Tag: faulty

Bronica SQ-A / The Frankenstein project Pt:3

To find out what I am trying to accomplish with this project please refer to my initial post: Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

Task:

To build a usable, basic issue, medium format camera (Bronica SQ-A) from damaged items and spare parts, for as little outlay as possible and shoot one black and white, and one colour roll of film as proof of its successful completion.

Getting started:

Building a camera from damaged parts is no easy task when the name happens to be a high end brand and any parts that are available, are being snapped up by others to service their own stock or to break up for sellable parts. I’m going to keep a running total to try and build this as cheaply as possible, and to keep track of this total I’m going to use my trusty Psion Organiser II LZ from 1989 to keep a tally.

This may be a strange situation where Pt:2 and Pt:3 of this project gets published before Pt:1, quite simply Pt:1, the film back. needs a fair bit of work still doing to it.

Third purchase:

And the third purchase is for an SQ body. This appears to be well used, but appears to be in a working condition. Here’s what the listing stated:

Zenza Bronica SQ Body Only / Medium Format 6×6 Camera

Condition:

Used but still in good usable condition with usual signs of use – see photos for details please. Fully tested and in perfect working order.
Supplied with: Camera body as pictured.

EBay

Now I’m happy with this purchase as well. Not quite the SQ-A I wanted but to be honest the only difference is mirror lock up and metering that I don’t really need so I can live with that, we all managed prior to the metering being done for us, I’m sure we will all survive now . (Oh how we have been pandered over the years)

The Bronica SQ body I have purchased

I’ve paid the grand total if £73:75GBP for this body including the postage. There are some bits I will require to complete the body, namely a focus screen and waist level finder that could be a bit pricey, and a winder for the body. Now, the winders are pathetically expensive at around £60 for a bit of plastic. I know a guy who 3D prints a good alternative for a fraction of the price. And that will be the route that I take.

So over to my trusty old Psion II LZ for the running total for these first three items.

Current running total

So the total for these three items comes in at a total of £150:94GBP, and in Bronica terms this is extremely reasonable!

Assessment:

The parcel has arrived and yet again I’m really happy with this purchase. Very well packaged, a very faint age related mustiness that I guess should only be expected on an item that is now 45 years old. It seems to work just fine. I have connected the lens and that seems to be working ok, I just need to verify the shutter speeds are all correct. There is no battery in the base and this needs replacing as this is what controls the shutter speeds. Without the battery the mechanical shutter works, but only at a speed of 1/500 of a second. (Edit: the battery has arrived and after testing i can confirm that all speeds are operating as expected). The film back fits fine but I still have some work to do on that before I can say that this part is working ok. Overall I’m satisfied with what I have for the price I have paid.

No battery
No winder
A selection of covers for the sides, top and bottom are required

Repairs:

Not so much repairs but additions that are required, such as a crank winder arm and a focus screen, a new battery and a selection of covers to protect the central unit in transport. All horrendously over priced and i will deal with these items in Pt:4 of this project.

Outcome:

Current situation, looking good, smelling old. Not me, the camera 😂

We are almost there. The lens is fine, the main body is fine and just needs some final testing. The film cartridge is the item that needs the most attention and this will hopefully be finished when I have the new front plate that is being 3D printed. The next instalment will be just a tidy up with all the little bits I need to complete the build. These small pieces in Bronica terms are so bloody expensive, or should I say extortionate, can be obtained at a fraction of the cost elsewhere, you just need to shop around, if you are happy to have a non named spare part as a stand in. I’m happy with that as these parts have absolutely no effect on how the camera performs, and what we want to achieve at the end of this project, that being a well exposed two rolls of negatives that will produce a number of well presented photographs.

All good to go. Please keep an eye on the other blog posts that are coming regarding this project.

Bronica SQ-A / The Frankenstein project Pt:2

To find out what I am trying to accomplish with this project please refer to my initial post: Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

Task:

To build a usable, basic issue, medium format camera (Bronica SQ-A) from damaged items and spare parts, for as little outlay as possible and shoot one black and white, and one colour roll of film as proof of its successful completion.

Getting started:

Building a camera from damaged parts is no easy task when the name happens to be a high end brand and any parts that are available, are being snapped up by others to service their own stock or to break up for sellable parts. I’m going to keep a running total to try and build this as cheaply as possible, and to keep track of this total I’m going to use my trusty Psion Organiser II LZ from 1989 to keep a tally.

This may be a strange situation where Pt:2 and Pt:3 of this project gets published before Pt:1, quite simply Pt:1 needs a fair bit of work still doing to it.

Second purchase:

The lens. Probably the most important purchase of this project. Looking for a “cheap” lens is normally not the thing to do when exploring lenses as you do really get what you pay for. You want good clarity? You need a good lens. However this lens came on offer and what sold it to me was that there were no scratches and fungus in the lens, and that was music to my ears. It is a duplicate of a lens the owner already has and was surplus to his requirements. He has also supplied recent proof of photos taken on this lens and i believe he has sold me a little diamond to be honest. Everything about it seems good. There is nothing really to do to it, so no maintenance apart from maybe a light external clean and that will be it until everything else comes together.

Here is what the listing stated:

This is the S version of the 80mm lens and although there’s a slight difference in the lens design on the PS version, I’ve compared the two and couldn’t see any real difference other than a slightly more modern colour rendering. The T mode is also working without issue. This lens has been my main user lens and has never let me down. Glass is clear of fungus, haze and scratches. Aperture and shutter blades are snappy and clear of any oil. Shutter speeds are accurate and the lens produces just delightful images and is massively underrated. I’ve included several shots taken recently with this lens mounted on an SQ-A as per the examples. Focusing is smooth, apertures have a nice smooth click and the lens focuses just fine all the way through the range. I will include the origin box as well as the front and rear lens cap with the lens

EBay

Lens and box
Front of lens no fungus
Rear of lens no fungus
Two pictures shot on the sellers SQ-A with this lens (pics: pooface76)

I’ve paid the total cost including postage of £56:25GBP and I think that this is an absolute bargain for what I am getting. It’s an 80mm f2:8 Zenzanon-S lens in its box with two end caps. I’m really pleased with this purchase and there is not a lot else I can say.

So here we have the scores after two purchases, the 120 roll film back and this lens. Over to my old mate the Psion II LZ for the running total.

Running total

So the total for two items currently sits at a comfy total of £77:19GBP so far, with an average per item price of £38:60GBP. And in Bronica terms that is quite reasonable!

Assessment:

The lens has arrived and to be honest it has surpassed anything I could ask for, for the price I have paid. For this project it is in perfect condition with nothing required regarding any repairs. It’s good to go.

Boxed
Original inserts
Both end caps

And out of the box the lens is lovely and clear. Just a few bits of dust but that is nothing at all.

Original end cap
Nice and clear
No fungus

Repairs:

None: I know this is boring on a repair front, but for this project it is the perfect result.

Outcome:

All good to go. Please keep an eye on the other blog posts that are coming regarding this project.

Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

First a little history.

This will be post No:1 of a series, where I attempt to buy parts of a damaged camera system to repair, reassemble and get back into working order.

I have chosen this particular camera as it was one that featured prominently in my career when leaving school and starting in the Photographic world. I’m going to buy this camera in bits, as it is modular. I’m going to try and buy parts that are for spares and repair for me to fix, to see if I can get a half decent working example. So expect a bit of a Frankenstein project here.

Bronica SQ-A

Just like my post on the Canon A1 that I previously published, this was another loan camera in my early years of photography back in the 80s. When money was sparse, colleagues usually allowed the loan of their equipment under certain conditions, one of those being,”Don’t break it”. I used this camera when I did my first studio session when a friend of a friend was setting up a business selling Teddy bears. She wanted good quality portrait photos of her work and this camera enabled me to do that. This was the first medium format camera I had ever used, and for that reason alone it will always sit as my favourite. Many people favour later models and other equipment, but this is my personal favourite. It has its flaws as some do, however this camera was significant in me learning a profession, as well as it triggering many treasured memories for me personally.

Now I want one of my own. 41 years after I first used one. But I don’t want to pay a premium price for it. In fact i wish to pay as little as possible, and that’s where it’s going to be difficult.

You can read more about the camera here: Bronica SQ-A

Requirements

As this is modular camera unit, I will need these parts to form the most basic camera, no bells and whistles as they say, just the basic version:

  • Lens – obviously
  • Main body – got to be the SQ family
  • Viewfinder – a few to choose from
  • Film back – I’m after the standard 120 roll film back

I’m looking at this being a medium term project so these items will be purchased over a currently undefined period of time, I’m hoping to buy items that require attention so I can keep the costs down, something that needs attention and repair would suit, as I can create a post regarding its repair. Individual spare parts do command some high prices so I’ll look at maybe purchasing some beat up stock that I can use as spares. I’ll keep a running total of the spend, I know I could buy a working complete unit for around £6-800GBP second hand, but that’s damned expensive in my eyes, I believe it was only £400Gbp (Minus lens) back in the mid 80s. I want to prove that a good usable unit can be built with just a little attention at a much lower and more realistic price. On the cheap if you like, as good quality photography does not need to be expensive. It might not look pretty, but it will be practical, and it will work. Most working cameras look beaten up. Most of the ones I used whilst working for a photo agency were total wrecks but took great photographs. I want to run a roll of colour and one of Black and white through it to prove i have made a working practical camera. It’s probably going to be a lengthy project, it’s going to be hellishly tough, but one I’m very much looking forward to.

From now on it will be known as….

The Frankenstein project.

And more posts will appear as the parts start to arrive and are assessed. Each part will have its own post dedicated to its purpose and repair, and a final post where it will be finally assembled and tested.

Thanks for passing by, please be sure to check back as this exciting project comes together, using the links below:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Amstrad Notepad NC100

What the listing said:

Amstrad Notepad NC100+ Vinyl Case 

Not working not powering on, the vinyl case has some marks and scratches.

EBay

Amstrad NC100
Screen Vinyl peeling

I’ve been after one of these for a little while, I’ve just been awaiting one at a good price and this one became available, post included at £30GBP, they retailed for £199Gbp back in 1992. It says it is not working but that’s good in my eyes as it makes these posts more appealing, as it gives me something to repair. I don’t know what the issue is off hand as the post didn’t state that, but I do know these items have suffered with capacitor problems over time, but that is not necessarily the case here. We will just have to wait until we do the assessment on its arrival. And as it comes from around the early 90s it fits right in with my modus operandi. And this little cutie dates from 1992.

Here’s a little history behind this unit courtesy of Wikipedia:

The Amstrad NC100 Notepad is an A4-size, portable Z80-based notebook computer, released by Amstrad in July 1992. It featured 64 KB of RAM, 256KB of Rom, the Protextword processor, various organiser-like facilities (diary, address book and time manager), a simple calculator, and a version of the BBC BASIC interpreter. The computer’s design, evocative of the TRS-80 Model 100, features a screen with 80 character columns by eight rows, and not backlit, but this let the NC100 run for up to 20 hours on four standard AA cellbatteries. There was an RS-232serial port, a parallel port for connecting a printer, and a PC card socket, by means of which the computer’s memory could be expanded up to 1 MB.

Assessment

The unit has arrived and cosmetically it is in very good condition apart from the peeling plastic screen cover. A little bit of dust and grime, all keys in good order and no dinks or dents. the vinyl bag is a little tatty but that’s not a problem, it’s obviously done it’s job over the years due to the good condition of the unit.

The unit on its arrival, generally in good condition

So down to testing. First thing I’ve done is check the power supply is giving a 6.5 v output and this is ok.

Power supply doing what it should.

Secondly I’ve put 4 AA batteries in place and turned the unit on but then it abruptly stops, displaying a lithium battery issue.

Lithium battery warning

The lithium battery is an old CMOS type battery, a CR2032 coin battery. This is the battery that keeps the info in the system when you turn it off. I thought I’d run this through the multimeter and was surprised with the voltage I saw, the battery seemed fine to me at 2.8v, so I replaced it with a new one measuring 3.4v. And the issue came up again…..head scratching time!

Old battery
New battery

Looking on line it seems there is an issue with the lithium cell battery contacts on these units when they are being resurrected to modern day usage, time has not been good to them. The coin contacts have now been cleaned and slightly bent to ensure a better contact and hey presto it’s operational with no further issues.

Battery contacts needed cleaning and repositioning

The main AA battery contacts are fine and the external supply is doing what it should. Now let’s look at sorting that screen issue.

Quite simply there were two options, use a bit of heat to try and stick the plastic down, but I decided against this as it would not lay flat, it had too many kinks in it. So the only other option was to remove it and this is what I did, it peeled off with no issues. In time I will see if I can get a suitable replacement but to be honest it isn’t really required as I’m not going to be using it that often.

Let’s get that screen cover off
Looking good
After screen cover removal

I’ve tried every function and keystroke of the board and all is good there are no issues and I now have a perfectly acceptable unit for my collection. It looks like i have had a second win against the “Untested” brigade who sell on EBay. This was the simplest of repairs and the issues are readily available to research on line. There is no excuse for not looking into the issues, when a good unit like this can now sell for up to three times the amount that I paid for it.

Your loss my win. Another one kept from landfill.

I’ve given the unit a good polish and I think you’ll agree that the project has come up good.

Pouch
Front view
Rear view
Working as it should
Profile
Look at that screen

Now to just go and read the user manual on line to see if I’ve missed anything. Thanks for passing by, as always it’s most appreciated.

Samsung SQ3000 electronic typewriter – assessment & repair

This is the follow up to a recently obtained electronic typewriter that was purchased in January 2025, the initial post can be found here: Samsung SQ3000 electronic typewriter.

Samsung SQ3000 electronic typewriter

The following post will deal with the assessment on its arrival and what I am going to try to do, to get it back working again, as close as possible to its original state.

I’ve downloaded an instruction I manual, I’ve had to download one for a Smith Corona Wordsmith 200, it is in theory the exact same unit, just under a different manufacturers branding.

Assessment

It’s arrived and apart from a little age yellowing it looks ok. There is a PAT testing sticker that says it was last electrically tested back in 1998 and is due a retest in 1999. This corresponds with my date estimate of mid 90s.

Yellowing
Pat test date

I will retest and renew the safety checks when I’m finished working on it. I have noticed that the paper bail/release rail is broken on the left hand side so I will have to add that to the repairs, this shouldn’t be a major concern.

Paper bail snapped
Broken piece recovered

Before I took the roller out to get to the paper bail I did start the machine up. Everything went as expected and when I tried to type I was getting some weird reactions to the keys I was pushing. All kinds of characters were appearing.

Before

I checked the daisy wheel and there was a click. It wasn’t sitting right. I reset the machine using the two reset buttons and the machine then went through its reset programme, pretty much the same effect as turning it off and on again. (Not much changes in the way of tech there then)

After

Well that’s worked fine, I have tried every combination on the keyboard including the erase function and this is now fully working. It really was quite simple. My next job is to try and fix this paper bail.

Paper bail removed for fixing

There is quite a bit of dust and dirt inside that needs removing. And whilst I’m at it I will lightly re grease the areas that need it. Let’s be honest it’s not been done in the last 30yrs so now is as good a time as any. Inside will get a light hoovering and a bit of a tart up, I’m not going to go mad. I will clean the outside and all knobs and buttons and try to get rid of some of the yellowing, but to be honest as long as it’s clean I’m not too worried about age marks.

Roller dirt
Grease needs replacing
Roller platten dirt

The keyboard has lost a few of its letters. I will remove what is left of some of them and use some keyboard decals to replace the missing ones. This will be one of the last jobs I do.

Characters missing
Keyboard

Well that’s the assessment done and apart from a few small issues and requiring some basic maintenance I don’t think we have an immense amount of work to carry out. We know it now works. Let’s hope I don’t cause any further carnage whilst working on it.

Let’s get to work.

Repair

Right it’s straight onto the paper bail to try and fix the snapped end. Firstly I’m just going to use some superglue to get it in place. When this is dry I’m going to create two “Doublers”, place one either side of the damaged part and glue these in place to create a stronger repair and to add some stability to this area.

I’ve got some black semi rigid plastic. I’ve created a small template from a tracing that I did of the good right hand side of the bail.

Plastic
Template

I now have two doublers cut from the plastic that I will use as explained above.

Two doublers

It doesn’t matter that they are not perfectly shaped, however they both fit perfectly well into the profile of the bail arm, and this portion of the arm is hidden in the typewriter housing anyway, so the part will not be visible, but it will now be strong.

Superglued
Doublers in place and clamped

The Doublers have been put in place using a quick set epoxy resin, I will leave this to dry for a good few hours before I tidy it up, with a light clean, and then I will try to get it back in place.

Bail arm repaired, installed and working.

Now that’s done i’ve gone inside and there were a nice couple of spider webs around the transformer that are now history. I’ve secured the cable in the rear of the unit that never had any tension restraint, so that there will be no issues, should anyone now give a good yank on the cable lead. This is a safety addition I have made that was never on the original unit.

Cable restraint screwed to base to prevent strain on internal wires in and around the transformer bay.

I have also tightened all screws and checked the wiring and this all seems ok. Plug and fuse have been checked and all is looking good. I’ll carry out a PAT test once I’ve finished the clean up.

Roller cleaned and degreased
Platten switch cleaned

I’ve cleaned the main roller with alcohol, and removed all the old grease and dirt from the platten adjuster switch and the roller advance knob. I have removed the platten plate as well as the six mini rollers that are here. I’ve cleaned them all and re assembled/installed them.

Platten plate
Platten roller
Rollers installed and platten complete

I have cleaned the daisy wheel as well as in and around the printing head unit.

Clean inside
Degreased

Inside the unit I have given a good hoover as well as a light clean and again removed more old grease. I have given the exterior plastic a preliminary polish, this has removed some of the yellowing and made it look “cleaner” I am not going to worry too much about the yellowing as it isn’t that bad, and I don’t really want to venture into carrying out a “Retrobrite” on this unit. It would take too long and there would be no benefit for this project.

I’ve now added very small amounts of a watch lubricant to those areas that i have previously cleaned and removed the old grease from.

Light lubricant
Main transport lightly lubricated

The unit has been reassembled and I’m pleased to say it is still working fine. It’s running smoothly and all aspects of the unit seem to be working just fine. To be honest it seems to be printing clearer to me.

Daisy wheel and print quality is perfect

I don’t know how long the print cartridge has been installed but I suspect it may have been a few years back. It’s almost finished, and I do have a replacement on order. I’m sure a fresh cartridge will make the print stand out even more.

Next I’m going to have a go at replacing some, or even all of the keyboard letters. It all depends how it looks when I start replacing them. I’m going to gently rub off the lettering that is left and clean the keys using a 95% pure Isopropyl alcohol solution (IPA).

All damaged and missing key decals removed in preparation for replacement new decals. Others may have to be removed dependant on how the new ones look when in place.

These are the replacement key decals I will be attempting to use.

Qwerty keyboard decals

I’ve replaced the damaged key decals. The ones I’ve used are a lot brighter than the original ones and really accentuate the yellowing. I’m not troubled by this as it keeps its “Old” look. I would have to scrape and wipe for hours to remove all the other keys and to be honest it would look just like someone had gone abroad to have a bright white set of dodgy veneers installed, it would look quite out of place, and in your face. Just like a Cheshire Cat smile.

New veneers anyone?

It serves a purpose and just allows the unit to be usable again.

The final product:

Looking damned fine if I say so myself

Fortunately a lot of the equipment and parts I have used, I was already in possession of, so there are no additional costs for this project. Below you can view the total costings for this project as they currently stand:

  • Purchase inc postage £13.14
  • Cable restraint £0.25
  • Keyboard decals £1.25
  • Total cost of project £14.64

Again I have managed to save a fantastic 90s retro item from landfill for very little cost, and that is a fantastic result. It has years of use left in it, as long as the consumables remain available, and of that I am confident that they will be available, for at least the next few years. The unit is clean, I’ve just carried out an electrical PAT test and it is electrically sound.

Believe it or not I’m going to go back in time and will write some traditional typewritten letters to friends and family. I’m looking forward to doing that and it will certainly surprise them, it will be totally unexpected.

When all that is done, i will donate this unit to our local LOROS Hospice shop so they can sell it on and raise much needed funds. They deserve it. Edit: This was done in March 2025 at their shop in Hamilton Leicester. I hope it gets them a good price.

Watch the brief video for the final words on this restoration. All 13 seconds of it.

And that’s it folks..

Thanks for passing by.

Samsung SQ3000 electronic typewriter

What the listing stated:

Offered here is a good vintage Samsung SQ-3000 electronic typewriter. It powers up and operates when the keys are pressed. However, the symbols printed do not match the button pressed ! The daisywheel may be out of line. Otherwise, good cosmetic condition. Any questions, then please ask. 

EBay

I have again succumbed to purchasing something very retro, a typewriter. Yep it has a fault just as most things I buy have, that’s part of the fun of it all, can I fix it and save another item from landfill? Who knows but I’ll give it a try.

This Typewriter, the SQ3000 was also sold as the Elite S-7500, Hanseatic Europa II, Leader MD, Olympia Textstar MD, Opperman S-7100, Privilege Electronic 2600, Royal RT 7700, Silver Reed EX-133 MD, Smith Corona Wordsmith 200 and Welco EX 260 DS. It was manufactured sometime between 1990 -1995 and was a mass produced low cost typewriter of the time. Personally I think it was around 1995 as this was when regulations insisted that electronic items such as this required wired in power supplies, and this unit is a hard wired unit.

Samsung loosely translated/stands for “Three Stars”Apparently the three represents “Something big, numerous and powerful” and the “Stars” represent “Everlasting and eternal” so there you have it, that is today’s history lesson.

I loved using typewriters prior to the word processor/Pc rendering them useless. There is just something special about them, I can’t quite put my finger on it.

This item looks to be in fantastic cosmetic condition, and I have also checked that the consumables are available, they are so I might have struck lucky. From what I can see in the pictures a number of letters have worn off the keys, hopefully I can source replacements, or decals or I may even repaint them myself.

I have had to download the instruction manual for the Smith Corona Wordsmith 200 as it is the exact same unit under a different name, Samsung just don’t seem to have anything listed or historically available for download.

Looks nice
Seems clean and tidy
Seems to be a potential daisywheel problem

I think I’ve bagged a bargain (if I can get it working) I’ve paid a grand total including the postage of £13:14 GBP and that was after knocking the seller down a few pounds from the original price. He bit my hand off to be honest, so we’ll just have to wait and see what arrives. If all else fails I can certainly use it for spare parts in the future.

Anyway, this now gets added to the long list of other items I have, that need to be repaired. Please check back to view the “Assess and repair” post that will follow, explaining what arrived, its condition and what I will be doing to get it back in working order.

Thanks for passing by.

Sega Game gear – game cartridges

What the listing stated:

Untested

EBay

Yep that’s it. The good old EBay untested. Anyone who buys from here knows that this can mean anything from working to totally wrecked, or even should have been binned because a good portion of it is missing.

But I try to remain positive… some people call it stupid.

Cheap, probably broken

Here I have purchased two of the same games for the grand total of £1.49 GBP. About 75 of your finest British pennies each. My suspicions are such as the guy who posted is selling a couple of “tested” game cartridges (the same game) for a considerably higher price. I just don’t understand how he couldn’t test these two. I suspect they are knackered to coin a phrase.

Anyway, let’s await the mailman.

I’ll apologise in advance for how easy this fix was. They arrived and both game cartridges looked ok. I then loaded them into the unit and one worked and one didn’t.

Both Cartridges tested

I decided to just clean the contacts on both cartridges with a bit of IPA and hey presto. Two working game cartridges for next to no cost.

2nd cartridge up and working

So again, I apologies for the simplistic fix, I was hoping I would at least be opening the cartridge and doing a bit of trace repair, but sometimes that is all it takes. I’ll keep one, and the other i will move on with another unit that I’m currently repairing.

But most importantly they are not off to landfill. Result.

Rock & Roll clock

Here’s what the listing stated:

The clock features a swinging pendulum and is a great addition to any music memorabilia collection. However, please note that the clock mechanism is currently faulty and may require repair or replacement.

It’s been a while since I’ve been tempted to fix something totally outside my comfort zone, so here it is a novelty “Elvis Presley” Rock & Roll clock. I quite fancy learning how to repair clocks, perhaps this is the best place to start with nothing too complex.

Boxed
Need to get those legs swinging

From what I can gather the clock is a fairly std mechanism with a separate mech that operates the pendulum “legs”. I know the wife won’t entertain this in the house, however my elder sister is a massive Elvis fan so I may even shove it in her general direction… if I can fix it.

No assumptions as to what is going to arrive at the moment as you never know what you will end up with from auction sites, so let’s just await the mail man’s knock on the door.

All good on arrival, as expected

The clock has arrived and apart from having to just straighten the hands, a battery has been put in and the clock is ticking well and keeping good time. However Elvis isn’t shaking his hips as he should be even with a separate battery in place so there is an obvious issue there.

No hip shaking Elvis?

Well the issue is a bit of a pain in the ass one. The pendulum effect comes from a small electromagnet that opposes a magnet on the pendulum, hence when working the pendulum continuously swings. However this one has two of the wires from the coil broken. These wires are just about the width of a hair and had to be coaxed back into place using my microscope. I’ve tacked the wires back into place and the clock is currently working.

Electro magnet

However, apparently these wires are known to break even if a butterfly farts in the vicinity of them, they don’t hold up to repair that well, so I’m going to order a new electromagnet replacement. Cheap as chips.

Elvis shaking those hips

So I’m happy a fix has been possible, I’ll just wait for the replacement magnet until I move it on to my sister. In the meantime the wife has to put up with it shaking its stuff in the conservatory.

Edit: New magnet 🧲 has arrived, Elvis really going for it now and shaking his booty like a mad man 😂

Shaking like a mad man.

Now he’s off to my sister. can’t stand that much activity around me.

Another item saved from landfill. Result.

Happy days 👍

Modified Sega game gear 2110-50

You may wish to refer to this post: Sega game gear 2110-50 where I purchased a non working Sega Game gear and brought it back to life.

The (I thought it was repaired) Game gear

I’m now ready to do some modifications on this unit, and I will save the replaced items for use on later projects.

Pretty much every Game Gear that was ever produced (and that is approximately 10.6 million units) has suffered with the dreaded (Capacitor plague) that I have discussed in an older post. The first job that is recommended to be carried out when purchasing an old Game Gear is to replace the old capacitors, it’s quite an easy task and nine times out of ten will remedy any issues that you have and allow you to continue gaming for years to come.

However there are other issues.

The screen is an old tube powered system that is exceptionally power hungry, you can replace this with much superior LCD versions, I’m withholding from doing this at the moment as I want to get as much use out of the old screen, and to be honest my unit doesn’t require replacement just yet, there’s still life in the old girl. I’m sure that this will be a future project though.

Occasionally after doing the capacitor replacement on the power board, other components such as a small IC and three transistors that control voltages across the system, start to misbehave causing the unit to switch off after just a few seconds. This is currently occurring with mine and I am intending to replace these components to see if this sorts out my issue. I have also ordered a replacement power board from China that is a fraction of the cost of a European one, it may work, it may not but if the change out of components dosen’t work at least I’ll have an alternative option.

There are a few checks we can do prior to replacement of these components on the power board that will confirm the various voltages required by the system. It’s best that these tests are done prior to diving in head first to replace them. You could be just wasting time. You may need a new power board or maybe even consider converting to a rechargeable battery system. It’s all doable.

Expected voltages – photo courtesy Retrosix

Here are the results from my test of voltages on the power board, I’ve injected 9v via a bench power supply to the battery contacts on the board:

  • At the 34v pin I had 0v
  • At the 9v pin I had 8.9v
  • At the 1.28v pin I had 1.28v
  • The three ground pins read as ground
  • At the two 5v pins I had 0v

So as a result I obviously have an issue with the 5v rail and the 34v rail, I believe the 5v rail is the one that affects the boot sequence and the 34v is not an issue at the start up, however, it’s there for a reason and this simple test proves there is an issue. I will therefore only change the IC and three transistors as the capacitors were changed when I did a full recap.

Advertised shell
What actually arrived
Clean Amp duo sound
Power board components
Three of the above Photos courtesy of Retrosix

For my modifications I am getting a new clean amp duo audio board with dual speakers instead of the single mono one that is standard. This is an upgrade on the original, extremely efficient and with better sound processing.

I am also replacing the shell with a new Blue case and glass to replace the scuffed old screen, this shell also has dual speaker outlets to compliment the audio board replacement. The shell is already prepped to accept a rechargeable battery system should I decide to install it at a later date.

I shall be getting these upgrades from Retrosix who specialise in supplies and modifications for gaming consoles.

All the items have now arrived and the first thing I’m going to do is sort out the replacement IC and transistors on the power board. The rest is fairly straightforward. However they have sent me the wrong shell, a single speaker one instead of a dual speaker one, so I’ve now got to await a replacement, annoying!

Scratch that, they are saying that they never did have any duo speaker ones even though they were advertising them on their site ( as per picture above..) and after a protracted discussion with the supplier / owner i’ve come to the conclusion that he might think he is a wizard at modding and designing circuitry but is totally and utterly inept at customer service, he wouldn’t know good service if it bit him in the ass. Hey ho on we go, it is what it is.

If you choose to use them in the future then just be aware. They have an uncanny knack of trying to pin their inadequacies and mistakes on you, the customer. Caveat Emptor – as they say.

So now the sound will be original mono, but hopefully improved. I have a spare speaker and mount as a result and I can use the new clean amp duo board in a mono configuration. Should I get a duo speaker shell sometime in the future I can always do a swap out.

Blank shell
New speaker and buttons
Blank shell and new speaker and buttons

Today I’ve taken the empty new shell and installed the new audio card and speaker, as well as the new buttons and silicon pads. I’ve then installed the main board minus the power board that still needs the new components.

New board and old board
Main board installed
Audio and power boards connected

I’ve also installed the new front lens on the unit and I must say it looks nice.

New front lens on unit

Let’s get to the difficult bit, replacing the components on the power board. I’m not joking when saying that some of these items are not much bigger than a grain of rice. I suspect a lot of bad language will be used here, as this is a new level of soldering for me. I’ve never replaced anything so small before. If I balls it up I’ll just have to await my cheap Chinese power board.

Ok, the power board from Ali Express got here really quick, to be honest even before I could set some time aside to change the components on the old board, so therefore I’ve decided to try this new board as a straight swap.

I will keep the the components and the old board to use at a later date.

First though I have used the bench power supply to test it is ok, and it’s a big tick on all voltages as per the test I did on the old board. All voltages are stable and consistent, so I have secured the board in place and put the required batteries inside. Works perfectly.

Back together, awaiting the big switch on
Working perfectly

I now have a perfectly good looking updated Game gear that I am exceptionally pleased with. The sound system is a good upgrade, it has a really loud volume (adjustable) and is crisp. The powerboard from China at a total cost of £10.80 is an absolute bargain, and works perfectly with good stable voltages. The case is good, fits well and the lens is clean easy to install and scratch free, the whole thing looks brand new.

Two old rebuilds, rejuvenated

I now have two perfectly good looking and working examples of 90’s retro rivalry in perfect working condition. The plan is to display these in the house, on a custom made display. I’ve really enjoyed working on this little project and I’m made up with the outcome.

The only things left to be done would be to change the power supplies to rechargeable and to change the screens to new IPS/LCD screens, but I don’t think I’m going to do that on these two, I’m keeping them original or as close as possible to original, I want to keep these as they are, to cherish in this condition for as long as I can.

I love them. And they are fantastic.

Namco arcade classics tv plug and play games joystick

Here’s what the listing stated:

FAULTY no power, NOT WORKING for Spare Parts or Repair. 

TEST NOTES: Does not power up, no further testing, unable to check any functions. Battery leakage with corrosion in and around battery compartment.

Ebay

The unit
Yes…there is corrosion

Another low priced item that I fancy getting working. And as is standard with me it has corrosion. This item is from 2003, it is a self contained game arcade system that plugs into the tv. It has five games installed including classics such as Galaxian and PAC Man, so compared to some items I’ve purchased of late, at 21 years old this one is a relative baby.

Well, we now await its arrival where we can give it a good look over and assessment. Hurry along now delivery person…..

It’s arrived.

It’s in pretty much perfect condition, all stickers are in place and it hasn’t been previously opened.

I’ve put in 4 new batteries, and damn it. It powers on. It’s working.

It switches on

I’ve plugged it into the back of a television and it also plays.

Damn, it works

Yes there is a little corrosion on the battery springs but I’ve seen a lot worse. I’ll give these a little clean just so I can say I’ve done something.

It’s quite rare these days to get a bargain off of EBay, and for the seller to be truthful in his description, in fact he’s been exceptionally honest, just writing it off without testing. A big bonus to me.

As the saying goes, if it ain’t broken, don’t try to fix it.

Makes a boring post though, sorry about that. A bargain, yes, and another one kept from the tip and will be used at home in the garden pub, the wife will love this as she’s a big Pac-Man fan.

Result!