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Robotrontechnik-Forum » Technische Diskussionen » A7100 repair » Themenansicht

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000
06.09.2025, 17:13 Uhr
RetroNora



Hello,
I got a set of A7100 and alpha 1 monitor. The monitor got a defective psu board. However when powered from two bench PSUs (+12V and +30V) it seems to work fine.

At first the computer showed no sign of life. It was due to missing 12V rail (the fuses inside the 12V PSU module corroded). After replacing the fuses the computer turned down after couple of seconds with error code LED flashing - as I read online it was a fan failure. After cleaning the optical sensord the A7100 stopped turning off.

Now it turns on, beeps once, sometimes twice (with second beep much quiter then the first one), when reset button on the front panel is pressed it beeps at about 200 Hz. With the monitor connected the screen flashes green, sometimes flashes green/black bars. With reset button on the keyboard pressed it seems to reset fine. Sometimes it is solid black with a quick green flash when the system is turned off.





Any ideas if this can be an issue with monitor or the computer ot both?
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001
06.09.2025, 18:16 Uhr
Ordoban



There should be a beep 8s after reset/switch on, and a shorter beep 2s later.
(if you get nothing here, the CPU is not even running, or the buzzer is broken)
(if you get a pulsing permanent tone here, the CPU cannot access the RAM)
After 10 more seconds there should be on more beep and some outputs starting on the screen.
(If you get more than one beep here, the CPU cannot access the graphics, or the graphics report an error)
Even more 15 seconds later there should be action on the floppy drives.

Since you report that you not always get the fist two beeps, I would think the ZVE (Main-CPU) is not running stable.
I would start by measuring the main (5V) supply, the CPU clock, CPU Reset signal, CPU S0-S2 signals.
--
Gruß
Stefan
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002
06.09.2025, 21:24 Uhr
RetroNora



Hello, thanks for answer.
So I am getting a beep after 6-7 seconds after power on, there is a shorter beep 2s later. And a third beep 9 seconds later. After third beep there is silence. (Waited for 2-3 minutes). Pressing the restart button repeats the pattern. There is no floppy activity.


Greetings
Filip

Dieser Beitrag wurde am 06.09.2025 um 21:24 Uhr von RetroNora editiert.
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003
06.09.2025, 21:45 Uhr
Ordoban



So the system runs and recognizes the graphics. There should be something on the screen.

Can you measure the video signal with an oszilloscope or logic analyzer?
Pin 1+2 GND
Pin 6 Video 2 (Pixel signal)
Pin 7 Video 1 (Pixel signal)
Pin 9 BSYN (Combined HSYNC+VSYNC)
This are open collector TTL outputs, so you need external pullup-resistors and some voltage for measuring.

Edit:
should look like that:

(My A7100 came without monitor, so i wrote a display module for my logic analyzer as an interim solution. Today we also have a VGA adapter device. see
https://www.robotrontechnik.de/html/forum/thwb/showtopic.php?threadid=21315
and
https://www.robotrontechnik.de/html/forum/thwb/showtopic.php?threadid=21380)
--
Gruß
Stefan

Dieser Beitrag wurde am 06.09.2025 um 22:00 Uhr von Ordoban editiert.
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004
Heute, 13:06 Uhr
RetroNora



Well, it does not look TTL-ish at all.

CSync:




Video 2 on top and Video 1 on bottom:


While I was testing it I have heard some bubbling/boiling noise from the 5V PSU so I need to take care of it first
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005
Heute, 14:48 Uhr
Ordoban




Zitat:
RetroNora schrieb
Well, it does not look TTL-ish at all.


Looks somehow like a broken ground connection.


Zitat:
RetroNora schrieb
While I was testing it I have heard some bubbling/boiling noise from the 5V PSU so I need to take care of it first


A nice greeting from the (often failing) golden "ROE" caps, or the useless redundant mains filter. There are also more rotting fuses inside this PSU.
--
Gruß
Stefan
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006
Heute, 17:16 Uhr
RetroNora




Zitat:
Ordoban schrieb

Looks somehow like a broken ground connection.


Well, the ground connection was made on the monitor cage, to this cage are connected the negative clips of two bench PSUs I am using to power the monitor. Will check all the cabling tho.


Zitat:
Ordoban schrieb
A nice greeting from the (often failing) golden "ROE" caps, or the useless redundant mains filter. There are also more rotting fuses inside this PSU.



Somehow the fuses are fine, the primary filter caps (these in metalic cans with rubber cap at the top looks fine, however the output filter caps are somehow lifted. There was no smoke out of the PSU or the blowing caps.



The +5V rail is at 5.03V so I'd say it's fine

Dieser Beitrag wurde am 07.09.2025 um 17:31 Uhr von RetroNora editiert.
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007
Heute, 17:36 Uhr
Ordoban



I would not see the output caps as "liftet". They look normal to me.
I suspect the mains filter (the thing with the green terminals in top left on your picture).

This thing is an LC-Filter element, filled with a kind of wax. If the isolation of this thing fails, it will go quite hot, and boil out some of the wax. In my picture you can still see some drops of wax.
--
Gruß
Stefan

Dieser Beitrag wurde am 07.09.2025 um 17:37 Uhr von Ordoban editiert.
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008
Heute, 18:19 Uhr
RetroNora



Oh it might be the case. You can see some kind of yellow goo leaking out of it (under top red cable).
Will bypass it and see if the boiling stops.

Dieser Beitrag wurde am 07.09.2025 um 18:19 Uhr von RetroNora editiert.
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