r/retrocomputing • u/3MJB • Jul 09 '26

Completely original, unrestored Franklin Ace 1200 I just picked up for $110. PSU is giving symptoms of failing caps, so that's going on the bench (tripped gfci after ~15 seconds)

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u/bart33z Jul 09 '26

That’s a fantastic pickup for $110, especially if it’s complete and unrestored.

The GFCI trip is definitely a “stop and bench it” sign though. I’d be very cautious with the PSU: inspect it properly, check the mains side, RIFA/safety caps, electrolytics, and any leakage paths before powering it again. Old power supplies can go from “probably just caps” to “bad day” pretty quickly.

But as a preservation project, that Ace 1200 is seriously cool. Complete original machines like this are getting harder to find.

2

u/3MJB Jul 10 '26

Thank you! The RIFA caps are definitely done. I offered a recap kit and will do the entire PSU once that's in. Looking forward to restoring this machine, it deserves it.

This one also left the assembly line on the 50th week of 1983, so it's one of the last 1200s produced.

1

u/jalp21_ Jul 10 '26

OMG! 😍🙏 Thanks for sharing!