Dragon 64 repair

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Kepler
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2026 5:17 pm

Re: Dragon 64 repair

Post by Kepler »

Right, I couldn't resist desoldering IC20 & I 25 and checking them...they proved to be fine. :D

I have also tried a cartridge and the display does change but not to anything legible or coherent.

Here is a picture of underside. I can't see any dry joints or anything else suspicious but perhaps someone else can.
IMG_20260307_102832.jpg
IMG_20260307_102832.jpg (7.42 MiB) Viewed 642 times
Alastair
Posts: 695
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:33 pm

Re: Dragon 64 repair

Post by Alastair »

Hello,
is that a damaged track within the red circle? Also I'm not sure of the horizontal line crossing the track within the yellow circle.
D64_Solder_Side.jpg
D64_Solder_Side.jpg (856.44 KiB) Viewed 626 times
Kepler
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2026 5:17 pm

Re: Dragon 64 repair

Post by Kepler »

Hi Alistair,
Unfortunately, neither of those are breaks in the tracks...
Kepler
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2026 5:17 pm

Re: Dragon 64 repair

Post by Kepler »

Update:
I have socketed and swapped the two 6821Ps and that has made no difference.
I also bought a Diagnostic cartridge that just produces gobbledygook.
I my scoping, I have noticed something that seems wrong. IC36 has no output on pin 4 but does have inputs on pin 5:
Pin 5
Pin 5
IMG_20260309_172053.jpg (6.98 MiB) Viewed 438 times
and pin 6:
Pin 6
Pin 6
IMG_20260309_172101.jpg (6.94 MiB) Viewed 438 times
I have tried a different 74LS02 with the same result.
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robcfg
Posts: 1684
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:16 pm
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Re: Dragon 64 repair

Post by robcfg »

It seems that pin 4 should output the NOR operation between the R/W signal (pin 32 of the 6809) and the SAM S2 signal (pin 25 of the 74LS783.

Could you try checking if there's good continuity between pin 5 of the 74LS02 and pin 32 of the 6809, and from pin 6 of the 74LS02 and pin 25 of the 74LS783?
Kepler
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2026 5:17 pm

Re: Dragon 64 repair

Post by Kepler »

There is no continuity between pin 5 of the 74LS02 and pin 32 of the 6809. Are you sure that is correct?

There is continuity between pin 5 of 74LS02 and pin 25 of 783. But there is none between pin 6 of 74LS02 and pin 25 of 783.
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