Dirty Floppy Projects

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Dirty Floppy Projects

Vintage Electronics Repair & Restoration (CRTs, Game Consoles, Retro Computers, Audio/Video Equipment, Synthesizers & More)

08/13/2026

Sony PSP (PSP-1000) handheld console (2005). We upgraded this unit with a new IPS display, and the difference is remarkable. You can say goodbye to the horrid motion blur of the original.

We used a 0-ohm resistor to bridge two pads on the board for the new display. While the console was open, we performed a deep cleaning to remove years of human grime. The analog stick was fully disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated with fresh grease. The UMD drive also received a thorough cleaning and new grease to keep everything running smoothly!

08/11/2026

Commodore Amiga 1080 CRT Monitor (1985)

All electrolytic capacitors were replaced. Corrosive brown glue found on the board was completely removed, and two jumper wires showing signs of corrosion were replaced. Solder joints were reflowed in various areas, including the rear RCA video jack, which had broken joints.

The rear selector switch was serviced, and the front-panel controls and switch were thoroughly cleaned using Deoxit. Minor yoke and geometry adjustments completed. Testing on our CRT tube tester showed all three color guns to be strong and healthy, we expect many thousands of hours of life remaining.
The monitor's case had yellowed. So we enlisted Keith from Computer Compulsive to retrobright the monitor shell, restoring it to the original color. Thank you, Keith!

Seriously, this is now a fantastic and very clean looking monitor that is ready for many more years of service.

08/05/2026

Wells-Gardner 19K4901 19" Arcade Monitor (1983)

This monitor had the usual age-related issues: heavy dirt buildup, failed capacitors, and numerous bad solder joints. The CRT was a little weak, so it received a mild rejuvenation. All capacitors were replaced, the tube and chassis were thoroughly cleaned, no more flux residue. Lots of solder joints were reflowed, and the super frayed ground wires were cleaned up. A single-pin Molex connector was added to the ground wire for easier removal (no more soldering iron required). Oxidized header pins were cleaned. The voltage regulator and HOT were removed for cleaning, and both received new silicon pads. We’re super happy with how this one turned out!

07/21/2026

Commodore 1702 (1983) — This iconic 13-inch monitor came to us dirty and showing its age, but it left looking better than ever. We completely disassembled the unit and meticulously cleaned away decades of accumulated dirt and dust. The dried thermal paste on the voltage regulator and HOT was removed and replaced with silicone pads. Tired capacitors were replaced (x5), all controls were cleaned and restored, and a new speaker was installed. It's now ready ready to continue its journey for years to come!

07/16/2026

Sega Dreamcast VA1 (2000) – Fully refurbished and ready to enjoy!

This Dreamcast has undergone a complete restoration, including replacement of all capacitors, a thorough ultrasonic cleaning, and installation of new thermal pads. A battery holder with a fresh battery has also been fitted for easy future maintenance.

Upgrades include a 12V dummy load, GDEMU optical drive emulator, and a Noctua fan for quieter operation.

Exceptionally clean inside and out, this Dreamcast is now running absolutely flawlessly and is ready to provide many more years of gaming enjoyment for its original owner!

07/15/2026

Wells Gardner K7500 Medium-Resolution 27" Arcade Monitor (2001):

This repair was really different. The raster image was split down the middle, with the left side of the picture appearing on the right side of the screen—an issue we had never encountered before.

As we dug deeper, we uncovered several problems. One of the ceramic capacitors had a broken leg, and we eventually discovered that an incorrect transistor had been installed in position Q602. Once the proper transistor was fitted, the raster went back to normal and the image looked flawless. While we were in there, we also replaced a few additional transistors after finding poor solder joints and oxidation on both the leads and solder pads.

We also found the B+ voltage running higher than it should have been, so we dialed it back to the factory specification of 117 volts. (As usual, Wells Gardner didn’t make this easy—the adjustment pot was glued in place.)

During troubleshooting, we installed sockets for a couple of ICs that were potential suspects, making future diagnostics much easier. To finish the job, we thoroughly cleaned the tube and removed years of accumulated dirt and grime.

This monitor is now spotless, properly adjusted, and performing exactly as it should.

07/08/2026

Sony CDP-608ESD (1989) — This beautifully engineered CD player from the '80s sounds amazing! We completed a full teardown and deep cleaning of the transport (new belt, new grease, switches cleaned), replaced a voltage regulator, cleaned the RCA jacks, and finished off with a calibration. The result is a spotless machine that operates and reads discs properly now.

Working on these high-end vintage CD players is always a pleasure. The build quality, attention to detail, and serviceability are a reminder of an era when electronics were truly built to last. There’s simply nothing quite like them today.

06/26/2026

Our “annual spring cleanup” showed up fashionably late this year—but hey, we finally got around to it and tidied everything up today. 😁

06/25/2026

Hantarex MTC-9110 25” Arcade Monitor (1990)

This one was a real grind. The customer reported it wasn’t working, and once we dug in, it was clear why—there were numerous poor solder joints and some questionable prior rework. Although it had been recapped recently, some of the capacitors tested poorly, so we replaced them with new ones.

We added a proper connector for the fan, replaced the yoke connector (male end), washed the chassis and tube, and built a custom bypass for a missing thermal sensor. A couple of ICs were replaced and fitted with fresh thermal paste. We also performed a full solder reflow on both the neck board and the remote board. Some long wires were shortened too.

After wrapping things up, we carried out basic color and geometry adjustments. The result is a much better-performing monitor—finally! No rejuvenation required, our tester showed this tube still has lots of life in it!

Word is, this tube is headed for a Killer Instinct cabinet and should be playable at the 8-Bit Roundup during the Calgary Stampede. 😁

06/23/2026

Ubiquiti USW Pro 24 port PoE network switch (manufactured August 2021) arrived not working. When we opened it, we found a big problem in the power supply (Asian Power Devices NW-550B01).

Two MOSFETs were blown, five surface mount resistors were open, the LLC controller chip was dead, and one resistor was way out of spec. After replacing all the bad parts, the switch is working again.

Fixing newer electronics is different from fixing older ones. There are no schematics or service manuals to follow. Ubiquiti doesn’t offer replacement power supplies for these either. We are definitely happy to give this network switch another chance at moving packets!

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