The TRS-80 Model 4 can't do this! The Frankenstein CoCo is alive again

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2024
  • Here we have the final installment of getting this TRS-80 Model 3/4/CoCo repack working again. Also in this video is an interview with a special guest, Tim Lindner.
    Part 1: • TRS-80 Model 4 / TRS-8...
    Part 2: • I wasn't expecting thi...
    Part 3: This part!
    0:00 Intro
    1:20 Research and testing the "bad" RAM from Part 2 (Viewer request)
    11:23 Testing the back 6809E with working RAM (Viewer request)
    12:37 Getting the disk controller working
    18:36 Next steps
    20:30 Getting the black and white TV working
    31:57 Servicing the floppy drive power supply
    38:31 The very first smoke test of all components
    41:13 Bench testing the disk drives
    47:50 Cleaning the completed machine
    52:04 Interview with special guest Tim Lindner
    1:12:40 Outro
    --- Video Links
    Tim Lindner:
    Sibling Rivalry: / @mydrunksibling
    Personal channel: / @lindnertim
    Blog: tlindner.macmess.org/
    Doubleback Game on the Coco:
    www.giantbomb.com/doubleback/...
    8-bit Dance Party Coco Edition (Thanks Paul for making it!)
    github.com/misterblack1/8bitd...
    Adrian's Digital Basement Merch store:
    my-store-c82bd2-2.creator-spr...
    Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
    / @adriansdigitalbasement2
    Support the channel on Patreon:
    / adriansdigitalbasement
    -- Tools
    Deoxit D5:
    amzn.to/2VvOKy1
    store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.16...
    O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
    amzn.to/3a9x54J
    Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
    amzn.to/2VrT5lW
    Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
    amzn.to/2ye6xC0
    Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
    www.rigolna.com/products/digi...
    Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
    amzn.to/3adRbuy
    TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
    amzn.to/2wG4tlP
    www.aliexpress.com/item/33000...
    TS100 Soldering Iron:
    amzn.to/2K36dJ5
    www.ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MI...
    EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
    www.eevblog.com/product/121gw/
    DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
    amzn.to/2RDSDQw
    www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DS...
    Magnetic Screw Holder:
    amzn.to/3b8LOhG
    www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-...
    Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
    www.ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-...
    RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
    www.retrotink.com/
    Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
    www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-...
    Heat Sinks:
    www.aliexpress.com/item/32537...
    Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
    amzn.to/3b8LOOI
    --- Links
    My GitHub repository:
    github.com/misterblack1?tab=r...
    Commodore Computer Club / Vancouver, WA - Portland, OR - PDX Commodore Users Group
    www.commodorecomputerclub.com/
    --- Instructional videos
    My video on damage-free chip removal:
    • How to remove chips wi...
    --- Music
    Intro music and other tracks by:
    Nathan Divino
    @itsnathandivino
  • วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี

ความคิดเห็น • 392

  • @cromulence
    @cromulence ปีที่แล้ว +100

    I usually shy away from interviews on YT because they feel a bit stilted and not very natural, but this was a fantastic interview - great flow, well shot and well edited - I know you don't need to hear this commentary from just another viewer on TH-cam, but this was really good. Good stuff!

  • @darkstatehk
    @darkstatehk ปีที่แล้ว +104

    I frikin love this channel, over the years it continues to go from strength to strength. Adrian is a powerhouse of production.

    • @rommix0
      @rommix0 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      > over the years it continues to go from "strength to strength"
      That's an odd way to put it (assuming English is not your first language). I think you meant the channel keeps getting better and I would agree with you.

    • @michaelburns8073
      @michaelburns8073 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@rommix0 Actually, English probably is his first language, specifically the English known as British English. I read several magazines that are based in the UK and you see the phrase "strength to strength" used quite often in the magazine articles. I assumed from the context it means what you stated.

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@michaelburns8073 it’s a little more subtle actually than just better and better! It does mean that, but with the specific tilt of branching-out into new skills/specialties/features. It’s generally said about a set of skills rather than just one specific skill. :)

    • @REDPUMPERNICKEL
      @REDPUMPERNICKEL ปีที่แล้ว +1

      English is like the morning and the evening star.

    • @REDPUMPERNICKEL
      @REDPUMPERNICKEL ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You might struggle to believe this but
      I still remember clearly going to a high school special assembly in the gym back in '65
      so the whole school could be exposed to "Elmer Gantry",
      the film from which the above line would be a quote
      if Love replaced English.
      I was going to say something about English being like an organism
      that has adapted to different ecological niches and
      been changed in the adaptive process but
      I couldn't find the words and became distracted.
      I got a Superboard II, in '78
      then a KIM1
      then a SYM then
      built my own 6502 computer on a breadboard before
      wire wrapping a version to control lights for a rock band.
      Then I got my CoCo and
      what a great leap forward was that larger register set, eh
      and how bright the future looked.
      Now I sit here in the future with umpteen billion transistors in the box beside me
      and dead calm LCD screens arrayed before me
      that play Crysis at a hundred frames per sec 6000 pixels wide
      feeling quite nostalgic after watching this video and
      regretting not having the mind of a collector.

  • @Wenlocktvdx
    @Wenlocktvdx ปีที่แล้ว +14

    A major change in the 1.1 ROM was the syntax of the COPY command. I wrote a BASIC program to copy every file on a disk to a disk in the other drive. I had to check the ROM version and goto the subroutine with correct syntax for the ROM detected. Yeah, CoCo was notorious for r.f. interference. I used to have my coax wrapped round a ferrite rod.

  • @davidgiesfeldt6650
    @davidgiesfeldt6650 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    My father designed and built the ACORN based on the 6800/68000 but sold and modified the COCO 64. My machine was a repack built out of a COCO 1 with a hard drive control 3.25 drive, composite video all jammed into a VT100 case. NOW…. Adrenal if you want a all the manuals for A SWTPC and a fully operating one with peripherals but WAIT THERE’S more…. He has COCO 2 doc, mods, PC board designs…. AND his personal ACORN with all the goodies (later OS and software using PROM to RAM transfer etc). He is in his late 80’s and he wants it to go to someone who will appreciate it (Mom just wants to divest of things). Let me know with a come et on how we can connect. You could a heck of chat with a guy who is a self taught engineer from before transistors and was key in the Motorola digital age! Cheers, Peace.

    • @bozosplayhouse
      @bozosplayhouse ปีที่แล้ว

      There was a guy who came up to the north country (Canadian oil patch) in the early 80s trying to sell a CoCo hybrid called the Acorn or was it the Apricot? I'm not sure, but it was at a trade show and I got a chance to check it out.. the big thing was "sprite graphics" and the ability to run CP/m. The motorola 68000 processor in tandem with a Z80 or was it the Hitachi variant HD64180 with 128k maximum memory. There were some pretty esoteric designs back then, just no real conformity.. except for the CP/m roms.

  • @YARC-1981
    @YARC-1981 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    Thanks, Adrian. I really appreciate you diving deeper into some of the questions I and others brought up. Nice work getting Frank (you know a machine that unique needs a name) back up and running again.

  • @williamsquires3070
    @williamsquires3070 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Hi Adrian. Several things you can do to try to reduce the interference:
    1) shorten any leads to/from the CRT. Otherwise, they’re just big, fat antennae picking up noise!
    2) replace the thin wire from the CRT aquadag to the CRT board ground with copper strap; this’ll give a much better ground, and minimize ground loops.
    3) if the CoCo motherboard came with an RF shield, put it back on! That’s what it’s for. Or get some from a dead C64 and try to make an RF shield for this mobo.
    4) replace the individual wires going to the tuner (I presume these are power & ground) with coax, with the grounded (shield) side to the black wire, and the positive supply (red wire) to the inner conductor. Again, make this as short as reasonable and still have enough slack so you don’t stress the connections when removing the computer case for servicing.
    5) disconnect any unneeded antenna wire from the TV tuner; connect up ONLY the computer’s RF to it, or - better yet - do a composite mod if the CRT board is not a hot chassis. This way, you can bypass the tuner entirely, and run the composite to the CRT board’s I.F. strip.
    HTH! ❤️

  • @sonorafx
    @sonorafx ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Wow!, now ADB is a more complete show. Adrian is a great host and the interview was refreshing. Hope this happen more often.

  • @CurtisBoyle
    @CurtisBoyle ปีที่แล้ว +3

    There is a reason that the Coco disk drives spin up both drives when either is getting accessed - if you are doing a COPY or BACKUP, they would slow down if they had to wait for each other to get up to speed. So all motors for all drives hooked up (up to 3 double sided if you put new connectors on with all teeth, or 4 single sided) turn on at the same time, so they are all up to speed at the same time, and keep running while reading/writing.

  • @martinhorner642
    @martinhorner642 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I love that you went to so much trouble. And that it was Color Computer related. Color Computers were how I started and I still have a lot of love for them.

  • @timothyp8947
    @timothyp8947 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I may have missed it, but an odd aspect of the 'Frankenstein’ nature of this beast is that while a TV tuner has been moded into the case, the tube itself presumably is from a monitor - or why would a monochrome screen be green. The original tube from the case, maybe?
    But what a fantastically eccentric machine - have loved watching this little series. I know so little about the CoCo series of computers - although a friend of mine from my first job was very passionate about his Dragon-32.

  • @RetroCaptain
    @RetroCaptain ปีที่แล้ว +43

    I'm pleasantly surprised you got it back up and running Adrian.
    Regarding the frozen drive spindles;
    I have found that old dried grease/oil responds almost instantly to a couple drops of MEK. Pour a little in a tiny tip bottle

    • @andrewdunbar828
      @andrewdunbar828 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      For anyone else curious like me, MEK is Methyl Ethyl Ketone, also known as Butanone.

    • @RetroCaptain
      @RetroCaptain ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@andrewdunbar828 Can buy it at hardware store. For thinning Roofing Tar, cleaning roofing and shingling tools and I think something with Auto Body repair and painting.
      Lighter fluid can substitute it's compatibility with paints and plastic in electronics I'm not 100% sure of.
      Mek dries so fast it so far hasn't affected anything beyond what I'm cleaning grease and goo wise.
      Lighter fluid can cause labels to release if it's spilled

    • @oliverer3
      @oliverer3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@andrewdunbar828 also worth mentioning is that it's fairly nasty stuff and you should wear some PPE when using it.

  • @tstahlfsu
    @tstahlfsu ปีที่แล้ว +3

    LOVE this video! Great interview as well. I actually worked at a Radio Shack Service Center, 40-7761 in Ft Myers, FL. We absolutely did board level repair on RS equipment. I'm kicking myself that I don't have the manuals anymore... We did all sorts of repairs for RS/Tandy equipment, Compaq, HP, IBM, Acer, Oki, Apple (That was special to my center because I was a certified Apple Tech). Great times, great memories. Sad that it's all gone now.

  • @glonch
    @glonch ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Excellent video - well done! More guests in the basement please!!!

  • @robertbond3319
    @robertbond3319 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Hey Adrian, that was such an engrossing series. You talked about MAME. If you really want to see what the MC6809BE is capable of, you should emulate a 512K or even a 1 or 2M Coco 3 with an emulated hard drive and OS-9 Level II on at least a 486DX2-66. It can pre-emptively multi-ttask with up to 15 80 x 24 high res text screens and also the 32 x 16 TermVDG screen. There was also a patch to OS-9 L2 that would boot directly into the 80 x 24 screen. There was also a patch to gfx2 that would boot Multi-Vue in high-res mode.

  • @richardwernst
    @richardwernst ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Great series, thanks. Not looking for full restore but I'd love to see you actually try to repair those disk drives, including finding a way to disassemble the spindles, etc. to re-lubricate them. BTW, when I lubricate old stuff (stuck box and other fans), I use lightweight synthetic oil, seems to last a lot longer and not harden like petroleum based ones regardless of original thinness.

  • @domramsey
    @domramsey ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I think you should make this an ongoing project. Keep upgrading it in the spirit of the original as and when you get suitable parts. Turn it into the ultimate Frankencoco.

  • @iteachtime
    @iteachtime ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Adrian, your presentations just get more and more compelling. This was fantastic. Such a great teacher!

  • @8BitMuseum
    @8BitMuseum ปีที่แล้ว +21

    The RCT can test the MCM4517 and also all other variants, e.g the MCM4516 (note that for the menu usually the Intel labeling is used). So use the Intel 2118 setting to test the MCM4517.

    • @8BitMuseum
      @8BitMuseum ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @Mr Guru To be honest, it's not obvious that this IC is an "Intel 2118". With other testers you are forced to look for the IC in a list and then enter a number for the test. With the RCT you get lazy because it shows the most common type in the display and you don't even look at the compatibility list. ;)

    • @carnivorebear6582
      @carnivorebear6582 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Mr Guru textbook gamma

  • @a_Fax_Machine
    @a_Fax_Machine ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The ingenuity of the original creator of the Repack is amazing. I want to see you Composite mod this computer Adrian!

  • @uncaringbear
    @uncaringbear ปีที่แล้ว

    My first computer was a CoCo 1 with 4K of RAM and the revision D motherboard. It does my heart good to see that the CoCo is still getting love these days. Long live the CoCo!

  • @SonicBoone56
    @SonicBoone56 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Loved the interview. Wouldn't mind seeing interviews at the end of a series in the future.

  • @wb5mct
    @wb5mct ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Adrian, a tip from an old TV repairman. Using the CRC cleaner on the tuner will leave all the contacts with bare metal exposed and will corrode fairly quickly. Back in the day I tried many different tuner cleaners and what worked best and KEPT WORKING was WD40. Don't be afraid of soaking it down; with hundreds of TV's over a period of 5 years in the business I never had a problem.
    With regards to the disk drive slowing down, I also repaired tape decks that used the same motor belt drive system and I would be willing to bet that the belt is slipping.

  • @rictecilder
    @rictecilder ปีที่แล้ว +2

    TRS-80 COCO II with disk drive was my first computer. My second computer was a Tandy 1000TX. It is what most likely lead me to my 25 plus years of IT.

  • @TheFurriestOne
    @TheFurriestOne ปีที่แล้ว +1

    If you could disassemble the drives to the point of there being no plastic or rubber components attached, you could submerge the assembly containing the spindles in a bucket of light oil (WD40 or similar) and let it soak a long time.
    Did that with a head-positioning stepper from an old hard-disk that was seized, smooth as butter now!
    (granted, I fully disassembled it, removed the bearings, and just soaked them, so YMMV, but I didn't remove the shields from the bearings)

  • @RetroJack
    @RetroJack ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Adrian, you're a great interviewer with a very easy style; I'd love to see you do more!

  • @RavenWolfRetroTech
    @RavenWolfRetroTech ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I'm amazed what people did back in the day. Then again I'm amazed what people do today! Awesome repair!

  • @andrewdunbar828
    @andrewdunbar828 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    And this is why Adrian's is the best of all the retrocomputing channels.

  • @timbald
    @timbald ปีที่แล้ว

    What a brilliant 3 parter. Thanks. Happy Christmas Adrian

  • @fedoralexandersteeman6672
    @fedoralexandersteeman6672 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Nice to see the CoCo get some love. 😊 It needs that. Very underrated little machine!

  • @TheElkMechanic
    @TheElkMechanic ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I snagged a pristine looking CoCo 1 off eBay that ended up not working and ran into the same issue with schematics when it turned out to be a 26-3002A. If you scroll down a bit more on Color Computer Archive, look for a file called Color Computer Redesign Schematic that seems to be a preliminary schematic for the Rev F boards. Not sure if it's exactly the same as the ones they ended up selling, but it looks a lot closer.

  • @devttyUSB0
    @devttyUSB0 ปีที่แล้ว

    Really great video! Fun interview with Tim too! Thanks you both!!

  • @jerrylarch6556
    @jerrylarch6556 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great vid. Love the wrap up interview. It's always nice to hear some history and context for a machine like this.

  • @HunterZBNS
    @HunterZBNS ปีที่แล้ว

    Really cool series and really enjoyable interview. Thanks so much for sharing.

  • @CoindoorDave
    @CoindoorDave ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great post - discovered Sibling Rivalry a few months ago and am loving it too.

  • @BottIsNotABot
    @BottIsNotABot ปีที่แล้ว

    Really enjoyed the interview as well, great job Adrian!

  • @jessiec4128
    @jessiec4128 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Everytime I see a TRS 80 on your channel, it brings me back to college days. Our Programming class had to use those to put in Basic code. I had to use them too. Until I got my Commodore 64. Also in our programming room, there were like 20 TRS-80 systems. It was really nice, they were all good working, and always very clean. I met the girl who had to clean them all the time. If I could afford a COCO TRS-80, I would love to have one.

  • @richardpurcella7206
    @richardpurcella7206 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I worked at two stores. One a franchise (oregon), the other a company store (Dallas). We sent all repairs to authorized service centers (1977 to 1980). Many stores were associated privately owned local stores. They often had their own repair techs.

    • @adriansdigitalbasement
      @adriansdigitalbasement  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Ah that's an interesting distincting!

    • @paulravitsky2898
      @paulravitsky2898 ปีที่แล้ว

      I worked in both consumer and computer repair centers til the early 90's. We serviced both company and dealer stores. We had the ability to do component level repair on computers or exchange boards/drives/power supplies as needed. We could actually get mechanical parts to repair the Shugart/Tandon/Texas Peripherals drives. Those were some good times.

  • @CapnKetchup
    @CapnKetchup ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great interview! I would love to see more like this!!!!

  • @Castaa
    @Castaa ปีที่แล้ว

    This might be the best series of video's you've done. Love the interview at the end.

  • @djdublo
    @djdublo ปีที่แล้ว

    Another excellent video! Really enjoyed the interview, that worked really well.

  • @TheGitWizzard
    @TheGitWizzard ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Hey Adrian! When I worked for Radio Shack, we had printed catalogs that we used to find cross-referenced Radio Shack part numbers for other branded products. This is 10 or 15 volumes set that each store had. Surely someone saved one somewhere!

  • @parrottm76262
    @parrottm76262 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This vid was wonderful from so many angles. Love the first guest spot. Thank you, Sir Adrian!

  • @Duddie82
    @Duddie82 ปีที่แล้ว

    Back in 1985, i walked into the computer room to do my homework in Basic. And found these TRS-80 computers. There was about 20 to 25 of these at each workstation. And I was able to do my work for my homework.

  • @ThisSteveGuy
    @ThisSteveGuy ปีที่แล้ว

    Loved the interview. Please don't hesitate about doing them in the future; you've got a knack for them.

  • @FzyBear
    @FzyBear ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you! My first computer was a CoCo 3! I ❤️ these three part series.

  • @lrochfort
    @lrochfort ปีที่แล้ว

    That was a lovely interview, Adrian. Very natural

  • @jpuhak1
    @jpuhak1 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just wanted to say thinks for the memories. I grew up with a Coco 1 and 2 in my home and model 4 in my classroom so this is such a blast from the past :)

  • @gusbert
    @gusbert ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great interview, really enjoyed the back story. More please?

  • @johnharmer394
    @johnharmer394 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The Cocostein! Only you make it possible to work! I have so many projects in my retro room that require such work !

  • @warmsteamingpile
    @warmsteamingpile ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I have even more respect for your skills after seeing this. Great video series.

  • @charlietrain
    @charlietrain ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice Job!, as a restorer of old tube radios and equipment I enjoy seeing old tech come back to life.

  • @ygstuff4898
    @ygstuff4898 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Yes!! Incredible. Love it. Great repair video and great machine.
    Related: in highschool (grade 8), a friend's dad created a custom wooden shell for the family's Coco 1, because the chassis had cracked.
    It included a 11" color TV, two floppy drives (flat), and a 3rd party keyboard (to replace the chicklet keyboard). I think he even wired in a powerbar in the back for a one-switch-for-all.
    The machine was wonderful to type on, and having the floppy drives under the TV was great.
    And the whole thing could be lifted with a couple of elegant metal handles on the side.

  • @ikke1981
    @ikke1981 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice to see a guest appearance of Tim. Really added to the video.

  • @CurtisBoyle
    @CurtisBoyle ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Disk Extended BASIC 1.1 had several things over 1.0: 1) Fixes some bugs that occasionally trashed the directory (on track 17), and 2) It added the DOS command, used to boot a disk by typing DOS. This was mainly used to boot OS-9, but also booted some games, etc. The user didn't have to worry about figuring out what program to LOAD, RUN or LOADM - on disks set up for 1.1, you could just blindly type DOS no matter whether it was a game, productivity app or alternate OS.

    • @andrewdunbar828
      @andrewdunbar828 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ah when I was playing with emulators a couple of years ago I found the DOS command on the Coco and the equivalent BOOT command on the Dragon32.

  • @patkelley8293
    @patkelley8293 ปีที่แล้ว

    Really fun video. Definitely one of your best. Very interesting.

  • @mogwaay
    @mogwaay ปีที่แล้ว

    Lovely interview, very well done, you make a very good interviewer, very natural and easy chat, i would definitely recommend doing it again if the opportunity comes up.

  • @onesixfive
    @onesixfive ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I really didn’t know how an interview would go. It was amazing. It felt good to watch you guys geek out, I felt like I was there with you guys and we were all having fun. You asked the questions I think everyone wanted to ask. This series has been awesome and this was a hell of a way to end it. So few channels on any topic can get away with videos this long but I knew I’d watch every second - and I did. Merry Christmas Adrian!

  • @superjuice817
    @superjuice817 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I am completely on the edge of my seat watching this!!!! OMG!!!!

  • @Starter61
    @Starter61 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Excellent sequence of videos. So nice to see this machine being brought back to life step by step. I would have performed the composite modification if I were you, to give to the Coco the image quality it deserves. I loved the conversation with Tim. Greetings to both of you and a happy new year from Athens, Greece.

  • @zameshtan
    @zameshtan ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This was so much fun! I wish you'd also interviewed Mike, too, though!

  • @metatechnologist
    @metatechnologist ปีที่แล้ว

    Pretty good show loved the interview.

  • @MattPlachecki
    @MattPlachecki ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Great video! Hope you get to do more interviews sometime. You’re a great, knowledgeable interviewer 😁

  • @DaveVW
    @DaveVW ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This was awesome 3 parter. I enjoyed the surprises 😮 and the successes. (Even though I'm not a CoCo fan). Great to see Tim too. Love Sibling Rivalries channel play, so fun!

  • @KennethScharf
    @KennethScharf ปีที่แล้ว +4

    There were 16K drams made that only needed +5v. These may have actually been 64k parts with only 1/4 of the memory being used, perhaps parts that were somewhat defective and laser jumpered on the die to deselect part of the ram. The 5v only 16k parts came out about the same time as the 64k parts.
    Without the schematic it might be hard to tell, but I suspect that there might be a way to jumper the board to run with the +5 volt only parts. Some of those jumpers are probably ONLY for the voltage select, and others for the address select. Buy using just a sub set of the jumpers you can probably get what you need, or maybe with some extra bodge wires.

    • @adriansdigitalbasement
      @adriansdigitalbasement  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It might be the case -- the schematics would allow me to tell right away

  • @llwellyncuhfwarthen
    @llwellyncuhfwarthen ปีที่แล้ว +7

    For the drives, since you have them spinning, you can partially disassemble them so you can get access to the EDGE of the bearing, and use something like WD40 and get it to wick into the bearing, it helps soften up the grease (I tend to use a custom mix of alcohol and grease to make it REALLY thin and work it into things) yes this gets messy but helps the bearings free up and move again.

  • @steveanderson9290
    @steveanderson9290 ปีที่แล้ว

    Loved this series, you triggered a whole bunch of memories that have been buried for 4 decades.

  • @coryengel
    @coryengel ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Nice switch up with the interview. Would be awesome to get more backstory on other oddballs that come through the basement!

  • @AndrewTubbiolo
    @AndrewTubbiolo ปีที่แล้ว +1

    For the first time an episode of Adrian's Digital Basement looked like a scene from an 80's sci fi dystopian movie where hacked together ancient computers are turned into a semi-functional unit.

  • @InfiniteBrain
    @InfiniteBrain ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great series. Also, thanks for having Tim on the show, I've seen his name around quite a bit but don't think I've seen him interviewed.

  • @adamlyman8293
    @adamlyman8293 ปีที่แล้ว

    I had the pleasure of using this TRS-80 in high school (1982/83) for my “Computer Math” class. Learned GW-Basic and had a ball. Thanks for this video.

  • @anjanettepetty-kountz3785
    @anjanettepetty-kountz3785 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Tim is an adorable nerd and I loved your interview!!!❤

  • @johanlaurasia
    @johanlaurasia ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Great series on this odd repack. I'm starting to think perhaps the memory swap out happened as an attempt to fix what ultimately was a bad CPU. Then, not only did you have a non-working CPU, but the wrong memory installed as well.

    • @adriansdigitalbasement
      @adriansdigitalbasement  ปีที่แล้ว +7

      That might have been the case. I don't think Mike remembered exactly what happened to this machine (although I didn't talk to him directly.) Maybe he'll comment on this video with more insight. :-)

    • @mcgrew
      @mcgrew ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'm thinking because there were multiple jumpers, maybe one or more of them controls the voltages (maybe the wire wrapped one?) while other jumpers tell the machine how much RAM it has. Maybe if only some were changed to 16k the voltages would still be correct for the original chips.

  • @IrishCarney
    @IrishCarney ปีที่แล้ว

    1:10:44 "that really blew my mind as an Apple II user back at the same time as the CoCo was out, I wished I could have something as cool as that." OMG 🥺😢🤧 As a kid with a Coco I was happy with my computer but I had serious Apple II envy and so I wished I had one. I've never heard of anyone expressing the opposite. Even if you were only talking about the fast tape drive, that hit me in the feels. Thanks for a nice Christmas present. 🎄

  • @succuvamp_anna
    @succuvamp_anna ปีที่แล้ว

    You should totally get more guests, you're very good at interviewing people!

  • @ntsecrets
    @ntsecrets ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have vivid memories of my dads coco having an expansion slot thing on the side with black cartridges for the floppies and he put aluminum foil on the cartridges to cut down on the tv interference

  • @svenjackel2531
    @svenjackel2531 ปีที่แล้ว

    8-Bit-Danceparty-Demo on the Frankenstein, just so cute! The interview part is new, a little bit of a strange format for your channel but i liked it more than i thought i would. You are a great interview host. It all sounds as authentic as is so much appreciated from your channel. Big thumbs up from a german viewer.

  • @fernwood
    @fernwood ปีที่แล้ว

    I think this is one of my favorite videos of the year. My dad (and by extension, me) had every 8-bit system except any TRS-80s, despite both of us being Radio Shack fans. I have such an appreciation for them, and someday when I have the room, hope to start my own collection (especially the systems that run Xenix). Anyhoo, thanks so much nothing of you (and Mike).

  • @jkeelsnc
    @jkeelsnc ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video. Good information about the coco1/2. The part about the RF interference brings back memories. The first display I had for the C64 was a 12 inch Emerson black and white tv manufactured by Goldstar and yes there was some interference similar to what you experienced here. It was a revelation when I got a magnavox Rgb monitor 40 with a composite video input.

  • @LarryRobinsonintothefog
    @LarryRobinsonintothefog 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Awesome interview, don't think I've seen a Frankenstein Coco before, thanks. Remember using a 6809 assembly language cartridge that required 16k ram with only 4k of ram to do programs that included programing an A/D chip in the Coco to make sounds.

  • @explosivelybrilliant
    @explosivelybrilliant ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video, and great interview!

  • @curtdawe
    @curtdawe ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I find it amazing that people like the Radio Shack manager tackled projects like this CoCo repack. Like you guys were saying, they had to be following magazine "how to" articles back in the day. At least where I live here in Newfoundland, there were no user groups per se, no internet of course. We had to rely on print magazines. Invariably, in rural areas like ours, these were often only carried by some local drug stores.
    I never had a CoCo, but whenever I was looking for current information on Commodore 64 programming, the good ol' Commodore magazine was my primary source for information on programming and all the current fabulous hardware from companies like CMD, etc ... which I hadn't a chance of getting at the time. Heck, with prices, I could barely afford 'em now! lol ... Adrian, thanks for the videos. Any chance of more CMD-related content?

  • @erinwiebe7026
    @erinwiebe7026 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great video Adrian. I like your little sour cream storage compartment too. :)

  • @theJohnnyPinball
    @theJohnnyPinball ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Loved the interview

  • @mUbase
    @mUbase ปีที่แล้ว

    I have loved this series. I never used the Tandy Coco or its derivatives BITD but my friend in Primary school had a TRS- 80 original that we used to play games on. Fond memories.

  • @AlfredRusselWallace
    @AlfredRusselWallace ปีที่แล้ว

    more guests that was fun!

  • @Herby-1620
    @Herby-1620 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    My CoCo experience: I bought a 4k CoCo, and before the day was out, I had put piggy-backed 16k DRAMs in it to boost it up to 32k. A while later (years), I ended up converting it to 64k (so it would run OS-9), and I found a CoCo-2 keyboard, and installed it in the CoCo-1 case. Good times last century!

    • @tbradley2317
      @tbradley2317 ปีที่แล้ว

      It’s been literally 4 decades so things are slightly hazy these days but once I got a floppy drive and J&M floppy controller to add to my CoCo 1 I thought my grey 16K ECB NC Board version CoCo 1 did run some of a buddy’s OS9 floppies.
      Maybe I’d already done a 32K piggyback or 64K upgrade by then but I thought those came after I got my floppy drive.

  • @martinbobfrank
    @martinbobfrank ปีที่แล้ว

    A brilliant story to follow, and I loved your skills and experience. I have learned a lot as you went along. The computer now looks like something straight out of the game Fallout.'

  • @BrainSlugs83
    @BrainSlugs83 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazing content. Would love to see more on this machine. Like a proper composite mod (or an RF filter?), master power switch, and fixed drives?... and a custom case badge (where the model 4 logo goes) but that says it's a CoCo instead!
    Maybe get all the keys working? This thing is so dang cool!

  • @NaoPb
    @NaoPb ปีที่แล้ว

    Loving the video and the guest!

  • @UpLateGeek
    @UpLateGeek ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Wow, so you weren't actually restoring this machine to its former "glory" after all, you were finishing it's build for the first time!
    Congratulations on getting it working as well as it is. That was quite a feat for such a basket case of a machine.

  • @羽衣甘藍奧頓
    @羽衣甘藍奧頓 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fantastic upload Adrian.. many thanks!

  • @Scrapy-ih7ob
    @Scrapy-ih7ob ปีที่แล้ว

    I feel like i thru away lots of valuable stuff Ie.. Disk Drives and Hard Drives when i started out, in the process of owning my own PC, I had purchased them while in Washington DC was add for 486/ complete for 200.00 knowing what I know now, they weren't worth much more than scrap, but hey I learned allot. but i did have few those disk drives that I just tossed. Love your deep dive into bringing old pc back to life.

  • @ovalwingnut
    @ovalwingnut ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What you've actually created is a "Big Bang" detector out of a TRS80 4? True dat! Very impressive A-man

  • @Paperweight01
    @Paperweight01 ปีที่แล้ว

    Add a drop of fully synthetic, no detergents, oil down the motor shaft. The type of oil used in silent air compressors works well. Something like Sincom 32E or equivalent. I bought the Luve V version of it in an 8 oz. bottle. I use it for lubing cassette deck motors. It doesn't have a strong hydrocarbon motor oil smell and I think it plays well with most plastics. I have it in a flux dispensing bottle with a needle tip for small drop applications.
    Grease that works with plastics and metal: Molykote EM-30L. It works well around plastics, doesn't dry out or oxidize quickly and can be used around electrical connectors without problems. Oddly enough, it is sold in small containers by a garbage disposal company in New Jersey. They repackage the big industrial quantities into smaller consumer sizes which you can't get otherwise. Any type of lubricant containing silicone will oxidize into silica dioxide or sand which is very bad. It makes for a wonderful insulator that doesn't come off easily basically destroying contacts.
    Invest in a Hakko FR-301 desoldering gun. It is life changing for desoldering on occasion. A big step up would be a desoldering station but that may only be worthwhile if you were changing out all the capacitors on every board. I do that on cassette decks since quite often the audio path goes through a lot of questionable electrolytic capacitors.
    Love watching these!

  • @DjayLSD
    @DjayLSD ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Haii @Adrian, nice vid and nice restoration of a unique machine again. I would have done a bit more, maybe keep those suggestion for a part 3/4 ;-) the drive are actually easy to dissassemble and bearing can sometime be restored with simple ptfe lube, but a replacement would be easy and cost under 10$ if you buy the bearings on amazon. The most critical missing part from your second drive can be 3d printed, I am 200% willign to print and send you this part free of charge if you are willing to save and use this drive. bona nota, while seemingly working, you monitor pcb might still have some bad filtering and there is a weird comportement i could observe when you turn it on and the deflection circuit kicks in(might be camera related issue though)

  • @Luis45ccs
    @Luis45ccs ปีที่แล้ว

    Fabulous show, it's a pity that the units could not be repaired, it's incredible to see our valued Tim Lidner, and enjoy our world of coco, something that seems fabulous to me is OS9 and Nitros 09, 2 operating systems that still exist and are very professional , which make the coco can be used in multitasking and everything in the 81, impressive.
    You can also use the period instead of the slash / although the .BAS is optional as well as the :0 and the closing quotes are not necessary if you are not going to write anything else.
    SAVE"NAME
    EITHER
    LOAD"NAME

  • @John-uc6gb
    @John-uc6gb ปีที่แล้ว

    Good series. Great video. Thank you

  • @mikemoyercell
    @mikemoyercell ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was hoping the special guest was going to be Rammy!!

  • @kaitlyn__L
    @kaitlyn__L ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow, you are such a good interviewer Adrian! I was, not gonna lie, a little trepidant about how it was going to be. But you’re a natural!
    Of course your existing lighting and multicamera skills helped, but the interview itself is like you’ve been doing it for years! Both presenting and interviewing - editing interviews are their own skill too, plenty of people who present fine alone still have awkward edits in their interviews.

  • @retroguy4139
    @retroguy4139 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'd like to see a restoration of an even more mysterious computer called a Compucolor or it's newer models under the name of Intecolor. Getting your hands on one is another storie.