I'm now on 464 number 2 and although the tape deck works in this one the power connector is loose and needs to be resoldered but even worse there is a problem with the keyboard.
When I turn it on the cursor instantly starts moving across the screen. I can stop it by pressing break but there is a problem with the top row of the keyboard. If I press 1 I get 12 on the screen. If I press 2 I get 12, if I press 3 I get 34 and so on.
When I get a game to load the games are unplayable as its like a button is being held down which is over riding the other controls.
Does anybody know what this might be please? I'm not having a lot of luck as a new Amstrad owner so far. I even thoughtabout making a Frankenstrad out of the 2 of them but 1 is a mark 1 and the other is a mark 2.
Thanks in advance.
Easy fix. Disassemble the keyboard and clean the membrane. It's full of gunk.
Bryce.
I hoped that would be the case. What would you recommend to clean it please?
Just remove the membrane. Give it a decent wipe with a damp cloth with a little soap. Remove the dust, grime and fat that's built up over the years. It will be obvious which side needs to be cleaned, you don't need to clean the others. The warm water also helps to rejuvinate the plastic a little, bring it back into shape. Then re-assemble and test.
Bryce.
Gave it a clean with a damp cloth and now there is water between the layers and it's even worse.
I'm assuming the membrane is now dead?
Leave membrane to dry out. It may be ok. Also blow out keyboard with some air as a build up of dust can cause issues. If still not working I'm sure other more qualified members can advise further.
Yes, dry it but don't put it on a radiator or use any heat for it to dry, this will warp it!
Bryce.
I had luck gently cleaning the connectors with an eraser, but I did it very very carefully.
He doesn't have non-functioning keys = Connector problem. He just has double key presses = Membrane dirt or dodgy AY.
Bryce.
Try powering on the CPC without the keyboard connected -if you still get phantom keypresses, you might have a bad AY chip, as it's responsible for keyboard and joystick input as well. Also, try manually inducing a keypress by bridging the contacts between the two X and Y keyboard connectors -the service manual has a matrix which tells you what XY combination should yield which keystroke.