BIG DISCOUNT on items for sale on my website for a limited time only. The items were restored as part of the show and will help support the channel. retrorepairguy.com/product-category/electronic/ There is also a new Donations link for the channel square.link/u/xikGzrwa where you can make a ONE TIME or RECURRING monthly donation. It's completely secure and all proceeds go to the channel. I will include your name in thank you credits of the video, if you give me permission to do so. If you want to donate any item to the channel, please get in contact with me by filling out the form on my Website retrorepairguy.com/contact-us/ and make sure to select the subject from the drop down list. THANK YOU ALL!
Hi! Thank you and welcome to the channel. Yeah, unfortunately only small heat sinks here and there, nothing fancy since there is no space but in my opinion it definitely helps and if we are to save these units we have to do our best to preserve them for a long time. Changing the forty year old capacitors will also protect it as they dry up and have resistance over time. Please check out my other videos you might like them as well. I future proofed a Commodore 64 and some game consoles. I pretty much try to future proof every unit I open up. Thank you for watching!
catching up on all your past videos that i missed out because i was late to subscribe. like always your videos are amazing to watch. we not only see these devices get new life but we get a history on the items you are restoring.....you should have 100k subscribers.....
Hi again! I really do appreciate the kind comments, means a lot to me and always keeps me going! I started the "mini history" thing in later episodes once I got my format established. Believe it or not, so much work goes into these. I always try to find old articles, pictures and try to get my facts straight. But in general people seem to like it. I wish and hope for 100K subs! You just got to tell RUclips to push my videos a little more but they rather push the cat reacting to the dog video, what can I say!
@@wallyf7020 I wish. RUclips is extremely complex. They check every little metric from thumbs up, how many subscribers return to see your videos and if they watch beginning to end, if they clicked on the video from suggested feed, etc. And this gives you a certain score that they use to push or not to more people. Then they push to everyone instead of targeted groups and that further lowers your score. They also don't alert all subscribers, even the one's with notifications activated if they haven't been watching the same kind of stuff. And unfortunately, there's no magic formula. Sadly this is why many RUclipsrs quit and give up and they had really great channels.
Nice Restoration! Once caveat on the dishwasher (wishdosher?) technique. If you have very hard water like I do you have to rinse afterwards with bottled water or you will get a white film on everything. Also if your hot water is 140 degrees, as ours is, I would skip the plastics.
Hi! For the hard water you are correct. Our water is not so bad but it happens sometimes that I get a white spot here and there, especially on the underside where most of the soldering is on some of these old boards. I just rinse it off with a bit of 99% alcohol on a paper towel and never see it again. As for the water being 140 degrees, it's depends of course on the material but most plastics on these things is ABS or something along the lines, which is strong. It's no worse than putting Tupperware in the dishwasher. However putting something 3D printed with PLA filament for example would just melt away. Thanks so much for watching!
Recap skeptics....lol. I had an Atari 800xl randomly crashing (sometimes every 30 seconds and many times every second day!). Everything returned to normal after changing the machine.
Hi there! Some people just don't believe in restoring or future proofing and think things last forever. I had an Atari 800XL growing up and loved it and wish I could get my hands on one again. So many things I gave away over time and never realized. Can you believe I even gave away a Chevy Belair 64 I restored! Oh well! Thanks for watching!
Hi! Wow I'm reading on this TRS-1 2450 now seems interesting. I will definitely look into this. Have you successfully installed one already? Thank you for the information and thanks for watching.
Hi! Sounds like a good idea if ever I find parts to do it. I'll keep an eye out. I've been concentrating mostly on restoring everything. Make sure to check out the Commodore 64 I restored ruclips.net/video/DJNEg8T8MIA/видео.html and the latest episode ruclips.net/video/EQNuugQ-qss/видео.html. Thanks for watching!
@@RetroRepairGuy New ceramics are much smaller and lower profile. TDK makes some awesome tiny plastic box film caps for a few cents each. Makes the board look nicer, overall.
Hi everyone! The store is up and running. I'll be adding more items in the days to come as well as merchandising for the channel. Prices are in Canadian dollars. Purchases of items fixed by me will include a signed certificate of authenticity that states the item was fixed by Retro Repair Guy. Thank you for your support! retrorepairguy.com
I have two CR VIC-20's, and the one thing I hate is how the American cases do not fit the footprint of the board, they added the underside shielding that was needed to securely mount the board. (Not sure in Europe how they did it, but I have seen C64 cases with screw posts on the bottom case that would fit the CR VIC-20 board. A lot of the cases I need to fix due to broken parts, so I usually have spare replacement #3D printed ones you can epoxy over the snapped off ones and just add them to fit the case. It is a bit ugly on the inside, but I am so much happier with how it fits together.
Hi Robert. I have no idea why your comment was stuck in SPAM, it's a YT thing. Yeah I saw that with the cases and don't quite understand or know enough about why. I'm sure there were costs involved or maybe a mix up and it was cheaper to modify it, I wonder. 3D printing is amazing to help bring these things back to life and replace or expand parts needed. However I gave it a shot and I ended up returning it because it's something that takes a lot of time and dedication that I can't put on it right now and putting on restoring these things and making the videos. However I would love in the future to be setup and even be able to replace missing battery doors for equipment. Thanks for watching!
Hi! Thank you for letting me know. I definitely will have a bunch of Commodore restorations coming soon, but in two episodes from now because I need to plan and order parts. Hope you stay tuned!
Thank you it's very encouraging! Cheers! PS I just saw your channel and subscribed. You did an awesome mod on the cassette to record old programs back to the media.
I recently got myself a VIC20 (The later revision like in the video). And sure enough, the old caps were starting to go bad, just like in this video. High ESR and high voltage losses
Yes many people think if it's working then everything is fine not realizing that there are all sorts of issues that could also result in damage to the other components.
Hi there! I showed it at 9:23 it's a P6KE 6.8V diode. You can find this from vendors like Digi-Key www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/stmicroelectronics/P6KE6V8A/1038972. This idea and explanation originally came from a German document written by Peter Sieg on the Commodore 64 and then Jan Beta integrated this on the VIC 20 where I got the idea from. Thanks for watching!
My latest video is out ruclips.net/video/Woo1-DSzc5A/видео.html I restored an old drum machine that was extremely dirty. It's a Yamaha RX5 which is the same model used by many groups in the 80s including a-ha, Prince, Madonna and Vangelis. Hope you enjoy! I worked really hard on it.
Hi again. It's a very interesting question and I've never experimented with that on an old computer. However with old computers that were never meant to be overclocked or undervolted they might experience stability issues. In general these old units are always being pushed to their limits and that is especially when instability happens. It would be interesting to try. But I think the best is to protect them from power surges and "overvolting" because that is how most of the chips blew; bad and cheap capacitors, voltage regulators and heat. In addition, adding the 6.8 volt diode mod like I did on the VIC 20.
Hi. Not sure you understand this correctly. Yes it's on the 5V rail but the P6KE 6.8A is a suppressor diode and works like a zener diode, only optimized for speed. It starts to conduct from 6.8V. Since most ICs in the C64 are approved up to 7V they can withstand significantly more short peaks and within the limits. Jan Beta used the same thing and this was based on a German paper written by Peter Sieg. Thanks for watching.
@@RetroRepairGuy The IC must tolerate +-5% variation in the supply voltage. Above is not mandatory. That is 4.75V-5.25V. Believe me, the 5.6V Zener is needed there. It is also above the upper limit, but the TTL IC can tolerate this for a short time. Anyway, in the event of an overvoltage, the zener will short-circuit due to the high current flowing through it, but this protects the components and circuits behind it.
@@gyulaszabo6750 So sorry but your comments confuse me because that's exactly why the diode is there and you a re-stating what I just explained in a different way. Anyway Happy Holidays!
My VIC-20 takes the big square one instead of the smaller version since mine is the early model. Looking to replace it but don’t know what spec to get.
Hi Peyton. I'm sorry I went through all my orders on DigiKey and for some reason I can't find the bridge I ordered. I remember ordering it and installing it but can't see it there. I remember reading a document that Jan Beta referenced from a German guy who is the one that had the idea for the diode on 5V rail and had replaced the bridge for one that can take more current but the exact part number I can't find at the moment. I'll try to find that document and answer this comment again with the link.
Hi! No it remained white and by my side as I write this. Hydrogen peroxide works by oxidizing compounds, breaking down molecules responsible for coloration or stains so it doesn't remain in the plastic. When using hydrogen peroxide to whiten yellowed plastic, the hydrogen peroxide typically does not remain in the plastic afterward. Hydrogen peroxide is a relatively unstable compound, and it tends to break down into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2) when exposed to light or heat. This breakdown process usually occurs fairly quickly, especially when the hydrogen peroxide is used in small quantities for cleaning purposes. It's important to thoroughly rinse the plastic with water to remove any remaining hydrogen peroxide solution. Once rinsed, any residual hydrogen peroxide should break down into harmless water and oxygen molecules, leaving the plastic clean and free from chemical residue. Thanks for watching.
There's also a risk crossing the street but if it's not taken apart it cannot be cleaned and fixed properly. As you see, carefully done it turned out great! But I would recommend a key puller. I have one but it's harder with larger keys. In this case I used my bent needle nose and gently pushed up instead of pulling hard from above. Thanks for watching!
@@RetroRepairGuy yeah nice! i did write those basic programs from old mags n stuff, but 1/2 way thru writing it in u could work out what it was going to be anyway and i would change code etc like every 80s nerdy kid. In 1989 i got an A500 tho which was mind blowing in comparison.
Always excited to find a retro repair channel, until I see trump references such as "You're fired" in the background, and rambling commentary about a woman I have never met, never will meet and don't want to meet, followed by the nastiest soundtrack known to civilisation. Congratulations mate. I lasted ONE MINUTE before deciding to fire you. Cheerio.
Hi. Sorry to say the "You're fired" is from Back to The Future NOT Trump. There is no political reference on my show. If you look at it you will see it clearly states "Cusco" and a print out Marty McFly got in Back To The Future 2. Perhaps you need to brush up on the movies. Sorry you judged so quickly. PS everything on my wall is from Back To The Future except the picture of William Shatner.
repair and use a commodore 64 has a sense, but a Vic 20 absolutely not, is like to se some points and lines on the screen and wait 5 minutes for to see changing something... is not "retro" it's "primitive" computing
Hi. This channel restores vintage and retro equipment of all kinds. The VIC 20 is part of history. No one disputes that it's capabilities compared to the C64 rendered it obsolete, however it's still a part of history and the first to have sold over a million units. Same goes for an Atari 2600 compared to a PlayStation, but it's what people grew up on and what helped paved the way to the future. Thanks for watching.
Make sure to watch the latest Christmas episode I have two giveaways! ruclips.net/video/lYiceEtB4e4/видео.html
Hi everyone! Want to see more Commodore stuff? Let me know in the comments.
BIG DISCOUNT on items for sale on my website for a limited time only. The items were restored as part of the show and will help support the channel. retrorepairguy.com/product-category/electronic/
There is also a new Donations link for the channel square.link/u/xikGzrwa where you can make a ONE TIME or RECURRING monthly donation. It's completely secure and all proceeds go to the channel. I will include your name in thank you credits of the video, if you give me permission to do so.
If you want to donate any item to the channel, please get in contact with me by filling out the form on my Website retrorepairguy.com/contact-us/ and make sure to select the subject from the drop down list.
THANK YOU ALL!
this is very cool most restorations i have seen they don't improve the cooling so its nice to see heat sinks added and better capacitors etc
Hi! Thank you and welcome to the channel. Yeah, unfortunately only small heat sinks here and there, nothing fancy since there is no space but in my opinion it definitely helps and if we are to save these units we have to do our best to preserve them for a long time. Changing the forty year old capacitors will also protect it as they dry up and have resistance over time. Please check out my other videos you might like them as well. I future proofed a Commodore 64 and some game consoles. I pretty much try to future proof every unit I open up. Thank you for watching!
@@RetroRepairGuy the CPU and GPU thankyou
catching up on all your past videos that i missed out because i was late to subscribe. like always your videos are amazing to watch. we not only see these devices get new life but we get a history on the items you are restoring.....you should have 100k subscribers.....
Hi again! I really do appreciate the kind comments, means a lot to me and always keeps me going! I started the "mini history" thing in later episodes once I got my format established. Believe it or not, so much work goes into these. I always try to find old articles, pictures and try to get my facts straight. But in general people seem to like it. I wish and hope for 100K subs! You just got to tell RUclips to push my videos a little more but they rather push the cat reacting to the dog video, what can I say!
@@RetroRepairGuy anyway for me to tell youtube????? I will as long as i know how to do it
@@wallyf7020 I wish. RUclips is extremely complex. They check every little metric from thumbs up, how many subscribers return to see your videos and if they watch beginning to end, if they clicked on the video from suggested feed, etc. And this gives you a certain score that they use to push or not to more people. Then they push to everyone instead of targeted groups and that further lowers your score. They also don't alert all subscribers, even the one's with notifications activated if they haven't been watching the same kind of stuff. And unfortunately, there's no magic formula. Sadly this is why many RUclipsrs quit and give up and they had really great channels.
@@RetroRepairGuy hope you decide not to quit.....
Nice Restoration! Once caveat on the dishwasher (wishdosher?) technique. If you have very hard water like I do you have to rinse afterwards with bottled water or you will get a white film on everything. Also if your hot water is 140 degrees, as ours is, I would skip the plastics.
Hi! For the hard water you are correct. Our water is not so bad but it happens sometimes that I get a white spot here and there, especially on the underside where most of the soldering is on some of these old boards. I just rinse it off with a bit of 99% alcohol on a paper towel and never see it again. As for the water being 140 degrees, it's depends of course on the material but most plastics on these things is ABS or something along the lines, which is strong. It's no worse than putting Tupperware in the dishwasher. However putting something 3D printed with PLA filament for example would just melt away. Thanks so much for watching!
Suggestion for future video: VIC-20 S-video mod.
Noted!
Recap skeptics....lol. I had an Atari 800xl randomly crashing (sometimes every 30 seconds and many times every second day!). Everything returned to normal after changing the machine.
Hi there! Some people just don't believe in restoring or future proofing and think things last forever. I had an Atari 800XL growing up and loved it and wish I could get my hands on one again. So many things I gave away over time and never realized. Can you believe I even gave away a Chevy Belair 64 I restored! Oh well! Thanks for watching!
Also add a TRS-1 2450. You can also replace those 2 burgundy film caps with much smaller tiny TDK film caps for $1.
Hi! Wow I'm reading on this TRS-1 2450 now seems interesting. I will definitely look into this. Have you successfully installed one already? Thank you for the information and thanks for watching.
@@RetroRepairGuy Yes indeed. In my TS1000. They work great and run really cool. About $6. No more heat sinks and much smaller and lighter.
@@tenminutetokyo2643 I will consider this for a future upgrade and restoration. Thanks again!
Hi nice job. A idea for next video, build a camputer from parts. In the 80 it was a diy computer build.
Hi! Sounds like a good idea if ever I find parts to do it. I'll keep an eye out. I've been concentrating mostly on restoring everything. Make sure to check out the Commodore 64 I restored ruclips.net/video/DJNEg8T8MIA/видео.html and the latest episode ruclips.net/video/EQNuugQ-qss/видео.html. Thanks for watching!
Jam in all new ceramics.
I had not seen a need to change the ceramics at the time although if they are film caps, that could definitely help as well.
@@RetroRepairGuy New ceramics are much smaller and lower profile. TDK makes some awesome tiny plastic box film caps for a few cents each. Makes the board look nicer, overall.
@tenminutetokyo2643 Why does it need to look "nicer"? You would be the type to put non original wheels on a old car I imagine.
Check out my latest Atari 2600 Full Restoration Video! ruclips.net/video/tFaYZo-v8c4/видео.html
Never seen one of those before!
You're probably too young! I had this in my bedroom growing up; I was 12!
Buen trabajo!!, saludos.👍
Hello! Thank you very much and thanks for watching!
Hi everyone! The store is up and running. I'll be adding more items in the days to come as well as merchandising for the channel. Prices are in Canadian dollars. Purchases of items fixed by me will include a signed certificate of authenticity that states the item was fixed by Retro Repair Guy. Thank you for your support! retrorepairguy.com
I have two CR VIC-20's, and the one thing I hate is how the American cases do not fit the footprint of the board, they added the underside shielding that was needed to securely mount the board. (Not sure in Europe how they did it, but I have seen C64 cases with screw posts on the bottom case that would fit the CR VIC-20 board. A lot of the cases I need to fix due to broken parts, so I usually have spare replacement #3D printed ones you can epoxy over the snapped off ones and just add them to fit the case. It is a bit ugly on the inside, but I am so much happier with how it fits together.
Hi Robert. I have no idea why your comment was stuck in SPAM, it's a YT thing. Yeah I saw that with the cases and don't quite understand or know enough about why. I'm sure there were costs involved or maybe a mix up and it was cheaper to modify it, I wonder. 3D printing is amazing to help bring these things back to life and replace or expand parts needed. However I gave it a shot and I ended up returning it because it's something that takes a lot of time and dedication that I can't put on it right now and putting on restoring these things and making the videos. However I would love in the future to be setup and even be able to replace missing battery doors for equipment. Thanks for watching!
Yes more C64!!
Coming soon I promise!
Dope 👍
Hi. Thanks. Make sure to watch the new episode from three days ago I have two giveaways!
Yes, more Commodore stuff!
Hi! Thank you for letting me know. I definitely will have a bunch of Commodore restorations coming soon, but in two episodes from now because I need to plan and order parts. Hope you stay tuned!
Watch my latest video where I restore an old 90s Boombox ruclips.net/video/LFem3AtbZM0/видео.html
You show more of whatever you want to show man, I really enjoyed your Vic repair, good job ;)
Thank you it's very encouraging! Cheers! PS I just saw your channel and subscribed. You did an awesome mod on the cassette to record old programs back to the media.
Would love to see the massive pile of assorted electronics you plan to repair. Well done.
Hi! Good idea! I might just upload a small vid showing some of the stuff I have.
I recently got myself a VIC20 (The later revision like in the video). And sure enough, the old caps were starting to go bad, just like in this video. High ESR and high voltage losses
Yes many people think if it's working then everything is fine not realizing that there are all sorts of issues that could also result in damage to the other components.
Which diode did you use exactly? Thanks
Hi there! I showed it at 9:23 it's a P6KE 6.8V diode. You can find this from vendors like Digi-Key www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/stmicroelectronics/P6KE6V8A/1038972. This idea and explanation originally came from a German document written by Peter Sieg on the Commodore 64 and then Jan Beta integrated this on the VIC 20 where I got the idea from. Thanks for watching!
My latest video is out ruclips.net/video/Woo1-DSzc5A/видео.html I restored an old drum machine that was extremely dirty. It's a Yamaha RX5 which is the same model used by many groups in the 80s including a-ha, Prince, Madonna and Vangelis. Hope you enjoy! I worked really hard on it.
Yea... This is the fix I needed... Hope it's okay if I subscribe. 😊
Hi. I'm happy if it helped. Yes please I ask everyone to subscribe so you can see more of my restorations.
can you undervolt a vic 20 cpu and gpu ?
Hi again. It's a very interesting question and I've never experimented with that on an old computer. However with old computers that were never meant to be overclocked or undervolted they might experience stability issues. In general these old units are always being pushed to their limits and that is especially when instability happens. It would be interesting to try. But I think the best is to protect them from power surges and "overvolting" because that is how most of the chips blew; bad and cheap capacitors, voltage regulators and heat. In addition, adding the 6.8 volt diode mod like I did on the VIC 20.
Put a 5.6V zener diode on the 5V power supply for protection. At 6.8V, a ttl ic was destroyed a long time ago
Hi. Not sure you understand this correctly. Yes it's on the 5V rail but the P6KE 6.8A is a suppressor diode and works like a zener diode, only optimized for speed. It starts to conduct from 6.8V. Since most ICs in the C64 are approved up to 7V they can withstand significantly more short peaks and within the limits. Jan Beta used the same thing and this was based on a German paper written by Peter Sieg. Thanks for watching.
@@RetroRepairGuy Trust me. I'm an engineer. Jan Beta didn't really understand it.
@@RetroRepairGuy The IC must tolerate +-5% variation in the supply voltage. Above is not mandatory. That is 4.75V-5.25V. Believe me, the 5.6V Zener is needed there. It is also above the upper limit, but the TTL IC can tolerate this for a short time. Anyway, in the event of an overvoltage, the zener will short-circuit due to the high current flowing through it, but this protects the components and circuits behind it.
@@gyulaszabo6750 So sorry but your comments confuse me because that's exactly why the diode is there and you a re-stating what I just explained in a different way. Anyway Happy Holidays!
Probably hard to find but I would love to see you get your hands on The Nintendo Power Glove. It would be cool the see the tech behind it.
Hi. Thanks I'll definitely keep an eye out! Thanks for watching!
What are the specs of the new diode bridge you installed?
My VIC-20 takes the big square one instead of the smaller version since mine is the early model. Looking to replace it but don’t know what spec to get.
Hi Peyton. I'm sorry I went through all my orders on DigiKey and for some reason I can't find the bridge I ordered. I remember ordering it and installing it but can't see it there. I remember reading a document that Jan Beta referenced from a German guy who is the one that had the idea for the diode on 5V rail and had replaced the bridge for one that can take more current but the exact part number I can't find at the moment. I'll try to find that document and answer this comment again with the link.
Not a fan of the bleach. Is it yellow again now? The chemicals remain in the plastic.
Hi! No it remained white and by my side as I write this. Hydrogen peroxide works by oxidizing compounds, breaking down molecules responsible for coloration or stains so it doesn't remain in the plastic. When using hydrogen peroxide to whiten yellowed plastic, the hydrogen peroxide typically does not remain in the plastic afterward. Hydrogen peroxide is a relatively unstable compound, and it tends to break down into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2) when exposed to light or heat. This breakdown process usually occurs fairly quickly, especially when the hydrogen peroxide is used in small quantities for cleaning purposes. It's important to thoroughly rinse the plastic with water to remove any remaining hydrogen peroxide solution. Once rinsed, any residual hydrogen peroxide should break down into harmless water and oxygen molecules, leaving the plastic clean and free from chemical residue. Thanks for watching.
There is a risk of keys breaking to remove them.
There's also a risk crossing the street but if it's not taken apart it cannot be cleaned and fixed properly. As you see, carefully done it turned out great! But I would recommend a key puller. I have one but it's harder with larger keys. In this case I used my bent needle nose and gently pushed up instead of pulling hard from above. Thanks for watching!
i hated my vic 20 :( y u no c64 :(
Hi I also did a C64 the episode just before this one. ruclips.net/video/DJNEg8T8MIA/видео.html
@@RetroRepairGuy yeah nice! i did write those basic programs from old mags n stuff, but 1/2 way thru writing it in u could work out what it was going to be anyway and i would change code etc like every 80s nerdy kid. In 1989 i got an A500 tho which was mind blowing in comparison.
Always excited to find a retro repair channel, until I see trump references such as "You're fired" in the background, and rambling commentary about a woman I have never met, never will meet and don't want to meet, followed by the nastiest soundtrack known to civilisation.
Congratulations mate. I lasted ONE MINUTE before deciding to fire you. Cheerio.
Hi. Sorry to say the "You're fired" is from Back to The Future NOT Trump. There is no political reference on my show. If you look at it you will see it clearly states "Cusco" and a print out Marty McFly got in Back To The Future 2. Perhaps you need to brush up on the movies. Sorry you judged so quickly. PS everything on my wall is from Back To The Future except the picture of William Shatner.
repair and use a commodore 64 has a sense, but a Vic 20 absolutely not, is like to se some points and lines on the screen and wait 5 minutes for to see changing something... is not "retro" it's "primitive" computing
Hi. This channel restores vintage and retro equipment of all kinds. The VIC 20 is part of history. No one disputes that it's capabilities compared to the C64 rendered it obsolete, however it's still a part of history and the first to have sold over a million units. Same goes for an Atari 2600 compared to a PlayStation, but it's what people grew up on and what helped paved the way to the future. Thanks for watching.