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!
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)
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
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 ;)
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
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.
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!
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!
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
@@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
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.
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.
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.
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!
I worked for a company way way back. The boss spent hours per week with data on the PET in his office and sometimes the one in the front office. It was incredible the reports this guy was able to generate. He would point out if we could just sell this items or 2% more of that item we could generate X more profit. If we did we would get a huge Xmas bonus. I could log in and I was doing myself and how the company was doing. It’s amazing what that GM would do with this machine. I also think it was able to send reports to our California headquarters as well. Had an acoustic coupler and used it on a regular schedule. What a machine.
I had to watch this! The PET was the very first computer I ever used, and I remember using PRINT and GOTO to make a rocket ship move up the screen with the help of a teacher.... I think I was in early middle school. It was the start of my love of Commodore! I was the one in computer class, as we had these at my high school, that was making games people thought couldn't be done. Donkey Kong, a side scrolling shooter, a Pac Man like game... Good days good days. Then, about 20 years ago, I bought one from a friend for $25! It was the chicklet keyboard one with the built in tape drive. Unfortunately, a not so understanding father caused the loss of it. Ah well... Memories. :) Thanks for the video! It was great seeing you work on a computer that gave me so many fond memories!
As somebody who likes restoring old cars, I like to meet people who like to restore other old shit, extremely clever how some things were done before modern tech. Keep up the good work!
My after school program had a PET when I was in 5th grade. I got a programming book at typed in many programs and saved them on to cassette and disk. It was really what sparked my love for computers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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!
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.
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.
Hello david. I am an electronics technician and I repair televisions and other devices. I also repair remote controls. And when the conductive rubber fails, I do not pass a pencil because it eventually comes out so.. again fails. I use the aluminium foil that they have in the cigarette boxes (I do not smoke then I ask them from someone or together in the street) I stick pieces of paper on the conductive rubber with super glue and never fail again. I Like u repair videos. Greetings from Argentina
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.
The PET was the very first computer I ever got my hands on. Had a friend who's dad had a photography business and they got into selling early commodore computers. I loved messing with this thing. Learned programming on it and then a Vic20 then a 64. PETs and CBMs were expensive then and I couldn't afford one. But years later when another company I worked for went out of business, I bought one of the old CBMs they still had in the back from when they sold Commodore stuff too. It's sitting in my shop waiting to be restored. Keep an eye on the power supply. Those big electrolytic capacitors in there can go out of tolerance and possibly fry the motherboard. My caps are shot and I need to replace those first. Just thought I'd give you a heads-up about that. Great videos and I look forward to more.
I bought a PET back in 1980, and at that time there was a book available in the UK called "The PET Revealed" by Nick Hampshire and published by Computabits Ltd, of Yeovil, UK. This gave a lot of information about the internal workings and ROM routines, I/O usage and also included circuit diagrams (8 pages of them) which enabled users to utilise it for many purposes - such as a progammable controller (with a bit of ingenuity and interfacing). Commodore UK gave a lot of input to the author and it is very worthwhile if you have a PET.
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 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!
It has been a revelation for me too, after I’ve seen yours was in plastic I’ve taken a magnet and I did the same test.. yes, my 2001 is in plastic too.. it makes sense thinking about the weight but I was sure it was metal too!
The Commodore PET will always be near and dear to my heart. First computer I truly interacted with in elementary school. Learned BASIC on one of these. But I quickly came to the Atari side. Had friends with 400s and 800s that made the PET look antiquated. Atari 8=bit for the win!
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!
Great video! Takes me back. I was but a wee lad, maybe 19 when these were on sale at the local computer shop. They had a clever little graphics demo running on them which made great use of the somewhat limited character-based graphics.
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
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.
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.
As someone who lives in the lower Houston area, I can tell you that the areas most affected by hurricane Harvey were the coastal regions. Sure, Austin and Dallas got some rain, but not as much as Houston while Corpus Christi and Rockport got severely damaged by Harvey's high winds. I'm just glad that Harvey is relinquishing its siege of the Houston area though.
Chris Alan I live in Tomball; We got it really bad too, and there was flooding and buildings were destroyed, but nowhere near Houston or Corpus Cristi like you said.
Used to fix these keyboards back in the day never had to use that coating to be honest, I don’t think it was even available. We used a fibre pen to clean the board and key contacts, worked really well as I remember. It was sooo difficult for me to watch that long and painful process you went through when for us it was always just a quick easy fix.
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.
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.
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!
-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!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thirty years ago I bought a really nice discarded keyboard for a project. It turned out that the keyboard circuit used capacitance detection instead of real contacts and I couldn't get it to work (that's why I got it cheap). To make it work for me, I used some expensive silver goop (just like in this video) to make the keys create real electrical connections. I figured out the keyboard matrix and got it to work!
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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?
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.
thank you for making videos like this one with no advertisements for 14 minutes!
He probably didnt choose no adverts himself.
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.
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!
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
I'm always amazed how patient and meticulous you are when restoring your computers. Beautiful work !
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 am just amazed at the amount of time dedicated to realize these restoration projects.
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*
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.
I love these videos, it reminds me why I became so interested in technology and programming. Thanks for making me relive the nostalgia.
One of the most beautiful retro computers.
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
whoever added subtitles to this is a godsend! thank you stranger!
Ooh! New 8-Bit Guy video! PET restoration time.
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.
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.
I worked for a company way way back. The boss spent hours per week with data on the PET in his office and sometimes the one in the front office. It was incredible the reports this guy was able to generate. He would point out if we could just sell this items or 2% more of that item we could generate X more profit. If we did we would get a huge Xmas bonus. I could log in and I was doing myself and how the company was doing. It’s amazing what that GM would do with this machine. I also think it was able to send reports to our California headquarters as well. Had an acoustic coupler and used it on a regular schedule. What a machine.
the soundtrack in this video was beautiful
Am I the only 14 year old who totally loves old computers and watches all of his videos?
Great work btw!
We had the Pet in high school. Fun times after school.
I had to watch this! The PET was the very first computer I ever used, and I remember using PRINT and GOTO to make a rocket ship move up the screen with the help of a teacher.... I think I was in early middle school. It was the start of my love of Commodore! I was the one in computer class, as we had these at my high school, that was making games people thought couldn't be done. Donkey Kong, a side scrolling shooter, a Pac Man like game... Good days good days.
Then, about 20 years ago, I bought one from a friend for $25! It was the chicklet keyboard one with the built in tape drive. Unfortunately, a not so understanding father caused the loss of it.
Ah well... Memories. :) Thanks for the video! It was great seeing you work on a computer that gave me so many fond memories!
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
As somebody who likes restoring old cars, I like to meet people who like to restore other old shit, extremely clever how some things were done before modern tech.
Keep up the good work!
It's always a good day when there is a new 8-Bit Guy video!
My after school program had a PET when I was in 5th grade. I got a programming book at typed in many programs and saved them on to cassette and disk. It was really what sparked my love for computers.
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
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.
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 just have to unscrew 2 screws and it lets me do stuff in it
I remember first learning to program in BASIC on a PET at school. Cool to see one again.
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.
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.
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.
This is brilliant! Fixing each individual plunger like that is just awesome. This is serious, museum-type restoration work. Good job!
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
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,
Dude, your videos are the best! Keep up the good 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!
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.
Lovely fault finding on that keyboard great to see the moment it came back to life
I could not stop laughing when you "popped the hood" and brought out the support rod
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.
i know you're further north, but i hope you and your family are doing okay with all the hurricane stuff going down.
Hello david.
I am an electronics technician and I repair televisions and other devices. I also repair remote controls. And when the conductive rubber fails, I do not pass a pencil because it eventually comes out so.. again fails.
I use the aluminium foil that they have in the cigarette boxes (I do not smoke then I ask them from someone or together in the street) I stick pieces of paper on the conductive rubber with super glue and never fail again.
I Like u repair videos. Greetings from Argentina
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!
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.
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
The PET was the very first computer I ever got my hands on. Had a friend who's dad had a photography business and they got into selling early commodore computers. I loved messing with this thing. Learned programming on it and then a Vic20 then a 64. PETs and CBMs were expensive then and I couldn't afford one. But years later when another company I worked for went out of business, I bought one of the old CBMs they still had in the back from when they sold Commodore stuff too. It's sitting in my shop waiting to be restored. Keep an eye on the power supply. Those big electrolytic capacitors in there can go out of tolerance and possibly fry the motherboard. My caps are shot and I need to replace those first. Just thought I'd give you a heads-up about that. Great videos and I look forward to more.
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
I bought a PET back in 1980, and at that time there was a book available in the UK called "The PET Revealed" by Nick Hampshire and published by Computabits Ltd, of Yeovil, UK. This gave a lot of information about the internal workings and ROM routines, I/O usage and also included circuit diagrams (8 pages of them) which enabled users to utilise it for many purposes - such as a progammable controller (with a bit of ingenuity and interfacing). Commodore UK gave a lot of input to the author and it is very worthwhile if you have a PET.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw this
Nice video. Well presented. Loved the graphics when explaining how the keyboard worked. Nice job on those.
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!
An 8-bit guy for my Tuesday night? Awesome!! Love these videos. I wanted to get a Pet, but I never could muster up the space for one.
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.
It's like both doctor and detective works combined. Awesome to watch.
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
Glad to see your brother was able to fix the spacebar.
10:17 this is the content i'm subscribed for
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!
Randomness, also cool vid (changed to not be a copy anymore)
Oops, sorry protane studios
@@LegoRobotLover there, better?
Really love these repair videos. This is a fine example of great TH-cam content. Kudos, David.
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.
It's my day off. Looks like I'll be binge watching 8-Bit Guy videos. I'm gonna start with the Commodore history series.
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.
It has been a revelation for me too, after I’ve seen yours was in plastic I’ve taken a magnet and I did the same test.. yes, my 2001 is in plastic too.. it makes sense thinking about the weight but I was sure it was metal too!
I do love that intro
The Commodore PET will always be near and dear to my heart. First computer I truly interacted with in elementary school. Learned BASIC on one of these.
But I quickly came to the Atari side. Had friends with 400s and 800s that made the PET look antiquated. Atari 8=bit for the win!
I told work I'd be late just so I could watch this
Worth it
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!
How does he make his video so interesting?
Great video! Takes me back. I was but a wee lad, maybe 19 when these were on sale at the local computer shop. They had a clever little graphics demo running on them which made great use of the somewhat limited character-based graphics.
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
Now all i think of is how you have fixed the spacebar.. addicted to your videos boss!!!
"Hmm, playing music from TH-cam may help me on my algebra homework..."
*Sees new video*
*World explodes*
Wow...all I can say confidently say is that this guy is really smart with electronics. Great video, thanks!
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
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.
Did it rain hard over there in Dallas because of hurricane Harvey?
As someone who lives in the lower Houston area, I can tell you that the areas most affected by hurricane Harvey were the coastal regions. Sure, Austin and Dallas got some rain, but not as much as Houston while Corpus Christi and Rockport got severely damaged by Harvey's high winds. I'm just glad that Harvey is relinquishing its siege of the Houston area though.
Chris Alan I live in Tomball; We got it really bad too, and there was flooding and buildings were destroyed, but nowhere near Houston or Corpus Cristi like you said.
Yes, Harvey was a different beast than Ike, but it was certainly worse than Allison. That was immediately apparent Sunday morning.
Not at all... We had some rain but nothing out of the ordinary.
Tecmo He said in a Facebook post that he is hundreds of miles away from the affected areas, and there aren't any problems where he lives.
Used to fix these keyboards back in the day never had to use that coating to be honest, I don’t think it was even available. We used a fibre pen to clean the board and key contacts, worked really well as I remember. It was sooo difficult for me to watch that long and painful process you went through when for us it was always just a quick easy fix.
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
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!
Hello David, it's me you best fan.
-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!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5:08
*He runs the alligator clip against the pins*
Computer: TYGABNJ
I've been binging on your back catalogue and finding your vids immensely satisfying and most instructive. Thank you so much!
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...
Shit I'm here worrying about my house flooding, but that still won't stop me from watching the 8-bit guy.
Watching this on my Commodore PET
My favorite retro computer, finally getting a makeover.
Seems you could fix the keyboard with aluminum foil, a hole punch and spray adhesive.
Thirty years ago I bought a really nice discarded keyboard for a project. It turned out that the keyboard circuit used capacitance detection instead of real contacts and I couldn't get it to work (that's why I got it cheap). To make it work for me, I used some expensive silver goop (just like in this video) to make the keys create real electrical connections. I figured out the keyboard matrix and got it to work!