Відео

I've no regrets about any of the rework I did. Those sockets were crap and the soldering on them left much to be desired. The MT RAM would eventually have caused a problem, as would the MOS logics. The only thing I regretted on this one was making the assumption that the VIC-II was working. You know what they say about when you assume.

I believe c0pperdragon and IanSB (of the RGBtoHDMI) worked extensively on that with the help of another user who was doing outside testing for them. You can follow the thread in c0pperdragon's LumaCode GitHub repository (github.com/c0pperdragon/LumaCode/issues/7), but I believe they got most, if not all, of those issues addressed, so it should handle most of those games.

@@YARC-1981 excellent!! This gives me reason to have someone redo my video mod then. I always lamented how even the RetroTink 5x pro struggled with even a composite-modded 2600.

Still don't understand how I did that.

Thank you, Dev! High praise. I'm humbled.

Yeah, I glossed over the clocks. The CIA's were otherwise 100% working and I don't think those small variances will really cause much of an issue. I had no regrets about the RAM or MOS logics. As for Mom and Dad, it's an ebb and flow thing. Some weeks are harder than others. We've been working on final arrangements for my dad so we don't have to have the burden when that time comes. Mom had a fall a couple of weeks ago and tore up her wrist pretty badly (not broken, fortunately), but she's healing up nicely from that now. I'm glad to see me back, too. I'm ever grateful for the destressing effect this hobby brings. And the community has been SO supportive. Thanks, Donald!

You're welcome. I'm assuming it was because of failing DRAM refresh, but I don't know that for 100% certain. It does seem to make sense, though.

Thanks 👍

Great eye for detail. Yep, I noticed that, too. Although both CIAs worked completely otherwise, there was a small difference between the two TOD clocks. Both are definitely getting the exact same signal driving the clocks, but they just seem to handle it slightly differently internally. I've never seen that before, but I suppose it could be normal. I don't really know for sure. Thanks for pointing it out.

Version of which?

@@YARC-1981 joust(the bird game)

@@YARC-1981 was upgraded to 64k, microdeal version I think

Oh, donkey(king) too, both played well mode 3, as did time bandit. Others looked better in bw but we never got the artifact colors in the UK...

@@YARC-1981 my father sent his world map program to hot coco and had it published! He got lots of requests from USA on if he knew how to implement the artifact colours. Great days

The Switch-a-roo includes the audio on the SCART connection, which is then all embedded into the HDMI signal by the SCART-to-HDMI converter. In the example setup I use here, that HDMI is then split both to a little LCD and to my capture device. The RGB-to-HDMI is a little more complex as it doesn't support audio. In that case, if I remember right, I connected the audio to the audio-in on my capture PC and got it that way. But there are little HDMI audio embedders you can buy (I have since bought one) that allow you to take separate audio and embed it into the HDMI signal. From there, you'd then treat it just like I did for the Switch-a-roo.

@@YARC-1981 Let me rephrase - What is playing the audio? I currently have my RCA Audio out going to Aux in on an old radio. Would you do the same from the Switch-a-roo? I own a switch-a-roo but I haven't used it yet, because I don't have the SCART/HDMI converter yet - could you also recommend one of those? Thanks!!!!

In this video, when I'm using the RGBtoHDMI, I have the audio out RCA jacks on the Coco connected to a pair of powered PC speakers. In the Switch-a-roo section, the audio is coming via HDMI into my capture device and you're hearing both the direct audio capture and the audio playing out of the PC and being picked up by my vocal mic simultaneously, which is why there's an "echo" problem. When using the Switch-a-roo either with a display that has SCART input or through a SCART to HDMI converter connected to a display with HDMI input, the audio will play through your display device's audio system (internal speakers, digital audio out, etc...). This (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MUNIVRO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) is the SCART to HDMI converter I'm using.

@@YARC-1981 Thanks! Not many of us left playing around with this stuff. Interestingly, I recently learned I live about 5 miles from where the Rainbow was published. Never knew.

Gaming is "supposed" to be for kids. Kids have better imagination. As adults, we sometimes lose that. We look for precision. When I was a kid, I didn't mind the chonky block graphics and horrible RF interference I got on my Atari 2600. I could imagine myself transported into these worlds and none of that mattered. As an adult, bad picture grates on my nerves and I can't stand to play Atari's original PacMan port. So I guess it depends on the observer and just how much imagination they have left. Thanks for watching and for the insightful comment.

The rest of that saying is "perseverare autem diabolicum" or "but to persist (in error) is diabolical" I'm diabolical. Thanks for watching!

Yeah. i know I can't be perfect. Just makes me feel so foolish when I do something like that. Fortunately, this mistake didn't cause any further damage. I've done that before and that really hurts. This one only cost me a ton of time. Thanks for watching and for the encouragement.

Thank you. I appreciate that. And thanks for watching and commenting!

Thanks for watching and for the absolution 😂. Yes, the PLA and the SID were the only two faults in the end. I got in the habit of soldering that way to avoid heat build-up in a certain area of a chip. If you do it on the diagonals, you give each area more time to cool between heating adjacent pins. I can't remember if someone taught me that or if I came up with it on my own, so I won't take full credit. I also don't know if it really matters at all. Just a little quirk I have.

Or just pay closer attention the first time. Thanks!

Thanks, Bora. I guess I just figure I will recognize them by the part number. That doesn't work if you don't pay attention while you're doing it, though. Maybe I should start marking them. That white "marker", though, is a paint pen and a little harder to remove afterwards. I'll look for something else to mark them with.

@@YARC-1981 The white marker I use, although it says "permanent" on it, is easily wiped off completely with a tissue soaked in IPA.

Yes, I tested the four socketed chips in the ZIF machine, but that was more because I actually suspected they were good. Testing them that way is quick and reliable. Testing using an oscilloscope on a broken board usually won't tell you if a chip works because if there are faults elsewhere, those can affect any results you get on the chip you're trying to verify. If you'll recall, I did spot the PLA problem by testing the outputs with the oscilloscope. The ROM selects weren't behaving correctly. I only verified my suspicions using the ZIF board. I suspected the SID because it was particularly warm while not actually producing sound or being used for paddle input. Then, in the four-hour section I skipped, I had the oscilloscope all over the board tracking down address bits 8 and 9, which were stuck high-ish. I only desoldered a chip and tested it outside the board if it was giving me indications on the scope that it might be bad. As for the Donkey Kong Arcade theme, part of that is homage to Adrian, but most of it is because that's the song I'm most familiar with. I didn't grow up with a C64, so I'm not familiar with a lot of game themes or demo music that's out there. I can hear subtle problems in the DKA theme, whereas I wouldn't necessarily hear them in other music. Thanks for watching and for the input. I'll keep it in mind as I try to improve my process.

You're right, I missed out showing the power rail after I fixed my little mistake. Yes, it did clear the problem. As for the caps, I always look for visibly leaking electrolytics, but I've never actually found any on a C64. They can still be out of spec without leaking, though. Bad caps around the 555 timer could definitely affect the reset circuit and bad caps in the RF modulator could affect video quality. I don't usually recap a C64 unless I'm seeing symptoms that suggest a problem. Thank you for watching and for the information. As I said, I really appreciate hearing from the community and all the info you all provide. Cheers!

I don't actually know, but I'm guessing samples. If you want more information, I know at least Glen Hewlett is approachable.

I agree. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't try to finish that repair. I'd just use it as a donor. In this case, though, I'm considering making a video exclusively for channel members where I do actually strip it down, test the remaining parts and then try to rebuild it, just for the exercise and the fun and entertainment value for the viewers. It would be interesting to see if I can find all the shorted components and get it running again.

@@YARC-1981 Yes, that would be a fun video to watch. You can attach a non-current protected (but current limited to around 1A to prevent a smoke and fire show) 5V PSU to the 5V line and see which ICs get hot very quickly. That would be a good starting point to find the shorted ones.

@@borayurt66 Good idea. I should have thought of that.

It could be. I think I may finish stripping that board down and testing the parts on a members-only video and see if I can rebuild it. It'll just be temporary because I can't afford that many spares, but it would be interesting to see if it can be done. Thanks for watching!

You're welcome and thank you for watching! My intent is to resell them, but I'm REALLY behind on cleaning up the cases and restoring the keyboards, so they're all sitting in piles in my lab getting in the way. I love the idea of putting these back into the world and letting others enjoy them.

Thanks, Donald. Honestly, I could probably have revived the 466, but the cost to replace all those IC's would be prohibitive. Yes, it's great that I could salvage the R9. Thanks for watching and have a great weekend yourself!

Hi bud, hope I don't disturb your Sunday. If the 466 board was mine... I would still tinker away with it... even if I had to gut chips from a 407 board... so curious on how many more bad chips there are left 🤔. I would buy it as is. And don't worry. I know I'm crazy 🤪. Lol

Hi, Donald. No, you're not disturbing me. I'm considering making a special video for channel members only where I continue to strip that board until I clear the short, then rebuild it just to see if I can get it working again. I figure a full set of replacement ICs (based on what I'm seeing on ebay right now) would run me about $250 (assuming I have to buy a VIC-II because I've used the original in another repair). That's too much to spend on one C64, so if I do it, I'll probably just use parts off other boards I have on-hand and take them back after I'm done, just for the exercise and fun of seeing if I can do it and the entertainment value to the viewers.

Perfect. Can't wait. That 466 always has great video output... just with composite. I'd rob a 407 board any day to fix the 466.

Hey bud. Relating back to where I asked you where I can find color ram chips.... I remembered I bought 2 full ram replacement kits a couple years ago . In this kit.. there is a AM9114CPC chip. Is that a replacement for the 2114 color ram chip? I never knew... but it is 18 pin as well. Hmm

"Life is NOT a malfunction!"

I feel you. I was so disappointed the R4AR was nuked. Thanks for watching!

No, but I bet he'd be chuffed, if he knew. Thanks for watching!

HA! Fooled you. I'm winging it. ;) Kidding, of course. Thank you for the compliment. You're gonna make me blush.

I wondered the same. I think there was a little overlap where 466's were put into breadbins before the wedge cases started being used, but I'm not sure. Otherwise, it's just a Frankenstein. Thanks for watching!

@@YARC-1981 I bought 2 C64 bread bins and one was a 466. Both were working and I sold the 466 on. Both of the power supplies worked but I bought a modern replacement supply from Poland for the 425 I kept. I should have kept the 466 because it had better video output. The 425 has a weird cocks-comb pattern to the color areas on the screen, especially browns and yellows.

Thank you! Part 3 just finished processing and will be public later today. Hope you stick around for it.

Thanks, Lee. I really appreciate that.

Thanks, Bora!

Thank you. I've seen the Backbit chip tester. They're a little pricey for what they offer. I've got the ZIF machine, the TL866 and various memory testers which, all together, can give me basically the same capabilities. And I do work on other manufacturers' machines. Honestly, if I were looking to get a retro chip tester, I'd go for the Retro Chip Tester Pro. But I do appreciate the suggestion and the compliment. Cheers!

Excellent troubleshooting and determination. I learned alot.

@@donaldblakley6796 Thank you. I didn't mean to sound too negative. It was challenging, but fun. I regret the lost CIA and KERNAL, but as for the rest, it was fun figuring it all out.

That's most important. U had fun:) just out of curiosity... did you get your spare 8701s and color ram chips used on ebay? Those are 2 chips that I don't have spares

It's been a while, so I'm not sure. I THINK I remember buying them from AliExpress. I just checked my ebay purchase history and neither the 8701s nor the 2114s show up there. I do also have a few of Jeff Birt's 8701 replacements, but I like to use the real deal when possible.

That WAS kind of frustrating until I figured it out. I couldn't reconcile the values I was seeing when I scoped the pins with what was on the schematic.

Yes. I don't think I made it clear at all that I'm just trying to get the machines working at this point. I'll go back later and do all the common sense "future proofing" stuff like binning MT RAM and MOS logic chips. Thanks!

Glad you enjoyed them.

I wouldn't go that far. I like the Kawari. I like the J-CIA. I don't like the prices. No disrespect to Jani or Randy. Additionally, many people have an issue with FPGA or CPLD emulation (not me, so don't ask me to explain their concerns). And I can't excuse MOS that easily, if for nothing else than the sheer number of SIDs that have died because of their mistake.

@@YARC-1981 Atari owners face similar challenges as the custom chips are going to become difficult to find. It's easier to get a Stereo Pokey with a SID on the side than to get a replacement Pokey for the Atari. The GTIA (Television Interface Adapter) is available with several enhancements but no direct replacements. I'd much rather that direct pin for pin, function for function replacements be developed before expensive enhanced chips. There is a semi-official source for original Atari chips but they are going to run out eventually if they haven't already. The smartest thing Tramiel did after buying Atari was to warehouse all the spares instead of landfilling them. All of his XE and XEGS machines were being built from free inventory.

I've got two OG 800's. Fortunately, all the custom ICs work. In fact, the only fault on either of them was a single bad 4116 DRAM. One was missing some keys (subsequently replaced) and I detonated a capacitor while recapping one of the power/av boards. That's all in other videos in the channel. If you're interested, you should look them up.

ebay. 😒

@@YARC-1981 I can see this is not a solution that fills you with joy.

@@michaelstoliker971 no. They're expensive and rare

Too true. I've repaired a bunch and no two are ever the same.

No. Commodore's MOS chip fab made sure of that.

I ordered the PCBs from PCBWay (www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/Commodore_64_RCA_Video_adapter.html). The problem is sourcing the parts on the BOM. Some of them aren't available at the links provided and are now hard to find.

I suppose you could, but I think part of the unique charm of the 400/800 is that giant cast-aluminum shield/shell. I wouldn't do it, myself. But to each, his own. :) Thanks for the watch and the comment!

The TI-99/4A never had the popularity that the Commodore machines did (the C64 was, until the Raspberry Pi, the best selling computer of all time). They were overpriced. TI got into a price war with Commodore and lost. They were also hamstrung by the memory configuration and slow, non-standard BASIC, among other things. If TI had made a few better design choices, the TI could have been a dominant presence in the home computer market. Sadly, that wasn't to be. Also, TI's don't tend to fail as often as C64's, due to the poor quality of the MOS chips Commodore used, hence less repair videos. The one I was working on only got killed by having something spilled into it. Thanks for watching and for the comment. I'll try to do more TI videos in the future. I've got a FinalGROM99 and a TIPI 32K to explore.

That's high praise coming from you, Bora. I appreciate it. You might want to wait for part 2 to see if I really deserve it. 🤣 Thanks for watching and for the compliment.