Another Acorn Archimedes A3000 Repair Vlog

A pretty detailed video log of an Acorn A3000 repair. The machine was purchased from Ebay and was apparently recovered from a skip years previously. It was in very good cosmetic condition but had several faults and would not even POST or boot initally.

The video covers the fault finding process, using the the service manual, schematics and an oscilloscope to get the machine to boot.

After that, the floppy drive, power supply, keyboard and mouse controls are serviced and/or repaired.

Key points:
Intro:
Initial cleanup and board repairs: 02:33
Fault finding steps per the Service Manual: 06:10
Floppy drive: 18:51
Keyboard: 20:53
PCB trace repairs: 25:24
Power supply tests: 27:44
Mouse trace repairs: 31:07
Keyboard ribbon repairs: 32:02
To do: 33:51

Service Manual:

Bwack Saver:

Good Luck All

[Archimedes]

Thanks. always happy to see another Archie saved.

[chaoslab]

Love it when you fix Arc's. Keep up the good fight! <3 🙂

[GadgetUK]

Awesome =D Lovely scope there - nice large display on it!

[benkeeling]

Just been testing my a3000 that not booting, When testing the IOC what oscilloscope setting are you using? I haven’t had much practice with mine and still learning.

[phillipwigley]

I have similar A3000. Usual battery damage. I replaced rom sockets, keyboard sockets, battery etc. No POST but my scope isn't high enough spec to do other checks. So to pacify myself I bought an A7000, Which does Post all be it having to hold down the del key every time. I replaced the clock battery but that hasn't cured it. I appear to have lost/mislade the monitor lead. So I made up another one but that only works with my big sony tv on AV1 but not my AKF12 that came with the a3000. and it tests ok, But thats ok At least I can play my favourite game for the arch - Elite. I have watched your other vids again and again trying to pick your brains. but I am still strugling with the A3000. Power supply read 5.6 volt unconnected but drops to 4.7volt connected the board, so I suspect the electrolitics. Looks like I might have do a block change on them. But might hava a short somewhere else. The smd resistors I have checked seem to measure OK. So no where near as bad as your A3000 from hell one. I thought at the time that the video output chip had blown, But I am thinking maybe not now. I am an ex tv radio electronics engineer myself retired. Have had computers since the trs-80 days. Latest one is a a windows 10 del 64 bit. Which I run red squirrel emulator for Elite on too. I have done a few computer repairs in the past Spectrum and trs- 80 ones, but this A3000 is doing my head in. With it's non standard mouse and keyboard. The A7000 as you know takes a strandard keyboard and mouse. I did have my gotec floppy emulator working (st chip one) and (CF-ide40 V.E.O. compact flash) before too but I cant remember what I did to get that going erither, thanks for reading this. Tell me what you think if possible. kindest regards Phill W

[benkeeling]

How do you wire the delete button? So you can reset without the keyboard

[benkeeling]

Wished someone with the skills could make a new PCB for the A3000

[phillipwigley]

Love your work! Why arn't you a brain surgeon ! Well I surpose you are really!😀😀😀