Commodore PET Repair and Restore
Vložit
- čas přidán 28. 08. 2017
- Support this channel on Patreon
/ 8bitguy1
Visit my website:
www.the8bitguy.com
In this episode I take a look at this late 1970s era Commodore PET and repair the keyboard, brighten up the CRT, and generally clean it up.
1: Hey I just got a pet!
2: Wow! What is it? A dog? A cat?
1: No, it's a commodore
2: *barfs out a dinner*
Heh heh
XD
GOOD ONE
1: *sniffs around*
Can definitely confirm from my 8032 that the finish is deceptively hard to get clean, but man is it worth the elbow grease for such a wonderful-looking computer. Great that you were able to get it working to this degree in one episode!
I was wondering about your PET and if it was of the metal or plastic case.
Nayab Warach a dog / cat (/any pet that LGR has) washing video wouldnt be too interesting (it was just a joke i would like to see CBM pet cleaning guide/video)
Most of mine is sheetmetal, but the CRT housing is plastic I believe.
i want to see him give his cat a bath
I believe the command you found was for initialising the HSG (High Speed Graphics)
Man that theme music is so catchy i would watch these videos just to hear it.
Yes!! I feel the same way :)
I know this comment is two years later, but hopefully you’ll see this. A lot of his music comes from Anders Enger Jensen. Look him up on Spotify! :D
Same, sort of.
@@claytech thanks just saw this, I will do!
I skip most intros, but I cant get myself to skip his.
A couple minutes in and i spotted a teddy ruxpin! Mine was terrifying, when you put the tape in it would just make a high pitch screaming sound.
I think yours was broken slightly
Pikgears or it could be possessed
Maybe you’re possessed and the teddy is normal. 🙂
Maybe you don't exist
Ugh, the PET is such a beautiful machine.
agree
It is done so well
I wish computers still looked like that.
twistedyogert
Business.
Numbers.
Money.
People.
Tell me if you get it.
Dam right
This is one of those videos where I wish it was twice as long! Just getting good and then it was over.
yeah thats true
I'm enjoying the video and all of a sudden it's over.
TheGeekPub youre a fucking nerd
Feeling the same
Ybalrid im a fucking nerd too
The PET was my introduction to computers. I was 16 and my highschool math teacher ran a computer hobbiest group for students and had 2 of them in the basement of the school. I was hooked and I have a great career in software development. Great to see one of these given some restoration love.
thank you for making videos like this one with no advertisements for 14 minutes!
He probably didnt choose no adverts himself.
2:26 wow! was not ready for that case to open like that!
Same
Especially with the heavy CRT above it. That's like popping the hood on a car only to have the entire engine be attached to the underside of the hood.
Whenever he uploads it's like Christmas to me!
i always see you in the comments... so Hello!
Yeah, same! Hello!
It's not to me
me too also has anyone seen me or Victor Tran in the comments before
stop sucking up to this guy you incalculable loser.
One of the most beautiful retro computers.
Just found this channel. The time and attention you've taken to produce these videos is amazing. You can really tell how much thought and attention to detail that was given to clearly explain and visualize the topic to the user. This was definitely clear and enjoyable to watch. Please keep producing these. You're doing it exactly right. Thank you for these!
welcome to the channel. enjoying it?
The ROM is BASIC Programmers Toolkit from Palo Alto ICs, full instructions available here:
archive.org/stream/The_Basic_Programmers_Toolkit_for_PET/The_Basic_Programmers_Toolkit_for_PET_djvu.txt
I also found this www.6502.org/users/sjgray/computer/hsg/index.html seems it's used to do more
It's always fun to watch your progress and steps on how to trace down a problem. And great to see how it cleaned up from when I visited you earlier this summer. Looking forward to the rest! :D
Hello Anders Jensen, I am 8-bit guys best fan. The music you do for his channel is really good!
I love your music a lot. I am glad you and The 8-Bit Guy are working together. :)
Er gammel nok til å være gammel uten å ha peiling på noe med 8 bit å gjøre.
Har ingen interesse av 8 bit eller noe av det han holder på med.
Er her kun for prosessen, veldig merkelig fenomen.
Var morro å se deg i de episodene fra tidligere ;)
when will a new 8 bit guy album be released?
oaaserud's message English translation:
Being old enough to be old without looking at something with 8 bit to do.
Has no interest of 8 bit or any of his things.
Is here only for the process, very strange phenomenon.
Feel good to see you in those episodes from before
(from google translate)
like this comment if this saved you a translation
I remember first learning to program in BASIC on a PET at school. Cool to see one again.
This is brilliant! Fixing each individual plunger like that is just awesome. This is serious, museum-type restoration work. Good job!
i love your new intro. seriously.
Ludo Thorn I could live and die to that intro, it's like an angel had a baby... maybe a bit far but you get what I mean!
It's like an angel baby, tucked in a cocoon of cloud candy.
BTW, there is nothing more satisfying, than a commodore remapped character set pre-displayed as garbage and defined in real-time as the bits are loaded from tape or disk. I have seen many VIC-20 games do this, and it is quite fun to watch. You can create all kinds of effects using various 'fill routines' before hand as well.
Liberals are RACIST they are pro racial INEQUALITY
WHAT? What's so bad about the song? It's happy and bouncy just like the original Mario theme on the nes, this song suits the theme of the channel very well.
Ludo Thorn me too
Ooh! New 8-Bit Guy video! PET restoration time.
Your video style is very laid-back and accessible. I like the fact that you always try to educate us a bit on these old computers and how they work. I always enjoy watching! Thank you.
Really love these repair videos. This is a fine example of great CZcams content. Kudos, David.
It might be a good idea to recap that PET too whilst you are there. There are some pretty crusty unreliable capacitors in those systems and bad caps could end up in dead logic.
ungratefulmetalpansy I'm pretty sure that big green capacitor is an electrolytic filter capacitor for the power supply...which CAN go bad. But they are still much more reliable than older paper and wax capacitors that were used in antique electronics like tube radios. I think capacitors from the early 1980's, like that one probably is, should be fine.
I have large electrolytic caps (3300uF 25V, 2200uF, 63V) from the 80s and 90s and they still measure perfectly fine on my ESR/capacitance meter. They are physically much larger than modern equivalents of the same values/voltage. Old stuff was just built better.
There are quality differences, and I can tell you, the PET has good quality caps. The VIC on the other hand, and its nephew, the c64 do get these cap issues on the radial style caps below the fuse. They _will_ die, and bring your computer with it. PETs are just plain bulletproof. There are no bad chips on them or parts, (excepting the original 6550 memories, which are completely terrible), so there is no cause for worry on the old buggies. Most chips don't even get warm, and the machine as _ample_ room to breath and stay nice and cool.
+ungratefulmetalpansy Yes, I totally get that point! It does get annoying when people always jump in suggesting cap changes when it's not always called for. The point I would make here is just because it works does not mean all of the capacitors are good. Any bad smoothing caps result in ripple and possible spikes that can kill some of the chips at a point in future. Whilst the caps in these might be some of the more reliable, they should at least be tested and the power lines checked for ripple. The simple comparison is changing engine oil as a preventative to engine damage, capacitors in something this old don't last forever and their quality and tolerances weren't great from new!
+Simon Tay The key there is you tested them! =D. I guess that's the point, check them and don't assume they are OK.
the soundtrack in this video was beautiful
Shit I'm here worrying about my house flooding, but that still won't stop me from watching the 8-bit guy.
Great again! Looking at the restoration process gives a lot of new insights in the chemicals, physiscs, electronics and computers, of course.
Interesting and educational!
I love these videos, it reminds me why I became so interested in technology and programming. Thanks for making me relive the nostalgia.
These videos are SO good. I can't imagine having the patience to troubleshoot/fault find all these things, let alone brilliantly and informatively film/explain all the steps as you do them. Thanks for entertaining us!
I'm always amazed how patient and meticulous you are when restoring your computers. Beautiful work !
I love when you discover something new in the process of restoration that you either didn't know or thought interesting. I also appreciate the troubleshooting process as it really helps my processes in my projects!
We had the Pet in high school. Fun times after school.
It's always a good day when there is a new 8-Bit Guy video!
whoever added subtitles to this is a godsend! thank you stranger!
Thank you Mr. 8-bit for making these videos.
I love watching these videos. And it get me inspired. So today I'm really doing it.
I'm going to the shop and buy me a shelf, so I can organize the mess on my work tables.
I could not stop laughing when you "popped the hood" and brought out the support rod
Not going to lie, I wish modern cases were as easy to crack open as that PET, as opposed to manufacturers focussing designers on making their cases look more like they were designed by someone who drew a few too many Gargoyles-style "S" characters in their textbooks. x_X
Most are. Unless you're getting an Alienware or other "gamer" brand with weird-ass case designs, it's usually as simple as twisting off a couple screws on the back and sliding the left panel off. Sometimes there aren't even screws, just a push-tab. Mine even uses slide-tabs to hold the disk drives in place instead of screws, so I've never even had to take the right panel off, but I realize that's not common.
i love seeing your knowledge and problem solving skills work together to fix these bits of old tech! its truly inspired me to get into the electronics/tech hobby myself, and although im only at the very beginning (learning how electricity even works through electrons, voltages, current, etc), i truly hope to be able to really understand everything you have going on here in these videos to a better degree! someday i hope to watch one of these and be able to guess myself what the next problem to troubleshoot will be!
I love all those little tips and tutorials about diagnosing electronics and hardware. I was playing around with led matrices lately, so nothing new for me today, but I'm sure someone will find it very helpful.
The BASIC 4.0 sticker you found likely was a version of MS BASIC which was bundled for the computer. BAck then, BASIC on some machines came in the form of a ROM chip, rather than on actually floppy disk. That piece of paper likely just identifies the version of BASIC and where the ROM is on the board, which I think you probably found out later.
Mmmm conductive screwdriver in the back of a crt... you can buy non conductive precision screwdrivers for that purpose
b o o m .
@@WetDogSquad If you discharging the cap sure, When adjusting anything HV, HA you should use non conductive adjustment screwdrivers, some of those adjustment pots on older stuff see some fairly unfun voltages and amperages
I've been binging on your back catalogue and finding your vids immensely satisfying and most instructive. Thank you so much!
I am just amazed at the amount of time dedicated to realize these restoration projects.
I don't know about anybody else but I definitely can tell a difference between the clean half and the dirty half on the Commodore PET Repair
Dude, your videos are the best! Keep up the good work!
I love seeing the PET love. I haven’t done anything with my vintage computers in years, but my PET 4032 was my first computer ever. I’m not sure I’ll ever get rid of it.
As always, I have enjoyed your restoration video! It's so satisfying to see something get some TLC to breathe some new life into it.
Okay, gonna get some work done tonight.
[8-Bit Guy posted 8 minutes ago]
Okay, gonna get some work done in 15 minutes.
Then in another 15min and another....
One hour later and you still haven't done any/much work.
I just can't believe it that you don't have more subs.
This content is so great, you'd honestly expect that you have over 1 million subs.
Keep up the great work!
I'm from the future and David now has over a million subs!
Always a pleasure to watch you in action!
The local public library in my town when I was a kid in the 1980s had this exact model PET. I used to sit there for hours typing in simple BASIC programs. Sometimes I'd type in longer programs from books, which often didn't work because they were for the Commodore 64.
I can certainly see the baking soda work. Camera is 100% showing the dirt and removal!
The Commodore PET is a great house animal to have!
Ok I will leave now
*opens door and walks out*
IM BEAUTIFUL No! Come back!
Fantastic video, David! Your computer restoration videos are the best. I admire your persistence in getting the computer plastic to look factory-new. And I can't wait to see you in the Commodore Story documentary this December.
-Just wanted to take this chance to say that I love both your channels. Been a follower for a couple years or so. Love how you explain everything. Keep up the great work!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's actually the computer that Satoru Iwata started programming on. Well, not the exact computer, but the same model I mean.
Yeah, the PET is more or less the reason we have modern Nintendo
@Fernan Schouffoer He died in 2015...but it wasn't from a flood. It was from bile duct cancer.
10:17 this is the content i'm subscribed for
I super enjoyed this episode. Thanks so much. Very cool how you fixed the keyboard on this computer. Top notch!
great troubleshooting fix. I love watching the process of figuring it out. nice and ez too.
sometimes when i'm sad i sit in a corner and pretend to be a 56k modem
I'm usually tweeting in V.42bis. I'm too old *sigh*
sometimes when i'm sad i sit in a corner and pretend to be windows 2000
Guess you have the perfect name for this comment...
I remember back in my BBS days, on a couple occasions, I would call up a local BBS with my phone and when it started the tone communication process , I would yell into the phone with a high pitch to see if I could find the right tone to get a fake establishment. Sometimes it would work. I probably faked a 300 BPS connection.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Same I also make 56k modem noises
My heart skipped a beat when I saw this
Am I the only 14 year old who totally loves old computers and watches all of his videos?
Great work btw!
I really love how you get into detail and explain everything. Your videos are getting better and better. Keep the good work up! :D
Randomness, also cool vid (changed to not be a copy anymore)
Oops, sorry protane studios
@@LegoRobotLover there, better?
For keyboard membranes, actuators and PCBs I use shield paint! Much like your product but cheaper, ready to use and storable. Used it for all my MSX stuff.
I have used tinfoil and superglue with such rubber pads problems and it works great.
+Indrek Tiidrus For me the glue became loose after some years. But maybe I used a shitty glue
The Commodore Pet was the first computer I ever used as a kid before moving onto the Apple IIe. This video brings back so many memories.
I love your detailed troubleshooting ! And the video itself is very good craftsmanship
I told work I'd be late just so I could watch this
Worth it
i know you're further north, but i hope you and your family are doing okay with all the hurricane stuff going down.
I love your intro! I've been sitting listening to it over and over againagain! It makes me so happy when I hear it! 😄
You're totally a CZcams Instant-watch! I'm loving the videos and thank you for all the hard work.
Well maybe if you walked it once in a while it may work better.
Badum tssh
My kind of joke. Here's a like lol
Looking forward to your next video on this wonder of 8-Bit history!
But seriously, carbon-activated pressure points? That's a recipe for disaster with age.
Great work as always. Loved the PET back in the day.
Nice video. Well presented. Loved the graphics when explaining how the keyboard worked. Nice job on those.
I really liked the background music while you were reassembling the keyboard. Is it by Anders Enger Jensen?
Yes, not sure what song it is though.
no, it's Enders Anger
Judging from some of the comments people need to look up a map or two to find out that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is about 260 miles or 418 kilometers away from Houston.
I love your channel! As a fellow hardware computer geek your restoration vids have given me new knowledge for any repairs in the future. Subscribed!
Thanks for the video! Nice background music that you put when you fixed the keyboard. Very informative, now I will fixed my old computer.
YEAH JUST IN TIME, I WAS JUST FEEDING MY *PETS*
LOL
Carter G with some Bits and Bites?
Do you feed them lead kibble?
I feed them kilobytes
Carter G mine wants some megabytes
Why would people dislike this??
Famsys
Because they didn't enjoy the video.
Mr.Dr.Professor Toaster Well, duh but whats wrong with this. Just some guy repairing a PET
Some people just want to see the world burn.
Maybe they were Sharp MZ80K fanboys!
Because the guy doing the restoration is a really lousy engineer and some parts are painful to watch!
Absolutely outstanding work on that keyboard, well done.
Thanks. I love seeing these old machines getting a new lease of life!
"Hmm, playing music from CZcams may help me on my algebra homework..."
*Sees new video*
*World explodes*
I do love that intro
Your videos always make my day.
Never stop!
Love this. I just went through a complete repair of my IBM Model M 122 key terminal keyboard.
It uses a plastic membrane and had some bad traces in the matrix. I was able to fix that use Bare Conductive electric paint to bridge the broken traces, then covered the bridge with clear nail polish to protect it since the wire paint is water+soap soluble.
Worked great! I bet this PET keyboard is similar to the IBM Model F keyboard, being capacitive instead of a switch. It's really common for these things to have high impedance, so that doesn't surprise me.
Great video,
5:08
*He runs the alligator clip against the pins*
Computer: TYGABNJ
Surelly a lot of people asked, but.. What's the name of the music in the intro?. Is it included in "8-Bit Guy Soundtrack Vol 1"?
Thanks!
EDIT: Found it. Morning Dew - Anders Enger Jensen
Thanks David ! As usual your videos are inspiring and helpful ! I did not know anything about products to repair the carbon rubber pads, and now I would like to try this process on some old Commodore 64 keyboards.
I can watch these restoration vids of yours all day.
Hello David, it's me you best fan.
Try 3d printing, that way any time any old computer has a silly plastic part thats broken you can just print it and replace it.
That was my thought too. And it gives him a new hobby to suck all his time up.
Luis Rodriguez Totally! He should get a Monoprice 3D printer and print replacement parts for his repairs.
He has one...
@@realvivifromloona I thought it was his brother that had the 3d printer
Great Video, I have a Pet 2001 in my loft I have had for decades. I tried the other day to see if it was working OK, and I too have the exact same issues! Although Space bar is fine and some of the keys do work. Many thanks for your video you have given me hope to get my Pet fully working again!
my PET's keyboard also broken, followed your guide and now it works, thanks
How are you doing? I hope everything is OK with Harvey flooding Texas and god knows what.
Mohamed Talaat Harb that's in Houston Texas isn't a island it's huge
Even though I'm not from the US but I understand that Texas is one of the largest states, but I believe he lives around 70 miles away from Houston, and I hear it is too bad and covers a large area. Anyway I hope everyone is OK.
It's more like over 200 miles (google map). But I'm sure they still got a decent amount of rain in the Dallas area
I wouldn't be surprised if Harvey did give Dallas/Fort Worth a good deal of rain. Hurricanes can cover a good deal of land even after downgrading to tropical storms. Back around '03, for a personal example, Hurricane (then downgraded to Tropical Storm) Isabella hit the city I was living in. It's a couple hundred miles/kilometers/whichever-unit-of-distance-measurement-you-prefer from the coast, and we got plenty of rain. And that was really it. Said city exists in a very hilly area, near some mountains, so the threat of flooding only existed near water sources, like the local river. Schools closed that day. I saw worse weather from fronts! Anyway, the point I was making was that hurricanes can travel a great distance, even when weakened, so I wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't do any Retrobriting for a few days.
Mohamed Talaat Harb I think he's in the DFW area
Watching this on my Commodore PET
One of my first computers! So glad to see you resurrected it.
What brilliant troubleshooting and problem solving, you're a true inspiration!
it would be awesome to get an empty PET case and put a modern pc inside
Seems like a cool idea, would you swap the CRT out for a small flat screen from an old monitor?
Good luck finding an empty PET case. Would love to do it though, hopefully someone can make a repro case.
2:12 teddy ruxpin in bottom left?
Not just 1, but 2!
I see I'm not the only one... I have one that amazingly still works fine. Just had to realign the tape read head.
Yes! I saw him too! The original design is so much nicer looking than the recent update. I wonder how difficult it would be to retrofit him...
Love your channel guy, good to see these old PC's get some love!
Great job. I really enjoy watching your process.