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    AST Advantage 613e (similar to 610/611) POST codes / dead board

    Having waited the better part of 25 years to get another AST Advantage system after my original suddenly died with a motherboard fault, the 613e which I've owned for just under a month has done the same. When I first got it I tried to upgrade the 8MB of RAM (2x4MB 72 pin EDO SIMMs) to 16MB. I...
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    Wanted - 14" SVGA monitor with specific Orion M34KZM10XX61 CRT

    I've recently purchased a mid-90's AST Advantage PC with original AST Vision 4L monitor. Unfortunately the CRT was damaged in transit and has a crack on the back of the neck. I really want to try and repair the monitor, which means a tube swap (unless anyone can still do CRT rebuilds?) if I can...
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    AST Vision 4L to HV (Hermes and bad packaging strikes again)

    Having waited since 1998 to re-own an AST Advantage PC, my latest acquisition turned up today, complete with the original AST Vision 4L 14" CRT monitor. From another sale I have the original keyboard and mouse and original manuals and software pack to recreate a fully matched system. I cringed...
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    Simplest way to convert TTL RGBI to Analogue RGB

    I'm trying to repurpose a PAL Analogue RGB monitor to work with my Nimbus PC. The Nimbus' output is CGA-ish - TTL RGBI with 16 colours but at 50Hz and with a slightly higher maximum resolution of 640x250. I'm after some advice on the simplest way to convert the TTL level output to something...
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    IBM 5150 won't run with 8087 fitted

    I picked up an 8087 for my IBM 5150 since it was going cheap. Supposedly this is a NOS part but I have my doubts. With the copro fitted the system doesn't run - not even any sync on the display. Once taken out it runs fine. I do have position 2 on SW1 set to off as per minuszerodegrees. The...
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    Nice acquisition - Citizen 120D with IEC interface

    Nice little pickup from eBay - a Citizen 120D printer with a Commodore IEC interface! Had no idea this even existed, I thought Citizen only offered parallel and (RS232) serial interfaces. I was planning to see if the seller would part with just the interface as already have a 120D+ in my...
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    1541 won't work on VIC20

    I have what I thought was a perfectly working VIC20. I've never tried connecting a disk drive to it until today (always been happy with a cassette drive on it) but it doesn't work, all attempts to access the disk drive gives a device not present error. The drive still does spin up when the...
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    Apple II / Spectrum + Hybrid on eBay

    I do think this Frankenstein creation is worth a look...a Spectrum+ with what looks like some sort of 'stringy floppy' tape cartridge system fudged into an Apple II case! Also adorned with all sorts of labels which seem to suggest it was used as a dedicated wordprocessor for someone, yet the...
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    Amstrad PC-CM Monitor White Screen

    I know there are some Amstrad PC lurkers on here! If anyone has seen my thread in the General forum, just over 5 years ago I acquired an Amstrad PC1512 with PC-CM monitor. It was free based on the monitor being faulty and arcing. An old TV repair engineer I knew inspected the monitor and...
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    Any good examples on discharging a CRT that is actually charged?

    About to do my first ever flyback transformer replacement. The monitor in question (an Amstrad PC-CM) was arcing like hell in 2014, and confirmed due to a dead flyback by an ex-TV engineer I knew. At the time no flyback could be sourced so I just sat on the monitor (complete Amstrad PC system in...
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    Updated Collection List

    It's been a couple of years, thought it was time to review where I am. I've pretty much got all the main systems that I wanted now, with the C128 just sneaking in at the end of 2019. I don't see me acquiring any more complete systems during 2020, this year I think will be more about...
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    C128 Intermittent boot problem

    So my newly acquired C128 has it's first intermittent problem. It has a sticky power switch which I've not yet got around to fixing which has caused it to rapidly pulse on and off before finding the sweet spot where the switch makes good contact (now I don't touch the switch but turn it off and...
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    Belgian Commmodore 128?

    Just won an Ebay auction for a boxed C128 (even including the CPM disk) +1541C drive (odd pairing for a 128 but happy to have it anyway). Slight catch - it is from Belgium but I got it for a song compared to normal UK prices. Looking at the listing only the user manual seems to be translated...
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    IBM PC Floppy Drive Problem - Head can only move in one direction

    My 5150 randomly stopped booting from disk (original full height Tandon 360K drive), the disk would spin but it would quickly give up and drop to BASIC. This was quickly traced to the floppy drive itself, so I pulled the drive out and installed it on another machine as drive B: It was unable...
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    What filter caps are needed for an IBM 5154?

    After...a year I've finally gotten around to dismantling the 5154 to deal with it's failed caps which turned it into an impressive smoke machine last year. Fortunately it is only the 2 filter caps that have gone, all the rest still look fine. The originals are WIMA MP3 0.1uf. I found almost...
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    IBM 5151 dim/unfocused picture

    My 5151 seems to have developed a fault. The display brightness has suddenly got very dim and is losing focus. At max resolution/contrast it's just about bright enough (although nowhere near as bright as it should be at max settings) but the display is then looking blurry and unfocused at that...
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    Is Quadrature a universal standard for mice?

    Another RM Nimbus related post... These have a port for a quadrature mouse which didn't come with my machine. The original was made by Logitech. I do have a mouse from an Olivetti Prodest PC/1, another Logitech quadrature mouse with a board looking very similar to the original RM supplied...
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    Shoehorning a CUB Monitor onto an RM Nimbus PC-186 (and sync-on composite issues)

    My recently acquired Nimbus PC only came with a green screen composite monitor. I would love a matching RM1404 colour monitor to go with it, but I do distinctly remember a Nimbus at my school with a Microvitec CUB attached to it and I do have a CUB. For years I assumed the Nimbus' colour...
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    New Acquisition: RM Nimbus PC 186

    After waiting...forever...to get a Nimbus at a reasonable price, I finally bit the bullet, accepted this was going to cost me and nabbed this one from eBay. Very early model before RM had the new branding and with the unusual floppy drives with the eject buttons on the bottom. It sustained a...
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    VIC 20 Poor Keyboard Response

    Doing some work on my newly acquired fixer upper VIC 20. Every key on the keyboard functions, but most keys need a lot of pressure to register a keypress. It makes it quite unpleasant to use as you really need to hammer the thing to make it work. I've had this before on old keyboards that...
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