I remember when my teacher told me using calculators was considered cheating because when I grew up I wouldn't be carrying a calculator in my pocket everywhere I go. Ha!
Your teacher made a sound judgement based on the information he had available at the time with the intention of turning you the most capable and independent. Sounds like someone who cared about you and your future. Unlike the people, and maybe yourself, who want some bizarre satisfaction from getting back at him. I suppose no good deed goes unpunished.
@@CaletoFran you can fix old apple computers, its just harder with the all-in-one computers (apple lisa, macintosh se, macintosh plus, original macintosh)
@@DanTDMJace pretty sure he's referring to modern apple tech. But also some of those old mac's will not be repairable either due to leaky Capacitors or because the SCSI interface just dies (Dave's mentioned it in other videos)
Great restoration. Having cleaned and fixed up a bunch of calculators in my collection, ahhh it's super satisfying to do this kinda thing because of how relatively simple they are.
Trevor Thompson That or he shared it with his Patreon supporters first, a number of UA-camrs who use Patreon do that though I'm not sure whether or not 8 Bit Guy is one of them
Now that's interesting. Specifically because Q-tip is the brand name, as opposed to the generic term (generic term would be cotton swab over here...another example is hot tub vs jacuzzi, or facial tissue vs kleenex) So that does surprise me that Q-tip is an unheard of name, as it's a Johnson & Johnson brand, which I assumed was a globally recognized brand.
on ebay if one searches Foam cotton swabs, you can find q-tips with cotton but also has a foam "overlay" on it, No mess! and some swabs fuzz less than other swabs
EXACTLY! When I saw him "jamming"screwdriver and cloth in the key hole I shouted out :use a QTip". In the past I too have used the screwdriver and papertowel trick. Sometime back in the eighties I discovered the QTips with long wooden sticks but realized a cheep ole' dollars store QTip works just as well and come in bulk
When I was a kid I never would have thought I'd be so enthralled with a video about repairing and cleaning a calculator. "Oh man, that thing looks so clean! Look how great the paint on those keys looks! I wish I could feel the action on those keys."
I wonder if that foam was why the calculator wouldn't power on at first, with how disintegrated it was some bits could have gotten stuck to the circuitry.
I found a similar PET with a keyboard problem, and after some AltaVista-ing (this was many years before Google) I discovered that the solution was to use the blue end of a pencil eraser on the metal contacts under the keys. That seemed to clean them up enough for the keyboard to start working again. The scary electrical arcing noise coming from the back of the CRT was another matter...:)
I'm a bit shocked how really simple that is for how much it cost back in the day... interesting to watch, but honestly about 15 times during the whole thing I was thinking "that is a ton of work to multiply 6x7 just to find out the meaning of life, the universe, and everything!"
Looks simple, but manufacturing chips wasn't as easy back in the days, especially considering the very low yield and high defect rates with the processes they had.
Meanwhile, I only cared about it because of the TI brain I already knew was in there. My house was on the OTHER side of the home computer war. Protip for long-retired TI management: Don't put your 16-bit machine with 16K of RAM into a price war with a friggin' VIC-20, especially if you're not going to cut costs with the build quality.
If they're 1/4". that is correct. If not, a cheap 1/4" drive set at a place like Harbor Freight has got to be under $10. I was amazed he didn't have one.
I don't know anyone who doesn't own at least 1 standard modular driver. They throw them into driver kits for free. :P I've got like 7. I mentioned it because most people have never thought of using a modular as a tool without the bits. :P
@SgtPiggie It's just odd "spends thousands of dollars on electronics" "doesn't have the one tool you get free in pretty much every multiple tool set including sets fans have seen him using and recognized from their own toolbox" :P
Yeah. I typically use it as a disarming tactic so people know I'm not trying to be critical or antagonistic. I'm honestly a very light hearted person but people tend to take me the wrong way in text so it's become a habit to include that so they know I'm trying to be friendly.
It's very common. Foam rubber breaks down over time, as it's biological plant-based material (most don't realize this as it seems so artificial, but it's really not). There are synthetic foams that last longer but they're more expensive. "Standard" foam is only good for about 10 - 15 years before it falls apart.
MrJest2 plant based? What's the name of the material? Today they use polyurethane foam, and it doesn't last worth shit, and it is fully synthetic, so there's that, the minor surface oxidation and halogen-based fire retardant eat it up. I actually think cellulose acetate foam lasts a lot longer.
I took out the heater matrix of my 1972 Hillman Avenger a while back, which was covered in just the same foam where it is mounted up to the air ducts inside the dash. Disintegrated foam everywhere. I replaced it with draught excluder foam. The car also uses some of this newfangled silicon technology in the rectifier diodes of the alternator. The white heat of technology was really starting to happen in 1972.
Ewww. I've never had the displeasure of opening something old enough that had foam in it so I had no idea it could do that. Doesn't surprise me, but its still super gross. Thank you for the information!! That makes a lot more sense now!
+Siana Gearz - Older foam is latex based, so it's made of sap from the rubber tree (plus catalysts and foaming agents). Around the time this came out, polyurethane foams were also starting to become available, but they were more expensive (and also break down when cheaply made, due to the organic component molecules oxidizing). This sample could be either, but my bet would be on the older cheaper version.
one of the beauties of youtube is allowing anyone to get into thing they would normally find it hard to get into. i would never meet you and never have anyting to do with old tehnology. TRUST ME. Yet bcuz of youtube i can watch you all the time and ur videos are cool and relaxing for some reason. I never thought I'd enjoy watching a channel like this so much lol.
8:03 - I'd recommend buying a box of isopropyl alcohol wipes. I use them all the time for cleaning corroded connectors. I usually get the small "Prep pads", the same stuff that nurses use before giving injections. They're small, easy to open and quite cheap. You can also use lens cleaning wipes, though I think those have lower alcohol content. But those are better for cosmetic cleaning than the prep pads.
When ever you do these repair/restorations it inspires me to do the same. Surely, I am very young but something that we share in common is our love for old computers and old tech products that had a significant history. I love your content and as always keep up the great work.
Sean's Retroverse - His reply to other poster said he didn't want to use a q-tip cause it would break with the force he was using to clean the base of the buttons. :)
Sean's Retroverse - it saves lives. Then again, if everyone had some, I wouldn't get awesome deals on old Technics receivers and turntables at thrift shops.
Bloon Adjustment most of my videos were flagged by google for copyright reasons and removed from their index but i don't know why that concerns you or why I should care. I don't make videos for money.
Right? Old boards are so interesting to mess with. I was trying to repair an old 1960's era Geiger surveyor and the board inside was this very simple single layer thing with what were clearly hand-laid copper traces. It was so cool. Old boards almost have an organic look to them.
I was friends with Steve Wozniak. In the mid ‘70s when he worked at HP, I remember him asking me about curves. They were designing switches with domed pieces of metal that would snap to make contact with the circuit board below. Here you go.
My guess on the mysterious DOA repair is that the contacts in the power switch itself were probably oxidized and by simply mechanically flipping the switch a few times you cleaned it off and it began working correctly.
can a kids laptop (for example this one :www.ebay.com/itm/VTECH-NITRO-JR-NOTEBOOK-LAPTOP-COMPUTER-ELECTRONIC-LEARNING-TOY-CASE-CARTRIDGES-/162599583395?epid=672389566&hash=item25dbb0bea3:g:0r8AAOSwdhJZcfsZ) be modified to run basic?(maybe with replacing the rom chip or the storage chip)
IdonotknowwhyyoutubeletsyouhavealongnamebutthisislitsoiamusingitandmynameisLenny since it's quite cheap, maybe you could sent it to him by mail with a note asking that question, and then wait until his August fan unboxing video.
SaltyPeanut it depends how far away you are from the person I am 2 countries (Germany and France) with an ocean and some more states of US far away from him
I introduced my Dad to your channel around the 4th of July by showing him the episode you did on the TRS CoCo (Mistakenly recalling from stories that was his first computer. When in fact his was a TRS-80 Model 2 I believe.) It was a genuinely great feeling watching him react, get sentimental and tell me stories about his 8-bit days (Like as a late teen early twenty something financing through his credit union his tape drive) thinking back to his days of tape drives and early floppy drives. I want you to know the connection that is reaching from at least in this case of two nerd borns in 1961 and 1988 respectively. Also and I have no right to request, but I could only imagine the joy it would bring both to recall the days of his youth and the joy it would bring me just watching his reactions. I you could do any videos involving the TRS-80?
I recall he mentioned having a video on the entire tandy coco line on the backburner so he might just well bring it up. In any case, there's a series i like (although not nearly as slick and well edited as David's videos) called Tezza's Computer Collection. He did a bunch of videos on the TRS computers you might enjoy, at least as a holdover until david gets to it himself..
As I was informed by my Dad, the CoCo line was "VERY" different from the 80 series as the CoCo Thanks for the info though, I'll take a look at it. I do hope David does some on them though. I have found his videos to be the best production by far.
I've got a PET 4032 and I can tell you that cleaning the keys is really easy. Took me less than an hour, including disassembly. Be careful, the shift lock key has a different type of switch, and needs to be desoldered from the board before you take it appart. Have fun!
The foam inside the spring is probably there for the same reason you put foam inside the the 3 springs of a tremolo block on Fender type of guitars: to suppress spring sounds upon vibration. On the guitar it happens with any vibration due to the amplification, on the calculator it's probably to prevent springy noises when pressing a key.
6:46 is it ever a concern when you get liquid coming out of the compressed air spray? I bought some dollar-store ones and they all do it, so I'm worried about using them on electronics. The expensive can I had never did it.
compressed air usually gets cold after spraying, what you are seeing is condensation of water out of the air but it evaporates quick, so no worries. evaporates even faster than alcohol
The reason it wasn't working is because the clear button wasn't making good contact. I have a collection of old calculators, and the plasma discharge display ones that use TI chips usually require you to tap "C" twice before the display comes on... They will eventually light up in their own, but it can take between seconds and an hour.
Awesome vid as always! Commodore always made some intriguing tech in the early days of computing. I hope to see another 20 min video. You (8-bit guy/keys) and LGR are my fav PC related vids when I need my nerd/geek fix! Thanks for scratching that itch.
I used to work at a thrift store, we used to have to trash those every day. Every tech company in the 70s made awesome looking calculators, but who's gonna buy a plug in calculator, so we had to trash them.
I'd have replaced the electrolytic capacitors while I was in there. They may not be leaking but they may be drying out, considering how old it is. They're cheap and easy to get so it would have been worth the few extra minutes and dollars
It was probably the two axial electrolytic capacitors. Caps need to recondition themselves if they have been off for a very long time. You may want to replace them as they are probably dried out.
I can't describe how much I enjoy these videos. I'm only 19, so I've never even touched a Commodore. Still, these videos are insanely interesting and I've certainly learned a lot from them.
Erm at 3:18, vintage AC powered electronics without an earth pin, and a metal service over the PSU, let's touch it! Very risky idea, this could be ground referenced to the neutral pin, but because there is no polarity on the plug it could also be referenced to the live pin. If you checked before hand, ignore me, I'm just worrying about nothing... well maybe people watching and not realising they should also check. ;)
We live in a "throw it away" culture today..if it aint working get a new one!...its refreshing to see someone restoring things that dont work to working order
There's not that much difference between the calculators from that era, and the home computers from a bit later on. They're technically surprisingly similar, and the computers are in some ways only marginally more complex. (especially the kit computers) Probably explains why so many computer companies began as calculator companies.
Easily my favorite channel. Love the restoration videos, i'm learning tons, and a huge plus that you seem like a really nice guy (and a Commodore fan). Thanks for posting great content!
yay, looking forward to the pet (on the left). the first computer i ever used back in high school.
7 років тому
+The 8-Bit Guy That old desintegrating black foam has carbon in it and will conduct electricity. That stuff inside the keys was causing the problems. I have had issues with that stuff in the past. If you hold down several keys at power up, you may end up with a blank display. You also had some disintegrating foam above the display, which you removed, and blew away the crums from the board. Maybe that stuff was making shorts on the PCB. That could explain the initial behavior. Thanks!
I remember once was writing an exam on an old ti calculator. This was around 2005 ish and the calculator was circa 1970. Middle of the exam calculator started to give wrong answers.... glad I had a backup....
I bet the first problem was the power switch itself. If there is oxidation of the contacts, it will prevent current to flow through. After shaking and switching nultiple times the switch finally made some contact. It should be disassembled and cleaned. The foam inside the button springs is a damper to avoid that the spring creates any sounds (like boinggg). These foam dampers can also be found in cassette players of that time. The buttons will work perfectly without the foam but the will possibly sound louder.... but who cares! :-)
I figured the foam would make no difference i removed at this point because it was already disintegrating. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the disintegrating foam was a part of the culprit as it only takes a piece of it getting on the center contact point to cause inconsistency/deadness of a key since it would block a circuit. It's also possible the contacts just had a residue/tarnish in general. Was' really satisfying to see it working when you were done with it regardless of what it was though! :D As for "what" the foam was used for... I'd bet it was for noise reduction. I don't think it would have stiffened a spring like you thought since the spring was around it (a indicator of vibration reduction) and it was not glued to the spring. The foam under the keys I'd bet was to reduce noise on bottom-outs. Finally, the foam above the display was likely to prevent the metal piece there from rattling as you type keys by pressing up against the outer case.
excellent video as always. attention to detail. well researched. always in focus, no sloppy camera work, this is professionally made video by a good home content provider. saving the history of digital age we live in. IMO quality educational experience.support this channel if u can.
2:28 "When TI tried to enter the personal computer market a few years later, commodore essentially turned the tables on them." Well good for commodore....or maybe not. Seeing as TI is still around but commodore isn't around since 1994.....
Next time you should try Q-tips dipped in alcohol for cleaning hard to reach places. For especially deep wells you can get extra long ones with a wooden stalk.
That foam...wow. "Crusty and rusty...just like my undee-draws! Hyaaaaaa-HAAAAAA!!!" lolz Other than that, the springs had some of that oh-so-wonderful (not) copper mold. That stuff is crawling with all kinds of nasty. Seems those key contacts are in need of a bit of flame restoration (though I doubt that you have a capable blow torch). Make them bounce a bit more when pressed in.
+The 8-Bit Guy Hey David, good job! But when can we get a cool Mac video, I watched your videos from when you were "The iBook Guy". If so can you contact me as to when or the possibility of a new video? Thank you for your time, Marshal
Love how Commodore kicked TIs arse when they wanted to step into the microcomputer market. Once TI got into LSI (1969 ?) they started to sell alarm clocks and calculator chips as single chip solution. Sure they made good money. But they got very upset by CBM making good proffit and not only increased the chip cost ... they simply started their very own calculator bussiness. Tramiel learnt the lesson the hard way fI he wanted to be succesfull at microcomputers, he couldnt not use third party chips anymore. And the bought MOS and of course came with very skillfull designers that made a brilliant work on the 6502 the VIC and SID. The 6502 was 5 times cheaper than the Motorola 6800 and still better. Try to kick TI and outperform Motorolas best seller CPU ? .... only Commdore could do that
In all fairness, TI's home computer division had chronic management issues as well as a string of bad luck with major component delays, FCC reviews, and power supplies. And part of the management problem was the same thing that hamstrung almost every company with an existing computer division: the minicomputer division was VERY profitable(thus influential within the company) and viewed cheap microcomputers as an existential threat and lobbied hard to get them cancelled or crippled. Commodore didn't have this problem, since they didn't HAVE a computer business outside the home market. But the 99/4a could still dropkick a VIC-20 across the street. The hardware wasn't the problem. Also, MOS introduced the 6502 before Commodore bought them. So Commodore didn't do that.
I remember when my teacher told me using calculators was considered cheating because when I grew up I wouldn't be carrying a calculator in my pocket everywhere I go. Ha!
Experimental Fun mail them a pocket calculator
Your teacher made a sound judgement based on the information he had available at the time with the intention of turning you the most capable and independent. Sounds like someone who cared about you and your future.
Unlike the people, and maybe yourself, who want some bizarre satisfaction from getting back at him. I suppose no good deed goes unpunished.
Teacher spotted ^^^^
Oddly enough, I was never told this. Then again, I didn't have an establishment-paid teacher either.
Experimental Fun lol calculators are such a waste of money now because you can have one on your phone
This is why I love old tech: You can actually fix it.
@@CaletoFran even back then they were dickheads with repairmen?
@@CaletoFran you can fix old apple computers, its just harder with the all-in-one computers (apple lisa, macintosh se, macintosh plus, original macintosh)
@@DanTDMJace pretty sure he's referring to modern apple tech. But also some of those old mac's will not be repairable either due to leaky Capacitors or because the SCSI interface just dies (Dave's mentioned it in other videos)
Great restoration. Having cleaned and fixed up a bunch of calculators in my collection, ahhh it's super satisfying to do this kinda thing because of how relatively simple they are.
Do you have any Commodore calculators in your collection?
Lazy Game Reviews how did u manage to comment 2 hrs ago.. says 1 minute ago
The 8-Bit Guy i wish i had stuff like you do. im young but would like to collect that sort.of stuff lol
Trevor Thompson That or he shared it with his Patreon supporters first, a number of UA-camrs who use Patreon do that though I'm not sure whether or not 8 Bit Guy is one of them
You added this comment 2 hours ago. It clearly says this video was uploaded 15 minutes ago. Are you a wizard LGR?
Finally met the only man in the universe who's never heard of Q-tips :)
Hahahahahahhahaha right????
Did you know that there are cotton swabs that have alcohol in them from the factory?
I was confused because of the the context so was like q-tip q-tip then I was like OHHHHHHhhhh those things
Get with the drip Karen
Waiting for someone to avoid colliding with the joke, it hit my head hard, I had to go to the hospital
Rule 1 of watching 8-Bit guy. There can never be too many repair videos
Dje4321 You sir, are right!
AGREED
Agreed!
His repair videos are so damn satisfying
They feel like some sort of technological necromancy! Best kind of necromancy.
Paper towel and a screwdriver? Q-tips my friend. Q-tips are your cleaning-in-small-places friends. :)
even my butt my friend :)
Astricx cotton swabs.
Those things to "clean" your ears.
Now that's interesting. Specifically because Q-tip is the brand name, as opposed to the generic term (generic term would be cotton swab over here...another example is hot tub vs jacuzzi, or facial tissue vs kleenex) So that does surprise me that Q-tip is an unheard of name, as it's a Johnson & Johnson brand, which I assumed was a globally recognized brand.
I use Q-tips to clean the small spaces on traffic lights in electronics that I use on a regular basis
Plus a plastic pry. Watching knife on plastic hurt.
Q-Tips are great for cleaning hard to reach places..
on ebay if one searches Foam cotton swabs, you can find q-tips with cotton but also has a foam "overlay" on it, No mess! and some swabs fuzz less than other swabs
Maybe toothbrushes for babies and toddlers?
Marko Ahonen foam qtips? gonna have to remember that, thanks for the tip! (pun not intended)
I really needed something I could scrub with some force. Q-Tips would just bend.
EXACTLY! When I saw him "jamming"screwdriver and cloth in the key hole I shouted out :use a QTip". In the past I too have used the screwdriver and papertowel trick. Sometime back in the eighties I discovered the QTips with long wooden sticks but realized a cheep ole' dollars store QTip works just as well and come in bulk
i love how this was considered as high-end stuff for executives back then but now it isn't even enough for primary maths.
This is one of my new favorite videos. I love these where you go into more details about the actual repair process.
Likewise. Very cool to see how you reverse-engineered the chip behaviour and used that info later to find the stuck key!
It would be cool if he did an intro to the Multi-meter video for people just starting out diagnosing electronics.
Agreed. And it's still really easy to understand for novices since David is so good at simplifying subjects
The animation of how the keyboard scanning works is particularly good.
When I was a kid I never would have thought I'd be so enthralled with a video about repairing and cleaning a calculator. "Oh man, that thing looks so clean! Look how great the paint on those keys looks! I wish I could feel the action on those keys."
*finds 4 piece toaster with commodore logo taped on*
"I must restore this!"
A piece of titanium with a commodore logo
@@BruhMoment93_ a box with a commodore logo
i’d watch that
lmao imagine commodore making toasters
A toaster that can toast 4 at once is valuable tho
Foam: I don't feel so good Mr. 8-bit guy
CritCat You’ll be all right.
Ha ha noice infinity war joke
I wonder if that foam was why the calculator wouldn't power on at first, with how disintegrated it was some bits could have gotten stuck to the circuitry.
Hey, it's the PET that I donated! Can't wait to see the PET episode later. I'm sure it'll be super interesting. Good luck getting the keyboard fixed!
hahah.. it's safe to say you'll be seeing a lot more of that PET.
Same. I'm looking forward to the Commodore PET video
I found a similar PET with a keyboard problem, and after some AltaVista-ing (this was many years before Google) I discovered that the solution was to use the blue end of a pencil eraser on the metal contacts under the keys. That seemed to clean them up enough for the keyboard to start working again.
The scary electrical arcing noise coming from the back of the CRT was another matter...:)
The "blue end" of a pencil eraser? What's that?
IT'S THE PEN ERASER :)
I'm a bit shocked how really simple that is for how much it cost back in the day... interesting to watch, but honestly about 15 times during the whole thing I was thinking "that is a ton of work to multiply 6x7 just to find out the meaning of life, the universe, and everything!"
Now build a computer to find out the specific question.
@@someguy2135 that was the PET
Looks simple, but manufacturing chips wasn't as easy back in the days, especially considering the very low yield and high defect rates with the processes they had.
@@steve.Lowles can't have been, Douglas Adams specified that deep thought was an apple. Must have been the Apple 1
Time to go to bed
*checks subscription box
SHEIT
Same
Same
fecman94Playthroughs Same
Don't check it before going to sleep.
???
PROFIT!!!
The 8-Bit Guy gave me new hope on UA-cam tech reviewers again.
seriously. I can't stand the loud, overproduced, obnoxious, click-baity youtubers that are so prevalent nowadays.
Why were you watching you tubers that caused you to lose said hope?
"I'm gonna clean all the kes, even the ones that still work"
*badass music starts playing*
I honestly re-watch this video just so I can sway to the music.
I don't bang my head to rock and metal all the time...
Cy Nothing Best comment ever. 😂
The song is called Troubled Hearts... can't say who its by
@@lambda101 Troubled Hearts - Anders Enger Jensen.
@Metagalactic Llama He does pretty much all of David’s music now.
I wouldn't care at all about this calculator if a) it were not a Commodore and b) you weren't making one of your excellent videos about it.
Meanwhile, I only cared about it because of the TI brain I already knew was in there. My house was on the OTHER side of the home computer war. Protip for long-retired TI management: Don't put your 16-bit machine with 16K of RAM into a price war with a friggin' VIC-20, especially if you're not going to cut costs with the build quality.
8-Bit Guy those hex screws can usually be undone with a modular screwdriver without any bits installed.
If they're 1/4". that is correct. If not, a cheap 1/4" drive set at a place like Harbor Freight has got to be under $10. I was amazed he didn't have one.
I don't know anyone who doesn't own at least 1 standard modular driver. They throw them into driver kits for free. :P I've got like 7. I mentioned it because most people have never thought of using a modular as a tool without the bits. :P
You beat me to it! Excellent suggestion.
@SgtPiggie
It's just odd "spends thousands of dollars on electronics" "doesn't have the one tool you get free in pretty much every multiple tool set including sets fans have seen him using and recognized from their own toolbox" :P
Yeah. I typically use it as a disarming tactic so people know I'm not trying to be critical or antagonistic. I'm honestly a very light hearted person but people tend to take me the wrong way in text so it's become a habit to include that so they know I'm trying to be friendly.
It worked again because it knew it was in good hands now.
*now in good hands.
wholesome
I have never went so fast to watch a new fresh video from my favourite channel. Keep it up, David!
I HOPE ALL GOOGLE BASTARDS DIE A PAINFULL DEATH | dead meme smh
If you're gonna troll, I recommend you go somewhere where people will actually care, not to a channel about retro electronics.
you can be so hurtful sometimes
Verm, how is he trolling? hes complementing Davids video!
Thanks! Wait a second...
"The traces look hand-drawn." They probably were!
@@QuarTheDev and probably atari 2600 joystick
I physically recoiled at that foam. That's so nasty.
It's very common. Foam rubber breaks down over time, as it's biological plant-based material (most don't realize this as it seems so artificial, but it's really not). There are synthetic foams that last longer but they're more expensive. "Standard" foam is only good for about 10 - 15 years before it falls apart.
MrJest2 plant based? What's the name of the material? Today they use polyurethane foam, and it doesn't last worth shit, and it is fully synthetic, so there's that, the minor surface oxidation and halogen-based fire retardant eat it up. I actually think cellulose acetate foam lasts a lot longer.
I took out the heater matrix of my 1972 Hillman Avenger a while back, which was covered in just the same foam where it is mounted up to the air ducts inside the dash. Disintegrated foam everywhere. I replaced it with draught excluder foam. The car also uses some of this newfangled silicon technology in the rectifier diodes of the alternator. The white heat of technology was really starting to happen in 1972.
Ewww. I've never had the displeasure of opening something old enough that had foam in it so I had no idea it could do that. Doesn't surprise me, but its still super gross. Thank you for the information!! That makes a lot more sense now!
+Siana Gearz - Older foam is latex based, so it's made of sap from the rubber tree (plus catalysts and foaming agents). Around the time this came out, polyurethane foams were also starting to become available, but they were more expensive (and also break down when cheaply made, due to the organic component molecules oxidizing). This sample could be either, but my bet would be on the older cheaper version.
I recently got one of these at a recycling center. Another one saved!
I dont know why, but I love watching you repair things
DatOneDudeJohn join the club
Same with me.
one of the beauties of youtube is allowing anyone to get into thing they would normally find it hard to get into. i would never meet you and never have anyting to do with old tehnology. TRUST ME. Yet bcuz of youtube i can watch you all the time and ur videos are cool and relaxing for some reason. I never thought I'd enjoy watching a channel like this so much lol.
8:03 - I'd recommend buying a box of isopropyl alcohol wipes. I use them all the time for cleaning corroded connectors. I usually get the small "Prep pads", the same stuff that nurses use before giving injections. They're small, easy to open and quite cheap. You can also use lens cleaning wipes, though I think those have lower alcohol content. But those are better for cosmetic cleaning than the prep pads.
I took a break from working on electronics to find... 8-BG working on electronics! Score!!
I was going to type "LGR is jealous" but then I saw his comment...
LGR is jealous
I am addicted to 8 bit guy videos. There will never be enough of them for my liking until i can literally shoot them directly into my veins.
When ever you do these repair/restorations it inspires me to do the same. Surely, I am very young but something that we share in common is our love for old computers and old tech products that had a significant history. I love your content and as always keep up the great work.
I got your notification very late.
"I carefully removed the cover" [footage of jabbing a knife around all over the place]
No hex driver for disassembly, and no q tips for cleaning the key mechs??? You're killing me, David! Still, keep up the cool vids! =]
Sean's Retroverse Also needs more Deoxit.
Yeysssshhhh! DeoxIT is awesome stuff
Sean's Retroverse - His reply to other poster said he didn't want to use a q-tip cause it would break with the force he was using to clean the base of the buttons. :)
Sean's Retroverse - it saves lives. Then again, if everyone had some, I wouldn't get awesome deals on old Technics receivers and turntables at thrift shops.
Shit, I'm too late to be a top comment here :( I broke my chain ;-;
because why not?
1200 views and the video was uploaded 6 minutes ago. Wow
+padistedor And it takes you 9 years to get 95K views. Wow.
Bloon Adjustment most of my videos were flagged by google for copyright reasons and removed from their index but i don't know why that concerns you or why I should care. I don't make videos for money.
10:42 so that means you born in 1975.
I love the new theme song, its so happy
Thank you for taking us through the chip and explaining how it works. Your channel is my personal favorite on youtube! Keep up the amazing work
It's always fascinating to see old circuit boards from the 70s and 80s because they look so sloppy and interesting compared to today's boards.
Go 20 years earlier than that and they just bodged a load of components together by their leads, so compared with that these were professional :)
It's kind of amazing how far we've come.
Right? Old boards are so interesting to mess with. I was trying to repair an old 1960's era Geiger surveyor and the board inside was this very simple single layer thing with what were clearly hand-laid copper traces. It was so cool. Old boards almost have an organic look to them.
Yeah they definitely give a different vibe.
Glad to see that work out :)
Also there is something beautiful about how simple those switches are.
I was friends with Steve Wozniak. In the mid ‘70s when he worked at HP, I remember him asking me about curves. They were designing switches with domed pieces of metal that would snap to make contact with the circuit board below. Here you go.
My guess on the mysterious DOA repair is that the contacts in the power switch itself were probably oxidized and by simply mechanically flipping the switch a few times you cleaned it off and it began working correctly.
I suppose that could have been the case as well, didn't think about that.
Always try to work the switches on stuff like that a few times before you jump in. In any event, a self-healing repair is always the best kind.
can a kids laptop (for example this one :www.ebay.com/itm/VTECH-NITRO-JR-NOTEBOOK-LAPTOP-COMPUTER-ELECTRONIC-LEARNING-TOY-CASE-CARTRIDGES-/162599583395?epid=672389566&hash=item25dbb0bea3:g:0r8AAOSwdhJZcfsZ) be modified to run basic?(maybe with replacing the rom chip or the storage chip)
IdonotknowwhyyoutubeletsyouhavealongnamebutthisislitsoiamusingitandmynameisLenny since it's quite cheap, maybe you could sent it to him by mail with a note asking that question, and then wait until his August fan unboxing video.
SaltyPeanut it will not be cheap for me to send it because I live In Czech Republic ($60)
IdonotknowwhyyoutubeletsyouhavealongnamebutthisislitsoiamusingitandmynameisLenny oh it's only $20 Canadian for me
SaltyPeanut it depends how far away you are from the person I am 2 countries (Germany and France) with an ocean and some more states of US far away from him
I introduced my Dad to your channel around the 4th of July by showing him the episode you did on the TRS CoCo (Mistakenly recalling from stories that was his first computer. When in fact his was a TRS-80 Model 2 I believe.) It was a genuinely great feeling watching him react, get sentimental and tell me stories about his 8-bit days (Like as a late teen early twenty something financing through his credit union his tape drive) thinking back to his days of tape drives and early floppy drives. I want you to know the connection that is reaching from at least in this case of two nerd borns in 1961 and 1988 respectively. Also and I have no right to request, but I could only imagine the joy it would bring both to recall the days of his youth and the joy it would bring me just watching his reactions. I you could do any videos involving the TRS-80?
I recall he mentioned having a video on the entire tandy coco line on the backburner so he might just well bring it up.
In any case, there's a series i like (although not nearly as slick and well edited as David's videos) called Tezza's Computer Collection. He did a bunch of videos on the TRS computers you might enjoy, at least as a holdover until david gets to it himself..
As I was informed by my Dad, the CoCo line was "VERY" different from the 80 series as the CoCo
Thanks for the info though, I'll take a look at it. I do hope David does some on them though. I have found his videos to be the best production by far.
Really love watching you fix things - always fascinates me :)
I've got a PET 4032 and I can tell you that cleaning the keys is really easy. Took me less than an hour, including disassembly. Be careful, the shift lock key has a different type of switch, and needs to be desoldered from the board before you take it appart. Have fun!
When I was going there, my high school (Maryvale, in Cheektowaga, NY) had six of the PETs on the left (your right) and two Apple ][s
Deoxit saves lives, man. No need to scrub anything with light oxidation like that.
The foam inside the spring is probably there for the same reason you put foam inside the the 3 springs of a tremolo block on Fender type of guitars: to suppress spring sounds upon vibration. On the guitar it happens with any vibration due to the amplification, on the calculator it's probably to prevent springy noises when pressing a key.
6:46 is it ever a concern when you get liquid coming out of the compressed air spray? I bought some dollar-store ones and they all do it, so I'm worried about using them on electronics. The expensive can I had never did it.
compressed air usually gets cold after spraying, what you are seeing is condensation of water out of the air but it evaporates quick, so no worries. evaporates even faster than alcohol
At 2:54 he uses a "Fluke" brand multimeter. And then the calculator starts working. Coincidence? *I THINK NOT!!!*
Been waiting for this with great anticipation!
OobiDoobScoobyDoobyBenubi Now touch your tongue to mine...
Dylan Higgins You know, to make it official.
OobiDoobScoobyDoobyBenubi To make what official?
Dylan Higgins You know, all of it.
The reason it wasn't working is because the clear button wasn't making good contact.
I have a collection of old calculators, and the plasma discharge display ones that use TI chips usually require you to tap "C" twice before the display comes on... They will eventually light up in their own, but it can take between seconds and an hour.
Such a great channel!
Featured at Popular Mechanics:
www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a27505/1970s-commodore-calculator-restoration
Q-Tips are your friend
Are you keeping up with the Commodore?
Isn't that a 4 bit machine? You might need to change your name to the 4/8-bit guy!
Awesome vid as always! Commodore always made some intriguing tech in the early days of computing. I hope to see another 20 min video. You (8-bit guy/keys) and LGR are my fav PC related vids when I need my nerd/geek fix! Thanks for scratching that itch.
Rather than using a paper towel and a screwdriver to get inside the switches, why not use a Q-Tip?
q-tips are too difficult to clean switches
What the hell is a q-tip
@@funnygaming4641 a q-tip is a plastic stick with cotton on both sides
I used to work at a thrift store, we used to have to trash those every day. Every tech company in the 70s made awesome looking calculators, but who's gonna buy a plug in calculator, so we had to trash them.
But can it divide by 0?
+PickelJars ForHillary Here's the real question: if you do 2 square root X 2 square root, will it come up as 1.9999998?
It’s 0
I'd have replaced the electrolytic capacitors while I was in there. They may not be leaking but they may be drying out, considering how old it is. They're cheap and easy to get so it would have been worth the few extra minutes and dollars
It was probably the two axial electrolytic capacitors. Caps need to recondition themselves if they have been off for a very long time. You may want to replace them as they are probably dried out.
Thanks for posting this at 1AM, I love this channel now.
8:04 You never heard of Q-tips?
Also, replace the capacitors.
The capacitors shouldn't need to be replaced. It's from 1972 which predates the bad capacitor plague of the 80s and early 90s.
I can't describe how much I enjoy these videos. I'm only 19, so I've never even touched a Commodore. Still, these videos are insanely interesting and I've certainly learned a lot from them.
Erm at 3:18, vintage AC powered electronics without an earth pin, and a metal service over the PSU, let's touch it!
Very risky idea, this could be ground referenced to the neutral pin, but because there is no polarity on the plug it could also be referenced to the live pin. If you checked before hand, ignore me, I'm just worrying about nothing... well maybe people watching and not realising they should also check. ;)
Hopefully it's isolated via the transformer, but with old kit (even new kit if it's cheap and imported) better safe than dead.
We live in a "throw it away" culture today..if it aint working get a new one!...its refreshing to see someone restoring things that dont work to working order
Please add the key sounds back in the intro. Otherwise, OK.
No one cares.
Dr Ivo Robotnik I guess that's your opinion, but some people can't be satisfied without it. It's like a music video without music.
Every time I watch one of these restoration/repair videos, I'm inspired to go dig into some of my old tech and see what actually makes it tick!
Something in my brain automatically converts the numbers on that display into the familiar Commodore character set...
Wow... never knew calculators were that big 😄. Great video!
SC13 you think this calculator is big.. look up the Friden EC-132
You think THATS big? Check out the Analytical Engine.
Back in the 1940s, calculators were the size of a breadbox and all mechanical.
There's not that much difference between the calculators from that era, and the home computers from a bit later on.
They're technically surprisingly similar, and the computers are in some ways only marginally more complex. (especially the kit computers)
Probably explains why so many computer companies began as calculator companies.
Those mechanical calculators are such a jewel of engineering. They're truly marvelous machines.
Easily my favorite channel. Love the restoration videos, i'm learning tons, and a huge plus that you seem like a really nice guy (and a Commodore fan). Thanks for posting great content!
Oh mumma that's a sexy calculator
what are you doing here
What. It's *MASSIVE* ! Since when we're calculators so big?!
"We are" big caculators? Huh?
If you pause at the very beginning (0:00) you can see
“Copyrigh”
“Murray!”
I wonder what the full disk says, and how many of those disks exist
Copyright 1986, murraysoft inc.
This calculator was manufactured the year my dad was born
Rename this video to "Commodore US*4 Repair and Restoration"
yay, looking forward to the pet (on the left).
the first computer i ever used back in high school.
+The 8-Bit Guy
That old desintegrating black foam has carbon in it and will conduct electricity. That stuff inside the keys was causing the problems. I have had issues with that stuff in the past.
If you hold down several keys at power up, you may end up with a blank display. You also had some disintegrating foam above the display, which you removed, and blew away the crums from the board. Maybe that stuff was making shorts on the PCB. That could explain the initial behavior.
Thanks!
I remember once was writing an exam on an old ti calculator. This was around 2005 ish and the calculator was circa 1970. Middle of the exam calculator started to give wrong answers.... glad I had a backup....
Not egyption hieroglyphics computer hieroglyphics
I bet the first problem was the power switch itself. If there is oxidation of the contacts, it will prevent current to flow through. After shaking and switching nultiple times the switch finally made some contact. It should be disassembled and cleaned.
The foam inside the button springs is a damper to avoid that the spring creates any sounds (like boinggg). These foam dampers can also be found in cassette players of that time. The buttons will work perfectly without the foam but the will possibly sound louder.... but who cares! :-)
I figured the foam would make no difference i removed at this point because it was already disintegrating. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the disintegrating foam was a part of the culprit as it only takes a piece of it getting on the center contact point to cause inconsistency/deadness of a key since it would block a circuit. It's also possible the contacts just had a residue/tarnish in general. Was' really satisfying to see it working when you were done with it regardless of what it was though! :D
As for "what" the foam was used for... I'd bet it was for noise reduction. I don't think it would have stiffened a spring like you thought since the spring was around it (a indicator of vibration reduction) and it was not glued to the spring. The foam under the keys I'd bet was to reduce noise on bottom-outs. Finally, the foam above the display was likely to prevent the metal piece there from rattling as you type keys by pressing up against the outer case.
excellent video as always. attention to detail. well researched. always in focus, no sloppy camera work, this is professionally made video by a good home content provider. saving the history of digital age we live in. IMO quality educational experience.support this channel if u can.
This is the first time I've seen anybody do repair a calculator...
Thank you so much for dumbing down electronics for us. I am totally mesmerized by the fact humans actually created such things.
Not hand drawn we use to lay the tracks on clear sheeting with a special tape that you probably can't get anymore, and the labels were Letraset.
2:28 "When TI tried to enter the personal computer market a few years later, commodore essentially turned the tables on them."
Well good for commodore....or maybe not. Seeing as TI is still around but commodore isn't around since 1994.....
Ive never seen a chip placed at an angle like that on a pc.
Next time you should try Q-tips dipped in alcohol for cleaning hard to reach places. For especially deep wells you can get extra long ones with a wooden stalk.
Pretty good! I had a fun time learning!
Will you do a video on the Swedish KOMPIS computer from the 80s?
I watched every single video from You.
1:19 Why the personal computer has smaller screen
That foam...wow. "Crusty and rusty...just like my undee-draws! Hyaaaaaa-HAAAAAA!!!" lolz
Other than that, the springs had some of that oh-so-wonderful (not) copper mold. That stuff is crawling with all kinds of nasty.
Seems those key contacts are in need of a bit of flame restoration (though I doubt that you have a capable blow torch). Make them bounce a bit more when pressed in.
+The 8-Bit Guy
Hey David, good job! But when can we get a cool Mac video, I watched your videos from when you were "The iBook Guy".
If so can you contact me as to when or the possibility of a new video?
Thank you for your time,
Marshal
Love how Commodore kicked TIs arse when they wanted to step into the microcomputer market. Once TI got into LSI (1969 ?) they started to sell alarm clocks and calculator chips as single chip solution. Sure they made good money. But they got very upset by CBM making good proffit and not only increased the chip cost ... they simply started their very own calculator bussiness. Tramiel learnt the lesson the hard way fI he wanted to be succesfull at microcomputers, he couldnt not use third party chips anymore. And the bought MOS and of course came with very skillfull designers that made a brilliant work on the 6502 the VIC and SID. The 6502 was 5 times cheaper than the Motorola 6800 and still better. Try to kick TI and outperform Motorolas best seller CPU ? .... only Commdore could do that
In all fairness, TI's home computer division had chronic management issues as well as a string of bad luck with major component delays, FCC reviews, and power supplies. And part of the management problem was the same thing that hamstrung almost every company with an existing computer division: the minicomputer division was VERY profitable(thus influential within the company) and viewed cheap microcomputers as an existential threat and lobbied hard to get them cancelled or crippled. Commodore didn't have this problem, since they didn't HAVE a computer business outside the home market.
But the 99/4a could still dropkick a VIC-20 across the street. The hardware wasn't the problem.
Also, MOS introduced the 6502 before Commodore bought them. So Commodore didn't do that.
Interesting that the PET on the right has a CRT with a slightly wider aspect-ration tha the typical 4:3!