Commodore 128 Complete Restoration and Board Repair.
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ย. 2024
- Support this channel on Patreon:
/ 8bitguy1
buy the Soundtrack CD here:
www.the8bitguy....
Raymond runs a website here:
www.arcadecomponents.com
In this episode I take a look at a Commodore 128 that I bought on craigslist in terrible shape. Then I completely restore it into like-new condition.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
*David, regarding the retro bright and yellowing again:* the reason why plastic gets yellowed again after you retro bright it, is because of its contact with air (it's ongoing chemical reaction). So with bromine molecules temporary removed (after retro bright), new ones will get on their place, and there you have yellowing again. In order to prevent that you have to apply a small layer of transparent (matte) spray paint so that there is no direct contact between the air and plastic. That way no bromine can get into existing holes. Please give it a shot!
I liked this so David can see
+joestacos2 Same.
+t1993ct2006c same
inportant information.
Don Solaris AHH
8-bit Guy _and_ Techmoan videos within one day? Freaking TH-cam Christmas over here.
You're too kind.. I haven't even checked my subscriptions yet.. I guess if techmoan has a new one I'd better go watch it!
The 8-Bit Guy i love when you do restorations please do more when possible P.S. love all of your content.
3 hours ago ? Is this some kind of patreon benefit ? Also haven't seen a new vid from techmoan
Yes.. I released on Patreon early today because I wasn't finished with the thumbnail art.
+The 8-Bit Guy I'm thinking a restomod about this Commodore...
13:01 it's so satisfying to watch someone who knows exactly what they're doing figure things out. Ray's got the right tools and the right brains.
Just what I was thinking.
my name isnt Ray
5:35, yes I also always go back to alcohol when nothing else is working.
@James Miller exactly haha, bon apetit!
;n;
ha ha loved that bit XD
Alcohol: more than just a breakfast drink
Hahahahaha
dude this yoda guy needs his own channel!
right you are :D
i agree
he is like Lois Rossman
Yes 100% agree :)
He looks like he "doesn't play well with others"... He probably lacks the patience to deal with the youtube community...
I am not a computer guy. I am not in IT, nor will I ever be.
But I watch the SHIT out of these videos on this channel.
João você é Brasileiro ou Português?
James Cockerham I'm like that on another channel as well: Bigclivedotcom. It's all about electronics
Same here! I just love the 8-Bit Guy! :)
+elucidate I like watching his videos too! i like his drawings of circuits even though i have no idea how they work.
James Cockerham every fuckin day lol I love his videos
That debugging of the main board was amazing!
That Raymond chap is a bit special alright... very impressive!
tell Raymond to do a youtube channel please, he was amazing !
felt like I was watching NASA engineers or some sci-fi movie
batlin ㅇㅅㅇ
If you like this kind of stuff, I recommend that you check out the channel RetroGameModz.
You should encourage your buddy Raymond to start a youtube channel! Watching and learning how he does that stuff would be awesome.
I am not sure Raymond would like everyone to know all the stuff he learned throughout many, many years.
I would imagine that Raymond has a life outside of his day job, so he would have no need to open a youtube channel.
Aeyesi o,o *with, I belive
*Believe
Actually, sharing this type of knowledge would be imperative to keep these old computers and other vintage devices workling. Usually, people who possess this type of knowledge is more than willing to teach it to someone who's willing to listen and learn with a genuine interest. That being said, not everyone would enjoy being on camera in front of a crowd.
Your channel is one of the best channels in the world. Restorations for old yellowed computers is just awesome
@@Kasey1776 who r u talking to?
A (supposedly) deleted account before it was deleted.
I know! I’ve been watching him for almost four years!
@@t3mpban Who did you think he was talking to
"This is the worst condition computer I have ever seen!"
me: *remembers vic-20 video* are you sure?
*remembers VIC-20 video came out 2 years later*
Taylor Woolston "this was the moment when he knew.. he f***ed up
@@majorpropane Deja Vu
rixchy_ you asinine fruitcake. this video is 2 years older than the vic 20 video
mambo I am going to lose my marbles- You copied Taylor's comment. >:C
Love these restoration videos! I would love to see a restoration series for some "modern" Apple products like restoring the glossy plastic finish on the original iPods (or white plastic G5 and Intel iMacs). Is there anyway to restore anodized aluminum or restore the polished stainless steel backs on iPods? All topics I would love to see covered. Keep up the awesome work!
DetroitBORG!
DetroitBORG it's just TH-camr Christmas over here!
DetroitBORG I'd like to see the process of removing scratches from white products like the iPod 5g or the eMac.
Ayy!
I was wondering why you started buying old Apple products! Good to see you over here Mike!
Your mate Raymond is a legend. Big smile on my face watching him work. I used to have a Commodore 128 back in the day.
John Maxfield and your profile picture I the thing I love most
You should get a keycap puller. They are like $1 on ebay
This! Please get a key puller!
I have a spare one I'll give him the next time he comes to my shop. :)
I picked them up in Akihabara about 1 1/2 years ago.
Ogoun You can even make your own wire puller out of paperclips.
He's got one now :)
Dirty Commodore 128: I am so messy...
Oil-covered and dirty VIC-20: Hold my technological whiskey.
That Raymond dude actually made me say "What The Fuck" out loud when he was working on that board. It's so awesome and rare at the same time to see someone that skilled working on a delicate piece of hardware. Loved this video!!
I would absolutely love it if Raymond had a channel. I really would like to see more of his advanced restoration videos.
Adam Jessop he does!
Adam Jessop his is arcadecomponents.com
Peter Ralph that took me to his website but I don't see any videos.
Adam Jessop it's the name of the channel
More Raymond in the future!
And have him speak like Yoda: "Before switching on testing you must!"
Yeah, let's all just continue to pretend his name is Raymond and not Gabe.
It's a pleasure to watch you restore equipment with such passion and attention to detail. I restore a lot of antique test equipment. Appearance is just as important as performance when doing a proper restoration. Your tech is also first-rate. His advice about the IC sockets is spot on. He's no hack, for sure. Thumbs up!
You're like a caretaker - saving old computing history. This is really important to me and Im glad there's people like you out there saving these machines.
Gawd this brings back memories, I used to be a service Tech for Commodore in the day, the MOS branded chips were notorious for blowing up, the cause 95% of the time was the crap power supply with the C128, standard procedure was to socket any chips that were replaced because we knew it would be back in the service centre, the C128 was the worst power supply, the 128D were fine
Excellent restoration, many would have given up a 1/4 of the way in. Raymond's skills at debugging hardware are amazing!
This image will be burned into my head forever:
8:40
A middle aged man on all fours massaging his computer parts with white cream.
This deserves to be pinned.
intensity intensifies
I see that every day. I mean.. uh... Yeah! In my head! Grrrr!
KLM I had a little "how did I get here" moment during that segment lol
Lol.
You've gone great length to rescue this commodore 128, thanks to you another one comes back to life. I really worried you might get the good one ruined pluging back and forth.Use a key puller will make the process of removing keys easier and safer. WOW, those professional tools are really amazing, desoldering could be so easy...I think I might need to get a tool like that one.
Raymond is a cool guy, he fixed a Dig Dug PCB for me. He also is one of the volunteers at Computer Reset.
"I always come back with alcohol, and do some serious scrubbing".
Oh 8-Bit Guy, you so crazeh.
It would be better never to rub alcohol on that kind of plastic, because even one step consumes it. I think is much better to use mineral spirit.
@@leonardodilena680 I agree... I'd always favour _"works slower"_ over _"works better"_ any day, especially when it comes to plastics. Just take your time... even if it takes five applications, it's worth it.
That's my Uncle Raymond!! So cool!
Your uncle needs a youtube channel!
If you’re telling the truth, tell him to start a channel
Trash Can+ he already did, it is called arcadecomponents.com
aww thx dude
You also claim that David is your dad. Are they siblings then?
Watching somebody bring back to life, the technology which needs to be preserved is always nice. The machine looks fantastic. Kudos to you... And Yoda too ;)
The Force is strong with Raymond.
"Yoda is always better.... so I'm going to see Yoda, although his name is actually Raymond"
One of my favourite lines in the whole series.
So satisfying when he changed the rubber feet...
I need more Raymond in my life. The guy should teach so much knowledge :O
I actually run "repair parties" once or twice a year at my shop for locals in the arcade and retro computer scenes. It's a small, semi-private repair and new folks have to be vouched for by people I know who have been to my shop before. I usually man the grill during the day long event and one local brought a frozen margarita machine ones. That was a fun day! :D
I'm going to see Yoda… Although his name is actually Raymond.
I love restoration videos with all my heart. Also, Raymond is a magician, and I want to be like him.
Loved the video. Commodore was my first love in computers. SX-64 was my favorite. Being an electronic technician, much like your friend Raymond. I installed a second disk drive and a reset switch into mine, which was absolutely fantabulous. Took it to Puerto Rico on a deployment and practiced my machine language. Favorite game was Silent Service. If you take the time to email me, I have a Commodore Diagnostician chart that I've held onto for many years, and would be happy to share with you.
how does one contact you to get copy of this chart?
@@cullenwhatule2210 jerrdale is at google mail, the dot com thingy...
Does Raymond have a youtube channel? I'd love to see more of the indepth electronics repairs like in this video. If he doesn't are there any other channels with similar content?
Adrian’s Digital Basement is all I can think of.
Mr. Carlson's Lab, The Radio Shop, Shango066, EEVblog.... all electronics guys. Maybe not specifically computer repair, but you'll learn all the in depth electronics repair you could ever want.
Could you imagine The Empire Strikes Back with everything the same, but Yoda's name is Raymond?
Cinestar Productions What the fuck?
Did you watch the video? The part with him in the car?
Seeing how George Lucas has kept changing his movies, that may become reality one day.
Cinestar Productions
In the multiverse, all things are possible. Three universes to the left, his name is Jennifer.
+Wafflez Gaming It's a new meme. And a really weird one. some examples: "Bee movie and everything the same except every time they say Bee the whole movie repeats." Or "Star wars return of the jedi bur every time they say Palpatine we hear I am the senate." Or "Shrek 1 but every time they blink it gets faster and the audio gets distorted." See? It's a really weird trend I know it.
@10:05 "Chewing gum?" .. That's 'blu tack' :)
the side by side is so good
beefyisrare I think it's fancy cutting. They look too good!
beefyisrare you are carrying the gas kings logo I noticed
Impersonator... gtfo
This was really nostalgic for me, and I cannot quantify how much this brings back my childhood. I've started out to play with Commodore Amiga and Spectrum 48k when I was around 8 years old, and in an era where this kind of technology was still at birth, these things had a much bigger delight to them. Nowadays, babies born with a table in their hands. I also have to standout the work Raymond does, and the hell of a great technician he is. Not many like him around for sure. Thank you for the video.
It was blu tak in the keys
Really enjoyed this. I bet Raymond/Yoda is going to get quite busy as a result of the video. He's welcome back any time!
You got a really good deal on that 128. I've been looking all over for a cheap broken 128 for awhile now.
10:15 - 8-bit Guy, that's Blu-Tack, isn't it? Is it not as common in America? Pretty sure it's not gum.
It kinda goes like that when it's old and dry and generally about 50% of houses in the UK are in fact held together with Blu-Tack (the other half are generally duct tape :P)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-Tack
Richard Williams 100% agree with you. English houses - like mine. Are very shoddy
I'd say it's more like 50% Polyfilla, 10% Duck Tape, 10% expanding Stryofoam foam, 10% old bits of wire, 10% silicone sealant, 10% Blu-Tack
YAUUN the amount of things I've "permanently" mounted to the wall the pollyfilla'd the wall I don't think I have any plasterboard left haha
If it is what I think Blu-track is (too lazy to google) then it's called Mighty Putty in the US
Nothing beats the holy combination of Duct Tape and WD-40 though.
What a guy. Pretty sure when Yoda gets stuck, even he calls Raymond. 12/10!
This was the machine that first introduced me to computing! My brother had one growing up and i would watch him play games he would get from his buddy who had BBS access. I got to play sometimes, then my 7 year old self learned how to load the games from the bootleg floppies when he wasnt home : ) We sold the C128, complete with the Commodore monitor 2 drives and a commodore printer along with a boxed copy of print shop back in 1993, to make room for the new Compaq Prolinea 4\25s we got. That I still have thankfully!
Wow, wasn't expecting to see someone take a logic probe to that. Out of curiosity does Raymond have his own TH-cam channel? I repair electronics for a living and I've always been interested in the intricacies of diagnosing old computer hardware, but not a lot of folks out there have good videos covering that stuff.
The rabbit hole is deep and negatively affects one's social skills :)
I’m now a new subscriber I love these old gaming systems and how the electrical systems worked and how they are repaired properly thanks for taking the time to do this all the best god bless
You are such a caring guy for old things
Hello David, I have been Retrobriting for awhile... wanted to tell you that I use a Wagner handheld paint gun to spray on the Retrobrite gel, it gives an even coat. I also use a clear wide flat storage container with locking tabs and seal... I got it from Walmart for around $10... It is much better than plastic wrap... allowing max sun light and keeps evaporation low...
Excellent work. And I started in the past from a Spectrum Z80. The passion was so great that 18 years have passed since I graduated the Faculty of Automation and Computers.
The background music is a welcome addition!
I really liked this one. Especially the board fixing part, that was really fun.
full NERD level was engaged here :))
nice to see some folks clinging to and keeping our old school nerd-stalgia alive
10:13 I think thats the ticky tacky - at least thats what they called it at my school back in the day. The teachers would use it to stick up displays and posters on the walls without drilling or tape. Its a really light blue almost white/grey color.
LocTite makes some still. Its called Fun-Tak. The teachers in my elementary school used it by the truck load for some reason. It was everywhere.
That was a pretty amazing restoration. :) I've never really had much experience with the Commodore 128 (though I recall a friend having one, but I never had much exposure to it). I had my own VIC-20 when I was a kid, as well as used C64s in elementary school. These videos are a terrific flashback to the past. :)
Woohoo!!! I made it into an 8-Bit Guy video. :D
Chewing gum? nah it looked more like Blu tack.
Thought the same thing. its just about the right color.
Though I guess Blu Tack does look a bit like old gum.
I use a lot of mounting putty and that's what it looked like to me.
It's definitely blu tack
"I'm going to see Yoda, although his name is actually Raymond."
I hardly ever comment or click "like" on youtube, but this one is really amazing. The level of enthusiasm that you guys have for reviving these grandpa computers is just crazy.
Nice work. Reminds me of the time my kid brother and I found a Vic 20 in my neighbour's yard. It'd survived a Canadian winter and the spring thaw. We didn't hold out much hope, but after leaving it to dry out, we hooked it up to our old C64 power supply and damned if it didn't work. We never did get two of the F keys working perfectly, but you can't have everything.
I can't imagine selling something in that kind of nasty condition. I'd just be too embarrassed
Quick note: you can't spell RAYMOND without YODA.
just press the restore key, duh
I've been binge watching your restoration/refurbishing videos all day and I'm having a lot of fun. Thank you for putting so much time and care into this sort of thing, it's truly spectacular to watch. It's highly motivating me to clean up some of the old hardware I have lying around.
A recommendation for passive-cleaning: Prepare a bath of baking soda + apple vinegar + washing-up liquid (raspberry for the smell is wonderful - reeks like a VW T1 armature when the commodore runs its first 24 hours burn-in with Giga-Cad | alternatively for smoked-to-death casings use lemon + a tad bit more of he apple vinegar); of each a spoon or two and add 40°C distilled water; if the case is bend use 85°C and apply weight where it needs to be flattened. - All in all let it bath for half an hour - after that begin scrubbing. 5 to 10 minutes will be more than plenty. This mixture loosens more dirt than it seems, use pads with isopropanol afterwards to see what comes to daylight. - Have fun!
Oh, for the keys, use an electric Toothbrush tinted with baking soda and lemon juice concentrate - it is the undeadly version of acetone and hydrogenperoxide.
Do you guys think he'll win a contest for the most clean antique computer
kids these days... "antique" lol
But it is.....
@@DecibelAlex HURRRR KIDS THESE DAYS! GET OFF MY LAWN!!!! I FOUGHT IN THE WARRRRRRR!!!!!!!
@@Beansman-gp3ws antique things have to be over 100 years of age, while retro and vintage things are around 30 to 40 years old.
It's people like you who keep the past alive. To understand how today's tech works we must understand how tech of the past works.
how does someone MANAGE to get a computer that dirty! he must have spilled a gallon of coke on it a bunch of syrup and left it in the sun for a year
hmm. make me wonder
DOO DOO DO DO DO DOOOOOOO
I'm going to guess it was the owners kids that used it most.
CalculatinGenius I'll bet the person is a hoarder.
I ask myself the same question. I would almost have to TRY to get it that disgusting.
That tip about reseating chips can't be stressed enough. I bought a Commodore 128D which has the built in 1571, but with detachable keyboard. It would header (format) a disk so far and then fail. I opened the machine up and looked for socketed disk drive chips and pushed the disk drive ROM in and it cleared the problem. BTW the Commodore 128D has THREE processors, it has the Z80, the 8502, and a 6502A for the floppy drive.
I came here to watch how you re-whiten yellowing plastic, but ended up watching the entire video as it was fascinating. You are an amazing host and now I'm going to start watching your other videos!
As Qui Gon said “there’s always a bigger fish”
Nice restoration
"I think it's the worst I've ever seen"
Vic-20: Are you sure about that?
VIC=20: Hold my mainboard!
Why do I love watching this guy restore old computers so much?
I don't even know anything about computers but this is one of my favourite channels. You go 8 bit guy
David, I'm 21 and trying to learn more about computers, and I just wanted to say that your the coolest dude and definitely the best there is with this in my world
Why can't computers be this easy to take apart nowadays.
Truly Infamous grey boxes still are
Mine is, just two screws that you don't even need a screwdriver on(you can use if you like because they are slotted as well as knurled), then slide off cover and it's wide open. everything inside can be taken off in any order. And most things in there have but a couple of screws if that except the motherboard which has half a dozen screws. On the other hand, I've seen the "all in one" computers they have and I really see your point. In fact, that is why I didn't get one the last time I bought a computer. I share your frustration.
EXACTLY
The Great Giana Sisters was an incredibly trippy game.
I actually played it on nds.
LOVE restoration vids. This did not disappoint.
Amazing work. Watching this dirty metal plastic junk transforming into clean, working microcomputer - very satisfying!
You do a great job restoring these machines and save them from an abyss.
I dig that crazy wire control on the wall behind! some one out there please make aftermarket chips!
iptvreseller@mbox.re email me if you want to make money
@@psycological6277 so you sent me this message.. Highlighted reply
Psytrance Logical
42 minutes ago
iptvreseller@mbox.re email me if you want to make money......
iptv = Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. wikipedia...
reseller = ?
mbox = hacker style email protocol...
.re =
.re is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Réunion (a French island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar) wikipedia.
so are you in the middle of the Indian ocean ocean or just using an account through there?
Sorry, I'll be back in 15 seconds.. Started the video and I realized I had adblock on :p great vid Dave you deserve the extra ad revenue haha
70H8 my hero
Anfinity I am not.
I can stand watching my 200th Wix commerical to make sure Dave gets his 45 cents outta me :).
Why is it so satisfying to watch
R.I.P Databus Line D3 "It's all garbled"
Jordan Lucero NNOOOOOOO
Absolutely a labor of love, sir. Bravo. I do have to say that it still looks bizarre to me when I see a flat 128 (non 128-D) without the "tree" coming out of it. Ha ha. Explanation: My brother and I read about a group in Germany back in 88 that would expand your 128's RAM to 1MB so that all 16 banks (0-15) were addressable. They wanted $1,000+ US for the service. Being a couple of genius yet poor boys from Texas naturally we looked for the answer on FIDO Net. Upon getting the specifications from a professor in Chicago, Dr. Emmet Lagoon, we set off trying to build "The Tree". The super-short version is, you punch a hole in the 128's case just above the 40/80 Col selection key (if I recall correctly). Originally the German crew had to remove to "Stop/Lock" key and the tree came out there, but that REALLY interfered with typing, so an alternative was made to route the RAM relay lines through what we might call today "the northbridge". Very loose reference to the modern concept. Anyhow, my brother constructed the "RAM Tree" vertically from there, 8 chips on each side, 6 vertical, 2 horizontal. It took us almost a year to get the RAM reliably addressable because we didn't fully understand the issue of "when RAM timings are X, and you lengthen the physical length of the lines to get to the MMU considerably, the RAM timings are no longer correct". We then had to seek our own "Jedi Master" to help with this. Easy fix: he rerouted the lines through the area where the keyboard would lay over, we however had routed it WAYYYY around the left on the outside of the housing. This kept the RAM within timing tolerances. After we got the first Tree to work, we then applied it to our 128Ds which were our primary systems. To this day there is a special mark of pride in myself for being one of the VERY few people on the Earth to write software specifically for C-128s with a 512k RAM Expander (1750) and 1 MB of natively addressable RAM. With the advent of the FD2000, we were able to do things like one-pass copy an MS-DOS 1.44mb Floppy. We also wrote a WAV player for GEOS that would load up to around 9 mins of music into RAM and play it in the background. Having only a 3-voice SID chip, some music didn't translate well but 50% of the time it sounded like fairly clear AM radio. And to my knowledge was the first and only implementation of IMA/DVI ADPCM for Commodore in history. Anyhow, I digress terribly. From one Commodore lover to another, my hat is off to you, brother. Warms my heart to see someone still care this much. I'm all misty-eyed.
and here I thought I left some long/novel comments :))
@@throttlebottle5906 It's one of my trademarks. I police the facts and biases of reviewers in the tech and gaming communities here on TH-cam and RARELY will you see a post that is less than 2,000 characters when I go off on someone or support their cause. (this is the part where I really should go on for another 1,800 characters but I'm busy writing a review. Ha ha. Cheers, brother)
Great video, really nice to see you bring these pieces of history back to life. I think the computers appreciate your saving them!
Wow this is amazing. Everything about your work
You are such a nice guy man!
That stuff in the Key looks like Blue tac
It is always amazing to watch someone do something they're really, really good at.
Yep!
10:15 That’s not Chewing gum but rather a malleable, Reusable, removable blue adhesive putty called ‘Blue Tack’. It’s very popular in the UK and great for putting posters and other lightweight items on walls without ruining your wallpaper.
aka PAINT REMOVER SCHAT........
Man, that Raymond guy is awesome. I'd love to see him do a restoration series too.
6:57 key flies off the screen lmao
Now when i see that all i can hear is the yeet sound effect
l miss the days when mech keyboards were the standard. now they are a premium!
I know that feel, bro.
electronics for fun The C128 keyboard isn't mechanical though. Commodore were real cheapskates on their keyboards!
Hotplate Labs it looks mechanical, and that is what made me think of the comment. and l think the com128 did have linear keys?
As far as I know it's just conductive rubber against a PCB. Here are the plungers: 3.bp.blogspot.com/-px68fdN5Zu4/VD9jhW3BuSI/AAAAAAAADO8/671RBc_I33g/s1600/Keyboard%2Brear%2Bframe.jpg and the PCB: 2.bp.blogspot.com/-RrEI1V3zPYY/VD9j2Pl2QgI/AAAAAAAADPE/-9c9BWaVE10/s1600/Keyboard%2BPCB.jpg. C64 is the same :(
Hotplate Labs hmm... that does sounds like a rubber dome.
Reseating the chips is very important! I read a research study some years ago that investigated the "root cause" of computer problems from Geek Squad rejects. A surprisingly high number were due to connection problems - between a ribbon cable and its socket, or between the board and the motherboard. This explains why sometimes replacing a board fixes the PC, and the replaced board actually still works!
i still have an Amiga 500 that runs like a dream. i used to play Bubble Ghost all the time. its a good machine.
The commodore (not cleaned) looks like a toddler ate over it.
10:50
I think you forgot to censor the license plate.
*David enters the hydrogen peroxide shop.*
Cashier: Oh no, it's that guy once again!
She must be thinking he's bleaching certain body parts... or rather a certain body part.
Beautiful! Theres a high level of aesthetics to getting an old beat up machine and getting it in as new shape again. You did a great job. And it only cost $30 !!!!!!! I loved every second of this vid.
To be honest, i forgot about this channel for a good year but im glad youtube recommended me it again. Its cool to learn about the restoration stuff even if you wont use much of the information later on