Hello- a newbie from Cheshire with problems

[JohnBr]

Hello, I am an old newbie, based near Macclesfield in Cheshire, looking for some help with my Acorn BBC and its peripherals. Here's where I am coming from: I lived through the Acorn BBC era but never owned one, so now I am well retired I decided to buy and use one to get to know it and maybe to take me back to my younger days. I have been reasonably computer-use literate for most of my life but not into electronic engineering. I have bought an Acorn BBC 32k with Acorn DFS and a Series 7 board, an Acorn Archimedes monitor 28-AKF11, an Acorn cassette recorder ANF03, and a Cumana CSX400S double sided 80T 5.25" disk drive. The problem is that I haven't yet been able to load a single program because a number of things in my kit haven't worked properly. The current problem is that the monitor screen goes blank after about 8 minutes, but will come back for another 8 minutes if allowed to cool (power off) for about 10 minutes. I bought the kit from a reputable retailer on the south coast who have been supportive to me, but each time something needs fixing I have to pack up the products and mail them back to the retailer as it is too far to drive to them. My question to the Forum is, "Is there anyone experienced in Acorn BBC electronic repair who would fix my kit for a fee and who lives within driving distance of Macclesfield - say Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Manchester, West Yorkshire - so I don't have to parcel everything up and post it if I have a problem. Many thanks, John.

[danielj]

Hi John,
Is it the monitor that's duff or the computer?

I'm not far, but I'm really loathed to get involved in fixing something that a vendor, especially one that probably charges a fair old premium, should be going out of their way to get sorted out under warranty.

d.

[baz4096]

There's a few chaps I know of in the Yorkshire area, but again, mirroring what Daniel says, I think they'd be reluctant to fix someone else's problem. Have you perhaps discussed the idea of a full refund for the faulty item? The same Yorkshire chaps are very reputable sellers who I'd happily recommend.

[Multiwizard]

Hi John,

welcome to this great Forum...


Greetings from my little Dutch Atomic Attic, Wim...

[JohnBr]

Hi John,
Is it the monitor that's duff or the computer?

I'm not far, but I'm really loathed to get involved in fixing something that a vendor, especially one that probably charges a fair old premium, should be going out of their way to get sorted out under warranty.

d.

Daniel, Thanks for the reply. I think it may be the monitor which is broken, but I suppose that this sort of problem could also be caused by a bad video component in the BBC. I have got a warranty on the kit and will work with the original supplier until that runs out. I am wondering how I can live with the BBC after that if I don't know someone local who can fettle it. Do you fix other peoples BBCs for a fee? Regards, John.

[danielj]

This forum can mostly get you up and running with most problems, and help you diagnose and repair. Invariably you won't have to pay if you've been walked through the diagnosis. You can rule out the beeb against the monitor just by trying to connect the beeb to a TV (if you've got an old one you can tune it in to).

Beebs are generally pretty reliable. If you do end up wanting to pay for repairs in the future, retroclinic (Mark Hayesman) is a long standing beeb repairer, and well regarded! He's based in Yorkshire.

d.

[baz4096]

Also worth mentioning that we're trying to get more in-person weekend events running where people are encouraged to bring Acorn things along, and the more knowledgeable help out. Check out the ABUG events threads. There's one this weekend down south, the last one was in Manchester. These are volunteer organised, so I can't say when the next one will be exactly, but it'll be announced on the forum when we know.

[daveejhitchins]

Welcome to the Forum, John . . . Enjoy and hope you get your kit sorted . . .

Dave H.

[flaxcottage]

Welcome, John.

Have you tried the Beeb on another monitor/TV? TVs with a SCART connector are usually good with a Beeb. Leads cost about £15 on eBay. I used Retro-Computer-Shack previously (other suppliers are available).

If your Beeb works OK with a TV it is the monitor that is duff.

[JohnBr]

There's a few chaps I know of in the Yorkshire area, but again, mirroring what Daniel says, I think they'd be reluctant to fix someone else's problem. Have you perhaps discussed the idea of a full refund for the faulty item? The same Yorkshire chaps are very reputable sellers who I'd happily recommend.

Baz, thanks for the reply. I am still working with the original supplier but I would like to find a local solution when the warranty runs out. I would certainly be interested to hear of any reputable repairers in Yorkshire. John.

[JohnBr]

This forum can mostly get you up and running with most problems, and help you diagnose and repair. Invariably you won't have to pay if you've been walked through the diagnosis. You can rule out the beeb against the monitor just by trying to connect the beeb to a TV (if you've got an old one you can tune it in to).

Beebs are generally pretty reliable. If you do end up wanting to pay for repairs in the future, retroclinic (Mark Hayesman) is a long standing beeb repairer, and well regarded! He's based in Yorkshire.

d.

I will try to fix up the Beeb to a TV set but I will have to get the correct cable to connect them first. Thanks for the recommendation of retroclinic. It sounds like a possible. John.

[JohnBr]

Welcome to the Forum, John . . . Enjoy and hope you get your kit sorted . . .

Dave H.

Thanks, Dave, I am already getting some good advice. John.

[JohnBr]

Hi John,

welcome to this great Forum...


Greetings from my little Dutch Atomic Attic, Wim...

Thanks, Wim. Mine's not Atomic, it's only Beeble. Right now its feeble. John.

[danielj]

I will try to fix up the Beeb to a TV set but I will have to get the correct cable to connect them first. Thanks for the recommendation of retroclinic. It sounds like a possible. John.

As I said, the original vendor should be going out of their way to help you troubleshoot this. They should at the very least be sending an appropriate cable to test with something else, or another monitor, without requiring you to return anything first! Then once it's all sorted they should be arranging return of the defunct stuff!

This is the first step though, working out whether it's the computer or monitor that's the issue.

[JohnBr]

Hi John,
Is it the monitor that's duff or the computer?

I'm not far, but I'm really loathed to get involved in fixing something that a vendor, especially one that probably charges a fair old premium, should be going out of their way to get sorted out under warranty.

d.

Daniel. Our small TV only has HDMI. Can the Beeb be connected to this? Otherwise the monitor for my desktop PC may well do the job. John.

[danielj]

Not directly, no - you'd need something like an rgbtohdmi adapter, and that seems like an unnecessary purchase just to test. If you've a larger TV with SCART socket, that just requires an rgb to scart cable? Recent PC monitors won't work as the BBC uses 15khz scan rates. You'd need something that'd work with a CGA card!

[JohnBr]

Not directly, no - you'd need something like an rgbtohdmi adapter, and that seems like an unnecessary purchase just to test. If you've a larger TV with SCART socket, that just requires an rgb to scart cable? Recent PC monitors won't work as the BBC uses 15khz scan rates. You'd need something that'd work with a CGA card!

My desktop monitor is a Dell Ultrasharp U2518D, about 3 or 4 years old.. From what you say above it doesn't look as though that will work either. It has HDMI and DP inputs. John.

[tricky]

Welcome, do you have an older portable that has composite in? That will connect to the sticky out silver connector;)

[JohnBr]

Welcome, do you have an older portable that has composite in? That will connect to the sticky out silver connector;)

Thanks Tricky, but I don't seem to have anything that will work so I am going back to the original suppliers even though I will have to pack up the monitor and mail it to them. John.

[baz4096]

There's a museum at Leigh. It's a bit of a long shot, but they might let you plug your machine into a known good monitor if you ask them nicely. Perhaps a quick phone call or email and a relatively short car journey with your Beeb might be enough to diagnose the issue, plus it's a great computer museum

You'd likely have to buy a ticket, but I'm pretty sure it'll be worth saving the hassle of posting a CRT, and it wouldn't hurt to ask:

https://nwcomputermuseum.org.uk/

[JohnBr]

There's a museum at Leigh. It's a bit of a long shot, but they might let you plug your machine into a known good monitor if you ask them nicely. Perhaps a quick phone call or email and a relatively short car journey with your Beeb might be enough to diagnose the issue, plus it's a great computer museum

You'd likely have to buy a ticket, but I'm pretty sure it'll be worth saving the hassle of posting a CRT, and it wouldn't hurt to ask:

https://nwcomputermuseum.org.uk/

What a great idea , Baz. I had not heard of this museum so I will follow them up. Thanks, John.