Intellivision reset switch

[drlegendre .]

Jules,

I've been inside of one, but I just can't recall the arrangement for the
reset button. But here are a couple of thoughts on the matter..

If the unit was otherwise working as-found, then it might be safe to say
that whatever +was+ under that button +must+ have either disintegrated or
fallen out of place, yet evidence should remain. In either case, you should
find evidence - crumbled, gunky old foam, or shrapnel of a busted plastic /
rubber spring. Point being, if it hasn't been opened up (to repair) in the
past, everything should still be inside, at least in some form.

But I'm guessing you found nothing at all?

On Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 6:56 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:

>
> Can anyone who's been inside an Intellivision confirm that there's
> supposed to be a little foam disc beneath the reset switch plate?
>
> I picked a system with a box of cartridges up earlier, half expecting the
> machine to be dead (I was figuring it was going to be a blob of
> easily-dead-after-so-many-years custom logic inside, but it's more like a
> "real computer" in nature). It *was* dead, but the [initial, at least]
> issue seems to be that the reset switch consists of a metal plate which is
> supposed to make contact with the PCB when pressed - and presumably is held
> away from the PCB by something when at rest. Except that there's no
> "something" in this machine - with the machine the right way up, the plate
> is free to contact the PCB, holding it in permanent reset.
>
> I'm guessing it was a blob of foam, which has deteriorated, but maybe it
> was a metal spring, or a piece of u-shaped plastic etc.
>
> cheers
>
> Jules
>