[Coco] Hello, newbie with new toy

[Frank Swygert]

Go to the archive site and download "Tandy's Little Wonder" -- farna section, TLW.pdf. I'm not saying this because I wrote it, but because there's a section in there on trouble shooting and repair that is geared toward those with noting more complicated than a multimeter. Actually I didn't "write" a lot of the book -- its' info gathered from many sources (and credited when known) compiled into one book. The repair section isn't all that technical, and covers all the easy stuff and a bit less than easy, but all easy to understand. The tech manual can be hard to follow unless you're really knowledgeable in electronics. 

The first thing I'd do is reseat every chip on the board in a socket though. The usually helps with intermittent problems. You already do that with the GIME, I seem to recall that on the CC3 the only other socketed chips are the memory chips. Worth a try! There's a gate that goes out to the cart slot that sometimes blows (someone else can point you there, I don't remember!), but if that's not it then the processor is probably bad. No buffer between processor and cart slot, so if someone did insert/remove a cart while the computer was on the CPU is probably bad. Most of the time they give garbage on the screen, but that's with a "hard blow". On rare occasion one doesn't blow all the way and gives symptoms similar to what you're experiencing. Most don't get that lucky.... if you want to call it that. Either way the CPU needs to be replaced. 

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Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:30:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jerry Morelli <jamorelli at att.net>

I was going to mention that I didn't plug or unplug the cartridges while power was on, but I figured my story would illustrate that I know the computer.? So, yes, I know not to insert or remove while power is on.

I tried 4 or 5 different paks.? I also cleaned the contacts on one of them with alcohol but they mostly look OK.? Must be something wrong with the computer itself.? Thanks Robert, for the tip on the service manual.? I'll try to do a few more things to see if I can get it working, as time allows (not that often)...

-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
(free download available!)