The dark lines at the end of the video (and other parts) are my camera's sensor overheating. I use a Nikon D5300 and it is not "meant" for video. So it isn't well suited to the task. I'll just preempt some comments by saying, no I cannot actively cool the camera in any way. Cold boxes for stellar photography are the closest I could get, but that isn't a real solution for having to shoot video all the time. It would be extremely impractical.
@@dhowser2008 Are you sure? I used Load"$",8 on mine and didnt have any problems that I remember (It was 25 years ago though...) :) I only used ,1 to load games that needed it.
@@keithdunn521 , you are correct. LOAD "$",8 is the correct syntax for loading the directory. Adding ,1 to this statement can result in a garbled screen as the ,1 command tells the computer to load to the specified address saved in the program. Since the directory is not a valid "program", the computer has no idea where to load it. The "Device not Present" error has nothing to do with the load command issued and everything to do with a faulty chip. Regards.
Around 1985, I accidentaly became a small town part-time tech for fixing Commodore 64s and the notorious 1541 disk drives. The guy who sold them locally gave me a service manual folder for the 1541 (I think it's still downstairs somewhere in the electronics dungeon) and it has all the schematics, the step by step fault guide including a couple of programs you typed in to help (if the drive was cactus) and more importantly there were alignment disks with sinewaves recorded on various tracks so you could step it out from the end stop and look with a CRO at the incoming waves from the head. The biggest fault for the 1541 at the time was copy protected games chattering the head up against the end stop. Those games would just bash the stepper up against the stop for a while as a part of the protection. Unfortunately, the stepper shaft was just press fitted on to the cog attached to the metal band and it would move. The permanent cure was to remove the stepper and drill a pin through the shaft and cog to lock it into position then rotate the motor till the waves looked right again. Did that to around 100 of them.
Have a pair of 1541's under my C64. One works okay. The other one is a recent purchase from an 'antiques and collectable' store. Managed to purchase it for $15. Owner of the store mentioned it was "NOS". (actually....no) But it did have the transport card in place and is in amazing condition. It works 100%.
Cyanoacrylate superglue does not work with ABS plastics! It just melts it a bit and deforms the piece, smoothing the stumps away so it's even harder to fix it with epoxy later. Always check glue compatibility before glueing, but the gist of it is that superglue is not good for most things related to computers, and 2-part epoxy is where it's at. Wood glue is also useful sometimes for non-load bearing parts because of its mildness and space-filling properties. Also, there was really no need to apply the solder to the case, even if no ground connection is made (and the screws will make it) there won't be any problem. All parts that need to be grounded together will have ground leads in the connecting cable anyway, it's bad practice in design to use chassis ground for signals. And I did very much enjoy the video!
Those glue tips are helpful, thank you. I realized in editing that I could have just used the solder to burn off the paint around the holes and I would have seemed much more clever. I'll probably do that in the future. The funny thing about the points on the PCB that attach to the chassis is that while 3/4 of them to have pads, none of them are connected to ground. Two of the pads even have a trace running between them. While you don't want to use chassis ground as your only ground connection, it can help with things like ground bounce or if there is a particularly high load on a wired connection that could be changing the relative ground. I just assumed it was because the 1541 is pretty sloppy with where it sends the sensitive signals from the head. But apparently, they don't care since it does nothing anyway.
Back in the mid 1980's I was doing component level repair of C64 and 1541 drives. If I got a C64, first thing I would do was socket the ROM. Then I had a special ROM with some really low level diagnostics. For 95% of all repairs, I found there to be one of three problems. The 6510 processor, a PLD chip or one of the 64x1 DRAM s. The diagnostics had one test that would blink an output on the user port at about 1 Hz. I had an LED I would plug into the user port. If it blinked, that established that I had a clock and a working processor. Then I checked the memory. There were 8 64x1 DRAM chips. The memory test would indicate which one failed. If the processor and memory were OK, it was better than even odds that the PLD chip had gone bad. For the remaining 5%, I just the replaced the board. I was thinking of getting a digital logic analyzer but I finally just gave it up. For the 1541's I got an exerciser. The 1541 didn't have a home position sensor so to move the head to the zero position, it would run the stepping motor the full number of steps in reverse. So for a certain number of steps it would "bump" against the zero position stop. After time, I think the stator would become magnetized enough so that it would be a step off even after trying to bump the head to the zero position. The solution was pretty simple. Unbolt the step motor and turn it 90 degrees. Then it would zero. That seem to fix the problem on most 1541's. Then I would charge customers 40$ to "repair" their 1541. $40 was usually what I charged to repair a C64. Once all they wanted was a new C64 case. I asked, "what happened to the old case". They said it was destroyed as the result of a karate chop. I had a few extra cases lying around so I sold them one. After about a year of repairing Commodore equipment, this is basically everything I learned.
Thanks for posting this. I'm sorry you didn't get it working but the way you presented everything just had me laughing the whole time, especially that chip that leaped from its socket. Pure gold 🤣 Better luck with part two.
I did enjoy this video, sorry! As you discovered, the C64 can boot with neither CIA chip installed. If you suspect the CIA, you can switch one for the other and if the fault changes to a different fault, you've narrowed it down to one of the CIAs. The two chips are identical, but serve different functions, so a fault with one CIA will become a different fault if you switch them for diagnostic purposes. Since your C64 was sending the reset signal to the disk drive on boot up, I would suspect the issue is more likely to be with the 1541 drive and not the C64. There are instructions in the commodore manuals out there to send commands directly to the drive in order to read error messages that the drive can send back to the computer. I made an XE-1541 cable (similar to the X-1541 cable with added diodes for compatibility with more PCs parallel ports). It works well so I can recommend this method. I used it with an old Pentium laptop that has a parallel port, and started backing up whatever I could from my old 5.25" floppy disk collection. It's cheaper and easier to make than the Pi1541 option, but if you already have the raspberry pi, the Pi1541 that you referred to at the end of your video is a good idea to get to use your C64 sooner!
Here is the BASIC program to read the 1541 error channel. First, you have to wait until the 1541 indicator light starts flashing, saying there's an error, then enter this program into the C64: 10 OPEN 15,8,15 20 INPUT#15,EN,EM$,ET,ES 30 PRINT EN,EM$,ET,ES 40 CLOSE 15 then type RUN. (source: Ray Carlsen's webpage personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/1541/fix1541.txt ) Also I realized after writing that comment there is another option besies the XE-1541 cable, as those cables are a bit "obsolete" and not everybody has a PC with a compatible parallel port anymore: there is the ZoomFloppy at store.go4retro.com/zoomfloppy/ to connect to a USB plug on your computer and use your Commodore disk drive with a friendly Windows interface. I haven't tried it yet because it was cheaper and easy for me to build the XE-1541, but this is also an option you may consider. Good luck! I'm looking forward to Part 2!
That is not correct. If you leave out the left CIA, you don't get a cursor because the IRQ line gets constantly triggered, basically stopping the CPU after initializing BASIC. But yes, swapping both chips within a machine can lead to some success (keep in mind the CIA basically has 2 parallel and 1 serial interfaces and usually it's just one line that has gone bad). It can still happen that a CIA is broken even when the IEC reset gets triggered.
Did we ever get a part 2? I was bored re-watching older videos and I realized I don't remember there being a part 2 and I couldn't find it in the video listing. If we didn't I think it's a tad overdue isn't it? I want to see him fix the shell and superglue and baking soda the front and see it reading disks. I know this moment in time isn't the best time with all that's going on behind the scenes but I hope it's at least on the near horizon. Thanks for being awesome.
@@blackterminal lol ... according to a quick youtube search part 2 still doesn't exist. gotta love it when people release a part 1 then never follow up and don't even bother to change the title of the first & only video
You say you have never seen a floppy drive belt go bad? Take a look at all of my laptop floppy drives from the early 90's 😊 Can't even get those belts anymore.
When I repaired the 1571 drive for my C128, I placed a dab of super glue on the small metal rod to keep it from shifting again. This was at the recommendation of Ray Carlsen. If you Google him, you’ll find his webpage provides a lot of great info for these old Commodores, but he also makes and sells replacement PSUs, cables, etc.
I suspect the black in the corners of the drive cage is where the metal plating is peeling away, but that’s exposed metal and could use that sealer. And the solder isn’t trying to stick to the paint, it’s not hot enough on the metal and those are ‘cold’ solder joints. It’ll probably be fine.
I got up early today. Then I've found this video (came here from the super glue and baking soda trick video). Now I know what to do for the pre-work relax. :) PS.Subscribed. Because your channel deserves at least this. :)
HA! My first commodore repair I had the exact same problem. I replaced EVERYTHING. Even the memory and 74LS629 VCO chips etc. Finally I took the CIA chip out and it worked. I TOOK IT OUT AND IT WORKED..... lol.
The reason why is that the video chip uses a register to bank switch its video pages to where ever you want. If that register is faulty, you get black screen. Everything else on the chip might be okay, and you might even be able to just swap them around and it will work fine. Since 6526As are easy to find, I just replaced the 6526B with an A and it worked fine.
If you have a device not present error on the printer try device 5 (both are usually used for printers). Your disk drive is in fact communicating with the C64. When you do the LOAD"$",8 you are getting the SEARCHING FOR $ message and not a ?DEVICE NOT PRESENT ERROR in addition to it. Also, little known fact, a Commodore 64 can actually support 23 disk drives, but it gets tricky after 4. While a Commodore disk drive can be set in hardware to device 8, 9, 10, or 11, you can actually set the device ID up to 30 in software. It would take a bit of work, but you can automate it somewhat (you can write a basic program).
Dude get a proper desolder gun all inone unit, I jsut started my 5160 projectand I aint touching the main board components until I have it. I simply will not struggle with those yucky solder suckers or copper braid. No way. Great Video dont despair mate you are more patient than me fella.
All the other usual suspects treat these old C64's like they're holy relics, this bloke pokes it with a stick and speaks his mind. A different take is sometimes refreshing.
I went out and bought an older Commodore 64 and two 1541 Floppy drives(both drives were from different people in different states initially looked good both powered up but one would spin a disk the other would not)none have been tested and a 1702 Monitor which is tested is coming next week so your video is very helpful from a troubleshooting standpoint. I would say the best thing I took away from this is to really make sure all connections are solid. In Adrian's Digital Basement he has a video where he got a C64 to work that had been protected by ants it was rusted and dirty and been in a field for decades and he got it to work.
You have an older style C64 motherboard. All the older style motherboards are very unreliable and many chips in those are prone to failure. However, the later so called short boards, produced from about 1987 and onwards, which are much smaller motherboards and have way less chips and are way more reliable. These newer short boards are the most common to find on ebay. They are also cheap. At least here in Europe it's easy to find PAL versions. Not sure how common they would be in America and NTSC. But if you want a far more reliable C64 then just get one of these short boards. They are named 250469 and comes in 4 different revisions. Rev.3, 4, A and B. All four are almost identical and all are reliable. So you cannot go wrong with any of them.
What I do when I encounter a pin like that. I put a drop of superglue on the exposed pin shaft then shove it into position. Done so that the hole in the base block has super glue lining the inside. Works fine lasts a long time.
Understand the frustrations. I had a C64 with bad memory multiplexers, a 1541 with a bad 6502 and a dead read head. Everything is great now, but you may want to look for a dead Alps drive 1541 and swap it out.
I like the sped up parts of the process, most content creators just talk about their process with incremental shots but this way it has way more continuity
What I have done in the past with repairing plastic parts on C64/1541 cases is to use Cyanoacrylate (SuperGlue) and layer very small strips of tissue paper across the break into the drying glue. This forms a reinforced bond, like fiberglass. It can be quite tricky to do, but the resultant bond ends up being VERY strong.
I really liked seeing how you diagnosed the issues on this Commodore. As a repair technician I really appreciate seeing how people figure out what is wrong with something. Keep up the good work and I can't wait for your next videos!
And this is why my retrocomputing ends at emulation. With old hardware you're just buying into a world of hurt, and I don't have the patience =) So respect to the AkBkuku, 8-bit Guy, and the others who tinker with hardware AND by some magic, get it all running.
Mine was a bad CIA chip. First thing to test with a lot of problems, is switching your CIA chips, and seeing if it changes the problem, that's how I was able to diagnose mine much more quickly and efficiently.
I had a 1541 with similar behavior. The problem for me was a via chip (6522) in the disk drive. I recommend for you to swap the via chips in the 1541. If the disk drive spins endlessly then one of the via chips are bad.
I'm watching this in March and I enjoyed this video! You working on old stuff is enjoyable and fun even if you don't succeed. Just watching someone who knows what he's doing troubleshoot is good content and fun!
My first computer was a dark brown bread bin C64, and we only ever used the cassette drive, it got skipped back in 2005/6 and I wish now we had never done that 😔
I have! I own two Commodore 64's, both fully functional. (Well, one's a C64, the other's a 64C.) On the C64, when it heats up, the SID chip pops out of the socket, and the computer crashes. I was able to fix it with an old Lego. I just took a rasp and filed it down to the right height, then glued it to the top of the SID chip so that when the case is closed, it puts enough pressure on it to keep it in the socket. Problem solved. :)
@AkBKukU Contrary to your last line, a video about debugging old hardware without solving it at first try is pretty good. Not every case of repair needs to be sugar coated to be enjoyable to follow.
Well, yeah, but if you are emotionally invested in this (and I presume most of us here are), you can feel almost the same frustration as the author had. :) And, unfortunately, not everyone can consciously differentiate the source of it... Fortunately, as of now, most viewers are happy with what they saw. :)
Flame Well, his videos are not just about entertainment, but also learning. Many people will learn very much in these videos, and when its a failure usually they learn more. And this wont be a single part video, it will likelly have a part 2, where he probably adresses a mistake or something he passed through and didnt see. And probably show some extra content there. You learn with what he did right, like the latch, like the painting, but also learn with for example the tinning wich isnt the best option to make contact, and also with what he didnt do so well, or a mistake he could have made.
Soldered ICs had the legs snipped at the factory from beneath the board after soldering.. that's why the legs are so short compared to factory socketed ICs.
It is evident from watching the video that the CIA on the left is CIA-1 (which controls the keyboard). The CIA on the right is the CIA-2 (which contols the serial bus). Hope that helps.
This video was GREAT! I am a huge fan of the Commodore 64, it was my first computer and I still play on it from time to time. Your frustrations with it all just made me laugh out loud, so thanks for sharing!
I have seen you actually troubleshoot things before, and while we have all tried swaptronics... I would have enjoyed it more if you had actually troubleshot this. Don't get me wrong, feeling chips for excess heat and swapping them if they are showing excess heating is a good first thing... but you are beyond that. I have enjoyed your content prior to this which leaves me puzzled as to why you would take a different tack with this one.
There is a big difference between troubleshooting an analog stereo that deals with voltages noted in a schematic and trying to diagnose serial communication protocols. It takes a lot more setup and pre-knowlege(ie, you can't "figure out" how it should work by just looking at the PCB for the most part) of the circuit and expected operation to be able to properly troubleshoot something more complicated like this. Additionally, by the time I was just swapping chips around in this video I had been working on this for six hours that day. I just wanted to be done and was hoping for an easy out. I wasn't about to break out my logic analyzer and settle in to another few hours and start watching packets. That's why I cut for a break and will have a part 2.
Something else...in case it hasn't been said. Jan Beta is a excellent C64 resource. Might be worth asking him for some guidance (assuming he has the time).
Barkeeper's friend contains oxalic acid, any acid will cause etching of oxidized metal. Many rust treatments are based on phosphoric acid, which converts iron oxide into iron phosphate, a dark gray/black substance. White vinegar will also convert rust into a dark gray schmutz, I assume it's iron acetate, since that's acetic acid.
Was a followup video made to this? I'd love to see that 1541 working. I just repaired three this weekend. lol. Well, the first one I repaired was technically a VIC-1541 but that's still a 1541.
You have 2 of the 466 boards! These boards are considered the best as they output the clearest picture. They are also quite rare. Try my Pi1541. The 7406 (or 7416) on the 64 could be the problem.
I watched this video in 5-minute chunks for the whole week. Probably how it was meant to be watched because you've spent at least a week on this video.
Might i suggest a dead test cartridge and loopback harness assembly to check all the ports on the 64c? Further, Howard Sams published some really excellent repair documentation on these units and you can find them on the web without much difficulty.
The format used for C64 diskette drives is not the same as with IBM diskette drives; the Commodore format is better. Since all external devices attached to a C64 have their own internal computers, as with the Apple Mac system, they are more complicated. I had a C64 machine for several years and most of my experiences were positive, though mine were new and hadn't been left to gather dust or had my diskette drive dropped from a height. A C64 is a very good machine to use to learn how computers work, since they have most of the larger machines' chips variety (for example, separate and independently-functioning sound and video controller chips, unlike APPLE II) but were simple enough to run with minimum training using its simple OS or its BASIC until one got ramped up to be able to do detailed internal control using advanced BASIC commands and even machine-language. The C64 had a VERY advanced BASIC Compiler available to it (better user interface than the one I currently use with my IBM-type Microsoft WINDOWS machine by far).
As you have noticed there was two CIA chips, one for keyboard , joystick and one for serial/user port, you could swap them. Find schematics :) and You will see what CIA is for keyboard and what for user port :) with simple poke and logic probe or voltmeter you can see if it works :) Btw I've seen that reset line on floppy works as it should :)
What you need is a Dead Test Cartridge! It will test all chips, and show what is working properly and what isn't. They are pretty cheap on Ebay and very useful to have :) It's been a long time since I powered on my 1541, but I'm pretty sure the power light normally blink when powered when not connected to a computer.
You mean the diagnostics ROM + harness (recently reproduced as "check64"), which requires a lot of the computer to be working already ... dead test can be useful when you get a black screen, but fails with indepth diagnostics.
@@RogerBarraud Hi Roger, If you remember I used to repair those things, a long time ago. I might have a circuit of a clone version at least. Somewhere.
Nostalgia! Definitely enjoyed. I might dig out my old Amiga 2000 and see if she boots! C64's long gone...wish I still had them. BTW, I have about 600 1.44 floppies with Amiga software on them, wonder what I could do that is useful with them?
But... Most people just used the c64 with tapes. You probably know this, but the disk drive was pretty much a c64 on its own with own 6502 and all, it might even have been more expensive than the c64. A tape player would have sufficed for a c64 experience of the time.
Actually, I have several old 1541 drives that had the belt go bad. They do stretch over time and lose their grip on the motor spindle. It was bad enough that while the hub spindle would turn, a floppy disk had enough internal friction to overcome it and it wouldn't spin at all. So, I bought a bunch of replacement belts and that completely fixed the problem. Even some drives I didn't know would work turned out to work fine because they were able to spin the disk properly. Here's a link to the belts: console5.com/store/commodore-1541-floppy-drive-spindle-belt.html The replacement belts don't have reinforcement threads in them like the originals had, but they are good quality and seem to work fine. Only time will tell how long lived they are compared to he originals, because I have several drives that work fine with original belts. By the way, when it comes to doing plastic repair on Commodore stuff, I recommend Loctite plastic bonding system. It works far better and holds far stronger than superglue for the ABS plastic Commodore used.
Thank you for including all the experiments, troubleshooting, and issues. It's really great to see somebody going through the same sorts of issues most of us deal with when restoring hardware, rather than everything working perfectly after a montage. Warts and all, makes for a nice video. 👍
I became an expert on Commodore stuff around age 10. My school had upgraded from C64's to Apple IIGS's but there were never any good games to take advantage of the IIGS -- just crappy old MECC stuff and other things for the //e. I found copies of Pole Position, that Super Mario knockoff, and others for the C64. Somehow I became somewhat popular during the winter months because I figured out how to play video games in school. Never being a very social social person I preferred the machines instead of people during recess -- the Commodores in particular. We had stacks of classic C64s and a few 128s, 1541 and 1702 drives, etc. I'd take them apart, figure out what was wrong, swap components around, even met my first girlfriend this way by showing her electronics. In the end my principal sold me every system (including the 1702 monitors) for $1/piece. Also... The appropriate drive for your C64 would be the 1541 mk II. It matches the case and might be easier to repair should you get the serial working. Great video as usual!
Maybe not a total expert but I know my way around these things. Drilled holes to solder leads for ,8 and ,9 selection switches in and have done PSU repairs in many of these and other old drives. The Atari 1050's were real turds.
Interesting that "cmd3" would work as well. I remember using "cmd4" but I saw another guy print something with 3. I also thought the "open" was something like 4, 4, or 4, 4, 4, but this other guy used 3, 4 also. I think it's weird that we should have to open the channels for printing or for advanced disk commands anyway, rather than just having them open by default, because even with them open already, the stuff doesn't go to the printer until you "cmd3" or "cmd4" anyway. And with the disk drive I never needed to use the close command to help anything, even though they have it, so I don't see the point of that.
@@AltMarc Well, if I understand right, the default device number for printers is 4, but you can have one on 3 too. I'm not sure why the instructions a guy got on another video said to use "cmd3" and it just worked. And I bet he did look it up here online. Sometimes that does work. I don't know where the device number jumpers in the printer are like I do in the old 1541. But how would you know about _this_ printer here?
@@HelloKittyFanMan. I could explain it better 35 years ago !, but 3 is used internally: www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Serial_Port At these times you were happy to have ONE printer, so the jumper thing (if ever) was very rarely a matter, go with 4 at 99.99% chance, plotter had 5 if I remember correctly... If you speak (at least read) German. here you find every - anything about VC20-C64 internals: www.64er-online.de/download/index.html BTW: 1986-02 page 93: all about the CIA=6526 in details
Ive got two functional c64 and two floppy drives (One works the other doesn't). If you lived anywhere near Chicago or Madison. I'd say stop on by and we can see if any of it works. I even have a functioning VIC 20 too if you'd like to trouble shoot that well.
This drive has a MAJOR problem unless it was fixed: The drive central shaft and the disk holder WERE NOT KEYED!! Thus, it is possible for the shaft ZERO position and the disk holder ZERO position to not match, causing reading errors until re-aligned by hand. Secondly, the cable from the drive to the computer has very few pins and the data rate is VERY slow. To fix that, people had small programs that could be read into the drive's internal processor to allow it to read data and send it in parallel to the computer using pins that normally did other things, speeding up the data transfer rate very much. Other than that, the drives were very robust and could read disks that IBM drives would "throw up" on. I got a whole bunch of disks cheap from a person whose IBM-type machine refused to read or write to; worked fine with my C64, though.
That is it! I was trying to get any C64 cartridges locally when I was originally trying to troubleshoot it. After exhausting almost all the places I could think of I found these and two Sesame Street carts at one video game store. I opted to just get these because I wanted two in case one cart was bad. They did the job at least and helped me get it going initially.
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The dark lines at the end of the video (and other parts) are my camera's sensor overheating. I use a Nikon D5300 and it is not "meant" for video. So it isn't well suited to the task.
I'll just preempt some comments by saying, no I cannot actively cool the camera in any way. Cold boxes for stellar photography are the closest I could get, but that isn't a real solution for having to shoot video all the time. It would be extremely impractical.
You are supposed to use Load "$" ,8,1 when loading from the 1541.
@@dhowser2008 Are you sure? I used Load"$",8 on mine and didnt have any problems that I remember (It was 25 years ago though...) :) I only used ,1 to load games that needed it.
@@keithdunn521 I always used Load "*",8,1 myself. picked it up off a random game disk label and just went with it.
@@keithdunn521 , you are correct. LOAD "$",8 is the correct syntax for loading the directory. Adding ,1 to this statement can result in a garbled screen as the ,1 command tells the computer to load to the specified address saved in the program. Since the directory is not a valid "program", the computer has no idea where to load it. The "Device not Present" error has nothing to do with the load command issued and everything to do with a faulty chip. Regards.
@@Blink_____ or ,9 if my memory serves me right, with a second Diskdrive.
your William Shatner impression is spot on
Around 1985, I accidentaly became a small town part-time tech for fixing Commodore 64s and the notorious 1541 disk drives. The guy who sold them locally gave me a service manual folder for the 1541 (I think it's still downstairs somewhere in the electronics dungeon) and it has all the schematics, the step by step fault guide including a couple of programs you typed in to help (if the drive was cactus) and more importantly there were alignment disks with sinewaves recorded on various tracks so you could step it out from the end stop and look with a CRO at the incoming waves from the head.
The biggest fault for the 1541 at the time was copy protected games chattering the head up against the end stop. Those games would just bash the stepper up against the stop for a while as a part of the protection. Unfortunately, the stepper shaft was just press fitted on to the cog attached to the metal band and it would move. The permanent cure was to remove the stepper and drill a pin through the shaft and cog to lock it into position then rotate the motor till the waves looked right again. Did that to around 100 of them.
Hahaha, what a gem of a video.
40 minutes of repair to repair nothing, must have been AMAZING to edit it
oh yeah, it was fun. I started out with 3 hrs of footage.
What a gem of a comment.
You must be AMAZING at parties...
:-(
Have a pair of 1541's under my C64. One works okay. The other one is a recent purchase from an 'antiques and collectable' store. Managed to purchase it for $15. Owner of the store mentioned it was "NOS". (actually....no) But it did have the transport card in place and is in amazing condition. It works 100%.
The number "1541" will always be special to me because of using this drive back in the 80s.
Cyanoacrylate superglue does not work with ABS plastics! It just melts it a bit and deforms the piece, smoothing the stumps away so it's even harder to fix it with epoxy later. Always check glue compatibility before glueing, but the gist of it is that superglue is not good for most things related to computers, and 2-part epoxy is where it's at. Wood glue is also useful sometimes for non-load bearing parts because of its mildness and space-filling properties.
Also, there was really no need to apply the solder to the case, even if no ground connection is made (and the screws will make it) there won't be any problem. All parts that need to be grounded together will have ground leads in the connecting cable anyway, it's bad practice in design to use chassis ground for signals.
And I did very much enjoy the video!
Those glue tips are helpful, thank you.
I realized in editing that I could have just used the solder to burn off the paint around the holes and I would have seemed much more clever. I'll probably do that in the future.
The funny thing about the points on the PCB that attach to the chassis is that while 3/4 of them to have pads, none of them are connected to ground. Two of the pads even have a trace running between them. While you don't want to use chassis ground as your only ground connection, it can help with things like ground bounce or if there is a particularly high load on a wired connection that could be changing the relative ground. I just assumed it was because the 1541 is pretty sloppy with where it sends the sensitive signals from the head. But apparently, they don't care since it does nothing anyway.
Back in the mid 1980's I was doing component level repair of C64 and 1541 drives. If I got a C64, first thing I would do was socket the ROM. Then I had a special ROM with some really low level diagnostics. For 95% of all repairs, I found there to be one of three problems. The 6510 processor, a PLD chip or one of the 64x1 DRAM s. The diagnostics had one test that would blink an output on the user port at about 1 Hz. I had an LED I would plug into the user port. If it blinked, that established that I had a clock and a working processor. Then I checked the memory. There were 8 64x1 DRAM chips. The memory test would indicate which one failed. If the processor and memory were OK, it was better than even odds that the PLD chip had gone bad. For the remaining 5%, I just the replaced the board. I was thinking of getting a digital logic analyzer but I finally just gave it up.
For the 1541's I got an exerciser. The 1541 didn't have a home position sensor so to move the head to the zero position, it would run the stepping motor the full number of steps in reverse. So for a certain number of steps it would "bump" against the zero position stop. After time, I think the stator would become magnetized enough so that it would be a step off even after trying to bump the head to the zero position. The solution was pretty simple. Unbolt the step motor and turn it 90 degrees. Then it would zero. That seem to fix the problem on most 1541's. Then I would charge customers 40$ to "repair" their 1541.
$40 was usually what I charged to repair a C64. Once all they wanted was a new C64 case. I asked, "what happened to the old case". They said it was destroyed as the result of a karate chop. I had a few extra cases lying around so I sold them one.
After about a year of repairing Commodore equipment, this is basically everything I learned.
I enjoyed it anyway because knowing what doesnt work (trial and error) is always needed during troubleshooting
Part 2?
Thanks for posting this. I'm sorry you didn't get it working but the way you presented everything just had me laughing the whole time, especially that chip that leaped from its socket. Pure gold 🤣
Better luck with part two.
I did enjoy this video, sorry!
As you discovered, the C64 can boot with neither CIA chip installed. If you suspect the CIA, you can switch one for the other and if the fault changes to a different fault, you've narrowed it down to one of the CIAs. The two chips are identical, but serve different functions, so a fault with one CIA will become a different fault if you switch them for diagnostic purposes.
Since your C64 was sending the reset signal to the disk drive on boot up, I would suspect the issue is more likely to be with the 1541 drive and not the C64. There are instructions in the commodore manuals out there to send commands directly to the drive in order to read error messages that the drive can send back to the computer.
I made an XE-1541 cable (similar to the X-1541 cable with added diodes for compatibility with more PCs parallel ports). It works well so I can recommend this method. I used it with an old Pentium laptop that has a parallel port, and started backing up whatever I could from my old 5.25" floppy disk collection. It's cheaper and easier to make than the Pi1541 option, but if you already have the raspberry pi, the Pi1541 that you referred to at the end of your video is a good idea to get to use your C64 sooner!
Here is the BASIC program to read the 1541 error channel. First, you have to wait until the 1541 indicator light starts flashing, saying there's an error, then enter this program into the C64:
10 OPEN 15,8,15
20 INPUT#15,EN,EM$,ET,ES
30 PRINT EN,EM$,ET,ES
40 CLOSE 15
then type RUN.
(source: Ray Carlsen's webpage personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/1541/fix1541.txt )
Also I realized after writing that comment there is another option besies the XE-1541 cable, as those cables are a bit "obsolete" and not everybody has a PC with a compatible parallel port anymore: there is the ZoomFloppy at store.go4retro.com/zoomfloppy/ to connect to a USB plug on your computer and use your Commodore disk drive with a friendly Windows interface. I haven't tried it yet because it was cheaper and easy for me to build the XE-1541, but this is also an option you may consider.
Good luck! I'm looking forward to Part 2!
That is not correct. If you leave out the left CIA, you don't get a cursor because the IRQ line gets constantly triggered, basically stopping the CPU after initializing BASIC. But yes, swapping both chips within a machine can lead to some success (keep in mind the CIA basically has 2 parallel and 1 serial interfaces and usually it's just one line that has gone bad).
It can still happen that a CIA is broken even when the IEC reset gets triggered.
@@1337Shockwav3 True, but for troubleshooting, you should still see the bootup colors, even with no CIA installed.
Yup, I'm aware. This exact thing can be seen here at 31:40 when it booted with no flashing cursor.
Did we ever get a part 2? I was bored re-watching older videos and I realized I don't remember there being a part 2 and I couldn't find it in the video listing. If we didn't I think it's a tad overdue isn't it? I want to see him fix the shell and superglue and baking soda the front and see it reading disks. I know this moment in time isn't the best time with all that's going on behind the scenes but I hope it's at least on the near horizon. Thanks for being awesome.
Where's part 2?
Denied.
@@blackterminal lol ... according to a quick youtube search part 2 still doesn't exist. gotta love it when people release a part 1 then never follow up and don't even bother to change the title of the first & only video
onwards and upwards dude! you only get better if you try new things and persist! keep at it!
You say you have never seen a floppy drive belt go bad? Take a look at all of my laptop floppy drives from the early 90's 😊
Can't even get those belts anymore.
thanks you helped me repair my 1541. Greetings from Germany
Nice video man! I would perhaps suggest using some CA kicker to instantly set the super glue.
I am glad you are using Metcal. only way to go.
When I repaired the 1571 drive for my C128, I placed a dab of super glue on the small metal rod to keep it from shifting again. This was at the recommendation of Ray Carlsen. If you Google him, you’ll find his webpage provides a lot of great info for these old Commodores, but he also makes and sells replacement PSUs, cables, etc.
I suspect the black in the corners of the drive cage is where the metal plating is peeling away, but that’s exposed metal and could use that sealer. And the solder isn’t trying to stick to the paint, it’s not hot enough on the metal and those are ‘cold’ solder joints. It’ll probably be fine.
I got up early today. Then I've found this video (came here from the super glue and baking soda trick video). Now I know what to do for the pre-work relax. :)
PS.Subscribed. Because your channel deserves at least this. :)
Old computers are not that great without the patina of nostalgia.
HA! My first commodore repair I had the exact same problem. I replaced EVERYTHING. Even the memory and 74LS629 VCO chips etc. Finally I took the CIA chip out and it worked. I TOOK IT OUT AND IT WORKED..... lol.
The reason why is that the video chip uses a register to bank switch its video pages to where ever you want. If that register is faulty, you get black screen. Everything else on the chip might be okay, and you might even be able to just swap them around and it will work fine. Since 6526As are easy to find, I just replaced the 6526B with an A and it worked fine.
If you have a device not present error on the printer try device 5 (both are usually used for printers). Your disk drive is in fact communicating with the C64. When you do the LOAD"$",8 you are getting the SEARCHING FOR $ message and not a ?DEVICE NOT PRESENT ERROR in addition to it.
Also, little known fact, a Commodore 64 can actually support 23 disk drives, but it gets tricky after 4. While a Commodore disk drive can be set in hardware to device 8, 9, 10, or 11, you can actually set the device ID up to 30 in software. It would take a bit of work, but you can automate it somewhat (you can write a basic program).
Dude get a proper desolder gun all inone unit, I jsut started my 5160 projectand I aint touching the main board components until I have it.
I simply will not struggle with those yucky solder suckers or copper braid.
No way.
Great Video dont despair mate you are more patient than me fella.
Another C64 + 1541 is back to life!!!:D
Those 1541'a were notorious for banging the heads out of alignment so Commodore came out with the 1571 drive which was better paired up with a C128.
All the other usual suspects treat these old C64's like they're holy relics, this bloke pokes it with a stick and speaks his mind.
A different take is sometimes refreshing.
I went out and bought an older Commodore 64 and two 1541 Floppy drives(both drives were from different people in different states initially looked good both powered up but one would spin a disk the other would not)none have been tested and a 1702 Monitor which is tested is coming next week so your video is very helpful from a troubleshooting standpoint. I would say the best thing I took away from this is to really make sure all connections are solid. In Adrian's Digital Basement he has a video where he got a C64 to work that had been protected by ants it was rusted and dirty and been in a field for decades and he got it to work.
Im watcing this because I was searching for relics at a dump and I found a 1541 drive sitting in the dirt.
You have an older style C64 motherboard. All the older style motherboards are very unreliable and many chips in those are prone to failure. However, the later so called short boards, produced from about 1987 and onwards, which are much smaller motherboards and have way less chips and are way more reliable. These newer short boards are the most common to find on ebay. They are also cheap. At least here in Europe it's easy to find PAL versions. Not sure how common they would be in America and NTSC. But if you want a far more reliable C64 then just get one of these short boards. They are named 250469 and comes in 4 different revisions. Rev.3, 4, A and B. All four are almost identical and all are reliable. So you cannot go wrong with any of them.
Never used a Commodore 64 before.....holy crap!
Good luck in part 2!
Dang dude, that's tough. Hope you get stuff sorted out.
My mother always said, start with the last one ;)
What I do when I encounter a pin like that. I put a drop of superglue on the exposed pin shaft then shove it into position. Done so that the hole in the base block has super glue lining the inside. Works fine lasts a long time.
Understand the frustrations. I had a C64 with bad memory multiplexers, a 1541 with a bad 6502 and a dead read head. Everything is great now, but you may want to look for a dead Alps drive 1541 and swap it out.
Swapping your wild guesswork for a scope and logic analyser might be a good move too :-)
I like the sped up parts of the process, most content creators just talk about their process with incremental shots but this way it has way more continuity
When I started watching videos about stuff like this, they didn't all have failing capacitors and other components.
What I have done in the past with repairing plastic parts on C64/1541 cases is to use Cyanoacrylate (SuperGlue) and layer very small strips of tissue paper across the break into the drying glue. This forms a reinforced bond, like fiberglass. It can be quite tricky to do, but the resultant bond ends up being VERY strong.
I remember fixing that latch pin on a couple drives I had back in the 90's. It can work itself out even when the drive isn't dropped.
Classic Reloaded PCB just shipped.
I really liked seeing how you diagnosed the issues on this Commodore. As a repair technician I really appreciate seeing how people figure out what is wrong with something. Keep up the good work and I can't wait for your next videos!
Except FAIL :-/
And this is why my retrocomputing ends at emulation. With old hardware you're just buying into a world of hurt, and I don't have the patience =) So respect to the AkBkuku, 8-bit Guy, and the others who tinker with hardware AND by some magic, get it all running.
Try using acetone as a welding solvent for ABS. Just absolutely keep it away from the visible parts of the case!
I wanted to see the cleaning part too
Mine was a bad CIA chip. First thing to test with a lot of problems, is switching your CIA chips, and seeing if it changes the problem, that's how I was able to diagnose mine much more quickly and efficiently.
definately the left cia chip was working in all cases, as when it was removed the cursor didn't blink. but it did blink for all 3.
I had a 1541 with similar behavior. The problem for me was a via chip (6522) in the disk drive. I recommend for you to swap the via chips in the 1541. If the disk drive spins endlessly then one of the via chips are bad.
Don't feel bad about this video man, failures(or non successful attempts) are just as important to show as the perfect "I fixed it!" videos.
I'm watching this in March and I enjoyed this video! You working on old stuff is enjoyable and fun even if you don't succeed. Just watching someone who knows what he's doing troubleshoot is good content and fun!
My first computer was a dark brown bread bin C64, and we only ever used the cassette drive, it got skipped back in 2005/6 and I wish now we had never done that 😔
you can always use spade connectors soldered to the ground pin, looks a little neater as well
NO.
@@RogerBarraud why not?
I've never seen a chip jump out of its socket before.
it's afraid!
Neither did, what type of sorcery is this?
i have. Trick is to form a small nylon zip-tie underneath the socket and use pliers to make it as tight as possible.
It must have had an electric shock.
I have! I own two Commodore 64's, both fully functional. (Well, one's a C64, the other's a 64C.) On the C64, when it heats up, the SID chip pops out of the socket, and the computer crashes.
I was able to fix it with an old Lego. I just took a rasp and filed it down to the right height, then glued it to the top of the SID chip so that when the case is closed, it puts enough pressure on it to keep it in the socket. Problem solved. :)
@AkBKukU Contrary to your last line, a video about debugging old hardware without solving it at first try is pretty good. Not every case of repair needs to be sugar coated to be enjoyable to follow.
Agreed
Agreed!
Well, yeah, but if you are emotionally invested in this (and I presume most of us here are), you can feel almost the same frustration as the author had. :) And, unfortunately, not everyone can consciously differentiate the source of it...
Fortunately, as of now, most viewers are happy with what they saw. :)
Flame Well, his videos are not just about entertainment, but also learning.
Many people will learn very much in these videos, and when its a failure usually they learn more. And this wont be a single part video, it will likelly have a part 2, where he probably adresses a mistake or something he passed through and didnt see. And probably show some extra content there.
You learn with what he did right, like the latch, like the painting, but also learn with for example the tinning wich isnt the best option to make contact, and also with what he didnt do so well, or a mistake he could have made.
I agree, with the promise of part two it's totally fine. :)
Soldered ICs had the legs snipped at the factory from beneath the board after soldering.. that's why the legs are so short compared to factory socketed ICs.
It is evident from watching the video that the CIA on the left is CIA-1 (which controls the keyboard). The CIA on the right is the CIA-2 (which contols the serial bus). Hope that helps.
This video was GREAT! I am a huge fan of the Commodore 64, it was my first computer and I still play on it from time to time. Your frustrations with it all just made me laugh out loud, so thanks for sharing!
I have seen you actually troubleshoot things before, and while we have all tried swaptronics... I would have enjoyed it more if you had actually troubleshot this. Don't get me wrong, feeling chips for excess heat and swapping them if they are showing excess heating is a good first thing... but you are beyond that. I have enjoyed your content prior to this which leaves me puzzled as to why you would take a different tack with this one.
There is a big difference between troubleshooting an analog stereo that deals with voltages noted in a schematic and trying to diagnose serial communication protocols. It takes a lot more setup and pre-knowlege(ie, you can't "figure out" how it should work by just looking at the PCB for the most part) of the circuit and expected operation to be able to properly troubleshoot something more complicated like this.
Additionally, by the time I was just swapping chips around in this video I had been working on this for six hours that day. I just wanted to be done and was hoping for an easy out. I wasn't about to break out my logic analyzer and settle in to another few hours and start watching packets. That's why I cut for a break and will have a part 2.
Something else...in case it hasn't been said. Jan Beta is a excellent C64 resource. Might be worth asking him for some guidance (assuming he has the time).
Is he Egg's brother?
Barkeeper's friend contains oxalic acid, any acid will cause etching of oxidized metal. Many rust treatments are based on phosphoric acid, which converts iron oxide into iron phosphate, a dark gray/black substance. White vinegar will also convert rust into a dark gray schmutz, I assume it's iron acetate, since that's acetic acid.
WD40 works for that and doesn't etch the metal.
Was a followup video made to this? I'd love to see that 1541 working. I just repaired three this weekend. lol. Well, the first one I repaired was technically a VIC-1541 but that's still a 1541.
Perfect timing with this video. I've got a 1541 and 1571 that are partially working I need to fix.
You have 2 of the 466 boards! These boards are considered the best as they output the clearest picture. They are also quite rare. Try my Pi1541. The 7406 (or 7416) on the 64 could be the problem.
I watched this video in 5-minute chunks for the whole week. Probably how it was meant to be watched because you've spent at least a week on this video.
Curious if there was ever a part 2 of this?
Might i suggest a dead test cartridge and loopback harness assembly to check all the ports on the 64c?
Further, Howard Sams published some really excellent repair documentation on these units and you can find them on the web without much difficulty.
I watch this feeling bad that I have one upstairs collecting dust in pretty good condition but yet I cannot part with it :'D
The black stuff is just black oxide. Its stable.
Close your eyes and you can actually hear Kermit repairing the floppy drive. Jokes aside, great video.
To be trendy you must have the 1541-II (the sister of C64C).
I laughed when I saw you using your pliers as a “vise” for the solder job. I do the same thing.
Even better when you use rubber bands on the handles to give them positive grip.
You might try solvent welding those 'stems' with acetone instead of putting globs of epoxy on them.
The format used for C64 diskette drives is not the same as with IBM diskette drives; the Commodore format is better. Since all external devices attached to a C64 have their own internal computers, as with the Apple Mac system, they are more complicated. I had a C64 machine for several years and most of my experiences were positive, though mine were new and hadn't been left to gather dust or had my diskette drive dropped from a height. A C64 is a very good machine to use to learn how computers work, since they have most of the larger machines' chips variety (for example, separate and independently-functioning sound and video controller chips, unlike APPLE II) but were simple enough to run with minimum training using its simple OS or its BASIC until one got ramped up to be able to do detailed internal control using advanced BASIC commands and even machine-language. The C64 had a VERY advanced BASIC Compiler available to it (better user interface than the one I currently use with my IBM-type Microsoft WINDOWS machine by far).
As you have noticed there was two CIA chips, one for keyboard , joystick and one for serial/user port, you could swap them.
Find schematics :) and You will see what CIA is for keyboard and what for user port :)
with simple poke and logic probe or voltmeter you can see if it works :)
Btw I've seen that reset line on floppy works as it should :)
What you need is a Dead Test Cartridge! It will test all chips, and show what is working properly and what isn't. They are pretty cheap on Ebay and very useful to have :) It's been a long time since I powered on my 1541, but I'm pretty sure the power light normally blink when powered when not connected to a computer.
You mean the diagnostics ROM + harness (recently reproduced as "check64"), which requires a lot of the computer to be working already ... dead test can be useful when you get a black screen, but fails with indepth diagnostics.
@@1337Shockwav3 Ah, yes you are correct!
Dead Test Redemption?
;-)
@@RogerBarraud Hi Roger, If you remember I used to repair those things, a long time ago. I might have a circuit of a clone version at least. Somewhere.
I seem to be having similar luck with old Matsushita / Creative optical drives.
Nostalgia! Definitely enjoyed. I might dig out my old Amiga 2000 and see if she boots! C64's long gone...wish I still had them. BTW, I have about 600 1.44 floppies with Amiga software on them, wonder what I could do that is useful with them?
The CIA chips are the same. You can swap them from 1 socket to the other. One socket controls half the IO and the other controls the rest.
I actually did enjoy this video, though I wish you didn't go so fast through the soldering parts. I find it rather interesting.
But... Most people just used the c64 with tapes. You probably know this, but the disk drive was pretty much a c64 on its own with own 6502 and all, it might even have been more expensive than the c64.
A tape player would have sufficed for a c64 experience of the time.
Actually, I have several old 1541 drives that had the belt go bad. They do stretch over time and lose their grip on the motor spindle. It was bad enough that while the hub spindle would turn, a floppy disk had enough internal friction to overcome it and it wouldn't spin at all. So, I bought a bunch of replacement belts and that completely fixed the problem. Even some drives I didn't know would work turned out to work fine because they were able to spin the disk properly. Here's a link to the belts:
console5.com/store/commodore-1541-floppy-drive-spindle-belt.html
The replacement belts don't have reinforcement threads in them like the originals had, but they are good quality and seem to work fine. Only time will tell how long lived they are compared to he originals, because I have several drives that work fine with original belts.
By the way, when it comes to doing plastic repair on Commodore stuff, I recommend Loctite plastic bonding system. It works far better and holds far stronger than superglue for the ABS plastic Commodore used.
I'm starting to think 1541 refers to the manufacturing date...
The hardest part is turning the crank while it loads the directory.
Haha, wow, that's crazy about the power supplies. I never pictured having to plug 2 power plugs in to run the same computer!
Thank you for including all the experiments, troubleshooting, and issues. It's really great to see somebody going through the same sorts of issues most of us deal with when restoring hardware, rather than everything working perfectly after a montage.
Warts and all, makes for a nice video. 👍
I became an expert on Commodore stuff around age 10.
My school had upgraded from C64's to Apple IIGS's but there were never any good games to take advantage of the IIGS -- just crappy old MECC stuff and other things for the //e. I found copies of Pole Position, that Super Mario knockoff, and others for the C64. Somehow I became somewhat popular during the winter months because I figured out how to play video games in school.
Never being a very social social person I preferred the machines instead of people during recess -- the Commodores in particular. We had stacks of classic C64s and a few 128s, 1541 and 1702 drives, etc. I'd take them apart, figure out what was wrong, swap components around, even met my first girlfriend this way by showing her electronics. In the end my principal sold me every system (including the 1702 monitors) for $1/piece.
Also... The appropriate drive for your C64 would be the 1541 mk II. It matches the case and might be easier to repair should you get the serial working.
Great video as usual!
LOL - a friend of mine met his wife because she heard he could fix transistor AM radios :-)
"became an expert ... around age 10"
No, you didn't.
Maybe not a total expert but I know my way around these things. Drilled holes to solder leads for ,8 and ,9 selection switches in and have done PSU repairs in many of these and other old drives.
The Atari 1050's were real turds.
I had to swap the 6510 on my floppy drive once.
Was part 2 never made???
Interesting that "cmd3" would work as well. I remember using "cmd4" but I saw another guy print something with 3. I also thought the "open" was something like 4, 4, or 4, 4, 4, but this other guy used 3, 4 also. I think it's weird that we should have to open the channels for printing or for advanced disk commands anyway, rather than just having them open by default, because even with them open already, the stuff doesn't go to the printer until you "cmd3" or "cmd4" anyway. And with the disk drive I never needed to use the close command to help anything, even though they have it, so I don't see the point of that.
You are right the printer was on 4 and not on 3. He could have looked it up on the internet....
@@AltMarc
Well, if I understand right, the default device number for printers is 4, but you can have one on 3 too. I'm not sure why the instructions a guy got on another video said to use "cmd3" and it just worked. And I bet he did look it up here online. Sometimes that does work. I don't know where the device number jumpers in the printer are like I do in the old 1541. But how would you know about _this_ printer here?
@@HelloKittyFanMan. I could explain it better 35 years ago !, but 3 is used internally: www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Serial_Port
At these times you were happy to have ONE printer, so the jumper thing (if ever) was very rarely a matter, go with 4 at 99.99% chance, plotter had 5 if I remember correctly...
If you speak (at least read) German. here you find every - anything about VC20-C64 internals:
www.64er-online.de/download/index.html
BTW: 1986-02 page 93: all about the CIA=6526 in details
Instead of Bar Keeper's Friend I would have used Brasso. Regarding the number of drives, print devices, etc. I think the magic maximum number is 16.
Ive got two functional c64 and two floppy drives (One works the other doesn't). If you lived anywhere near Chicago or Madison. I'd say stop on by and we can see if any of it works. I even have a functioning VIC 20 too if you'd like to trouble shoot that well.
Pretty sure they don't have palm trees near chicago, he seems to live in the southwest.
This drive has a MAJOR problem unless it was fixed: The drive central shaft and the disk holder WERE NOT KEYED!! Thus, it is possible for the shaft ZERO position and the disk holder ZERO position to not match, causing reading errors until re-aligned by hand. Secondly, the cable from the drive to the computer has very few pins and the data rate is VERY slow. To fix that, people had small programs that could be read into the drive's internal processor to allow it to read data and send it in parallel to the computer using pins that normally did other things, speeding up the data transfer rate very much. Other than that, the drives were very robust and could read disks that IBM drives would "throw up" on. I got a whole bunch of disks cheap from a person whose IBM-type machine refused to read or write to; worked fine with my C64, though.
Is there a part 2 to follow soon? :o
+1 for part 2 question
isn't the disk drive basically a c64 with a drive in its self? I forget doesn't that have donor chips? lol! love that IC at the end:)
6522's I think you'll find ... no 6526's (in the early ones at least), IIRC.
As I recall you could have 2 (two) drives one was id 8 and the other was id 9 and yes it was an internal connection that had to be changed
i would coat the metal work with Zink Spray :)
I really enjoyed the part about the disk retention rod.
That cartridge is Tooth Invaders. Really great game when I was 8
That is it! I was trying to get any C64 cartridges locally when I was originally trying to troubleshoot it. After exhausting almost all the places I could think of I found these and two Sesame Street carts at one video game store. I opted to just get these because I wanted two in case one cart was bad. They did the job at least and helped me get it going initially.
AkBKukU You should also look for ducks ahoy, those were the best c64 carts
@6:48 - 6:58 - Ouch! :/ It almost hurts to see a C= 1541 drive in that has such a leg-shearing face-drop done to it...