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Repairing Extended Basic cart


dphirschler

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I have an Extended Basic cartridge that is non-functional. It won't even boot to the TI title screen when the cart is plugged in. I am considering repairing it, but first I have some questions for the experts out there.

1. Is it worth it to try to repair it?

2. Where can I find some resources on troubleshooting/repairing these carts (and specifically this one).

 

 

Darryl

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I have an Extended Basic cartridge that is non-functional. It won't even boot to the TI title screen when the cart is plugged in. I am considering repairing it, but first I have some questions for the experts out there.

1. Is it worth it to try to repair it?

2. Where can I find some resources on troubleshooting/repairing these carts (and specifically this one).

 

 

Darryl

Carts are tough.. if its not working it's either a short, break or the grom or rom is damaged. They are pretty simple boards.. Imho if its not an obvious short or broken trace its dead.

 

If you want to try and end up failing to repair it, I'll send you a working one if you mail it to me.

I can recycle the case into something new. I have a few spares and with UBERgrom boards the originals are pretty much extras now..

 

Greg

Edited by arcadeshopper
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I had some problems with cartridges among my collection, and I must say that I learned to make several attempts before giving up for dead a cartridge.

 

try to:

 

- open the cartridge case and clean the contacts, sometime, dirty contacts could be a problem for a good working;

- try to insert the PCB without plastic case and see if it work, it's happened that some of my cartridges work without case and in the case have problem, i do not never understand why.

- check the bottom of the cartridge, if the welds are all ok or there is some imprecision, skip welds or damaged or oxidized;

 

if, after all this check all seems to be ok, well ... the probability that the cartridge is dead is high... ;)

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Sometimes they are not dead and are simply pining for the fjords

 

If all the above checks have been tried I,m afraid-

 

Your cartridge is no more, it's expired and gone to meet it's maker,it's a stiff, bereft of life, it rests in peace, it's metabolic processes are now history, it's off the twig, it's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off it's mortal coil-run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible.

 

IT IS AN EX CARTRIDGE!!!!

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Sometimes they are not dead and are simply pining for the fjords

 

If all the above checks have been tried I,m afraid-

 

Your cartridge is no more, it's expired and gone to meet it's maker,it's a stiff, bereft of life, it rests in peace, it's metabolic processes are now history, it's off the twig, it's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off it's mortal coil-run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible.

 

IT IS AN EX CARTRIDGE!!!!

LOL!

for the less cool (and younger) among us, that to which he was referencing.

http://youtu.be/npjOSLCR2hE

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I had some problems with cartridges among my collection, and I must say that I learned to make several attempts before giving up for dead a cartridge.

 

try to:

 

- open the cartridge case and clean the contacts, sometime, dirty contacts could be a problem for a good working;

- try to insert the PCB without plastic case and see if it work, it's happened that some of my cartridges work without case and in the case have problem, i do not never understand why.

- check the bottom of the cartridge, if the welds are all ok or there is some imprecision, skip welds or damaged or oxidized;

 

if, after all this check all seems to be ok, well ... the probability that the cartridge is dead is high... ;)

 

Agreed dirty contacts AND dirty cartridge port can be the issue as well.. If your console is old and well used the port usually gets too dirty to function, and the felt "cleaner" gets gunked into the socket..

 

http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/console/console_dis.html

 

the cartridge extender is a little board.. with a socket.. easy to remove and clean and remove the felt from if it's a mess

 

Greg

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Well, I have tried all the suggestions above except for examining the contacts on the bottom of the board. Is there a guide that can tell me where to probe and what values I should be getting? Can you tell I am a novice at troublehooting electronic hardware?

 

@Greg, you'll seriously send me a working one in trade for my bad one? That's very generous of you. It's starting to look like I might need to take your offer. But I am not quite ready to give up on it yet. But admittedly, it is looking bleak. :-(

 

 

Darryl

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