I thought this was the case as why else would he list them all separate?
I want to get both my +2 and +2A/B belts changed as they probably never have been.
On that note... is there anything else for my ZX81, 48k and x2 128k's that should be looked at or renewed at this stage? I mean these are 25+ year old machines... I want to show them all some TLC...
I'm currently giving the one machine that has arrived a good going over (ZX81) I have cleaned it right up and also added some genuine rubber feet to the unit as it had them missing...
Some pictures of the machine for those interested:
I think it's looking good for 30 years old :lol: :-D
The only thing I'd do if not already done would be to replace the capacitors on the 48k. Nothing critical relies on the caps on the other machines so no need to do that for the others.
To be honest, if the tape drives are working fine then I wouldn't bother with drive belts either. Only if you're getting playback issues would I do so.
Could you tell me which capacitors to switch out and also what with? I'm more than capable of doing them but I'm not sure which ones they are or what the newer cap would be to replace them with?
I also plan to replace the regulator as Zorn told me they tend to get pretty warm... My previous issue 2 died from heat/regulator problems so I'm just trying to keep the 48k alive as much as possible as it will be my developer machine and probably be on the most out of all of them.
Thanks for the advice and kind words about my 81 so far guys, this forum is great! :)
Change all the electrolytic caps (should all be blue as standard), and replace with radial or axial components, equivalent capacitance and equal I greater voltage rating.
If it's going to be heavily used, go for 105 degree rated caps, they cost a little more but will be more robust.
If it's an issue 2 board then watch out - the silkscreen markings for capacitor polarity are wrong for C46 (I think) - renew one by one and check the polarity of the cap being replaced.
Thanks Balford, Are replacements available online? I can change them no trouble but I'm unsure which ones i need? I have searched but can't seem to come up with any answers.
You can try Farnell, I get my bits from them however they have a minimum order amount of ?20, so you might want to get everything you need (including regulators) from them at the same time.
Alternatively, capacitor replacement kits are available on ebay, however I can't vouch for their quality.
Farnell would be a preference I got my Raspberry Pi from them and their level of service is really good... but the fact that listing has everything you need (and then some with certain models) at 2.99 + p&p... It's tempting but like you say... are they actually any good...
Well guys, My ?10 Spectrum +2A arrived and I'm more than happy to report that it works absolutely flawlessly! FINALLY, at long last, I have a working spectrum! :-D
Spectrum with its brother, the ZX81
Not only that but I got alot of extra's too I got around 8 proper games and 4 demo tapes! I also got 2 extra TV cables. Are there any gems within this bunch of games?
Best of all though the spectrums picture quality over RF is absolutely PERFECT! No ghosting, running colors or anything.
I'm now sat here with bacon, coke and 8 bit goddness testing all the tapes which so far (4 out of 8 games) all work perfectly! :-D
I was having some issues running 2 tapes Star Wars and another but I was unsure if it was the tape or not... I decided to have a look inside the tape player to see if it was clean or not (should of done this first really).
:o:o:o:o:o
After seeing that I pulled out the iso and cleaning gear and got to work...
The mainboard (issue 1):
Cleaning the heads and capstan with iso and cue tips:
It was rather dirty in there...
Checked the belt it was fine it has a tiny kink in the belt but as it works I'm not going to mess with it, "if it's not broke don't fix it!" Anyway, Clean inside now:
General clean up of the case...
Cleannnnn :grin: and best of all after the clean, the 2 tapes worked perfectly:
Comments
As far as I know they are not interchangeable.
B
zx-diagnostics - Fixing ZX Spectrums in the 21st Century (wiki)
Sinclair FAQ Wiki
I want to get both my +2 and +2A/B belts changed as they probably never have been.
On that note... is there anything else for my ZX81, 48k and x2 128k's that should be looked at or renewed at this stage? I mean these are 25+ year old machines... I want to show them all some TLC...
I'm currently giving the one machine that has arrived a good going over (ZX81) I have cleaned it right up and also added some genuine rubber feet to the unit as it had them missing...
Some pictures of the machine for those interested:
I think it's looking good for 30 years old :lol: :-D
The only thing I'd do if not already done would be to replace the capacitors on the 48k. Nothing critical relies on the caps on the other machines so no need to do that for the others.
To be honest, if the tape drives are working fine then I wouldn't bother with drive belts either. Only if you're getting playback issues would I do so.
B
zx-diagnostics - Fixing ZX Spectrums in the 21st Century (wiki)
Sinclair FAQ Wiki
Could you tell me which capacitors to switch out and also what with? I'm more than capable of doing them but I'm not sure which ones they are or what the newer cap would be to replace them with?
I also plan to replace the regulator as Zorn told me they tend to get pretty warm... My previous issue 2 died from heat/regulator problems so I'm just trying to keep the 48k alive as much as possible as it will be my developer machine and probably be on the most out of all of them.
Thanks for the advice and kind words about my 81 so far guys, this forum is great! :)
If it's going to be heavily used, go for 105 degree rated caps, they cost a little more but will be more robust.
If it's an issue 2 board then watch out - the silkscreen markings for capacitor polarity are wrong for C46 (I think) - renew one by one and check the polarity of the cap being replaced.
B
zx-diagnostics - Fixing ZX Spectrums in the 21st Century (wiki)
Sinclair FAQ Wiki
Alternatively, capacitor replacement kits are available on ebay, however I can't vouch for their quality.
B
zx-diagnostics - Fixing ZX Spectrums in the 21st Century (wiki)
Sinclair FAQ Wiki
Spectrum with its brother, the ZX81
Not only that but I got alot of extra's too I got around 8 proper games and 4 demo tapes! I also got 2 extra TV cables. Are there any gems within this bunch of games?
Best of all though the spectrums picture quality over RF is absolutely PERFECT! No ghosting, running colors or anything.
I'm now sat here with bacon, coke and 8 bit goddness testing all the tapes which so far (4 out of 8 games) all work perfectly! :-D
Good times!
:o:o:o:o:o
After seeing that I pulled out the iso and cleaning gear and got to work...
The mainboard (issue 1):
Cleaning the heads and capstan with iso and cue tips:
It was rather dirty in there...
Checked the belt it was fine it has a tiny kink in the belt but as it works I'm not going to mess with it, "if it's not broke don't fix it!" Anyway, Clean inside now:
General clean up of the case...
Cleannnnn :grin: and best of all after the clean, the 2 tapes worked perfectly:
:-D