Commodore SX-64 Faults & Fixes
Вставка
- Опубліковано 4 жов 2016
- In this video you can see amateur repairs performed upon the Commodore SX-64 Executive Computer involving the SID, PLA, Graphics Memory, Keyboard Cable, Disc Drive. (CLICK SHOW MORE..)
There's also a bit of entertainment.
Here are some links you might find useful:
C64 SD Card Reader: goo.gl/Elvvwv
SX-64 Computers on ebay: goo.gl/yVvH8A
Replacement Chips & Heatsink Kit (UK): store.retroleum.co.uk/c64-chips
Diagnosis & Repair of the SX-64: www.zimmers.net/commie/docs/sx...
The soldering iron kit I bought Amazon UK amzn.to/2dc6zLj
Short Male to Female 25 Pin Ribbon Cable goo.gl/UwxQlW
Epyx Fast Load Cartridge: goo.gl/1Ssiqz
All three Seasons of Halt & Catch Fire can be seen on Amazon Prime in the UK: amzn.to/2dc900k
FAQs
I anticipate one comment may be suggestions that I could use a C64 emulator instead - and if that's what you want to do, then there's nothing stopping you, go and have some fun. My preference is to use the original hardware, because I'm as interested in the hardware as I am in the software that runs on it.
And pleeeeeeese, no more electronics tips....I read the same ones on all the videos whenever I show a circuit board... desoldering guns, hot air, desoldering wick, desoldering braid, where to cut the legs, the heat of the soldering iron, where to hold the iron, how long to hold it, what type of rosin solder to use, tin the tip, use flux, use flux off, use IPA...etc etc etc etc....I understand you want to help, and thanks for that...but in reality it's all just a bit off-putting. The issue is that I'm just an amateur tinkerer...not an expert..it's just like a dad shouting at a kid playing football (soccer) that he's rubbish at it and they were much better at it than him and he should try curving the ball into the net rather than falling over his own feet all the time. He's not going to get better...he's going to decide he doesn't like football as it's no fun.
So just relax...soldering only takes up 30 seconds of this 25 minute video...just try and enjoy the rest. By the way...the soldering worked out fine anyway.
UPDATE - since 98% of the comments posted are about soldering - it seems like I'm in the minority in not being interested in the subject. Looks like there's a great opportunity here for someone to start a soldering chat website (...but it won't be me).
3D Printed SX-64 Keyboard Cable. - so here's a thing, there is a 3D model for a SX-64 cable on Thingverse...now whilst I don't have a 3D printer, you can click a button to 'order this printed' - so I did...paid the money, and a couple of days later I get a refund with the message 'this design cannot be printed' - so that's the end of that story.
Hey why not use a Gender Changer?...because it doesn't work. I tried one and the pins don't extend far enough to connect with the connectors in the keyboard....I then tried to cut it down and it disintegrated...so No, Gender Changers Don't Work
This video is a month of real time condensed into a few minutes...there's lots of things not in here...a full hour of desoldering...three different cables....waiting for chips in the post, what you see is the stuff worth showing...the boring frustrating unsuccessful dead-ends aren't in the video for reasons of entertainment.
------------SUPPORT--------------
This channel can be supported through Patreon / techmoan
Sometimes Patrons have early access to videos
--------------SUBSCRIBE-----------------
ua-cam.com/users/Techmoan?...
---- OTHER LINKS------
Commodore SX-64 Advertisement: • Commodore SX-64 TV Ad ...
New C64 Games to buy on disc & tape - goo.gl/hxf8kA
The C64 is being re-made (hopefully) more info www.the64.computer
Techmoan Accompanying Blog Entry: www.techmoan.com/blog/2016/10/... - Наука та технологія
These kinds of step-by-step repair videos are some of my absolute favorites. And really, the "amateur" approach is exactly how I go about it things as well, so I enjoy on all counts!
Still really want to find one of these someday, but the prices and often broken nature of them has so far scared me off.
I knew I'd see you here Clint ;)
The broken nature makes them even more fun!
....if you're insane like me >_>
Hi Clint. I'm surprised you don't already have one of these.
Several years ago, I saw an unbelievable offer for an 128 on ebay: A *mint condition* C128, Commodore monitor, printer, and a disk drive all in their original packaging -- all sold for something like a final price of $125. The computer belonged to a church where it had hardly seen any use.
LGR!!!! Hope you review one of these, and maybe it's games in a separate set of video's! You & Techmoan Rock!
"Some things are too important to be left to professionals."
Words to live by
Back when the SX first came out, my local computer store had a demo version of the SX-64. It had a problem where it wouldn't accept any input. So I talked them into selling it to me for half price (I *think* they were asking $600). I figured if nothing else I could send it in under warranty.
Got it home, tried getting an RS-232 ribbon cable to work in place of the keyboard cable... no luck.
I opened up the keyboard... pushed the pins to the keyboard plug back into their sockets... hooked it up, plugged in the cable... and it worked fine. 5 minutes worth of work and I got a new SX-64 still under warranty for like $300.
Most electronics problems are either connection problems or something burned out. The worst ones are intermittent ones where it does not always have the problem. One thing about connectors sometimes adding a little piece of plastic the connection problem can be solved by preventing the pins from sliding back.
Using your brain instead of your pocketbook 👍
remember don't lick everything while stood in a puddle
So thats what im doing wrong. So hard to remember that. : /
Licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets
@@casey6556 Here too now
If you want to improve your soldering quality and make desoldering easier as well, buy some "soldering flux". The best I have found for professional repair is actually manufactured in the UK, it's called "Future HF Rework Jelly" by Warton Metals Limited. It comes in a neat syringe. You can buy the smaller one for your needs. Always put it on before you touch stuff with the iron, it keeps oxide from the solder and helps it flow nicely, also helps keep your soldering iron tip more shiny. Another upgrade would be to get a soldering iron cleaning wire that looks like copper shavings in form of a kitchen scrubber packed in a metal tray.
Trust me. Doing this will bring back the joy to the soldering for you. There won't be any black burned up gunk around anymore, and the solder will flow nicely forming shiny joints.
Yep! That and some Flux-Off to clean up afterwards
Yeah I use that type too, just use the name Flux-Off as a general term, kind of like Brits use Hoover :)
Great video. I have just about every Commodore machine in my collection EXCEPT for the SX-64 and the PET. Also, I agree about Ghosts and Goblins. The game is too hard and so it is not fun. I wish I had the original source code, I would go in and change it up so that it would be about 50% easier, then it would be fun.
just as long as you don't make the game like most games today where they hold your hand all the way through to the end ;)
The 8-Bit Guy hi you are my favourite youtuber
Bah, just go in and edit the code with a assembler-monitor like the Action Replay cartridge, or The Final Cartridge, give yourself a ton of extra lives and go on playing. Action Replay mk VI got automatic unlimited-lives-hacks that work 99% of the times. (sometimes games makers were a bit clever)
I knew i‘d find you here
The 8-Bit Guy - Just pause the game and type "LIST" in order to see the source code.
There's something satisfying about watching the process of someone taking something broken and then slowly fixing it bit by bit until it is back to its original working state.
Late to the party but just wanted to say, even though I've worked in the electronics industry and soldered my fair share of PCBs, there's nothing wrong with your technique and your videos are inspiring. Most moaners wouldn't have the guts to attempt what you cheerfully try (and succeed at). I saw this when it originally came out but it's so good I just rewatched it for the pleasure of seeing you achieve something many 'experts' might balk at even attempting.
Forget the SD and the cart solutions you're thinking of. Get yourself a 1541 Ultimate II+. You will NEVER need another C64 peripheral ever again!
I'm aware of them - and they are in a preorder status.
I'd put your name down ASAP they are very thought after and not really sure how long he guy is going to continue with he project, although I'm high up on he list, I'm happy to offer my 1541 Ultimate II to you if you want when my II+ arrives, it pretty much does the same thing really. I won't be asking much for it tbh.
Let me know and il send you an e-mail or whatever. It will definitely breathe new life into your 64's and alot more advanced than the current. SD solution (though you probably already know this).
Great video BTW. (:
It's OK - I ordered the II+ myself and am looking forward to getting it to run some demos.
Great stuff, you won't regret it. I hope to get my white one soon, got one of them tiny SanDisk dongles for it waiting.
I know that people had issues in the past with the Ultimate II on some SX64 models, don´t know if this was fixed later with different firmware versions and maybe it is not an issue anymore with the new II+.
This was fun to watch. You put a lot of effort to get these machines working, great job.
Yes, but only with a C64 port of Java. And 1FPY.
How cool is it that we can take these old things apart and tinker with them! I wonder, will people be tinkering with old iPads 25 years from now?
Its part of our dna!
PSPs and DSs for sure will be
People already are, including myself
I had a go at hacking my old Kindle WiFi. It uses some stupidly over-complex SoC though, and my health was even worse then. I'm looking at getting something a bit easier to hack; a PinePhone or something.
Very nicely done. I wonder if SX prices have risen since this video as people have a stab at fixing their machines or buy partially broken ones. I know I feel inspired to have a stab at a few repairs myself.
After this video came out, Commodore SX keyboard cables suddenly became available everywhere.
@@Landrew0 Indeed
Sadly ALL prices on vintage consoles is soaring thru the roof also due to fanboys making a vintage console the "must have" and driving prices up. Commodore has always been a better bargain than an Atari 800 or Apple IIe or the often hated Coleco Adam. But get them soon, they will go up as well. Especially boxed games and decent machines.
I have 2 old c64's with all kinds of accessories. Thinking about smashing them just for fanboy nerdbro tears🤣
16:45 "So I cleaned up the existing grease with India pale ale."
The best cleaning solution no doubt
i thought that
Maybe. If you use something that's mostly alcohol (95% isopropyl is really best here, but in a pinch a strong alcoholic beverage (like 151 proof rum) should also work.
I'd avoid low-proof items or anything that has a color to it. Water and impurities aren't a good thing to add to your electronics.
Dec
So I cleaned up the existing grease with (the) International Phonetic Alphabet,.
Excellent video! You deserve a program on discovery channel, some kind of "wheeler dealers" but for this stuff
That was exactly the type of vibe I was trying to get across. A lot of people enjoy watching others fixing up things...I know I do.
Honestly, you're way better in this format than anything I've seen on
network TV in a long, long time. It's so nice for those of us who either
can't afford or don't care for TV with this kind of content.
You achieved your aim, and made yet another excellent video. I am glad that you are not deterred by the naysayers and know-it-alls; I for one really enjoy your videos, and looking at the comments here it is clear that I am not alone. Thank you.
TV is a dying format. The internet is the future of video distribution.
Unplug the power✔
Some components can store electricity ✔✔
Do not lick everything whilst standing in a puddle ✖
WHAT HAVE I DONE!
Hi love your channel and have my own whereby I use CAD and make stuff. I'd be happy to design an authentic Commodore type plug housing in an L shape like the original one and 3D print this for you and post it to you if you ever do a revisited episode on this computer.
Like an adapter piece that allows to use a standard DB-25 cable?
this is a excellent idea,i am surprised no ones managed it yet!
Don't bash yourself! Double sided PCB's with plated-through holes are tough to desolder from without special equipment, like a desoldering gun. You did just fine, make sure to clean up the residue with some alcohol and you'll be all set :)
Little tip for you - try to snip the leads closer to the chip, that way it'll be easier to grab the remaining piece with tweezers and wiggle it out.
I'd swop steps 2 and 3 with each other - it's far easier to suck the hole clean once the legs are out. Then you can put the board in a vice vertical, apply the soldering iron to one side and the sucker to the other side to get every hole clear in one go.
definitely agree also - I've wrecked through-plated boards before. Switched to an electric desoldering pump and the next through-plated job was successful. Double sided boards aren't fun.
yes, desoldering plated-through boards can be messy and difficult like this. I have had some success with blowing the solder out with compressed air, in a situation where I wanted to save the IC. leaves a big mess but cleans up nicely because the solder doesn't really stick to anything
No need to make a drama out of it. The steps are:-
1 - get a pair of nippers with very tiny jaws
2 - crop the leads off right next to the IC body
3 - hook the soldering iron under the angled part of each leg and whip it out of the board
4 - put the board in a vice facing vertical
5 - use the solder sucker on one side of each hole and the soldering iron on the other side of that hole
6 - when the solder melts activate the sucker to clean out the hole perfectly
This method works 100% of the time perfectly. How do I know? 30 years in the industry.
Same can be done in step 3 using a pair of cutters or needle nosed pliers pulling on the lead while heating it form the other side. Fresh solder may have to be added to add flux and help soften older solder. Again, over 40 years doing this sort of thing. Started with 19 inch rack mini-computers.
Desoldering a DIP with such a solder sucker is a nightmare indeed. You need solder wick / braid whatever that is actually called, or a desoldering gun AND some practice with those :P. If you'd clean away the flux with some IPA that wouldn't look so bad at all though.
Liquid flux is also a life saver.
I agree with this. Wick is much easier.
It's not a nightmare but it's a pain in the ass, now, desoldering a DIP in a double sided PCB with a solder sucker *IS* a nightmare.
Solder wick will not help you at all if there's solder on both sides of the board lol.
If I were him, I would have soldered on a DIP socket after unsoldering the old DIP so if the VRAM goes bad again, it won't be such a nightmare.
+MaximRecoil It's also expensive. $535 for a soldering station is just a little out of reach for an average consumer, and don't try to tell me it isn't.
"The keyboard cable, the worlds rarest cable."
Nah, I think that award goes to the official Gamecube RGB cable.
This
no! the worlds rarest cable is the laser pc6 video cable (currently none are known to exist)
I have 2 of them
@@TheRainblossoms Can I have one?
@@TheRainblossoms I’ll pay you 30 bucks.
As a kid who owned a C-64 and 1541 by virtue of 2 years hard lawn mowing, babysitting and bottle collecting, the one thing I wanted more then my C64 was a SX-64 that I could haul around with me, plunk onto a library desk and amaze the shit out of every other little nerd around. ;-) So even today all these years later I am jealous as all hell of you. Congrats on scoring TWO of these babies, and double congrats on fixing them both up to be perfectly operating machines as well. Now all you need is an old 300 baud modem and you can connect that old Flintstone-car to the Information Superhighway! :-)
Lovely machines I must try and get one!
Good memories of those demo screens at 20:21 from the days of downloading games off BBS's. I remember when COMB Liquidators in the USA were selling the SX-64 in Compute and Ahoy magazine in the mid-late 80's. I always wanted one but even their discounted prices were too high for a poor college student then. Thanks for another great video and get well!
Love the look of this little classic computer, the 'steel' finish and blue trim still looks fantastic, kinda wanna see if I can imitate it in my own projects
Small tip for desoldering - make sure the tip of your iron is tinned first! I spent weeks trying to desolder some caps off a board before, taking 2 hours just to get one pin out, decided to buy a new iron since mine must have been faulty and the guide that came with it said to tin it first, did that (which is harder than it sounds, you need to heat the iron just a little bit for the solder to melt and stick to the tip, too hot and it'll just fall right off) and then managed to desolder the other 6 caps in less than an hour, SO much easier! I'm not really sure if yours was tinned in the video or not, but still gonna put this out there in case someone else sees it.
6:34 Techmoan is the kind of guy who buys top dollar insulated electrician screwdrivers to use twice a year on his old computers😝
5:50 "Spot the dead wasp"
Found It.
Can't miss it LOL.
Found it before it was mentioned. Its above the SX-64 lettering.
Here's the first computer bug ever found, September 9, 1947.
It was a moth.
www.computerhistory.org/tdih/september/9/
@@xbox360e9 I found it before he posted the video.
"Spot" is a stupid name for a wasp, dead or otherwise.
I absolutely love seeing you repair these old tech things with what seems to be simple mechanical solutions. It makes me believe that I can also fix these things when they go wonky.
These are some of my favorite videos. I wish I was nearly as good as you are at fixing things. You inspire me to mess around with something when it breaks rather than just buying a new one. It's horribly frustrating though because I scarcely have success. Especially on this scale. It's cathartic to live vicariously through videos like this though.
I love the puppits, particularly when the dad comes in and he gets a round of applause!
I'm almost certain we were not watching the same video....No, I am completely certain.
Okay never mind, I hadn't watched the last part of the video after he signed off.
Hey Techmoan, love your videos and keep up the good work. just a minor observation: there are a lot of people who don't have a clue about fixing electronics (including me) but don't realise that electronic components such as capacitors store electricity ( I do know that - now, after a near death experience with a capacitor). So warning them (us) about that is a good thing to do. Its essential not condescending. I'll stop being a jobsworth and hope you continue making these brilliant videos.
Great video. The SX-64 was an obscure beast even 25 years ago when the C=64 was still being sold and still had games published for it. Good to see you've kept two of them going to be enjoyed and cherished.
They were a proper weird machine. One of Commodore's many machines where they just made a whole bunch of things just for the hell of it with scant regard for any budget or if it was actually going to sell. One of my personal faves was the Commodore 128, that cost as much as the Amiga to make when at the time they made the machine they should've been giving the big push for 16 bit computing and leaving 8 bit alone.
The Plus 4, the Amiga 600, the CDTV ...
I bought my SX-64 new in high school and still have it. I’ve replaced the SID chip but was searching for fixes to the screen and keyboard problems. Thank you for posting this video! Top work!
3:10 "Or Storage." Hell yea, finally a PC with a space to store some candy!
Hmm.. I could probably do those keyboard cables with ribbon cable and connectors, finished off with a 3d printed housing. I wonder if there would be a lot of people wanting to buy them.
Ask on a C64 forum - I'm sure you'd get some buyers (I'd have one).
Yeah, I just ran the calculations and it would be easily doable
Well make one up - and contact me via the contact page on Techmoan.com and we can sort something out.
I was also thinking that someone should easily be able to 3D print a housing for the cable, you could be on to a little earner along with being the saviour of SX64 owners. I could probably have a go myself but frankly I have too many ongoing projects already...
Any SX-64 owners! Please go answer my poll, trying to gauge interest! www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=62127
I have an important comment to post:
You allways says Thanks for Watching, but we never say Thanks for bringing us a new computer with the amount of money it takes and the price of every part you replace on each machine... Thanks so much for everything
Thanks, as always for championing amateurs who are prepared to have a go. In a world where no one is prepared to fix anything, probably because they are warned about it being too dangerous etc., it is refreshing to see such a practical fellow having a go. Keep it up!
Wow great video! I love it when someone who is not an expert tries and succeeds to fix electronics! Awesome job!
All it needs is a willingness to accept that failure is a very real and likely outcome.
Hi dad, did you know this video was rubbish?
Dude, your channel over the past year has grown so much. I love how many videos you are putting out now and the high quality content. Big thumbs up!
Id prefer you didnt speak to my father in such a way.
I'm so mad at myself - when I was in college, I found one of these at a local thrift store for about $50. I didn't buy it because $50 was like $49 more than I had. Now they're super expensive.
Just re-watching some of your back catalog and I came across this jewel. You have done some very fine Sir. My compliments. I miss all of my old computers. Thanks again.
This is a gem of a channel. It always helps me relax during lunch or after a long day of work.
Linus would be lost here ...;-p
Linus would have water cooled the PLA and sound chips.
Dropped it, more like
lol
Which Linus are we talking about?
linus tech tips...;-p
No Linus would have used these to balance something really expensive and fragile on haha
do not lick everything whilst stood in a puddle Xd
but does can mean we can lick some things?
Adam Porter I love to lick the flyback transformer of my CRT.
I lick most everything whilst stood in a puddle - but that's just me I guess...
Don't eat that yellow snow.
I admire your persistence when repairing these old units.
Two beautiful machines! I'd love to get my hands on one of those some day.
as per computerphile, we should refer to 110v 60hz US power mains as "Freedom Voltage".
4:10 the world's rarest cable
Have you checked the prices on component cables for the GameCube?
As somebody who used to repair the Commodore line of computers back in the nineties, I am impressed with what you have accomplished in bringing those two back to functionality.
Thanks for posting the video and the links to repair parts.
I miss my Commodore SX-64. My brother and I saved a lot of money to finally purchase one. We typed in countless progress from the back of the Compute Gazette magazine. My mom, who now owns more computers than me, didn't see the need for all those computers back then!
Desoldering tips:
1. Use flux. When you 'add solder' all you are really doing is adding flux to wet the joint again. But you are boiling it away at the same time. Get no-clean solder flux.
2. When de-soldering a chip with a lot of pins, cut a piece of solder braid the length of the pins, tack it to both end pins, add some flux to the braid and then gob it with solder. This spreads the heat of the iron and de-solders all pins at the same time. (Alternatively, you can get special spatula tips for your iron if it has enough wattage.)
No. 2 is if you do not want to cut the pins or damage the removed chip. This is especially important with rare chips like those in the C64, certainly if you are not sure this is your problem. If you want to do a hack-job, you can just cut the pins and solder your new chip to the old pins. I've even seen crazy 'pro-jobs' where they leave the bad chip in place, cut the power and ground pins and move them away from the chip. Then they solder the new chip on top of the bad one and solder the separated power pins to the new chip. Don't be surprised to open up a SX-64 or C64 and find something like that even from the factory!
Overall: What you don't want it to apply too much heat for too long. This is what will damage traces and pads or even separate the plated through holes in multilayer boards. The second problem is temperature sensitive chips or chips that have moisture in them from improper storage. Applying too much heat for too long damages the bonding in those chips and in the case of water-logged parts, the water inside can rapidly boil and even pop the cap off the chip! Solution: Use heatsink tools and kapton tape to focus the heat where you need it and draw it away from where you do not.
Clint at LGR will be jealous. Hehe :)
Quite fascinating to see these older systems in detail as well as some basic repairs.
I've been willing to get one of those for some time now, but never had the courage... until now. You inspired me. I've enjoyed every minute of your video. Great job. Thanks.
OHHH MI GUD you didn't wear an antistatic strap, you probably blew up both the computers in a fiery explosive explosion!
Anyway, nice job and good informative video.
Even pros have a hard time desoldering things manually... hence some genius invented desoldering stations
For anyone else who might care, Flux-Off (or any generic brand) will remove the brown junk left behind after these jobs
Edit: As for the addendum to the description, I think some of us post advice
forgetting that you have over 300,000 others here who probably also have
shared it. You're not bad at it though, seeing as it worked
Great Video,I cant get on with those De-solder pumps i use De-Soldering Braid you might want to try that ;)
Don't think there is a right or a wrong way its just whatever method works for you ;)
Funny that, I generally use a combination of both, but I don't really get on with the braid alone. Poor technique I expect.
This was a very satisfying video. I'm repairing a vintage CB radio at the moment and having the same "fun" with soldering.
LOVED my SX-64! Had a buddy solder a modem inside the case, connected to the cart port.
Should've called this one "Commodore SX-64 Faults & Fixes Feat. Vintage Dead Wasp"
Eww a dead wasp!!!
Pro tip. Clip the old chip legs flush to the chip body, not flush to the pcb, then tin the leg, and heat from the back while pulling the chip leg from the chip side of the board with tweezers.
Once the leg is removed, use the solder sucker to remove any remaining solder,and solder wick to clean up. Work quickly, don't use too much heat or you will destroy the tracks.
Then clean the board with isopropanol. Next.... fit a socket, then put the 2114 in the socket. Finally. Clean the board with isopropanon again.
With practice you wont be able to tell that any work has been done.
You missed the greatest computer from the 80's. Even though my dad passed away last year, i still thank him now and then for buying one for our family.
My brother had one of these. It was STUNNINGLY ahead of its time.
20:30 Same situation as now (May 2020), just with a different cause.
I was just about to say the same thing
Hey, thanks to you i am bidding on a SX64 on ebay right now. It works, but has a non-resposnive keyboard. It comes with TWO cables, it's a NTSC Unit of course. What courses of action would you take for repairing the keyboard, assuming i get it, right now i am the highest bidder. If i win it, i'll send you the spare cable free of charge from the USA.
There are quite a few guides to repairing the conductive matrix on the keyboard...it seems to be a point of failure....basically you very carefully take it apart and clean a few contacts...however if this one is totally unresponsive (not just a few dodgy keys) it could well be the PLA issue I had. There are a few useful links in the video description text box...the zimmers text document is easy to ignore because they are no pretty pictures, but if you take the time to read it, it has the best information.
Thank you for getting back to me, love your videos.
It was nice to read a comment that wasn't about desoldering.
I'll order the PLA and Heat Sinks for mine when i win it, cannot hurt to have them on hand to fix it up. Thank you for the advice and the links. Keep up the good work.
Ok, but remember that you'll need the right PLA, there are a couple of revisions, so perhaps best to get the machine first, open it up and note the text info on the chip.
Love it! Thanks SO much for this excellent video! We have two SX-64s
in storage and don't even know if they're working or not, but now I know we can get them running if they have any problems.
Nice video. Very natural and relaxing commentary.
The grandfather to the Amiga 500.
More like the older cousin...
I find desoldering easiest with some desoldering braid, always works better than a pump for me. For the keyboard cable, sounds like an ideal job for someone with a 3d printer to do the strangely shaped plugs, which a standard parallel port could fit into. Perhaps if you can publish the dimensions of the plugs someone would be able to put together a file and load it to Thingiverse or something. Nice review of these old machines, they remind me of the Compaq luggable PC I used to carry around for work sometime ago.
This. Desolder tape or braid works wonders. You could have had that chip off perfectly cleanly in just a minute or two.
Loved this vid! It's good to see others adventures in repairing old systems. If I can make a few suggestions....
Desoldering is a pain but with some (small) additions to the toolkit and of course, a bit practice, it goes much easier. If you haven't already, grab the following...
Fibre glass pencil
Liquid flux (marker pen style)
Jelly flux (a small tub will last a few lifetimes :D )
Desoldering iron
Desoldering braid
I would say these are a must and can turn a headache of a job into a pleasure. :) The desoldering iron isn't really needed but if you aren't removing components often enough for it to feel like an easy job then it's a great thing to have in your kit. You no doubt noticed with then desoldering pump is released it causes a jolt and can be a pain to keep everything in place. A desoldering iron is the pump and iron in one. It still has that same spring jolt but with it just being the one device you can easily apply a touch of pressure on the component leg, holding the iron perpendicular to the pcb to get a clean extraction almost every time. If you get really into it, a vacuum pump desolder station is the way to go :p
When putting a component in, clean the board and new chip with the isopropryl, then use the fibre glass pencil, that will take off that microscopic film that gathers on contacts over the years. Just a light brush with the pencil is enough. The pencil is great for prepping the legs of a chip too. Then use the liquid flux and draw a line over the contacts and brush the chip legs. The new solder will effortlessly jump onto the contacts and the legs, providing they are clean and have that thin layer of flux.
Honestly, your repair of the RAM chip wasn't bad. You should see some of the repairs I've had in, where it looks like people tried to remove a chip with an arc welder lol. I've spent many afternoons relaying traces on boards after they've been melted off. A small cleanup is all that's needed on your board. That's where the jelly flux comes in handy. It's thicker, stays in place and takes longer to burn off than the liquid flux and what's in the solder. You'll find the solder will become dry, almost a grainy consistency and you'll start fighting with it. Place a small blob of jelly flux over the contacts, then retouch the contacts with your iron, the flux will allow the solder to stay in a liquid state while you are working on it. Running the iron tip from the base of the chip leg to the tip (inside the now liquified flux) will give you that perfect cone shape. If the solder becomes a ball on the contact, you have too much solder on there, take the braid, remove it and reapply new solder. Never let frustration get the better of you when something isn't playing ball. That leads to the dark side. :D
Isopropryl is the nemesis of solder flux, cotton buds and some Iso will take the excess 'mess' off leaving you a nice shiny repair. :)
The last thing I can think of is the iron itself. I now use a temperature controlled iron and hot air rework station but I always keep my normal irons on stand by. I've seen a lot of people using irons that are a bit too much for the job they are doing. For small jobs, like your RAM repair, I would use a 12w iron. The 12w to 15w range is more than enough for chips like this. The lower wattage give you more time to work too. It takes longer for the heat to transfer through the component/board. You would only run into issues when soldering to a ground or power plane. I would use a 25w to 30w for that (max of 50w for the bigger chunky stuff). So all in all, two irons. I only mention that because I had them in my kit when I was doing doing work like you are doing here and it made a huge difference having them. Headaches to pleasure. :)
I hope some of that is useful. Thanks for the great vid and well done on getting those machines running! If you have any more adventures with old systems, make sure to post them! :)
I admire your perseverance. I know folks who CAN de-solder and would have placed this back on the shelf for another -day- decade.
Almost orgasmic to hear 'sol'der' for solder instead of 'sodder'.
when a laptop was a big hunky chunky thing
Were you going to complete that sentence?
yeah I'm sorry stupid autocorrect on my tablet I'm not feeling well today
Oh haha sorry
It wasn't really a laptop. The point of a laptop is that it can be put on your lap. Good luck doing that with an SX-64!
yes technically you can't label this as a laptop but it was the laptop for its time
You're uploads are just fantastic, really enjoy listening to you and watching out for repair tips. You should be in teaching!
Great video, you've inspired me to dig out my old C64 and getting it working. I loved playing Nebulous on it as a child. A great platformer, well worth trying out.
5:48 I think that machine still has a few bugs :P
Desolder braid instead of sucker?
Awesome that you made these two working again! Thanks for sharing!
this was a fantastic video! Loved to see you troubleshoot those two machines and get them working again!
What about the wasp? Did you repair it as well?
it was removed during the debugging process.
OK, I'll bite: what watch is that?
An HP-01. There's one on ebay right now for $1200 if you want one :)
LeiserGeist what does it do to warrant a £1200 mark? Or is it just a collectible?
Thanks guys - I hope Mat does a video on it soon!
He has deliberately displayed watches in vids before now to tease us.
I'm by no means a watch collector, but I am a major vintage HP fan - mostly their computers and calculator-computers though
The Pulsar looks nice, but if I had a choice between that and the HP-01 I'd choose the latter...but clearly I'm biased given my previous statement :)
had a lot of fun with the 64. i liked that i could go to the corner store pick up magazine with programs i could manually type and code my own programs
I had an SX64 gifted to me 20 years ago, because it wasn't working, and because I lived on a 64. This video has given me a lot more incentive to get it fixed. Thanks.
Endings are funny, but you know you are just feeding the trolls right?
did anyone here had Amstad CPC6128?
I was born in 1973 in Belgium, and followed the same path ; my father bought me a Spectrum 48K in 1984 (I had the time of my early geek life with it), then an Atari 1040 ST in 1987, then a DOS PC in 1993. And recently (2010ish) I did the same as you : as I could now afford them, I bought all the computers I hadn’t had the chance to own back in the days : a C64, a Sinclair QL (I really wanted one of these during my early teens), and an Amiga 1200.
I started off with a VIC20, but the C64 was my favorite childhood computer. Great vid!
Glad it wasn't a full wasp infestation.
oh the horrors
seriously, i want to sleep tonight
I once fixed a wii that was full of roaches. Granted, they were dead, but that was a fun day at work.
if you live in the Southern US, those damned things invade your electronics. it doens't matter how clean your house is. They're in there, waiting to short out your stuff. You cannot have anything with food in it taht doesn't also have an airtight seal. I hate them, I hate them so so much.
Wasps? Where?
That cracked me up. My inner question was, why on earth would there be a dead wasp to begin with? :P
hey clint could you do a console review of the colecovision?
Another great video, it makes me want that old Tech. I was struggling with a TRS-80 III during the years those 64's were released.
Another great watch and full marks for getting those machines working which must be quite satisfying. Splendid bonus Moanpet action too :)
7:19 Aww...I wanted to wear my Wellingtons whilst I licked everything and standing in a puddle, after having had a shower...
Oi, less of the "if your parents were a bit well off", I bought my own BBC B, great little PC I learned to program in basic on it.
Jon Scot yea well that would obviously depend on your age when it came out! If you where 10 you couldn't buy your own could you??
Jon Scot Weren't BBC micros the really posh expensive computers that had a million different inputs and outputs and so only the well off would really bother? Hence why Acorn made a cheaper version of it, to compete with all the higher selling computers like the speccy. Talking about at the time, of course. Years and years after the BBC came out then yeah you could probably pick one up cheap. That's not what he was talking about though
The BBC B micro cost £399 in 1982.
Your videos are so addictive and amusing. Thank you
These videos are getting addictive. Must get back to my little projects.
Enjoyed this one but its all obsolete ... great video though... :) but too much effort.
It's not obsolete if you use it.
Techmoan thats right sir !! but i mean.. ok, please do one thing, connect it to a monitor, we wana see how it looks like on it? please
Just search for Top C64 games on youtube - they're are hundreds of videos showing the games.
Techmoan great old times :) seriously !!
I love seeing things get fixed up and not tossed in the garbage because "Too much effort" Glad to see two Commodore Machines live on :)
My masters degree candidate girlfriend would lug one of these home from the lab back in the late '80's.
So glad to see you have Mayhem In Monsterland! A truly great game and the swan song of the C64. A friend had an SX-64 in about 1990 and I remember the pain of carting it between our houses.
Operation? Woah dude, get well soon! Thanks for sharing these two beauties with us. That's months on months of gaming goodness right there!
dead wasp... definently been sitting on someones shaby attic for a few years
Computer caught a buzz....
XD Of course you had fix the U.S. one by "banging it"!
Skavossis 'MURICA!
Percussive Maintenance
Nah it was part of a deal with musicians, see the 64 was ment for drummers, they have to hit it to keep the rest of the pc in tempo
Good job Fonzy
Excellent video. I'm amazed how easy they are to fix. It was great to see two working side by side. I didn't know the caps lock was non-latching, with a light. I really want one.
Keyboard cable: Trim end, and change other connector gender - Sorted
Love your videos! Excellent production, and always show everything i want to know!