Let's fix a dead VARTA ravaged 486 motherboard
Adrian's Digital Basement Adrian's Digital Basement
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 Published On Oct 21, 2023

#repair
If you are into retro computer from the late 80s and into the 90s, you are probably fully aware of how destructive the NiCD "VARTA" batteries are to these systems when they leak ... and this 486 motherboard had one such battery leak and cause some severe damage to the motherboard.

So, let's try to get this motherboard working again to keep it out of the recycle bin!

-- Links

SMMC 0065 where this motherboard was first featured:
   • 0065 Amazing replacement PSUs for ret...  

Second channel video where I first took a look at this monitor:
   • This trashpicked monitor is way more ...  

Leaking VARTA photo by John R. Southern:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Adrian's Digital Basement Merch store:
https://my-store-c82bd2-2.creator-spr...

Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
   / @adriansdigitalbasement2  

Support the channel on Patreon:
  / adriansdigitalbasement  

-- Tools

Deoxit D5:
https://amzn.to/2VvOKy1
http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.16...

O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
https://amzn.to/3a9x54J

Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
https://amzn.to/2VrT5lW

Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
https://amzn.to/2ye6xC0

Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
https://www.rigolna.com/products/digi...

Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
https://amzn.to/3adRbuy

TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
https://amzn.to/2wG4tlP
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33000...

TS100 Soldering Iron:
https://amzn.to/2K36dJ5
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MI...

EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
https://www.eevblog.com/product/121gw/

DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
https://amzn.to/2RDSDQw
https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DS...

Magnetic Screw Holder:
https://amzn.to/3b8LOhG
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-...

Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-...

RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
http://www.retrotink.com/

Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-...

Heat Sinks:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32537...

Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
https://amzn.to/3b8LOOI

--- Links

My GitHub repository:
https://github.com/misterblack1?tab=r...

Commodore Computer Club / Vancouver, WA – Portland, OR – PDX Commodore Users Group
https://www.commodorecomputerclub.com/

--- Instructional videos

My video on damage-free chip removal:
   • How to remove chips without damaging ...  

--- Music

Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino

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