Login

u/Linker3000

r/electronics r/batteries r/c64 r/restofthefuckingowl r/OnlyFans r/MeshtasticUKCommunity r/AskElectronics
▲ 56 r/c64

Another Breadbin fixed to live another day

On this 250407 board, the PLA was dead, so it was replaced with a SlimPLA.

After that, the board booted most of the time into DesTestMAX, with inconsistent RAM bit errors. However, they cleared after a warm-up and a few cartridge-button resets, after which all tests would run OK. Without the cartridge, I got a display with no text, or random garbage.

Possibly a thermal or dry-joint/cracked-trace issue? Gently flexing the board in many ways didn't cause any changes. I held back on thermal tests in favour of some signal tracing first.

The two mux chips could have been iffy, even though they passed static testing. I was also suspicious of the white sockets; someone had been here before. Even though electrical and scope/logic tests showed no issues, I replaced the sockets and the chips. No dice.

I desoldered and tested some other key TTL chips (no suspicious brands). All OK, but I replaced them with new ones anyway, just in case.

The problems persisted. The fault pattern just seemed a bit predictable-ish, rather than being a complete failure, very random or totally spurious.

I did a bit of research and found a forum post about /CASRAM timing issues with PLA replacements and, lo and behold, with a 33 pF cap fitted on the line, the board started OK. This cap is C204 on some boards, but it's not implemented on this revision.

Original logic chips were refitted and we're soak-testing.

So: a dead PLA (and probably SID - checking later) + a timing cap needed. If the board remains stable, great. If not, I will try a slightly larger capacitor before moving on.

Timey-wimey stuff.

Edit: Ah well, on to C-64 Diags 586220 and it doesn't like U9, U11 and U22 RAM chips...onwards...

u/Linker3000 — 1 month ago
▲ 49 r/AskElectronics

Etiquette for reporting posts

Please report posts that break the subreddit rules, are obvious spam, are likely to offend reasonable standards of decency, or encourage illegal or unsafe activities. There are always edge cases, but you probably have a good sense of what's appropriate to report.

Please don't report posts simply because the submitter has misunderstood an on-topic subject or is a beginner asking a basic question. This community exists to help people learn, not to judge them or measure them against our own level of knowledge.

We all started somewhere.

Thanks for helping keep this a friendly, welcoming community.

reddit.com
u/Linker3000 — 3 months ago
▲ 114 r/OnlyFans

She sits on the edge of the bench and blows magnificently

...to divert the fumes while I'm soldering.

u/Linker3000 — 5 months ago
▲ 71 r/AskElectronics

New Rule: No low-effort, unverified, or AI-generated answers

A note from the moderators

We've been discussing AI-generated content and reviewing community feedback on the topic. A few key points came up:

  • Some users use LLMs to help write or proofread posts, especially where English isn’t their first language.
  • Others use AI tools for circuit design, troubleshooting, or component identification. The current (May 2026) reliability of these tools ranges from 'OK-ish' to WTF.
  • AI-generated answers can already be obtained by the original poster if they want them. Posting such answers here (especially without human validation through knowledge or experience) adds little value.

What this means in practice:

  • AI-assisted questions are not banned. Posts that appear to rely on AI may receive an automated (not AI generated!) caution, as they do now. The community is encouraged to respond constructively to such questions.
  • AI-generated answers are not allowed. These will be removed. Repeat offenders may be banned.

To help clarify the position we have added a new subreddit posting rule:

---

New Rule #6:

No low-effort, unverified, or AI-generated answers

Do not post low-effort or unverified answers, including copy-pasted content from AI tools or other sources. Responses must reflect your own understanding and, where appropriate, include reasoning, calculations, or references. If someone wants an AI-generated answer, they can obtain one themselves; this subreddit is for informed, human explanations.

---

Footnote:

We recognise there are broader ethical concerns around how AI models are trained. While those concerns are valid, they are outside the scope of what we can reasonably moderate here. Individuals are free to make their own decisions on that front and choose to engage, or not, with any relevant posts.

Feel free to continue the discussion by commenting on this post (unless you are a bot or post AI-generated comebacks!)

reddit.com
u/Linker3000 — 5 months ago
▲ 2 r/MeshtasticUKCommunity

In light of the recent news post, subreddit rule #1 has been updated to clarify the scope of topics allowed here:

Posts should relate to the Meshtastic ecosystem: info, news, tech help, project work, or introductions. Focus on UK-specific topics; for global discussion use r/meshtastic. References to other LoRa tools are welcome where relevant and factual, but negative or biased commentary about other projects or individuals is not allowed. Be respectful - projects like MeshCore are part of the same wider community.

reddit.com
u/Linker3000 — 6 months ago
▲ 20 r/MeshtasticUKCommunity

This is an FYI post with news about mesh-related tech, in which we all have an interest.

Please do NOT use this post as an opportunity to give personal opinion about specific people, nor to post 'patriotic' core/tastic messages - such posts will be deleted and the ban hammer will start to take an interest.

Observed, factual and balanced opinion is most welcome though.

u/Linker3000 — 6 months ago