#Retro

The Superfo Harlequin is a ZX Spectrum 128K clone. It is special because even though it's a 128K Spectrum, it still fits into an 48K Spectrum case. It's also special because the ULA custom chip is replicated by discrete 74HC-type standard chips that can be replaced easily if one of them should get broken. It's just a small advantage though, because the RAM chips, sound chip, and Z80 CPU are rare by now.

I have ordered the Harlequin 128K Black Large DIY Kit at ByteDelight. It comes with all components that are required to build the main board, even those that are difficult to find elsewhere. There is also a Flash ROM chip enclosed in the kit, but it does not contain a Sinclair ROM image for license reasons. What's still required to build a complete Speccy is a ZX Spectrum case with keyboard, and a Flash ROM programmer for the Sinclair ROM.

Assembling

The Harlequin has only a single SMD component, and that one was even presoldered. All the other components are through-hole, so this DIY kit is even suitable for soldering novices.

I spent the rest of the day with getting the components out of their bags, locating their correct location and then soldering them in. The ByteDelight kit was carefully assembled. Every component comes in separate bags per value, and are enumerated in their optimal order for assembling. It's literally just soldering by numbers. 😄

The most boring part was to solder in all the 51 sockets. The DIY kit came with standard sockets, but I generally prefer turned pin sockets, so I used that ones instead.

The kit also contains the crystal that is needed for an NTSC setup, so you can choose between a PAL and NTSC machine. The board itself is pre-configured for PAL though. For an NTSC machine, a few traces at the bottom side of the PCB need to be cut.

Flashing the ROM

The DIY kit comes with an AMD AM29F040B Flash ROM. It is large enough to contain up to 8 ROM images. A DIP switch selects the image to be used. The pre-flashed image contains a Diag ROM, some other software, but no ZX Spectrum ROM for license reasons. The board itself also supports original Spectrum 48K and 128K ROMs, as well as 27C256 and 27C512 EPROMs.

ROM files can be found on the internet. I decided to keep the first six Flash ROM banks, and use bank 7 for a Spectrum 48K ROM, and bank 8 for a Spectrum 128K+2 ROM.

For flashing, I use the XGecu TL866II+ programmer and the minipro open source software. First I read the original content of the Flash ROM:

minipro --device 'am29f040b@DIP32' --read harlequin.bin

Then I made a copy of the first six banks. It's easy with the dd command. With a block size of 65536 bytes, the banks can be selected with the skip and count options. To keep the first six banks:

dd if=harlequin.bin of=harlequin-6banks.bin bs=65536 count=6

After that, I use cat to compile a new binary. Note that each bank must be 65536 bytes large, so if a ROM image is smaller, it must be duplicated (or quadruplicated):

cat harlequin-6banks.bin \
  48k.rom 48k.rom 48k.rom 48k.rom \
  128k+2.rom 128k+2.rom \
  > harlequin-new.bin

The new image can then be burned to the Flash ROM:

minipro --device 'am29f040b@DIP32' --write harlequin-new.bin

With the Flash ROM inserted into the Harlequin board, it was finally completed and ready for a first start. Unfortunately the maker of the Harlequin board saved a rectifier bridge, so it's still important to take care for the correct polarity of the power plug. Like the ZX Spectrum, the Harlequin needs a power supply with a 5.5/2.1 mm barrel plug with center negative. Most power supplys on the market are center positive.

Even though the Harlequin has a lot more chips than an original ZX Spectrum, it is very frugal. It only consumes 1.7W at 9V, while the original Speccy consumes 4.8W. On the other hand, the Harlequin does not need 12V and -5V to run, so these voltages are not generated. This might be a problem for a few very exotic expansions.

The Case

The DIY kit only comprises everything that is needed to assemble the main board. What's missing is a case with keyboard, and a power supply. The board has the same dimension as an original ZX Spectrum 48K board, so you can use original cases (e.g. the standard "rubber key" case or the ZX Spectrum Plus case), or buy a new replica case with new membranes, keymat and faceplate. The latter case is more expensive, but you get a brand new case in return, and you can pick from a large variety of colors.

I decided for a white keyboard, and a transparent case so one can still admire the beautiful Harlequin board even inside a closed case.

The Harlequin has a separate RGB mini DIN connector. It is made in a manner so it won't interfere with a classic case. However you might want to use the RGB connector as it offers a much better image quality. Shops like ZX Renew offer special Harlequin cases with a cutout for the RGB connector. If you want to use a classic case, you might need to cut out a bit of the beautiful old case to access the connector.

Since we are talking about making holes into old cases: The Harlequin has a built-in joystick interface. If you want to, you can cut out a space for a 9 pin Sub-D male connector, and wire it to the board. I refrained from making a cut into my beautiful Harlequin case, and use a classic Kempston joystick interface instead.

Let's Play

The simplest way to load software into the Harlequin is by the Mic/Ear port. There are smartphone apps and also a lot of tools that can generate the sounds to load TAP or TZX files, so there is no need to dig out the old tape recorder and audio cassettes.

I am using my tzxtools. The tzxplay command plays back TZX and TAP files to the standard audio output. I connect the sound card output to the mic/ear connector using a classic phone jack cable.

Since the Harlequin is a full-featured 128K clone, it also comes with an AY-3-8912 sound chip and even a stereo output. So the first thing I did was loading a game that makes use of that soundchip for in-game music.

When I started to refurbish old computers in 2021, I couldn't imagine that it was so much fun. 😁 The other day I bought another ZX Spectrum. According to the seller, it had some strange artefacts on the screen and also stability issues, so it was sold as defective. When I tried it at home, it was even worse. I just got a black screen on a white border.

Inside the case I found an Issue 2 board. The previous owner has added a composite output on a separate connector. As the age of TVs with tuners is definitely over, there is no need to keep the modulator output. I will do my own composite mod instead, and remove this ugly cable that was hanging out.

The manufacturing dates of the components tell an interesting story. This computer has probably been manufactured around the end of 1982. However, all chips that are related to the upper 32KB RAM are socketed, and some were made in 1983. I guess it was originally built as 16K model, and has been extended to the full 48K a year later. As the only chip on this computer, the ULA was made in 1984, so maybe it had been replaced around then.

My main suspicion was that the ULA was broken, so I put it into one of my working Spectrums, and was happy to find it in working order. The problem must be somewhere else.

The usual first step is to check the voltages. And bingo, the 12V line had around 7V, and the -5V line was flat. This sounded very familiar, and a look at the coil confirmed my suspicion. The coil had a purple color, and a short between the primary and secondary winding. I guess the coil was already pre-damaged when the Spectrum was sold, causing the artifacts because of poor voltages on the lower RAM chips. When I powered up the computer at home, I eventually killed it.

Well, it's not the first time I had to deal with a broken coil. I unsoldered it, rewound it, and replaced the semiconductors that usually get grilled as a result. Then I powered the system again, and found that all voltages were back to normal. Success!

I put the ULA back into its socket, so I could check what else is broken. And (to my displeasure, to be honest) the computer just came up and was working again.

What a spoilsport! I was hoping to have some more repair fun with that machine. 😉

Okay, what next? I started with replacing the electrolytic capacitors with fresh ones. Then I found something strange: A wire link was missing that was supposed to be there.

That link is important. The upper 32K RAM chips are actually 64K RAM chips, where one half of the memory turned out to be faulty after production, so they were sold with half the size for cheaper. The link configures which half of the memory is to be used. There is no pull-up resistor, so keeping it open is not a valid option. It might cause the upper RAM to randomly flip between the working and faulty memory half. I doubt that this computer has ever been working stable after it was modified to 48K. This link has just been forgotten by whoever did the modification.

The RAM chips are TMS4532-20NL4. The trailing 4 indicates that the upper part of the memory is to be used, so I added a link between the center hole and the "+5V" hole. A trailing 3 would require a link between the center hole and "0V".

I soldered in the link and replaced all electrolytic caps with Vishay ones. I also replaced the 7805 voltage regulator with a Traco Power TSR 1-2450. This modern DC/DC converter is a drop-in replacement that needs no heatsink, and is small enough to still fit into a classic ZX Spectrum case.

Issue 2 Spectrum boards have two variable resistors, VR1 and VR2, for color calibration. With the aid of an oscilloscope, calibration is a matter of a minute. I connected the scope to the composite video output (or to the video input of the modulator), and then adjusted both resistors until the signal was looking as smooth as possible. There is a blog article at Spectrum for Everyone that gives more details about the calibration.

Finally, I ran the ZX Spectrum Diagnostics tool. All tests passed, even those of the upper RAM.

Another repair job well done. 😄

So there is my 3rd ZX Spectrum. Above all, I like the exceptionally good condition of the case. It seems that the computer has barely been used in its 40 years. The keys and faceplate actually look pristine, and there are also only very few and small scratchmarks.

I got this Action Replay MK-I module. According to the seller it was untested, and for that reason sold as defective. It was in a… let's say very used state. The case was dirty, to a point that it was almost revolting to touch it. A side of the case was cracked open, and a knob was missing. The module must have been dropped at some time.

I carefully opened the case. The top and bottom shells are just stuck together, there are no screws, so it was easy to pull them apart. Inside I found some kind of coating on the PCB, so perhaps a drink had been spilled on the module as well. I also found a lot of fine paper dust like from a cardboard, and a small dent at the corner of the PCB that was caused by the drop.

The first thing I did was to give the entire module a proper cleaning in an ultrasonic cleaner, just with warm water and a drop of dishwasher detergent. And yes, I also washed the PCB that way, then dried it off and sprayed it with IPA to remove the last traces of water. That bath did wonders.

I expected that the dirt also reached the inside of the mechanical parts, so I decided to replace them all. They were a bit hard to find as replacement parts, but still available. As the original knob was lost, I used a different potentiometer that came with a knob. Unfortunately the new one is white, while the original one has likely been black, so I couldn't fully restore the original outside look.

The case was cracked open at one side because two pins inside were broken off. I fixed the pins with superglue. After that I exposed the case to the sun for a day, which removed quite a bit of the yellowing. Then I could put everything together again. Compared to the original state, the Action Replay is now looking nice and clean.

I gave it a test run in my Amiga 500, and it was working fine! Now I have an Action Replay for my Amiga collection. The only sad thing is that it cannot be upgraded to an MK-II or MK-III, as these modules are constructed differently.

Ever since I got my Amiga 4000, I was pondering about if an Amiga 1200 would have been a better choice. I mean, the Amiga 4000 is nice because it has a lot of space for extensions. But on the other hand, it is rather bulky and heavy, so it isn't much fun to take it to a friend or a party, unlike the compact and light Amiga 1200.

But why not have both? 😉 I had found an Amiga 1200 offer on the Bay that was too good to be ignored, so I bought it.

It's an Amiga 1200 from the days after Commodore went belly up, and when Escom took over and sold the last Amiga stocks. The good news is that the Escom cases were made of ABS with an anti-UV treatment, so they will never yellow. The bad news is that the keycaps were not treated, and are very visible yellowed by now.

I sent the keycaps to the experts at the CBM Museum Wuppertal for whitening. The case itself is almost in a mint condition, all it needed was a bath in warm dishwater.

Let's take the computer apart and have a look inside.

There's a 2.5" hard disk, which turned out to contain a Workbench, a few games, and also many bad sectors. I'm going to replace it with an SD Card solution anyway. The shielding has a bit of flash rust and was bent around the ROMs, probably from forceful prying out the ROM chips with a screwdriver. Besides that, the overall status is quite okay.

Under the shielding, I found the mainboard in a good condition, especially without flash rust on the modulator. To my surprise, it is a Rev. 1D.1 board, which was actually the first broadly sold board revision. In one of the last Amigas that have ever been produced, I had rather expected to find a revision 2 board. Anyway I was lucky because the 1D.1 revision is said to be the most stable one, and it also has a good Lisa chip that was manfactured by HP. On both CIA chips I found traces of flux, so the board seems to have been repaired before.

According to my contact at the CBM Museum Wuppertal, Escom sold everything they could find at the Commodore remainders. Allegedly they also produced "new" Amiga computers with refurbished mainboards. Maybe this is one of them?

I first inserted diag ROMs and checked the hardware, but found no problems, so I upgraded the system to AmigaOS 3.2. The next thing on my to-do list was to replace the electrolytic capacitors, as they tend to leak over all those years, causing damage to the PCB. I have already done that on my Amiga 4000 before, but on this model the space was a bit more limited. I even had to remove a freshly replaced SMD capacitor because another capacitor did not fit next to it any more.

To enhance the stability of accelerator boards, it is recommended to remove the capacitors E123C and E125C on the bottom side of the PCB. The easiest way is to use two soldering irons like a pair of tweezers.

After a thorough wash with IPA, the board was then ready to move back into the case.

I want to modernize the Amiga so it can be connected to a HDMI monitor. The RGB to HDMI solution of the Amiga 500 won't work on the AGA chipset though, so I decided to get an Indivision AGA MK3 from Individual Computers. It is plugged onto Lisa and one of the CIA chips, and offers an HDMI output even with sound. (Which is quite an accomplishment, as both chips are not connected to a sound line.)

Since I was on it, I also extended the memory with an ACA1211. Unfortunately it turned out that AmigaOS 3.2 is incompatible to the ACA1211, and the system won't boot in this combination. I had to return to the original AmigaOS 3.0 ROMs again. Eventually I traded the ACA1211 for an ACA1234, which is also an accelerator and works fine with the latest AmigaOS.

To make the wire mess complete, I replaced the floppy disk drive with a GOEX drive from Centurion Tech.

Centurion also offers LED boards with customized colors. I have picked blue as power LED, green as floppy drive LED, and red as harddisk LED.

In the meantime, I got the whitened keycaps back. They were almost white again, but sadly there is still a slight, but visible yellow tint. Maybe I will buy a new set of key caps once they are available. The Amiga would then look as new.

The original Escom label is just a cheap sticker. It looks ugly to me, so I replaced it with a replica Commodore badge.

And then, for the first time after my purchase, I could close the Amiga 1200 case again.

Please welcome the newest addition to my Amiga collection!

One year or so after I got my Amiga 500, I extended it with a GVP Impact Series II A500-HD+ SCSI host adapter and a 45MB harddisk. It retired together with the Amiga 500, and was stored in the basement for decades. But while the Amiga survived the years in a surprisingly good state, the GVP had suffered from the moisture. The case was yellowed, but also got mold stains, and the metal frame got some flash rust.

All in all, it seemed to be in a bad shape that was difficult to restore. But on the other hand, it would be sad to write off this nice piece of hardware, while all the other Amiga stuff got a general overhaul.

I sent the case to the CBM Museum Wuppertal for cleaning and whitening. It was a bit embarassing to send it in that bad condition, but they said it can be cleaned and will then look as good as new. Let's see if they can do miracles.

Flash Rust

The base frame had a lot of dirt and flash rust from the storage, especially in the areas that are frequently touched. I used some Nigrin car metal polish paste to clean it, but probably every kitchen metal polish would have done the job as well. It was a bit of work, but after that it almost looked as new.

Self-Powering

There have been two things that were always annoying me on this controller. One was the tiny fan that was supposed to cool the harddisk, but produced a lot of noise. The other one was that a separate external PSU was needed to power the harddisk.

I always wished that the controller would just source itself from the Amiga, but it was clear to me that the mechanical harddisk was drawing too much power for that. The original Fujitsu drive consumed about 10W! With a SCSI2SD adapter, the power consumption is considerably lower, so a self-powering is feasible. The SCSI2SD V5.2 adapter draws only about 10mA, or 0.05W.

The controller can easily be modified to get its power from the Amiga. There is a blog post by davem2 explaining it. All one needs to do is to bridge the CN5 and CN6 pads with some solder.

Since the SCSI2SD adapter also does not need active cooling, I could finally keep the loud case fan disconnected for good.

After the modification, make sure never to connect the GVP PSU to the controller again. It would power the Amiga via the card connector, which is very likely to cause damage to your hardware. Also, do not use mechanical harddisks after the modification. If you want to keep using the original PSU instead, you should let a technician check it first.

Firmware Upgrade

By a lucky chance, I found the latest firmware v4.15 in Ralph Babel's Amiga archive. By another lucky chance, I also found a 27128 EPROM in my spare part box that was once stripped from an old mainboard.

The original firmware would have worked fine as well, but if there is an opportunity for a free update, why not take it?

If you should use a 27256 EPROM instead, make sure to burn the image twice, as only the upper half of the memory will be accessed by the hardware.

Final Works

As there are no electrolytic capacitors on this board, there is no need for recapping. I still did a minor modification: I replaced the LEDs with blue (power) and red (disk) ones, as it became a kind of signature color for all my computers.

After that, I gave the board a thorough bath in IPA, and cleaned the edge card connector with a contact cleaner.

I also found two 1MB/70ns 30-pin SIMM modules for a few Euros on the Bay, so I could double the available Fast RAM to stunning 4MB in total. (Remember to change the jumpers accordingly, as there is no automatic detection.)

Reassembly

Meanwhile the CBM Museum Wuppertal had returned the cleaned and whitened cover. They did an excellent job! The case looks almost as good as new. The mold and dirt stains are gone, and the whitening brought back the original "Amiga beige" color.

As the SCSI2SD adapter is delivered without any kind of mounting frame, I had to 3D-print one myself. Unfortunately it collided with the case fan, so eventually I just removed it completely.

And that's it. The GVP harddisk controller is reunited with its Amiga 500 again. I am sure they have missed each other. 😉

The ugly duckling finally became a beautiful swan again!