Computing – Foxes Den

HP Jornada 540 Series PDA Pocket PC

I have two faulty pocket PC units that I can hopefully combine into a “Frankenstein” unit. Can we get at least one of them working again?

What the listing stated….mostly AI produced I guess?

Untested, no charger, docking station only by Hewlett Packard

32MB Jornada PDA 540 Series Pocket PC Windows & Docking is a highly functional device that comes with some amazing features. This device is perfect for individuals who desire a highly efficient PDA Series. The device is sold as untested and is compatible with the Windows operating system. The brand of this device is HP, which is a well-known brand in the tech industry. The PDA Series is HP Jornada and it comes with an installed memory (RAM) of 16 MB. The display size (pixels) and screen type are unknown, but it has a model number of 540. This device comes with a docking station that allows ease of use for individuals.

EBay

And this is my original old 540 (548) Jornada.

I just know this is going to be a challenge, and to be honest i will have two of these when this one arrives. This is the 16 mb version, released in Mid 2000, currently aged at around 26 years old. I’ve had a dead one sitting in one of my junk drawers for a couple of years now and I though it would be a good challenge to get at least one of them working again, another one of my Frankenstein projects if you must. I have no charger for these, the chargers are priced at a premium with the online pirate community, (Robbing swines!) so I will just have to make do. At least with the docking station that this unit has I have somewhere to start from. I suspect both batteries will be dead so I may have to use some jiggery pokery to get some power into their circuits to see if we can get any signs of life.

It’s safe to say at 0.5mA my old units 3.7v battery is very dead

But whilst we await the arrival of this unit, here is a little bit about this PDA:

The Jornada was a line of personal digital assistants or PDAs manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. The Jornada was a broad product line that included Palm-Size PCs, Handheld PCs, and Pocket PCs. The first model was the 820, released in 1998, and the last was the 928 model in 2002 when Compaq and HP merged. The Jornada line was then succeeded by the more popular iPAQ model PDAs. All Jornada models ran Microsoft Operating Systems that were based on Windows CE.

Jornada 540 series

The HP Jornada 540 series, including models 545, 547, and 548, was released in July 2000. As one of the original Pocket PC platforms, it featured a 12-bit color display, 32MB RAM, and USB connectivity running Windows CE 3.0.

The Jornada 540 series was one of the original models of Pocket PC, when the platform was first announced. Sharing the Operating System, CPU and memory card slot of the 520 series, it featured a 12-bit display (originally advertised as 16-bit display) and USB connectivity. Two models were made available that were identical except for the amount of RAM. The 545 had 16 MB RAM and the 548 had 32 MB RAM.

Wikipedia

Assessment:

The old one I originally had is in fairly good condition, only displaying age related wear and tear. It has its original touch pencil, and is pretty much all there. Its battery (a 3.7v Li-ion) is very dead though (see pictures above) I have no means at present to see if I can charge the battery.

I have however found a charging alternative that will not break the bank. I have found a chap in Germany called Edgar, that runs a business selling cables and peripherals for older units, as well as more up to date systems, his shop is in Hannover and his company is: systemhauszakaria.com. I have managed to get a USB charging unit called a System-S USB Charging cable, that has the connectors required for this unit, and being a USB cable I can use a suitable plug for the mains supply , if required.

The cable includes a data transfer cable that also fits the unit, however my main task is to try and get some power into these units.

Let’s give it a go.

I’ve used the new lead, left the unit on and monitored it for about 90mins, and it does appear to be taking a charge. An Orange light indicates that charging is taking place.

The unit displays as 100% charged with the charging lead in. when disconnected it drops to about 50% but within a couple of seconds it shows as 100% again, this could be a time delay of some sort whilst switching to the battery circuit.

At this point I thought it would be worth getting the back off again, to check the battery charge. If you remember earlier in this post, this old unit that had sat unused in my desk for the last couple of years and when last tested the battery was dead at about 0.5mA. However this is a transformation, as when the battery was now tested its voltage was 4.09v. Now, a 3.7v Li-ion battery such as this should have a max charge voltage of 4.2v, so in theory this battery is in quite good condition considering its age. There may be a little deterioration, however considering this battery is possibly 26 years old it’s held up very well.

The unit will be left for a while to see how the charge holds. 10hrs later, untouched and off charge, I can confirm the power is still indicating 100%, this pleases me as it shows the battery is still good and has a good life inside of it. Very pleasing for what is potentially a 26 year old battery.

The new unit has now arrived and I’m surprised it got here after being posted in a couple of old carrier bags, no padding just a couple of old bags. I suspect the seller wanted it off his hands, they probably had little faith in it ever working again.

However, despite this, the actual unit appears to be in quite a good condition. It’s free from dinks and scratches and both the unit and the charging cable appear to be in a good order.

Now, the good thing is that both these units have their original touch pencils. This cradle has a cable connected to it and a USB socket, however that USB socket is for data transfer and not charging. To charge, the new System-S USB cable has to be connected in line. The cradle will then charge. And it looks as if it is doing just that.

This time i have connected the new unit and cradle to a Power bank charger to see if this works, and it appears to be doing just that. It drained the power bank quite quickly, it only half charged, I’ll have to put it back on the household power tomorrow to fully charge it and check its battery capacity.

Tomorrow has arrived and the unit has been on charge for a couple of hours and it is indicating as fully charged. Back on the bench with the back off I can confirm the battery charge is reading at 4.08v so it is pretty much the same reading as the other unit.

New unit and cradle with power bank charger

These two units are both of the 540 series however the newer one that came with the cradle has only 16MB of memory (The 545) whereas my older one (The 548) has 32MB of memory. It appears that HP created three variants in the 540 range and I now have two of them. The 545 had 16 MB RAM and the 548 had 32 MB RAM, the one that escapes me, the 547 was also a 32MB variant. (I’m going to have to get one now just to complete the set)

Repair:

Less of a repair and more of a resurrection to be fair. I said it would be a Frankenstein project, and that’s exactly what it has been. Both units have charged well despite my concerns, they have been charged in a monitored environment and neither are showing signs of overheating, irregularities or any battery swelling or other issues. The battery management system on both batteries seems to be doing its job, and doing it very well.

I’m going to use this section to test some of the functions, to look at the installed program package and at the same time monitor battery usage along the way.

And as with all my projects, a thorough clean of the units is going to be carried out, it’s just got to be done.

But first I’m going to leave these units for a few days to see if the batteries drain.

Three days later it’s good to see that when turned on, both units are holding a similar, slightly discharged reading that is to be expected. I’m pleased at this, and it appears that both batteries are holding out well and working very well after a long period of inactivity.

Left again for a couple of more days and both units are now prompting me to accept that the UK has now turned to daylight saving time, (as it has) and this is another good sign that shows that all is working as it should be.

What am going to do with these units? Please don’t ask me that as I just don’t know. I’m probably just going to use them for note taking, maybe for a to do list for my work room, but in reality they will probably just get stored in a sealed bag with some silica bags to keep them dry, until I either move them on or find another use for them.

The package originally installed on these units consisted of the following:

Microsoft Pocket PC Suite: Pocket Outlook (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Inbox), Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Windows Media Player (for audio/video), and Pocket Internet Explorer.
HP Productivity Tools: HP Home Menu, HP Task Switcher, HP Image Viewer, HP Backup, and HP Emergency Backup.
Third-Party & Utilities: LandWare OmniSolve Calculator, Developer One CodeWallet Pro (for passwords), AvantGo (for offline web browsing), and PeaceMaker (for infrared contact exchange).

One item I wanted to test is the infrared transfer ability between units. I’ve made a small file within the word program, set one unit to transmit on infrared and the other to receive. On sending the file, this task worked fine.

The transfer worked however both units have to be within a very close line of sight to do so, it just shows how much file transferring has moved on within the last 25 years or so. We have been spoilt.

These units are both working fine.

Result:

There are many uses listed for these units online including MP3 players and television controls. However, I think using as a to do list for my workspace is probably the most appropriate usage for me. I need organisation in my life, so what if I’m using technology from quarter of a century ago.

Why not?

Two perfectly good items saved from landfill.

Small victory, and that’s good enough for me.

Many thanks for passing by. It’s always very much appreciated.

PS5 DualSense controllers

When the youngsters of the clan, drop surprise repairs on you at family gatherings.

It’s great when one of the youngsters of the clan come up to you at a family gathering and greet you thus, “Oi, uncle Dave, have a look at this for us will you?” and then they just disappear into the crowd as I’m now holding a couple of items I’ve never been exposed to before, in this instance a pair of Playstation 5 Dual sense controllers. (I had to google to find out what they were!)

Apparently they don’t work, or are having difficulties, and it’s now down to me to find out what’s wrong.

Now I’m not a gamer in the true sense of the word. I like, and have repaired and own a good few hand held devices that have been featured within these blog pages, but I do not own a console, I never have. However I’m lucky in that I know a few people who do have these consoles, who I can go to and test how they are behaving, but the good thing is that these controllers can also be tested without a games console and just require a computer with a USB port, and I do have one of them, a clever move by the manufacturer me thinks.

First thing I did here was to plug them in to a USB supply to charge the onboard battery. Each one has a 3.7v rechargeable battery that should give between 6-12 hrs of activity depending on how vigorously the unit is being used. When charging it glows on and off orange until it is charged and then the glowing just stops. Both these units took about 2.5 hrs to fully charge, and they seem to both be holding a good charge seeing one of them, the black version has not been used for some time.

Let’s get them connected up to a PC.

A simple good quality USB cable is the communication method between the controller and the PC. Next, you go to the address: https://dualshock-tools.github.io and here is where you will be doing those checks on the controller that sits in your hand. Seeing I don’t really know what’s wrong with the controllers I have been trusted with, I think this is the best place for me to start my investigation as the site does do some good, and thorough testing.

I have two controllers to check so I start by plugging in the Black controller, clicking connect on the screen gets access into the memory of your controller and all the firmware detail and build date is displayed in front of you. Cool!

Just under where this information is displayed we enter the first series of tests, a bank of 8 basic function tests that check all bells and whistles (as such) are operating as they should. This Black controller passed all these tests with flying colours.

The checks are thus:

USB controller: here the connection is tested a simple pass or fail
Buttons: all buttons have to be continually pressed until they turn green on the screen, a simple pass or fail
Adaptive trigger: the system puts a resistance on the two triggers representing various triggers on guns and switches experienced in various games, if there is suitable resistance here the result is a pass.
Haptic Vibration: this tests the vibration motors in the controller, if it’s working then it’s a pass
Lights: all lights on the controller are cycled through displaying the whole range. Simple pass or fail
Speaker: a tone is played through the built in speaker, a simple pass or fail.
Headphone jack: a simple test of the plugin headphone jack – pass or fail
Microphone: a simple test by blowing in the on board microphone checks if it’s working, a simple pass or fail.

And as stated the first controller, the black one has passed all of these tests. Impressive. The next tests are all centred around the two thumb pads, their return to centre position and their all around circular motion and their calibration.

The left pad was showing slightly off centre and I was able to make some minor adjustments via the program interface to correct this issue. The good news was that it is not a constant stick drift, and the mechanism does not require replacement, it is easily adjusted. With settings saved, disconnect the controller, reinstall it and re check the calibration and it should all be good. And it was. With minor adjustments made to this controller I am pleased to say it is working as it should, it is now repaired and will be heading back to its owner.

Now onto the second item, the white controller. I put this controller through the exact same testing protocol as the first one, all was going well until we got to the buttons section where this one failed. The down button on the left hand side of the controller is unresponsive, you can see this in the photos below

Failed button highlighted on Controller and screen

All other tests on this controller were fine. Again there was a little drift on the sticks that I was able to adjust and they are now both as central as they can be, operating well through their whole range. I will go through the repair and retesting of this pad in the section below the YouTube video that I have highlighted below.

A while ago, if your game pad was playing up, there wasn’t really a great deal you could do apart from replace the thumb controllers if you were experiencing issues such as a little stick drift (when a controller is moving on its own accord). A bad case of stick drift would require you to change the controller mechanism. However, some very intelligent people within the gaming community have put together a number of packages to test your game controllers, but the one mentioned in the video below has been a game changer as such, as it also allows adjustments to be made and saved and thus extending the life span of the components within, thus reducing the need to replace and dispose of those components prematurely. Have a look, it explains the testing protocols and checks them against other programs.

The whole testing procedure checked and compared with other testing programs

Repair and retest

It’s a simple enough activity to get inside of the controller, some clips, and four screws get you inside the package, getting beyond this though to the controller buttons where we need to be is a little bit more in depth. So here we go…

I’ve dismantled the controller as I said I would, initially the process requires four screws removing, after you first gently prise off the black decorative plastic surround as in the pictures below.

When you remove these screws the next task is to gently prise the two shells apart that then reveal the base of the controller

At this point the battery needs to be removed and that is a simple plug disconnection, the battery plate has a single screw in it that needs removing. Before you remove the battery plate there are four ribbon cables that need removing, if you don’t do these then you will probably tear them and need to replace them. Believe me, I have done this in the past and ruined the tiny microphone ribbon at the very front. It’s not expensive to repair, just an unnecessary expense. Don’t rush it. Another 3 screws removed and we can now take off the top cover and get to where we need to be.

Top removed exposing fault pad area to the left

As soon as the top was removed I could see the potential issue with the controller direction pads. The pads are a rubber base with a carbon pad that makes contact with the circuit board below. Sometimes a simple clean of these pads can be sufficient to regain a connection between the two, but in this case it was plain to see that the pads on both sides were both well worn and to be honest they both required replacement.

The two contact points ringed in red that were sufficiently worn

Normally a good clean with IPA will work

As stated I did give a clean to all contact points with a solution of IPA, reassembled and tested again with no change in performance, the fault remained. I will now need to purchase a new pad assembly and replace the film circuit board below them. Fortunately these are freely available and will cost no more than £6:60GBP to replace. And considering a new controller would cost at least £60:00GBP it’s worth the small investment to restore it.

I now just have to wait to receive these items and get them installed.

The items arrived just as in the photos above, and following the previous instructions to dismantle the unit, I have removed the old conductive film sheet and replaced this with the new one. I have also removed the silicone pads with the carbon inserts and these have also been replaced.

Now all I have to do once I have connected the ribbon cables is to get the outer shell back on the controller. Once this is done, I can log in and start the testing process once again, connect the controller to it and then commence a full test of its functionality.

And as you can see in the above photographs, this has been a successful outcome. Where the left hand side lower button had failed, the new conductive film has addressed the issue and this handset now has full functionality and is working as it should be.

Next I’m just going to do a re-calibration, to check that the sticks haven’t drifted in anyway. If we are in a good position, we can then class this repair as successful and then it can then be passed back to my nephew to carry on shooting aliens, and he can then continue his mission to save the world.

Result:

Two controllers have now been serviced and are both working well and within tolerance. They are about to be returned their owner so he can get them back into use, killing aliens and saving the world from a zombie apocalypse (or whatever he does with them)

Not having a lot of experience prior to receiving these two controllers, I was a little doubtful about where to start and what to check. However after reading up on them, and their operation, I was able to pick up a lot of advice and information regarding their manufacture and serviceability. I like to think that I’m well clued up on these items now as I can disassemble one in minutes, replace parts and reassemble without having any screws or parts left over ( Always a good sign 👍)

And to round things off I have now been given one of his friends controllers to repair as well, so I must be doing something right!

Thanks for passing by, as always it’s always very much appreciated.

Packard Bell DB128 personal organiser

Another personal organiser / PDA from 1992. The Packard Bell DB128. Does it work? Is it just needing new batteries? Who knows? Let’s have a look.

What the listing stated:

The Vintage Packard Bell DB128 Deluxe PDA Personal Organiser from 1992 is a charming piece of retro computing history. Manufactured by Packard Bell in China, this personal organiser is a single unit that serves as a reminder of the technology of the early 90s. With its vintage appeal, this item is ideal for collectors of vintage computing devices or those who appreciate the nostalgia of older electronics. The Packard Bell DB128 Deluxe PDA is a unique and rare find for those curious about the evolution of personal digital assistants. Needs new batteries at the very least. For repair or spares only

EBay

I love these postings on the selling sites, no actual real description of the state and condition of the unit you are purchasing, only a potted history of the item with the standard EBay get out excuse of “For repairs or spares only” I know, I can hear you saying, “ Well don’t buy it then – fool” and I agree with you wholeheartedly, I am a fool and I’ve brought it. But, it only cost me £3:30GBP so I’m happy with that, a good price for a bit of retro tech from 1992.

There is a good chance that this unit does only need some power, wouldn’t that be good? However it wouldn’t make very good copy on a site that looks at fixing other peoples castoffs, but I can happily go with the odd quick fix once in a while.

I love these old PDA devices from the 90s, and lots of people do, I guess some of us are still stuck in a period where technology was so wonderfully new and interestingly different. Whereas today everything is pretty much the same and controlled by a few massive organisations, when back in the 90s there were lots of different companies for you to choose your wears from.

I’ve certainly worked on a few on this site, just check the links on the home page to see what I have worked with.

If you are interested in the 90s PDA technology, may I suggest you look at this guys YouTube site. His name is Hugh and his channel is called Handheld Computing and he is a very interesting chap, and the technology is superb. Give him a visit.

Ok. Let’s read a little bit more about this unit:

The Packard Bell DB128 (also known as the DB-128 or DB 1280 IR) is a vintage handheld personal organiser released in 1992. Also known as the Oregon Scientific DB-388P. It was designed as a compact digital databank to store contacts, manage schedules, and perform basic calculations.

Technical Specifications

The device features the following hardware details:

Memory: 128 KB total memory, with a user-available area of 131,070 bytes.

Display: An 8-line by 32-character dot-matrix screen.

Power: Operates on two or three CR-2025 or CR2032 button cell batteries, often with an additional battery for memory backup.

Physical Dimensions: Approximately 15.8 x 8.2 x 2.3 cm, weighing about 252g.

Connectivity: Data can be synchronised with a PC via a serial cable or infrared (IR) LEDs.

Core Functions

The DB128 includes several built-in applications for daily organisation:

Phone Book: Stores multiple contact categories including names, fax, mobile, and email addresses.

Scheduler: Features a calendar and appointment system with start/end times and audible or silent alarms.

Utility Tools: Includes a 12-digit calculator, home and world clocks, currency/metric converters, and a memo/expense tracker.

Security: Offers a password protection feature for sensitive data.

Google

I just have to wait for its arrival now and I’m looking forward to that, I won’t speculate anymore about what might be, I best just wait for its arrival to carry out a suitable assessment.

Assessment:

It’s arrived and good god, it looks as if it’s been stored in a vacuum cleaner bag 🤦‍♂️ it’s utterly filthy, funny how none of the original photos showed this isn’t it? I don’t believe this is the same unit as was in the original posting.

If I’d have taken this into the house with the wife present, i think she’d have murdered me, or at least severely injured me one way or another… So that is why you will see that these pictures were taken at the kitchen sink, the first thing this unit received was a clean with a cloth and warm water. After that it’s had a good polish and it is now nice and clean. Now it can come further into the house, into my domain!

Now the unit is tidy, everything is as it should be, and the screen is in a good condition barring a few minor age related scuffs. It’s dead, and that’s to be expected, I’m just hoping there are no major surprises awaiting me when I get the back off to have a check inside.

Three screws later and the back is off. All three batteries are still in place, all very dead but fortunately there is no corrosion or battery leakage. All that is visible is some age related tarnishing of the battery enclosure, this however has no effect on the board or electronics and will tidy up with a little brush over with some relevant cleaning solution.

With these little database units you were always supposed to change the two main batteries and get them in place before even considering removal of the single back up battery. This was purely to ensure that saved data was not erased from the memory bank, however as all these batteries are dead, it’s no real issue here. The backup battery is protected with a single screw that needs to be removed to allow access. This unit was able to transmit and receive data using infrared technology. If you look at the picture above with the case off, on the left and the right of the chassis you will see a white diode component, these are the infrared transmitter and receiver parts of the data transfer circuit.

The batteries needed within this unit are CR2025 mini cell batteries, I currently only have CR2032 batteries, they look the same but just what is the difference? Thanks for asking, i will now explain.

The letter “C” refers to the batteries chemical compound, “Lithium” or to be absolutely precise “Lithium Manganese Dioxide”.
The letter “R” refers to the battery shape, in this case its “Round”.
The numbers “20” refer to its diameter in millimetres in this case “20mm”.
The numbers “25 or 32” refer to the “Height or Thickness” of the battery in millimetres “2.5 or 3.2”

And there endeth the lesson for today. So, in all aspects the batteries are exactly the same, 3 volts, but there is just a slight variation of 7/10 of a mm in thickness. In some cases this is not an issue where there might be that slight bit of space for you to use an alternative cell, however in the case where tolerances are tight such as in watch mechanisms, that tiny difference in size may not allow you to reassemble the backplate to the watch. I hope that clears up the difference between the two coin cell letter and number allocations.

I can use CR2032 batteries in this unit as there is the space. I have some CR2025 batteries on order, so I will comply with the original standard when they arrive. But for the purpose of testing further, the CR2032 batteries will suffice.

Repair:

What repair, to be honest it’s been more of a clean, I’ve cleaned the inside circuit board with some IPA and a brush and cleaned all the crevices with a pick and finished off the outer case with a good coat of antiseptic cleaner and polish. I have inserted the three required batteries and switched the unit on.

Not a great deal more I can say. It’s clean, in fact it’s very clean, and fully functional.

Result:

It’s 34 years old, it’s been discarded, put aside for disposal, given one last chance in its chequered life and I purchased it for £3:30GBP. It’s now revitalised, cleaned inside and out and been given a new lease of life. One of those very simple clean and repairs that anyone can do. And another item is saved from landfill.

This will now be added to my ever growing collection of old PDA equipment from the 90s, a collection that is starting to grow at quite a considerable rate. I have a few more little projects similar to this in the pipeline, quite similar to this one but requiring quite a bit more attention. Please keep passing by to keep up to date with these “mini” projects.

Once again, thank you for passing by, it is always very much appreciated.

At last, the new work space takes shape.

The workspace is starting to take shape. Normal service to resume soon. Maybe I can catch up with this backlog now.

I’d pretty much closed down my workspace, when we sold our old house back in August last year. Everything I used the most was pretty much moved into storage as we prepared to make the move to our new home. All I was left with was a few screwdrivers, so needless to say, content on this site dwindled, whilst purchasing continued, hence I currently have 29 posts, in draft, awaiting completion as I don’t have a suitable workspace or the equipment available at the moment to complete any of them. I even purchased a 3D printer in November of last year for my birthday, it has been in storage all this time, I have now brought it home and have now made my first 3D print, that post can be found here: My First 3D print attempt

Things are about to change.

We pretty much have every room in the house now up and running. We are settled now and the final boxes have been attended to within the house, and we are finally getting to the point where regular recycling visits to the tip to get rid of the old cardboard boxes are finally coming to an end.

The next stage in my wife’s own words are, “ we can now get Dave’s room sorted.” The words I’d been waiting for.

My workspace – a wall in a guest bedroom

I’m calling it my room but in theory it’s not a whole room. It’s part of the third bedroom where I am probably just occupying one wall at the end of a guest bedroom, it’s all I need, I have a Garage to do all the blokey stuff in, this space is purely to work upon all my cameras and other more delicate items of work.

Whilst visiting a certain Scandinavian furniture store i have purchased a basic setup for me to begin working on. The good thing about these furniture systems is that you can start with a basic layout and just expand upon it, and that’s the plan.

I have a desk and drawer system arriving today, and quite a bit of construction to do, once this is in place then I can start getting my gear from storage and get it back into place. It will be nice to have all my equipment in a permanent placement, without having to take it all apart and storing everything back in boxes after I have used it. I’m looking forward to this as to be honest, I’ve really missed it. However I have been pre occupied around the house and there has been an awful lot to keep me busy, there’s been no rest really, I must be very wicked 😂

So as of 10th March, I’m quite pleased to say that my workspace is now ready to use. It’s still a way from being complete as I still have stock to bring from storage along with the last few tools and boxes of components. There are still shelves and storage to put in place, but at long last I can now sit down and finally start to play catch up with my ever expanding backlog.

The workspace….liable to be moved about yet again

I must admit I’ve moved things about, and I’m probably liable to move things about again over the coming days and weeks, even months as I can’t quite decide how the setup should look. It’s probably going to be a few sessions of me not being able to find tools, parts and cameras that will help me decide just what, should be where. In the meantime, it’s good that a kind of normality has been restored, and I can now start to resume where I left off all those months ago.

My First 3D print attempt

I’ve had a 3D printer for 4 months now. I am now able to use it and today I have produced my first 3D printed item. A Poop bin. Yes you did read that correctly….

Those of you who watch this site with eager anticipation (I’m joking 🙃) may remember a post that I published in November of 2025, when as a result of all the money I received as gifts for my birthday, I went out and purchased myself a Bambu PS1 Combo 3d printer: I’ve taken a dive….

I’ve not printed a single thing 3D in my life and to be quite honest I haven’t got a clue on what to do, but as usual I’m willing to learn. I’ve had a number of occasions over the past couple of years where I’ve needed an obsolete part for a project, I’ve had to go as far as Italy to get parts printed whereas with this equipment I could have done so my self, cogs and gearing are a regular item that I come across that I could also use this equipment to produce. See, it will serve a use to me once I have my workspace configured.

That time has arrived….

Now we are safely moved in to our new home, and all the important stuff has been attended to, attention has switched to getting my work area up and running, and I will shortly be uploading a post regarding the inside my work area.

However, this piece of equipment has been in storage since November, almost 4 months now and needed to be put into action as soon as possible. Seeing that the workbench was now in place it only seemed right that the printer was now unpacked.

It’s a big box, and has a lot of packaging

Even to do the unboxing there is a QR code to link you through to the process to follow, it is very informative as these printers are packaged so well, there are screws and supports to remove, put in place to stop sensitive parts being damaged or dislodged during transport.

The AMS system installed on the top of the printer

When you follow this system of unpacking, you are also linked to an app called, “Bambu Handy” that really is the control system for your printer. Here you register, set up blue tooth and WiFi options and the app then becomes your monitoring and control for your printer. At the moment I’m sticking with just this app, once you are more experienced there are a number of more complex programs you can then use for design and editing purposes. For now I have found my level. I now install what is called the AMS system on top of the printer, it is an automated feed for using more than one coloured filament, the printer can move from one colour to the next automated, without interrupting the print process.

But that creates a little waste product….

And there is my first print project.

When the printer initially primes, or when it changes colour it will create a little waste as it clears the nozzle of one filament to use another. This waste then exits the rear of the printer onto the floor, or work bench depending on the positioning of your printer. For this reason people then install what is known as a “Poop bin” to collect such waste. Here is a draft picture of the one I will print for this printer.

Now, this app fortunately comes with absolutely thousands of pre programmed prints covering all aspects of printing technology from home, toys, educational and everything in between. Fortunately, because “me” as the totally clueless, doesn’t have to learn basic CAD and slicing techniques, because some clever individual has already done that for me. And for that I am very grateful.

There are a number of tools and equipment you can print for these printer units, it’s as if they are self maintaining and developing. All very clever stuff.

But a “Poop bin” is a necessity if you don’t want to suffer the wrath of your other half by spewing out randomly produced plastic waste on to her nice new carpets. That is not conducive to a happy and peaceful existence 😂

So a “Poop bin” is my first ever 3D project….so here goes.

A simple selection on the app, of the item you require, a few settings get amended, the printer does some calibration checks and then the process starts, this particular print takes about 4.5 hrs to complete. Fortunately the system has an inbuilt camera so you can check progress or even get a timelapse at the end. You can basically shut the door, turn off the light and walk away, you can always check in, but sitting there just watching for 4.5 hours can get a tad boring, and is just like watching paint dry, so why not just walk away and do something more useful. I did just that, and went to assist the wife with some chores.

Here is the said timelapse of the print. 4.5 hrs in about 30 seconds. The dark periods are brief and were just me messing with the onboard light settings.

My 3D poop bin printing

Here’s the actual finished article, and situated at the printer.

So that’s it really. Still learning but quite happy with what’s been learned so far, the desk and everything needs some fine tuning and there is a lot of gear still to be added but we are now off to a flying start.

Current position with anti vibration feet now installed

One thing I did notice was that there was some vibration and noise, however I did get gifted some anti vibration feet with the package when I purchased the printer, I have now installed these so hopefully the next print will be a little bit more peaceful, not that it was particularly bad anyway.

And that concludes this post. Thanks for reading, it’s always appreciated and I hope this day finds you well and at peace.

Sharp OZ-7000 Wizard

The Sharp OZ-7000, Amongst one of the first electronic organisers and precursor the PDA. Needs repair. Or does it?

What the listing stated:

Not working. I have replaced the two batteries and cannot get it to work. I have not touched the memory battery. See picture for actual item. Case is a bit sticky unfortunately with age.

EBay

First of all, what is it?

The Sharp OZ-7000 Electronic organiser / Calculator

The Sharp Wizard series, introduced by the Sharp Corporation in 1989, was among the first electronic organizers and a precursor to personal digital assistants (PDAs). The debut model, the OZ-7000 (known as the IQ-7000 in Europe), combined organizer functions with an IC Card expansion system, allowing users to install software and memory cards. Over time, Sharp refined the series with larger displays, increased memory, and enhanced features, such as infrared communications port for wireless data transfer, touch-sensitive displays, and clamshell designs.

The out-of-the-box functionality of the OZ-7000/IQ-7000 included a memo pad, a telephone pad, calendar and scheduling with alarms and repeating events, multi-time zone clocks, and a calculator, thus covering all the basic functions found in PDAs since. The keyboard was not QWERTY, although later models, starting with OZ/IQ-8000, changed the orientation of the screen and keyboard layout.

The OZ-7000 was about 6.3 inches (163 mm) tall, 3.7 inches (94 mm) wide closed, 7.25 inches (184 mm) open, and 0.85 inches (21.5 mm) thick closed, making it much larger than later PDAs. It featured a serial port (proprietary connector) to attach to a Windows PC or Macintosh or another OZ-7xxx/OZ-8xxx device, an optional thermal printer port and a cassette tape backup. The OZ-7000/IQ-7000 model featured 32 kilobytes of internal memory and a 96 x 64 dot (8 lines x 16 characters or 4 lines x 12 characters) black and white LCD with controllable contrast but without a back light. A major advertised feature of the model was the IC Cards expansion slot for accessory cards developed by Sharp.

Wikipedia

A bit of a break from the mountain of photographic equipment I have been dealing with lately, I thought I’d take a bit of a detour and have a look at some prehistoric PDA gear, as I have also done in the past, as you will no doubt be aware of, if you have ever read any of my posts on Psion organisers.

From what I can gather, this one is a little beaten up and battle scarred, and quite simply does not work. I’ve paid the princely sum of £8:54GBP after i managed to knock the seller down by a few pounds. I just now have to await its arrival before we can carry out a thorough assessment.

Assessment:

Its here, everything is as it should be apart from the base being a bit loose in one corner where the clip inside has broken, however that’s not an issue and can probably be repaired.

The exterior is a little sticky but again, this is just one of those 1989 rubber enhanced products where the vulcanised rubber coating has started to degrade. A post I previously published shows how I deal with these 80’s degrading rubber issues: Sticky, Rubber camera grips

The unit has three batteries, under the rear shell. These are two CR2032 and one C1616 coin cell, with the C1616 being the units memory battery. These batteries will need to be tested as this unit does not start up, the whole unit is dead. The previous owner has stated that they have changed the two main batteries but not the memory battery, testing them will tell.

Beyond that, all catches, buttons and switches seem to be performing as expected, no cracks or major damage to the external shell, or screen area. Naturally there are signs of usage as you would expect on an item that is now 36 years old, light signs of age related wear and tear, nothing of concern that is detrimental to its operation.

Repair:

I’m leaving the broken clip on the rear shell as it is, it’s not visibly exposing anything of the interior and to be honest needs quite a bit of force to show the gap, it’s not a problem and not necessarily requiring a repair. In normal handling it is not even noticeable, so it will remain as it is.

The main fault, and I apologise in advance, as it was not really a fault, was a misunderstanding of the unit’s operation by the previous owner. When you take the back off and change the batteries, you have to operate a switch so as to not interrupt the backup of the system.

Battery backup switch there is a “B” and a “A” setting

There are two modes and these are explained below. This switch is located inside the battery compartment and is used when replacing the main batteries to prevent data loss.

B stands for Backup, a setting used during the battery replacement process. The device relies on a small, separate backup battery (often a C1616 coin cell) to maintain memory while the main batteries are removed, provided the switch is in this position.
A stands for Active (or simply the normal operational position), which is the standard setting for everyday use once new batteries have been installed.

To replace the main batteries safely and avoid losing your data, you must follow a specific procedure that involves setting this switch to “B”, changing the main batteries, and then switching it back to “A” after the new batteries are inserted.

The issue here was that the batteries had been changed and the switch was put into the correct “Backup” mode. However the previous owner had not placed the switch back into the ”Active” mode when the batteries were changed and the back of the shell was put back in place. Hence the unit would not work as in theory the batteries were locked out of use. On opening the shell up, this was the first thing I looked at, and when the switch was put into the correct position the unit sprung into life once the “On” button was pushed.

When the switch was set, power applied and the unit reset to 1989

When the unit was turned on it then reset to 1989, I was able to change the times and date, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the date range on this unit covered the years 1901-2099. Considering this unit was released 11 years prior to the Y2K bug of 2000, it showed some advanced thinking in the implementation of these units.

Happily updated to the current date and year

One of the issues with this particular unit is that there is no backlight on the display, the display is black and white and the only change that can be made is to the contrast. Back lights eventually arrived with later models. So use of these units was pretty much limited to daylight hours, or whilst under a light source of some kind, that said the display is very good and has a good contrast range.

The unit with an example function card installed

The last thing I have done is clean with some IPA to remove the years of gunk and I think this was quite successful

After this I have finished off with a nice polish with some car cockpit cleaner. It’s finished this repair off just nicely.

Result:

Here we have a nicely presented, clean and fully working example of a nice little bit of personal computing history.

So. With these older items, it’s sometimes good to just have an awareness of how these old timers operate. Get an instruction manual, study how it works, it can make the difference between selling it as damaged, when in fact there really was nothing really wrong with it. The seller could have sold this for 3 or 4 times the value that I purchased it for, but I’m not worried about that, as far as I’m concerned I got myself a bargain and to be honest, that doesn’t happen that often.

It’s a win win situation as far as I’m concerned, I win as I now have a lovely example of pre PDA technology, and it’s a small win for the environment as another piece of “Waste” has been saved from landfill.

Thanks for passing. Thanks for being there. Always appreciated 🙏

Sinclair Cambridge Memory Calculator

What the listing stated:

This auction is for a used cased Sinclair Cambridge Memory pocket calculator and original case. The item is in very good cosmetic condition as is the case which still has its instruction sheet. The item is powered with 4 x AAA batteries (not supplied) and does work although 1 of the digits is faulty and does not display (see pictures) plus the number 5 digit is not working. Please refer to the pictures and description provided before bidding.

EBay

So it does work, but it doesn’t? This calculator is a model one memory calculator, that dates from around July 1973, ( Actually May 1975 see photos below) and is one of the earliest available mass produced electronic calculators available in the UK at the time. And it was produced in collaboration with a guy called (Sir) Clive Sinclair, who in the following decade would become synonymous with tech development in the UK. It retailed at £29:95GBP, and given the rate of inflation, its cost today in 2025 would be a staggering £463GBP. Wow!

I love collecting old calculators, I couldn’t afford one back in the day when they arrived on the scene as I was only a child and probably only on about 20 pence a week pocket money, and savings and investments were not even known to me at this period of my life. The thought of saving that precious 20p a week for the next 150 weeks wouldn’t have even remotely crossed my mind. What no sweeties?

But I can buy them now, so no big issue!

So this one has become available, and I’ve been tracking it for a week or so, there were nine other people watching but I secured it for a total including postage of £14:49GBP, and I’m happy with that, it’s a piece of retro history for a very good price. Even if it remains faulty, or should I say working but not working?

This unit obviously has its problems, the button number 5 doesn’t work and one of the led digits is also not functioning. Hopefully I can get these issues sorted and soon have the calculator back up and working as it should. That would be nice. I’m looking forward to this little project.

Assessment:

It’s arrived and it’s a lot smaller than I anticipated. It has a separate hard protective case, which is a nice touch and a small info sheet on its operation. Cosmetically it’s in a good condition with just minor signs that are age related. There are no gouges or scars so it has been treated well, though it’s not pristine.

Batteries go in ok but, I believe old style AAA batteries were a little wider than those used today and would sit a bit more snuggly in the battery compartment. As you can see there is a little wriggle room here, and springs at both ends need adjusting to help prevent this. I may have to use some spacers so the batteries sit tighter in place.

The switch is a bit temperamental and can be seen quite plainly from the battery compartment. It looks strangely out of place with no batteries in place.

It is such a basic design solely relying on tension of a small metal plate to short across the connection points. Should be a simple enough issue to sort.

There is a little battery contamination on one of the battery contacts, again this shouldn’t be too much of an issue and should clean up ok with some IPA.

It was originally reported that there was one unresponsive button this being the number “5”, there is also another unresponsive button, the multiplication “X” button. There is also one LED indicator, the 4th one in from the left hand side that is not operating. Add to this the issue with the On/Off switch and the contamination, and the original faults reported in the original sales pitch have now doubled. I just wish people would spend more time going over the issues and then give actual accurate feedback as to what the real faults are, it would make for a far more pleasant buying experience. Rant over.

There doesn’t seem to be a single screw holding the body together, I just hope it isn’t all heat welded.

Let’s try to get inside.

Repair:

Well it cracked open quite nicely with no issues with just a plastic flat prise tool. The main board just sat comfortably in the unit, secure, and not a screw in sight. Strange as time moves on some of the games units I come across have best part of fifty of the little blighters to remove before you get anywhere. sometimes the old way is good.

The dismantling of the keyboard is a little complex and you have to take time and make sure you know how it’s going to go back together, it’s just a bit fiddly. The board is quite straightforward and as soon as I see some of the IC’s it dates the unit perfectly. The chips are dated May 1975, and that is about 18 months younger than what I originally thought, it’s quite informative to get inside and learn occasionally and this is just as good as having a birth certificate presented to you. All good stuff.

I’ve proved that there isn’t a problem with the missing digit on the display as using my multimeter in diode mode I am able to prove that this LED is working fine.

The picture shows just one part of the display range on this particular digit, I can assure you all other sections of the display are also working.

Regarding the case with the buttons not working. I have checked this out for continuity and both digits go through the same portion of the main IC and there doesn’t appear to be any broken traces. It’s a strange one but I have also found some really poor solder joints that are either cold joints or just poorly soldered from the start, there are a couple of resistors that need re soldering. It may be nothing at all, but it needs attention, a full reflow wouldn’t go amiss or take too much time.

I’ve reflowed the entire board due to there being a few cold solder joints.

On top of this I have taken off two old capacitors and tested them out of circuit, and both were out of their operable range of +/- 10%. As a result of this I have replaced the offending components with comparable new ones.

Even with all these extra tasks being undertaken there is absolutely no change in the way it operates. Nothing has gotten worse, the faults that were originally there still remain. I have done some research on line and carried out some further tests and checked expected voltages, most are within range except one that appears to be less than its expected value. After testing everything on this board, every component I can only surmise that one of the three chips has failed, I suspect very much that this, the main chip, a CZL550 integrated circuit. Otherwise known as “Calculator on a chip” is the one that is at fault.

To be quite honest these chips are fairly rare and command a price far in excess of what I paid for the original unit, and I don’t really want to do that. I think I’ll wait around to see if I can secure another faulty unit to complete this repair, so in the meantime, and until I can secure such a unit I will put this repair on hold.

Result:

Well, it’s not what I wanted but sometimes you just can’t win with some of these old projects. In no way am I walking away from it, it’s just that the parts are so difficult to get hold of that you really do have to just wait until a sufficiently faulty one comes up for sale. And that could be days, it could be weeks or months. So for now i admit defeat, but it will not be going to trash. It will remain in my ever expanding “To do” box, for me to pick up on at a later date. And when I am in a position to move this project on, I’ll pick it up in a continuation of this post.

Many thanks for passing by. It’s always appreciated.

MB – Simon

Remember this? Everyone had one around 1978 apart from me that is. Well, now I’ve got one, only 47 yrs late and it doesn’t work. But hey that’s what this site is all about, and that’s how I roll. Always late to the party, and even then you’ll probably find me in the kitchen 🥳

What the listing said:

Cosmetically in very good condition but does not work. Please see attached pictures to judge condition for yourself.

EBay

Another one with all battery covers! I’m shocked. And what’s that screwdriver there for?

The guy was after £17:00GBP and that included postage, but I put in a cheeky bid and managed to get it with postage for £9:80GBP. Anything under a tenner is good in my eyes.

Here’s some history:

Simon is an electronic game of short-term memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison, working for toy design firm Marvin Glass and Associates, with software programming by Lenny Cope. The device creates a series of tones and lights and requires a user to repeat the sequence. If the user succeeds, the series becomes progressively longer and more complex. Once the user fails or the time limit runs out, the game is over. The original version was manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley and later by Hasbro after it took over Milton Bradley. Much of the assembly language code was written by Charles Kapps, who taught computer science at Temple University and also wrote one of the first books on the theory of computer programming. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York City and was an immediate success, becoming a pop culture symbol of the 1970s and 1980s.

Wikipedia

From what i can see in the pictures the item seems good, cosmetically. I may be able to see just a little contamination around the battery contacts but I can’t be sure. It worries me when i see a picture that shows a screwdriver alongside the item you are buying, it just screams at me that the seller has been in side and is not being truly honest about its issues. Let’s just wait until it arrives to do a full assessment. I’m genuinely excited about getting this working, as my age veers ever closer to the higher numbers. I need something to stimulate my mind, what’s left of it. 😂

Assessment:

The unit has arrived and on first impressions looks clean and tidy cosmetically. The pads are not very responsive and the battery contacts are seriously corroded. The unit is a power hungry beast, taking two ”D” cell 1.5v batteries and one PP9 9v battery. The unit does not work with its batteries in place, and i’m not surprised really, and to round it all off two screws are missing from the case, and one screw mount is broken. All four plastic springs that sit under the coloured pads are broken, and just to clarify someone has already been in here and it doesn’t bode well. My previous concerns of a screwdriver being in the original photos have been confirmed. It’s been tampered with.

Pads unresponsive due to broken plastic spring mounts

The board is a typical of many circuit boards from this era that were produced for MB. I had a similar circuit board on this item here: MB – Computer Battleship

In the picture above you will see two arrowed points. These points are the power contacts that make contact with the two seriously corroded battery contacts you can also see above. No wonder there is no power getting to the board. I suspect this might be the cause of our electrical problem.

Repair:

First thing to do is to get those battery contacts cleaned, as well as having a good clean of the main board. This has now been done. I’ve repaired the broken screw post by simply using a rubber washer that has been sufficient for this repair.

A friend of mine has kindly offered to print me off four of the “Double Y” springs to replace the ones that are already in place and broken. He owes me a favour or three and needs some subject matter to run through his new 3D printer so I’m very pleased to help him, as pending the outcome I may well buy one myself, as I have been threatening to do so for a while now. This should sort out the issue of the unresponsive pads, first found in the assessment of the item. He’s panicking that they might not be smooth and beautiful, I’ve told him not to worry as they are hidden inside anyway.

What I currently have on the left, what I’m expecting on the right

He’s just supplied me with five double “Y” pieces just in case one is damaged in some way. Let’s get these put in place to see the difference these make.

With the new springs in place the pads are working as they were originally designed to, now with some springiness in their operation. The battery contacts have now also been put back in place.

When assembled, the buttons are a little erratic and not always responsive so I decide to look into this further. A quick Look at the board shows that the solder contacts on the board for all of the button connections are worn, the solder has failed so I decide to reflow all these solder joints to improve the contacts. This appears to have worked as the unit when reassembled, now has uninterrupted operation. This is an age related issue. A simple fix.

Old solder joints that have failed and needed re-flowing

Result:

Another 47 year old saved from the scrap heap, it’s been an interesting and sometimes confusing repair and I thank my friend who stepped in to save the day by utilising his 3D printer to make some parts. Without his assistance this repair would not have been achievable.

It’s just another old piece of retro history to add to my ever growing collection and much to my wife’s dismay. Bless her.

Now working

Thanks for passing by, as always it’s very much appreciated.

Forced E-Waste PCs and the Case of Windows 11’s Trusted Platform

I thought this was a very good post from the guys at Hackaday. Most of us who use the Windows platform will have probably come across this issue in the last year or so. Being told your perfectly good computer is not up to running Windows 11 when in fact it is probably more than capable.

Is it no wonder people are moving over to “The dark side” (Linux) in droves….

Until the release of Windows 11, the upgrade proposition for Windows operating systems was rather straightforward: you considered whether the current…
Forced E-Waste PCs and the Case of Windows 11’s Trusted Platform

Peter Pan Playthings Master Challenge

What the listing stated:

Embark on a journey down memory lane with the vintage Master Challenge Computer Electronic Quiz Game by Peter Pan. This handheld electronic game offers a test of knowledge and skill, making it a splendid addition to any game’s collection. Ideal for enthusiasts of retro gaming, it provides hours of entertainment as you tackle a variety of questions and challenges.

As a sought-after piece amongst collectors, this game is a testament to the era of classic toys and games. Whether you’re looking to complete your set of electronic games or seeking a unique gift for a vintage game aficionado, the Master Challenge game promises to be a talking point at any gathering.

This item is sold as spares and repairs as not working. Please send offers or ask any questions.

EBay

The seller here has obviously used the wonderful AI assistant to write this post as it is so false. The unit is incomplete, it is probably not sought after, as it was not that well received back in the day, and in its current state is probably only fit to be disposed of, also an important part of it is missing. However I’m not for disposing of items such as this and will endeavour to get it back into a working state, it’s just going to take a little time and patience.

I’m missing a fair bit, and it doesn’t work

Some history:

Peter Pan Playthings Ltd was a British toy company founded in 1963. It bought Salter Science and other assets from the receivers of Thomas Salter Ltd. In 1972 the company reported a £80,000 profit. The following year it was acquired by Berwick Timpo.

The company was sold on to Bluebird Toys in 1987, which continued to use the Peter Pan Playthings brand for several years.

Produced around 1980, the Master Challenge system was licensed from Coleco (Coleco’s Quiz Wiz system), this was released in the U.K. by Peter Pan Playthings. There were 30 different cartridges for Coleco’s version. The unit comes with a question book and the system is used to answer those questions. It is currently unknown how many cartridges were made for the UK version.

T’internet

So for some unknown reason I have purchased this 45yr old piece of retro nonsense because I just can’t keep my bidding finger still. That’ll teach me a lesson. I’ve paid the grand total including postage of £5:69GBP, and I think it is missing the most important part, the book of questions that go with the cartridge, usually attached to the binder that encompasses the unit. It’s also broken, so it needs fixing anyway, and I believe extra cartridges can be purchased, so if I can get it working, and I can obtain further cartridges then no problem. If I can’t, then there is a problem. The battery cover is also missing. I’m a fool, honestly I am.

Whereas the Coleco Wiz system had 30 different cartridges available I believe the Uk version only had the 6 as listed below:

1 – General knowledge
2 – World of sport
3 – Music
4 – The bible
5 – BBC quizzes
6 – BBCs Top of the form

And back in the 1980 these additional cartridges and quiz books could be purchased for £6:99 GBP and 50 pence postage! Quite pricey for the time.

On this particular cartridge or what remains of it are the pre programmed answers to 1001 questions that I’m not in possession of. How novel. I have managed to find a photo on line that has some questions showing on it, these would have been in the original book that would normally be attached to the binder of this unit, so this should be sufficient to at least test the game in its current form.

The game works in such a way that you choose a question from the book, you then use the unit to give your answers. If the answer is wrong you hear a corresponding low pitched sound and get a red light. If you are right you hear a high pitch sound and see a green light.

So basic in its operation, many thought it was totally pointless back in the day. However this was computerised technology in its earliest and most basic form and was at the dawn of a new era of personal entertainment. It deserves to be preserved.

To cover my apparent foolishness I have found another cartridge that I’m going to purchase to make this unit complete.

These plug in units come in a binder format with the brains of the game situated in an enclosed plastic block on the base of the binder, i suspect it is something along the lines of an integrated circuit. I can’t open this one as it is sealed, however when the old one arrives i will open it up as that one doesn’t have a quiz book with it. It will be good to see just what is inside. This little unit contains all the answers to the 1001 questions that are provided in the attached quiz book that slots into the top of the binder. The number inside the block indicates the quiz book reference.

The “Brains” and the quiz book reference number

The faulty computer unit I am awaiting, then slots into the binder and block by the pins you see in the photo above. The computer then simply has to decide whether your answer choices are right or wrong. And that’s the crux of the game in a nutshell.

Whilst awaiting this broken units arrival, I’ve purchased the additional set of plug in questions seen in the pictures above. This is an additional 1001 questions set, based on all the old BBC quizzes. It’s complete with answer book and the complete surrounding binder. It has arrived ahead of the faulty unit and is in an exceptionally good condition considering its age. None of the mustiness you’d expect from an item that is 45 years old. It must have been stored with great consideration. It’s cost me more than the broken unit, this cost a total of £8:15GBP, so that makes a running total of £13:84. I do have another game cartridge on order that I picked up for another £7:83GBP but I’m quite happy with this. It will be a nice addition to the games box that comes out when the family or guests come around, and everyone loves an old retro style game. It will certainly be a talking point, that’s for sure.

Assessment:

I’ve not even received the unit yet and I’m getting a bit ahead of myself wondering just what could be wrong with it. Its operation is so basic, think it could only be one of five things possibly be at fault.

Pins that read the cartridge are dirty/damaged
Contamination in the battery area
Loose wires
Faulty switch
Cold solder joints

I guess we will just have to await its arrival when we can make an accurate assessment.

The unit has arrived and it’s a tatty looking piece. Dirty, and only the remains of the binder that used to accompany it.

I’ve put in some batteries and there is very dead. There is the occasional buzz when the switch is slowly moved but nothing else. It could be a faulty switch, it could be the contacts. I’m going to have to open it up and get down to board level.

The problem here is that inside there are no screws attached to the inside support posts. The whole unit has been welded, all plastic posts have had heat applied to moulding the post tops. I’m going to have to break these off and try to re-weld them when we’ve got it all working again….if we can.

In the meantime I’m going to open up the the plug in module that’s attached to what is left of the old binder, i might as well sacrifice that piece as it’s of no use to me and it’s in the name of research.

Now I thought they’d be some kind of integrated circuit in here but there is not. It appears to be just a board with two sets of comb like traces that would appear to just short together in the unit. Makes you wonder if the questions in the book follow some simple kind of algorithm that the unit just adheres to. Maybe every so many questions, they all have the same answer, there must be some simple and basic way that the unit knows the preprogrammed answers. Maybe I’ll find out more when I look inside the actual “Computer” unit.

Repair:

Inside the unit there is not a great deal of components apart from a single IC a capacitor and a number of diodes and resistors.

I’ve used a very fine emery board I borrowed off of my wife (don’t tell her) to try to get in and clean these contacts, as I believe this is what is causing the issue.

All buttons are under a sheet of tape. I have removed this tape, cleaned all the contacts with IPA and repositioned them and re taped them using Kapton tape. They are a lot cleaner and are clicking nicely.

The contacts where the game cartridge is inserted are quite contaminated so these also have to be cleaned.

I’ve used an emery board to clean the contacts up on the unit, and when the cartridge is inserted we have a result. The first ten questions I have input have had correct answers only and no duplicates, so it really does really look as if the contacts were contaminated causing some kind of issue with the two parts of the game communicating.

Result:

It’s had a good clean both inside and out and a few of the old items inside replaced and given a new lease of life. The unit is now fully working and can be seen doing so in the little video below.

A little test example

I’ve since purchased a new binder for question set 1, so I now have that along with question set number 5. I’ll keep an eye on the auction sites to see if any of the other sets become available, and who knows I may try to get a full set. Now that would be quite rare I’d imagine.

I love digging around in these 80s units and just wonder at how basic the technology was back then, it’s just amazingly simple and so well put together. Anyway, this one is now working and good to go for a few more years yet. Saved from landfill we have another successful repair under the belt.

Thanks as usual for popping by. It’s most appreciated.

Jornada 540 series

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Repair and retest

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