ScuzzBlog: Diaries April 2020 Entry 22nd April 2020: Post 01: Spectrum +2 - Not such a grey day. Spectrum +2 - Not such a grey day. The blog today was supposed to be about the magical game Starglider on the Spectrum. However, having grabbed the grey Spectrum +2 I was greeted with a busted cassette drive. It just wasn't working. For those that don't know, the Spectrum +2 came in grey and black. The grey was a different board and had the older style power supply. Whereas the black was more like the +3 and had the big brick of a PSU. I opened up the grey and inside she was so very dusty. Sadly the main pulley wheel was inactive and consequently the smaller play wheel also was static. I tried other belts but no luck. My simple fiddling didn't do any good. So I gave up .... [ not like me ]. I then dragged out the brick and the black +2 and the game loaded no problem. Was actually quite good in truth so cheered me a lot. Later in the afternoon I decided it may be worth getting a new belt and so again opened the grey +2 to check the status of the smaller belt to see if I needed one of those also. I spent a small amount of time cleaning the motherboard. Nothing intense. I then decided to have a closer look at the mechanism below the pulley and got a small flat head screwdriver and twiddled with the pause plate and spring. I then noticed that the pulley had lifted slightly and was a touch higher. I switched the computer on and tested the play button and it worked. Also both the fast forward and reverse worked. I checked over the pause mechanism and considered that it may be worn or the spring had come adrift. So I took some close up pictures and reassembled the computer. Amazingly she worked no problem and loaded a cassette game with no issue. I am not saying I solved the problem but it may be worth not using the pause function on the computer. For some reason it is holding in the pause position and stopping the drive wheel. Anyhoo... not such a grey day in the end. The image quality and performance of the Amstrad Spectrum +2 is very good in truth and I do like these computers. Together with the +3 they really are the best of all the Spectrums. It would have been sad to lose one. Retro is about never giving up. Sure step back from the problem and take a break when it's puzzling you. But never give up. I have a view that the kit was once working... and so it can work again. Just be patient and do some sideways thinking. Happy days. V I D E O ZX Spectrum +2 [ Grey Version ] And the cassette drive is working .. YAY !! Spectrum +2 - Not such a grey day.

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Last updated 22nd April 2020

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