBay, quite easy to replace.

Welcome to the forum.

[OinkEsFabuloso]

Drive belt guaranteed. Get replacements in eBay, quite easy to replace.

Welcome to the forum.

Thanks! :-) I guess is going to take a few weeks for one to be delivered here to Spain, but it doesn't seem too expensive or difficult. Thank you very much! :-)

[CraigsBar]

Thanks! :-) I guess is going to take me a few weeks for one to be delivered here to Spain, but it doesn't seem too expensive or difficult. Thank you very much! :-)

Most welcome. Oooh I have just seen the pictires, An 8512... I'm envious now. If the drive belt (And a good clean up) does not solve the drive I have a spare 80 track double sided 3 inch drive that I am considering selling. I *had* it as a 80track a drive in one of my cpc 6128's before I decided I wanted 5v drives in both of them.


So let me know we may be able to do something, It would be a real shame to let a 8512 fade away because of a faulty drive.

[OinkEsFabuloso]

Most welcome. Oooh I have just seen the pictires, An 8512... I'm envious now. If the drive belt (And a good clean up) does not solve the drive I have a spare 80 track double sided 3 inch drive that I am considering selling. I *had* it as a 80track a drive in one of my cpc 6128's before I decided I wanted 5v drives in both of them.

So let me know we may be able to do something, It would be a real shame to let a 8512 fade away because of a faulty drive.

That's great! Thank you very much! :-) It'll probably take me a while to open this up and check the drive belt, but if that doesn't work I'll come back to this same thread! Thanks!

For future reference (in case anyone else finds this thread in the future and can hear the same noise I hear when switching on a PCW): There is at least one very good tutorial on YouTube on how to change the drive belt:
Amstrad PCW 8256 / 8512 (CPC 6128 & Spectrum +3) 3" Disk Drive Repair Tutorial -