Repair and maintenance tips

These guides are for information. Working on old electronics carries risks: do it at your own risk, with the machine unplugged, and never open power supplies or CRT monitors. If in doubt, bring the machine to us.

1. Diagnosis01Before switching on a machine that has sat unused for yearsFound an Amiga or a Spectrum in the loft? Don't switch it on just yet. Half an hour of checks stops a leaking battery, a power supply or a tired capacitor from turning a small fault into a big one.Difficulty: Easy⏱ 30 min
2. Boards02Leaking clock batteriesMany Amigas have a small rechargeable battery for the clock. Over the years it leaks an alkaline liquid that corrodes the traces on the board. It is the most common avoidable fault of all.Difficulty: Take care⏱ 1 h
3. Boards03SMD capacitors on the A600, A1200, CD32 and A4000The later Amigas use surface-mount electrolytic capacitors. Over time they leak electrolyte onto the board: weak or missing sound, a noisy picture, failed start-ups. The fix is to replace them, known as a recap.Difficulty: Workbench⏱ 3 h
4. Power04Power supplies: measure before you trustAn old power supply can still show signs of life and yet deliver too much or too little voltage. Measuring the outputs takes a few minutes and protects the machine.Difficulty: Take care⏱ 30 min
5. Diagnosis05What the Amiga's start-up screen colours meanWhen you switch it on, the Amiga tests its own hardware and shows the result as a colour. Knowing how to read those colours helps you work out where the problem is before you open the case.Difficulty: Easy⏱ 15 min
6. Diagnosis06When the Spectrum 48K won't startA black screen, lines, or random squares instead of the copyright message: the Spectrum 48K has a set of typical faults that can be diagnosed with a multimeter and a bit of patience.Difficulty: Workbench⏱ 1 h
7. Floppies and tapes07Floppy drives: clean, lubricate or replaceThe floppy drives in the Amiga and the Spectrum +3 are 30-year-old mechanical parts. Dirty heads and dried-out lubricant explain most read errors.Difficulty: Take care⏱ 45 min
8. Floppies and tapes08"R Tape loading error": when the Spectrum won't loadThe R Tape loading error, 0:1 message is a classic. Most of the time the problem is not the computer: it is the volume, the player's head or the alignment.Difficulty: Easy⏱ 30 min
9. Keyboards09Faulty keyboards: membranes, ribbons and cleaningKeys that don't respond are among the most frequent faults in both families. On the Spectrum it is almost always the membrane; on the Amiga, dirt or worn contacts.Difficulty: Take care⏱ 1 h
10. Video10Connecting an Amiga or a Spectrum to a modern TVThese machines were made for 1980s televisions and monitors. With the right cable, or a converter, the picture can look better than it did back then.Difficulty: Easy⏱ 20 min
11. Care11Cleaning, yellowing and storageA good clean and a dry place to store it are worth more than any repair. And when it comes to yellowed plastic and the famous retrobright, it pays to know the risks.Difficulty: Easy⏱ 1 h