Powering up a disused 6128 Plus

[Skunkfish]

So I've fetched my old 6128 Plus from my Father's house and I am planning to power it up for the first time in well over 10 years (might be closer to 15!) this weekend (with the original monitor).

Any advice on how I should go about this/things to check first? (capacitors etc.)

Don't want to break anything if at all possible

Thanks!

[Bryce]

No special steps required. It's not like it's a vintage radio with 120V paper caps or anything. Plug it in and see what it does. The only thing you should be careful of: If it's been stored in a damp garage / shed / attic, then leave it in a warmer, dry room for 24 hours before turning it on to make sure any moisture inside has had time to escape.

Bryce.

[Kris]

An additional advice: check your drive belt before to launch any read on disk: it is certainly out of order and can be lethal for your drive if it prevent the motor from spinning.(already got this issue here).

[Skunkfish]

Thanks for the tips. I will be cracking it open (not quite literally) to replace the keyboard membrane so I'll make sure to check the drive belt at the same time.

[||C|-|E||]

If only a few keys do not work and apparently there are no broken tracks, you will likely be able to fix the membrane. Sometimes, taking it out and resitting it is enough. If this does not work, in many cases you can add a little bit of silver to the problematic area . I went through the membrane of a Plus not so long ago:

Keyboard problem in my Plus.

 

If the tracks are not OK you can try to reconstruct them with the same method. You will have to separate the two layers of the membrane, though. I did this in the past very easily putting the whole membrane in isopropanol. Then, you just need to wait for them to dry, reconstruct the track, re-align the two halves and use some tape on the borders to keep them joined and prevent dust to enter inside.

[TFM]

Hi Skunkish. IMHO I would test it before I would start to replace parts like gone wild. This 'fixing' sometimes destructs more than it helps. But that's your decision at the end. 

[Bryce]

If you haven't powered it up, how do you know that the membrane needs changing?

Bryce.

[Skunkfish]

If you haven't powered it up, how do you know that the membrane needs changing?

Bryce.

Ah, that would be my special sixth sense regarding vintage CPC's.

Or perhaps it's that certain keys had already stopped working last time I used it in the early 00's 

[Skunkfish]

If the tracks are not OK you can try to reconstruct them with the same method. You will have to separate the two layers of the membrane, though. I did this in the past very easily putting the whole membrane in isopropanol. Then, you just need to wait for them to dry, reconstruct the track, re-align the two halves and use some tape on the borders to keep them joined and prevent dust to enter inside.

I have had a new membrane waiting for a while to go in (have just been missing the Plus!) but thanks for the advice!

[Skunkfish]

So it fired up fine although the keyboard was worse than I remembered, pretty much none of the keys worked. However, with the new membrane in place all keys are now working!

Thanks for the advice on changing the drive belt before attempting to read a disk. When I took out the drive on first inspection the belt looked fine, but as soon as I pulled on it gently it instantly snapped. I ended removing it in about 10 pieces with tweezers.

New belt in place and it seems to be reading (most) disks fine. I did have a problem with Megablasters staying on a black screen after the title screen, but perhaps it's just that the disks are 20 years and past their best (or Radical used cheap disks?).

I'm occasionally getting a purple screen upon turning on, or sometimes the starting screen but with some pixel corruption. Switching off and reseating the cart seems to work, I need to try cleaning the connector as hopefully it is just that.

[Bryce]

Yup, that's just dodgy contacts on the cartridge, give them a clean.

Bryce.