Date   : Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:12:28 +0100
From   : anders.carlsson@... (Anders Carlsson)
Subject: Dead BBC B

Jules Richardson wrote:

> I've seen so many of those caps fail on so much equipment,

Oh yes. At the risk of getting off-topic, I picked up two CBM 710 about a 
year ago. Those are full-height systems with integrated monitors and had 
been stored for 15+ years in a cold, damp garage. I let them warm up a while 
indoors and then powered on the first one. After a minute or so I hear a 
popping sound and the room is filled in white smoke. The computer still 
seemed to run fine, but I was eager to power it down just in case. A while 
later I tried the other machine: same thing happens shortly thereafter. 
These computers require a separate keyboard of which I only got one left so 
I donated the keyboard less one to a local Commodore collector and am 
planning to take apart the power supply on the other machine and analyze it 
some day. While I doubt the capacitors will have the same values as on the 
BBC Micro power supplies, the filtering function should be the same.

Now that would be an event of almost artistic levels if there was a retro 
computer fair and on cue everyone's power supplies popped at the same time, 
filling the whole room with smoke. :-P I can imagine the horror and chaos 
following.

Best regards

-- 
Anders Carlsson