Using alcohol on rubber parts is usually not a good idea as it tends to dry the rubber out. Platen cleaner is the right stuff, it cleans without drying out the rubber. I used to work as a technician with a much older guy who had a lot of experience repairing typewriters and reel to reel equipment and he caught me using alcohol on a print roller to clean it and told me about the Platen cleaner that is designed not only to clean, but to help restore rubber and keep it soft. He actually told specifically what to get, but it was so long ago (back in the 90s) that I don't recall. I do know he said it was platen cleaner though.
Great Video & Many Thanks! I have just purchased a mills associates "load it " Datasette for the Commodore 64. It looks like a genuine Commodore datasette thats been modded. I have purchased from ebay knowing that this item is sold as spares and repairs and is faulty. I realised if the deck is toast, hopefully I can transfer the mod to a working datasette. I always wanted the "c64 load it" because I had some genuine game tapes that was flakey at loading. I remember adjusting the azimuth heads just to get a game to load. Then afterwards using a tape head alignment tape to get it back. Time to dig out the old c64 thats been shoved to the back of a cupboard with its games, I think.
The C64 got a lot of stick for its 'slow' tape deck, but having also used an 8-bit Atari with its tape deck, I can tell you that the C64's wasn't that bad at all!
Haha, I didn't know that about the drive being slow. I always felt the C64 was quicker than the Spectrum at loading but that might not be true. I think the C64 is something like 300 baud, maybe the Spectrum is faster oO?
Well, I always found the C64 tape loading reliable. I didn't have a Spectrum back then to compare, and comparisons today might be skewed by old tapes, drive belts, read heads, etc. I just assumed that the C64 was slower by design to improve reliability (the C2N was designed for the PET small business computer, after all). Or just that C64 games were more advanced, and longer tape loading was the price :D Turbo tape loaders later proved the hardware of both C2N and C64 was capable of higher speed.
MarkTheMorose Yeah, C64 loading was more reliable than the Spectrum that's for sure. The nice thing about the C64 was the tape units were calibrated to specific settings etc, so all C64 decks were supposed to be roughly the same regards the azimuth position. With early Spectrums everyone had a different tape deck and pissing around with the volume, tone and azimuth was a common event. The Spectrum +2 helped with that a bit, but there were occasional Spectrum games I bought which I had to adjust the azimuth for in order to load. Very annoying lol
I also started life on the Atari 8-bit and then moved to the C64. The Atari 8-bit was chronically slow, the C64 felt like it loaded almost instantly after using that. (yep, i am replying to a 7 year old comment).
Just started reusing mine but some of the tapes are not fully loading, they will find the game but then the tape will run out I'm 47 I've had mine since I was 16
hi mate, ive got a couple spare breadbin style c64's in the loft, they have what seems to be a common problem of powering up but not displaying a picture.....any idea what the problem with them is ?? i can always tell when someone selling one on ebay has this problem because they list it as powers up but they have 'mislaid the tv lead' so cant test it !;) haha
The first thing I would check is the PSU - make sure voltages are OK on the PSU. Then check the internal fuse there. If the fuse is OK and it still doesn't power up my first guess is the VIC II chip - they are normally socketed so you can swap it out pretty easily.
Also worth checking the voltage coming out of the 12v regulator and 5v regulator (right hand pin on each of those 2 regulators). One should be 12v, the other 5v. If there's a problem there it should be a case of swapping out one of those regulators. If the 12v is missing or the fuse keeps blowing it could be the bridge rectifier, or possibly the TIP transistor near the cassette port or the VIC II / SID drawing too much power.
Same thing as I've described above - probably power, or VIC II in the first instance. The LED can appear OK but that doesn't mean the voltages are OK. One thing that can kill C64s is over voltage - if that's happened numerous chips could be faulty, but that is rare.
minks36 By the way, simply re-seating the VIC II chip in its socket can sometimes bring it back to life. I had that problem with this C64, which I forgot to mention earlier.
i wouldnt bother boiling the drive belt its not very reliable, you can also get them new i just wash the case in hot water in the kitchen sink,washing up liquid and brush job done...way easier bud
Using alcohol on rubber parts is usually not a good idea as it tends to dry the rubber out. Platen cleaner is the right stuff, it cleans without drying out the rubber. I used to work as a technician with a much older guy who had a lot of experience repairing typewriters and reel to reel equipment and he caught me using alcohol on a print roller to clean it and told me about the Platen cleaner that is designed not only to clean, but to help restore rubber and keep it soft. He actually told specifically what to get, but it was so long ago (back in the 90s) that I don't recall. I do know he said it was platen cleaner though.
Great Video & Many Thanks!
I have just purchased a mills associates "load it " Datasette for the Commodore 64.
It looks like a genuine Commodore datasette thats been modded.
I have purchased from ebay knowing that this item is sold as spares and repairs and is faulty.
I realised if the deck is toast, hopefully I can transfer the mod to a working
datasette.
I always wanted the "c64 load it" because I had some genuine game tapes that was flakey at loading.
I remember adjusting the azimuth heads just to get a game to load.
Then afterwards using a tape head alignment tape to get it back.
Time to dig out the old c64 thats been shoved to the back of a cupboard with its games, I think.
The C64 got a lot of stick for its 'slow' tape deck, but having also used an 8-bit Atari with its tape deck, I can tell you that the C64's wasn't that bad at all!
Haha, I didn't know that about the drive being slow. I always felt the C64 was quicker than the Spectrum at loading but that might not be true. I think the C64 is something like 300 baud, maybe the Spectrum is faster oO?
Well, I always found the C64 tape loading reliable. I didn't have a Spectrum back then to compare, and comparisons today might be skewed by old tapes, drive belts, read heads, etc. I just assumed that the C64 was slower by design to improve reliability (the C2N was designed for the PET small business computer, after all). Or just that C64 games were more advanced, and longer tape loading was the price :D Turbo tape loaders later proved the hardware of both C2N and C64 was capable of higher speed.
MarkTheMorose Yeah, C64 loading was more reliable than the Spectrum that's for sure. The nice thing about the C64 was the tape units were calibrated to specific settings etc, so all C64 decks were supposed to be roughly the same regards the azimuth position. With early Spectrums everyone had a different tape deck and pissing around with the volume, tone and azimuth was a common event. The Spectrum +2 helped with that a bit, but there were occasional Spectrum games I bought which I had to adjust the azimuth for in order to load. Very annoying lol
I also started life on the Atari 8-bit and then moved to the C64. The Atari 8-bit was chronically slow, the C64 felt like it loaded almost instantly after using that. (yep, i am replying to a 7 year old comment).
@@DavePoo2 Presumably your comment was uploaded via an Atari 410 or 1010 tape drive... ;)
interesting really,the crud that ends up on the heads and roller is actually carbon deposits from the tape itself :)
Great work. Such a shame about the Door though. Did you get a replacement? I've owned mine since the 80s but I've never taken it apart to clean it.
Thanks! Yes, I later found a faulty unit which was used for spares to fix another 2 or 3 units - the door came off that one and is perfect =D
Hi. I suscribe your channel . A big Like
Where is a good place to get the new belts?
+WOOODYII2 eBay!
Just started reusing mine but some of the tapes are not fully loading, they will find the game but then the tape will run out I'm 47 I've had mine since I was 16
It probably needs a new belt, the pinch roller cleaning (and gently scratching with a nail file), and the head cleaned.
hi mate, ive got a couple spare breadbin style c64's in the loft, they have what seems to be a common problem of powering up but not displaying a picture.....any idea what the problem with them is ??
i can always tell when someone selling one on ebay has this problem because they list it as powers up but they have 'mislaid the tv lead' so cant test it !;) haha
The first thing I would check is the PSU - make sure voltages are OK on the PSU. Then check the internal fuse there. If the fuse is OK and it still doesn't power up my first guess is the VIC II chip - they are normally socketed so you can swap it out pretty easily.
Also worth checking the voltage coming out of the 12v regulator and 5v regulator (right hand pin on each of those 2 regulators). One should be 12v, the other 5v. If there's a problem there it should be a case of swapping out one of those regulators. If the 12v is missing or the fuse keeps blowing it could be the bridge rectifier, or possibly the TIP transistor near the cassette port or the VIC II / SID drawing too much power.
GadgetUK164
sorry mate what i meant was it powers up and the light comes on, but there is no picture coming through the tv ??
Same thing as I've described above - probably power, or VIC II in the first instance. The LED can appear OK but that doesn't mean the voltages are OK. One thing that can kill C64s is over voltage - if that's happened numerous chips could be faulty, but that is rare.
minks36
By the way, simply re-seating the VIC II chip in its socket can sometimes bring it back to life. I had that problem with this C64, which I forgot to mention earlier.
You Tube Problems: 480i looks like 1080p.
Do you have a tin roof there ☺
Hehe, no - it's a plastic roof =/
i wouldnt bother boiling the drive belt its not very reliable, you can also get them new
i just wash the case in hot water in the kitchen sink,washing up liquid and brush job done...way easier bud
Thats one tidy tape recorder!
Haha!