Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it :/
I don't have a driving license and I live in the south of Belgium so, it would be really difficult to me to go all the way up to the Netherlands
Plus, I'll have a math exam the following Monday, so it's a no go for me... (I would REALLY like to go, though... )

Anyway, if someone have a spare, I'm ready to pay for it + the shipping to Belgium

Hi everyone
It's a pretty long time I've posted here (Last time was, again, for a PSU problem...)

So, my PSU is fried and I'm looking for a new one.
If anyone has a 220v power supply, preferably with a european plug, I'm looking to buy one

I would prefer buying from someone living in Europe (I live in Belgium) as shipping for such a heavy item may be expensive.

I should probably precise that i have a flat keyboard-style C128.

Thanks to anybody who answer this

QuoteWonder if it was an A500, A1200 or A600 power supply he attempted to plug in ?

That's possible (He has a bunch of old Commodore computers)

Anyway, after looking a little bit more, I think the power supply is really messed up. I don't even know how it powered up in the first time.
And, yeah, it happens to be a thyristor. Didn't notice it at first (It really looks like a voltage regulator...) but, looking at the schematics, it seems it is.

The huge coil (In the sort of metal box) detached a side itself from the board (Probably due to it's weight.) I should have taken more care of what I was doing ^^

That thing seems to complicated to repair so, I'll think I'll just buy another one... When I'll find one.
I'll probably end up doing one based on the schematics and using the connector on the one I have, considering it's pretty hard to find on ebay.

Thanks
Looking at the schematics (In the service manual), I also think that it's for 5vDC.

I don't know how he managed to hook that up. I think the european C64 psu plug is square. (At least, that the memory I have from the only one I saw. I d'ont own one yet. But I'm looking forward to it, if any of you has a boxed unit to sell ^^)
Anyway, I'll look at this when the PSU is repaired.

Hello C128
Didn't come for some time 'cause of school.
So, recently my C128's PSU fried. Apparently, it was already quite damaged by the last owner...
It looks like it's pretty hard to find these as spare (With a european plug) so, I opened it to diagnose it.
I found that one of the voltage regulators had exploded and burnt a small part of the PCB of the power supply.
I'm good enough at soldering to replace it but I need your help to give me the technical details of that regulator so that I can order another one.
I'll try to solder the replacement part back in place, but with that burn, I might have to do some jumper connections and hang it on the case with some electrical tape.

Here are some photos of the culprit and the burnt PCB:




Every other component looks fine, except that regulator.
Would anyone be able to provide me with the characteristics of that precise part ?

Also, I received another C128 recently (That's my third ^^) but the previous owner (One of my neighbors) hooked it up using a C64 PSU...
Seeing that it didn't work, he gave it to me because is doesn't know anything about electronics, so he can't repair it.
I would like to know if there was a fuse that protected the whole unit from the different pinout of the C64 PSU or if the unit was completely gone...

Thanks again for your help

I never saw a complete 1541 box, so, I can't tell what I want exactly xD
I only have the styrofoam and the drive, so, yeah, i think that all I need is the cardboard (Correct me if I'm wrong )
Well, 25 cents seems good. Need to see the postage fee, though
And, I probably won't be able to pay you until the end of this week (My paypal have an outstanding fund of 3$ ! Need to make a money transfer on it.)

EDIT: This will seem like a completely stupid question, but how do you fit the little black plastic piece near the power LED ?
I took the whole thing apart without paying attention to that piece and I really don't know how to fit it xD

I would be really interested in getting that 1541 box, along with the cable.
How much would it be for both ?

Well, it's not a commercial product, so, I don't think you can find some.
However, it's really easy to make (The gel version requires a little more products, but is way more usable on large surfaces like a console or computer case.)
All the products are readily available at your supermarket and drugstore or pharmacy.
The only one i found quite hard to obtain was Xanthan gum; but if you look online, you can get more than enough for really cheap. (I got 200gr for about $3.5 on eBay...)

Basically, you just mix the 4 products in the quantities indicated on the website and apply with a soft brush on you piece of plastic. Then, put the piece under a UV Lamp or, better, under the sun. (Check if it's not too hot under the sun, or the plastic might melt. retr0bright is pretty nasty when not used in good conditions.)
Beware that a too long exposition might produce white spots on your case. Even though it seems to be reversible, from what I've read on forums, you better go check your case from time to time.
For a heavy yellowed plastic, expect at least 6 hours. (Closer to 8 hours, by experience.)
For a slight yellowing, 4 hours should be enough, but check every hour or so, just to be sure. (You don't want to ruin you old C128 )

And, last but not least: remove any stickers from the case, because the product will damage it. (You can cover it with removable tape, but some persons say that the tape peeled back during the process and messed up their stickers.)

I've already treated an old grey Gameboy, just for testing purposes, and the result is splendid. The thing was all yellow and the texture was gone.
After 7 to 8 hours, the Gameboy was like new. (With a replacement screen shield, it looks near mint )

@redrumloa: Thanks for the info. I don't have an S-Video cable on hand so, I couldn't check

@Robert: Well, how much would be shipping to Belgium for a IEC cable ?

I feel like keeping the old 1541, for collectible value. Also, I heard that a few demos actually used the slamming sound it produces some time.
However, it doesn't have the box, just the Styrofoam... (I'm collecting, so, when I can get a box, I take it xD )
Anyone would have a spare 1541 box without anything in it ? xD

On a side note, I paid for the manuals, PSU and CP/M disk this morning. Everything (Including the free, not working, C128) should arrive Tuesday.

And, another thing: Is there a way to remove the warranty sticker without breaking it ? I mean, I want to treat it with retr0bright but I have to take the whole thing apart. And I feel a screw under the sticker. Also, I'll need to remove the "Commodore 128" sticker on the top of the unit.
I think an hairdryer would do the trick ? What kind of glue should I use to put all of this back on ?
And, while I'm at it, what kind of glue would you recommend to glue the nameplate of the 1541 back on ? I actually removed it because it was quite bent and I wanted to straight it back.

Thanks for all your support

Thanks
Any clue where I could find JiffyDOS Looked on ebay and on google but didn't find anything :/
Also, just a quick question: can the 1541 use a PC power chord ? It looks like it's the same plug. And, the Floppy connexion on the drive and the C128 looks like a S-Video cable, can I use that ?

Hello people ^^
Today, i found a boxed C128 along with a 1541 in its Styrofoam at school, in a closet. (Was actually searching for an old 386 for my Hardware class, where I was asked to repair an old PC and isntall Linux on it )
So, after a quick negotiation with my teacher, I brought it back home.

Unfortunately for me, the only thing the box had was the C128. No PSU, no cables. And that was the same for the 1541 :/
So, I searched on ebay for a French manual and a European PSU for my new acquisition and found all the things I was missing (So, the manual, the PSU and the CP/M disk, along with a cool book on the C128 ) All of that for 15â,¬ ! (Don't know if that was a good deal, but I didn't pay for the C128 so...)
And, the better is that the seller contacted me, saying that he also had a C128 but that it was broken and he would send it to me for Free with the rest.

So, basically, for 15â,¬ i got a complete C128 in box and a spare one.

I will obviously try to repair both (I don't know if the one I have works or not, will need to test )
So, expect to get lots of questions from me next week, when I receive the PSU

This week-end, I'll clean the C128 and put it on a retr0bright treatment, because it's REALLY yellow.