Subject: Re: Sick A3000 questions.
To: Doug Lee <douglee@douglee.gts.org>
From: Kevin P. Neal <kpneal@pobox.com>
List: port-amiga
Date: 11/10/1996 16:36:50
At 02:43 PM 11/10/96 EST, Doug Lee wrote:
>
>:Ok, I've got my sick A3000 here, and I'm still trying to fix it.
>:
>:I've got my problem narrowed down to the Paula chip. The machine works fine
>:if I apply just the right pressure to the chip.
>:
>:I'm told this is an indication of a cold or bad solder connection. Since this
>
>This could indicate a bad solder connection from the socket to the
>motherboard. To repair this, you'll have to remove the whole mohterboard to
>solder the pins on the underside. The other easier possibility is that the
>chip just needs to be reseated in it's socket. Just remove and replace it to

Tried reseating it, didn't work. Sigh. 

>:Also, I noticed that my 030 runs rather warm. Is this normal? A couple of 

>It's probably OK if it works. yes they do run warm. There are also 4 pal

I was worried about it working for a while, then being really dead. That
chip can't be replaced (not on this board, anyway).

>:Oh, and a reminder: if you have an a3000, and you haven't replaced the clock
>:battery yet, *do* *it* *soon*. Either that or take your machine apart every
>:few weeks, or once a month, and check to make sure the battery isn't leaking.
>:Not paying attention to this can cost you your machine. 
>
>Just curious. DID the clock still run with the power off when the battery
>was leaking???

Yes. 

I started running NetBSD about a month after Hydra Ethernet support was added.
I put in the card about a month before the support was added. In that two
month time span, the battery went from fine to corroded. When I removed the
battery, I had to rip out one of the metal strips holding it in place. (I
had my machine apart because I figured out how bad NetBSD is in 2mb of RAM).

A friend of mine had his motherboard damaged so bad the machine was stuck at
the black screen. Lucky for him, he has some pretty spiffy friends who managed
to repair his board. Other people won't be so lucky.

But yes, the battery will continue to work (at least, mine did) as it destroys
your system. Replace it, or check on it very frequently.
--
XCOMM Kevin P. Neal, Sophomore, Comp. Sci. -   kpneal@pobox.com
XCOMM     http://www.pobox.com/~kpn/       -   kpneal@eos.ncsu.edu
XCOMM "Comments in code are kinda useless, anyway."
XCOMM   -- Brian Rumple, TA for my OS class, NCSU. November 6,1996