Faulty Z88 - common problems?
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2023 2:37 am
Hi folks,
So I took my Z88 with me on vacation - and when I got there, sadly, I found it had become faulty. Initially it wouldn't turn on (using the existing batteries or the AC supply). It emitted a high-pitched whine when I removed and returned the same batteries - or connected it to the AC supply (by high pitched, I mean at the range limits of my hearing). That noise I often associate with HF power supply problems. A soft reset did nothing.
Following a hard reset, it worked fine for about 10-15 minutes before locking up and emitting that same whine.
Following another hard reset it worked again for <30 minutes before locking up - this time the screen went completely black, and again, that same whine.
New batteries, both packs removed (1M Flash, 128k RAM) and another hard reset and the same symptoms persist (working for a short period then either: locking up, completely black screen, or mostly blank screen with some random text in the bottom right corner)
It's going to take me a little bit to get to digging into it (my desk is currently covered in a lot of projects), but before I do are there common faults with these that people have seen? And I haven't seen one linked anywhere, but is there a proper service manual available?
In case it matters, it also has a 512k RAM upgrade and a OZ4.7 hardware upgrade.
Thanks!
So I took my Z88 with me on vacation - and when I got there, sadly, I found it had become faulty. Initially it wouldn't turn on (using the existing batteries or the AC supply). It emitted a high-pitched whine when I removed and returned the same batteries - or connected it to the AC supply (by high pitched, I mean at the range limits of my hearing). That noise I often associate with HF power supply problems. A soft reset did nothing.
Following a hard reset, it worked fine for about 10-15 minutes before locking up and emitting that same whine.
Following another hard reset it worked again for <30 minutes before locking up - this time the screen went completely black, and again, that same whine.
New batteries, both packs removed (1M Flash, 128k RAM) and another hard reset and the same symptoms persist (working for a short period then either: locking up, completely black screen, or mostly blank screen with some random text in the bottom right corner)
It's going to take me a little bit to get to digging into it (my desk is currently covered in a lot of projects), but before I do are there common faults with these that people have seen? And I haven't seen one linked anywhere, but is there a proper service manual available?
In case it matters, it also has a 512k RAM upgrade and a OZ4.7 hardware upgrade.
Thanks!