AES Flickering, no BIOS detected

[doaal]

Recently got my first AES and wanted to put a Unibios in it. Got the socket in and now my AES is flickering with a series of colours on the screen regardless of what BIOS I put in, and if I put no BIOS in. I'm not sure if this is what watchdogging looks like on the AES, but it pulses to 8Hz.

The second picture is what I get when a cartridge is inserted. What's strange is without audio connected (I'm testing with basic composite AV, not with the headphone jack), I lose sync and the picture goes even more out of focus. That's the third picture.

I've triple checked my work including checking all traces from each BIOS pin and checking each leg of the system ROM to each solder point to ensure continuity. And gone over each pin with extra flux to make sure the joints aren't cold. Any ideas?

 

[doaal]

Getting to wit's end here. The socket wasn't totally flush with the board and all the inserting/removing of the EEPROM has fatigued some of the joints. Put in a new socket and added bodge wires to fix the bad traces and the result is the same. Is there anyone in Canada or US East coast that can do repairs?

 

[BIG BEAR]

I'm on the East Coast. I would just need the base of the casing along with the pcb.no top portion of the case and no power supply. Drop me a message....
BB

 

[Heinz]

I put a socket and unibios in one of my AES consoles and immediately had to fault find and repair 2 traces. They are just such fragile boards these things.

 

[doaal]

I'm on the East Coast. I would just need the base of the casing along with the pcb.no top portion of the case and no power supply. Drop me a message....
BB

I don't yet have PM privileges but that would be great, thanks. I'll shoot you a message once I can do so.

 

[doaal]

I put a socket and unibios in one of my AES consoles and immediately had to fault find and repair 2 traces. They are just such fragile boards these things.

Seeing how many units require trace repair is scary. I wonder if they were stored in humid conditions, or if it's just bad luck. In my case I made the mistake of using plumbing flux on the board which I'm now told is very much not for PCBs. That's what I get for trusting Home Depot.

 

[Heinz]

I don't even use flux.

 

[doaal]

I don't even use flux.

I would have been better going that path...

 

[BIG BEAR]

Drop me an e-mail bigbearatdreamamusementdotnet
Substitute the appropriate symbols
Btw you should have ordered flux off the net. I was in a pinch one time for some solder because my local RADIO SHACK had suddenly closed down overnight after being at this particular location for at least thirty years! Anyway, I ended purchasing some plumber's solder from HOME DEPOT and I learned my lesson...Lol it would have been cool if I could have gotten away with using it..gambled and I lost....
BB

 

[thegreathopper]

Pl

I would have been better going that path...

Plumbing flux has acid in to eat through the dirt and needs cleaning immediately after soldering, if you haven’t already give that board a clean to remove any old flux.

 

[doaal]

Pl

Plumbing flux has acid in to eat through the dirt and needs cleaning immediately after soldering, if you haven’t already give that board a clean to remove any old flux.

I cleaned it up after the original desolder, thankfully.

BB I actually had new electrical flux at the table, but foolishly thought I should use up the last of my plumbing flux first. Lesson definitely learned. Sent you an email btw.

 

[Neo Alec]

These are the traces that always break for me. They're all on the parts side of the boards. The solder point gets pulled:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESqy0mxX0AAYYm7?format=jpg&name=large

 

[doaal]

Shipped off to BB, since I don't trust myself with a soldering iron anymore