6128 won't boot

CThiesUGP · 01:54, 18 June 13

HI plugged my 6128 into GT65 monitor today,It powers on alright but I don't get the usual "Amstrad 128k " boot screen" any speculation?

steve · 09:15, 18 June 13

I'll bet the colours are a bit muted as well.

Bryce · 10:25, 18 June 13

Quote from: CThiesUGP on 01:54, 18 June 13
HI plugged my 6128 into GT65 monitor today,It powers on alright but I don't get the usual "Amstrad 128k " boot screen" any speculation?

What do you get? Screen with boarder? Completely black screen? Junk?

Bryce.

CThiesUGP · 11:10, 18 June 13

sometimes I get junk,sometimes a blank screen, depending on turning off and on. I doubt it's the power switch but I could try cleaning it[size=78%].I tested my 464 afterwards and it worked fine so I know it isn't the monitor.I don't have a color monitor to test it with[/size]

Bryce · 12:20, 18 June 13

Clean the contacts of the power switch. If that doesn't help then you probably have a broken RAM chip.

Bryce.

CThiesUGP · 02:43, 19 June 13

I cleaned the switch, nothing it's either blank screen or garbage. How do I test ram?

Bryce · 08:38, 19 June 13

Put your finger on them and see if any are getting hot.

Bryce.

JonB · 09:29, 19 June 13

HI CThiesUGP

I have a similar problem to you, maybe we should ask for our threads to be merged...?

http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/cpc6128-white-screen-on-startup/

Only difference is I never see garbage and my screen seems to be white rather than grey but as I said that's possibly a matter of contrast / brightness on my LCD TV. Seeing junk (multicoloured pixels in random patterns perhaps?) does tend to implicate the RAM chips though..

Regards

JonB

steve · 11:24, 19 June 13

Or a Sticky thread entitled "what to do first if your computer doesn't work".

Bryce · 11:35, 19 June 13

Yes, when I get time, maybe I (and others) should put together a guide to repairing CPCs, with all the common symptoms and what to check / replace.

Bryce.

ralferoo · 18:48, 20 June 13

Quote from: JonB on 09:29, 19 June 13
Seeing junk (multicoloured pixels in random patterns perhaps?) does tend to implicate the RAM chips though..

I'd say the opposite - it's a good sign the RAM, CRTC and gate array are working but the ROM or CPU isn't. The random patterns will be whatever random charge happens to be lingering in the RAM cells when it is switched on that then get preserved by the refresh of accessing them sequentially.

Gryzor · 19:48, 20 June 13

@Bryce: like a... service manual?

J/K, it'd be a great idea. Anything I can do to help.

Bryce · 08:36, 21 June 13

Quote from: Gryzor on 19:48, 20 June 13
@Bryce: like a... service manual?

J/K, it'd be a great idea. Anything I can do to help.

No. More than just a service manual. Service manuals are for people who already know what they should be doing. The SM doesn't suggest cleaning the power switch contacts or give you tips on how to take the switch apart to do it, with fancy colour photos.

Bryce.

endangermice · 15:30, 22 June 13

I think something along the lines of Art Margolis "Troubleshooting and Repairing your Commodore 64" would be excellent - though it is a hefty book so I'd never suggest any undertaking be made to produce something of similar length or detail. I've always felt it a shame that there isn't a book like it for the Amstrad. It's one of my favorite technical books of all time because not only does it provide a troubleshooting guide, but also bothers to take the time to describe exactly how the C64 works right down to the logic chips. It's like a course in electronics with the C64 as a test subject. If you can harness and understand the book you'll soon find that everything is repairable, it's certainly helped me repair many C64s over the years!

You can download a PDF from DHL's Commodore Archive Welcome to Bombjack.org.

CThiesUGP · 16:36, 22 June 13

!!!Huzzah!!! IT WORKS. It was the CPU that bit the dust. Today I went to a local electronics shop that sells components, I knew they had Z80 4Mhz chips in stock so I purchased one, got home and swapped the CPU and TADA!! IT WORKS

. So a happy ending. a 6128 back from the dead!!. Thanks for all your help guys.

Bryce · 17:26, 22 June 13

Cool. Congratulations!

Bryce.

JonB · 08:25, 23 June 13

That must be a great relief, well done!

Munchausen · 12:45, 24 June 13

I was thinking something like the fault diagnosis and repair section of the 8bit_ula guide for the spectrum would be great:
The Lil Old ZX Spectrum 48k Service Manual

Bryce · 14:03, 24 June 13

That's what I was thinking too, but with a few pictures too.

Bryce.

Gryzor · 17:50, 30 June 13

@CThiesUGP: always so nice when a machine gets saved

Well, the wiki format is ideal for such an undertaking. Should we start it? Could I help somehow?

steve · 18:41, 30 June 13

Imagine a person has just bought his first CPC and it does not work properly, his first instinct is to ask a question in this forum, he will not know that a repair guide is hidden away in the wiki, but a stickied thread will be much more obvious to him.

Gryzor · 18:42, 30 June 13

...or, a stickied thread pointing to the wiki. As a platform, a forum is not ideal for such a guide, whereas mediawiki is natively geared toward it.

JonB · 21:23, 30 June 13

You need to write it first...

Gryzor · 07:53, 01 July 13

Sure. Unfortunately I'm not technically-versed enough to do it, but if more capable people take this up I'll help all I can with making it into something readable.

Bryce · 08:27, 01 July 13

Yes, the formatting in the Wiki is much better for a guide than the Forum. I have quite a few notes somewhere and the rest in my head, so when I get time I'll start putting some stuff into Wiki format.

Bryce.

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6128 won't boot