This is how it's done. Quality work, from someone with a passion for attention to detail and their craft. Thanks for uploading and sharing with the world.
I'll be that guy too - spray paint was the wrong answer. It's never really the right answer for restoring retro equipment. Especially if you're talking about a "museum" piece. Just live with the fact it's 40 years old and isn't going to be perfect, or swap the case. Retrobrite is about the only thing you can do to them that doesn't really damage the original piece in some irreversible way.
@@Retro6502 Plastic looks horrible when spray painted. Use acrylic paints and an airbrush for professional results. A lot of plastics these days comes painted. But it is painted with, as best I can tell, acrylic paint from assembly line paint equipment. I have seen airbrushed plastic done with the right paint and it looks great. But NEVER once in my life have I seen something spray-bombed without a TON of after-work that looked anything but horrible. Retrobright is no real fix either.
@@danek_hren What Boomer watches this channel? You cannot get more Gen-X than this channel. It may as well be called Nostalgia Gen-X! Was your mama smoking that pipe when she was carrying you?
IMO the right way. As the case was never painted from the factory that feels like the wrong way to "restore" it. Plastic, just like all materials, ages and unless you've had something in a dark, airtight box it's never going to be 100% new in box condition so some blemishes is IMO just part of the deal when you're dealing with old stuff.
The fact that this came with the software so that you can get a picture of how it was put to use in a professional environment is so interesting. It is sometimes difficult for me to picture how these machines were used other than for games and schoolwork since that was my experience.
Look carefully at the early footage of NASA ground control. Zoom in on the desks for a real shock. Commodore Pets,and C64s here and there. I always expected to see a bbc computer or a sinclair lurking in those shots...but nope....all the NASA clips I only spotted commodores.
Good video as always. The "K-LIFE" (if you haven't already been informed) is a reference to one of Dallas' legendary radio stations, KLIF 1190. I think they're still on air in a news-talk format, and they had a lot of that even in their 60's heyday. Todd Storz and Gordon McClendon were the architects of that station, and a lot of what guided radio in the 60's.
I was thinking similarly, "don't all american radio stations have to conform to a regulated callsign system, same as radio amateurs? There's probably a KLFE or KLIF station, something that fits the KXYZ pattern that remotely resembles the word 'life'".
absolutely. I subbed after watching a restoration several years ago. The other content is great, but I'm glad to see another restoration, very satisfying
Phew! So glad you ended up doing option 3. With an old, rare model like this, I think that for preservation reasons, you should keep it as original as possible. We start getting into 'Ship of Theseus' territory when you talk about replacing the case, and painting rarely turns out to be the best option.
I was glad he tried that. I have a busted (now repaired) Amiga case and am facing the same question. Do I fill/sand/paint or just live with it? It's a tough call sometimes.
I straight paused the video in shock when he revealed he went for painting it. Was about to just close the video but checked comments instead. Thank god. Sanity resumes at 16:45.
@@FalconFour Glad I read your reply. I wasn't concentrating, I was so disgusted he was going to paint the case, I unsubscribed, that I missed he tested on a dud case. I've happily re-subbed!
I'm a little surprised he didn't to a targeted application of the paste and try leaving it overnight under the UV lights. I think if he gave it time to 'breathe' and then made another pass at it, it would probably come out fine.
Given that he's not been retrobrighting with the UV lights recently, I wonder if he even has them anymore, or if there was a good reason to abandon it. Or maybe it's just sunny out and he wanted to use it.
K-LIFE is the station name for the old seattle area catholic station KLFE AM 1590 5:17 It was probably a call in line prompter. The call taker would enter the name and line number along with a brief description of question. You hear this on any call in show where the host says “john on line 2 your on”..
@@jaybrooks1098 KLFE is actually a relative newcomer to Seattle radio. At the time the VIC-20 was out that station was either KZOK or KJET, both rock stations (yeah, music on AM, I know). I still remember KZOK’s psychedelic hand logo…
The great thing about option 3 is that it avoids damage to the case right now, but leaves the possibilities open to attempt to address the yellowing later when you get more practice with the paint or when some new retrobrighting technique is discovered. It adheres to the principle, "first, do no harm."
I was so worried the case will be ruined by painting it. Please don't look into that option anymore. Old original slightly yellowed will always be better.
Yea but even retrobrighting is shown to not be permanent and not really long term tests on how well the plastic lasts with or without it. Just saying option 3 for me, just because it feels like a great test on trying many high UV methods,
Option 3 was my choice. I still think to keep it original means keeping the original parts, even if they may have problems. There was an option 4... keep retrobrighting. It might just need more than 3 days. Leaving it in one of those UV light tanks for like a week.
@@RonJohn63 its a very rare computer, so risk should be minimized. also who cares if it isnt your computer? you’re making a suggestion for someone else.
That program you found is pretty neat! Are you going to make a backup of it and upload to an archive somewhere? I think even mundane software like that should be preserved. To some that might not even be mundane, I'm sure that was someone's favorite radio show and would love to see a part of that history.
It's fascinating to me as someone who's worked in radio. I've used programs like it in the past. Of course, they ran on much newer hardware, but the functionality is remarkably similar.
Option 3 was a great choice. At my Game Store in Florida we always take in non-working computers and consoles and I sell them for parts. We get quite a bit of people coming in who repairs /refurbs them so for me the best part is they don't end up in the dump.
@@Hwyadylaw it looked quite low thermal mass, like an aluminium pan. I wonder if a heavy cast iron might’ve had enough thermal mass to overcome the delta from the egg
Please never stop making restoration videos. It's about the satisfaction of the process, so it maybe being repetitive is irrelevant. They are among my favorite videos on RUclips.
Hi David - I was very happy you did not paint the case. As a purist and historian, I love it when things get left in their original state. Thanks for all your fabulous work!
Loved seeing that demonstration of how it was actually usefully used back in its day. I imagine that Roz from Frasier would be the one operating it. And it would not surprise me if someone wrote that specially for that radio station. How awesome would it be if they are still alive and this gets back to them!
We developed a similar program for the Colour Computer back in 1985 for WDVT. It was use to prescreen callers and pass info to the host from the producer of the show. It used the educational version of the CC that did not have the TV RF modulator in it just, Video output in to two monitors one in the air studio and one in the control room. The top area of the screen was a "fixed" area for each phone line (2 lines of text per line) a "hotline" phone section and a general message line. The producer could highlight the the callers name and info to indicate the next call the host should take. In order to save characters on the screen each line was in a fixed position and a dynamo label with the line number was stuck to the side of the screen. We could also set the screen to flash red if we needed to get their attention. While we had a "talkback" system for in ear cues. a number of the host did not like wearing either an earpiece or headphones so this was the "easiest" way to get messages to them. It seems trivial now but 35+ years ago this was a major feature for the station.
I also wrote a sophisticated call in program for the C64 back in the 80's for Moody Broadcasting Network. This type of program is for communication between the producers and hosts. Mine had running clocks for all those waiting on hold as well as time a caller was on air. On mine you would enter their name, where they were from (city and state - this was for country wide network programs), station call letters, and a line describing their question or comment. We used it for many years. We would take the video out and split it to a local monitor in the control room and also a monitor in the studio. My software was called Call-In Comm and it was compiled with blitz basic. A few other network programs used it as well After entering the info the F keys were used to move callers around in rows (with their timers), put them on the air (top row in reverse vid), delete them... or, swap to a full chat screen and then back to the call in screen. It was full featured. What great memories! Oh, and we also had a flashing border to get the hosts attention, too. Yep, we did that as well. :)
I kludged a call screening system together with an Apple//e and a couple monitors for KENI back in the late 80's - this VIC20 program is definitely more sophisticated than my garbage code... but nice to see a small slice of radio history there. What a fun restoration!
I sent you an email about an accelerator card a few weeks ago and you advised me to see if any collectors wanted it. I ended up getting almost $300 for it. Thanks!
@@anderstermansen130 no. he had it right the first time. Only the euros symbol comes after the number. You must not be an American to be making that rookie mistake.
Thank you for archiving the program! It's great to see people still care about old, strange programs probably made internally for a specific purpose that time forgot.
Let me share my experience. Some computer cases produced in USSR had kind of similar plastic that doesn't like to be retrobrighted. I was experimenting and may advice to increase the peroxide concentration.
@s90hifi Soviet computers are different. And yes, the have different types of plastic. Sometimes 60% peroxide saves the day. Sometimes I was experimenting with sodium hypochlorite
Love these old Vic 20s with the pet keyboards. I remember seeing these in then manuals and they looked different/nicer than my silver badge Vic 20. Thanks for sharing
If you ever needed proof that 8 bit guy doesn’t fake hit videos, let’s all remember the time he put in a cheeky “it’s hot enough to fry an egg” segment that failed and ultimately went nowhere in an attempt to silence the haters. He is a beautiful soul.
Some of those conversations did get out of hand, so the joke is relevant; but the sad reality is that some of those places just don't plan ahead well enough - both Europe and Texas. I'm in MN, so we have to deal with hot and cold - so no shock that we ride out most severe weather rather casually compared to others. It's perhaps time for homes in TX to have a proper heater, for those rare times you will need them; and for France to get used to window AC units?
@@chouseification Being from NJ we get a bit of both, hot days during summer cold days during winter sure you should focus on what you regularly deal with but this highlights a really interesting effect with humanity people will judge others on factors because they themselves are either not experiencing it or there struggling with something that is normal to them. When these factors are not the peoples fault but is an effect of acclimation towards a climate but also content into thinking there situation will always be the same. And the reason he is poking fun at the haters cause now the shoes on the other foot people are suffering from heat he deals with on a regular when people were getting on Texas and him cause they couldn't deal with the cold they deal with on the regular. Simply put don't fall into content and don't crap on people because of adverse changes to there climate they cant handle as I am sure you wouldn't do perfectly fine in the outback's of Australia or out deep into Alaska because if you were taken out of your climate then you'd probably wouldn't do good either so don't judge people cause there outside of that.
Here in southeast of Brazil, the coldest we get is 0°C and the hottest varies of 38°C on some areas (where I live) and 45°C (also known as hell) so if it suddenly we get a snowstorm, it would be literally the apocalypse, so I understand all these people
@@videogamerNattie98 I take a different perspective as a former Boy Scout... be prepared. Don't assume. Plan. I'm not saying to be a paranoid stockpiler, but have a few weeks of canned goods and a few gallons of water around always. An electric fan. A few blankets. Some people don't seem to understand such basic things, which is the primary cause of mayhem/deaths during a period you should be able to ride out to some degree perhaps uncomfortable but not dead. :P As to your comment about the Outback or Alaska, well I don't have the gear for either, but know how to start a campfire with one match 100% of the time and spent a lot of time in the woods, including the BWCA, etc. Some of the people you run into here actually can go out into the woods with a backpack's worth of gear and survive for weeks before casually wandering back to town. We learned how to use map and compass before GPS was allowed to civilians. :D When you have skills and good gear, you do well. Always. This applies here as well. I lived in DFW area for a few years, and the furnace on our McMansion was smaller than a townhouse in MN has... so it rings true. Same deal where France assumed nice cool breeze forever and don't have a lot of AC - well, expect to be toasty when it's not nice out. /shrug
I really like seeing how the computer was used. We see them so often but other than games we rarely get to know or see what the original purpose was. Thanks.
Yes, knowing what a computer was used for is always quite interesting. I picked up an IBM 5140 portable a couple of months back and the seller told me her brother-in-law used it to write a few novels. I also scored a few Amiga 600s several years ago that were used in a slot-car business to display lap times etc.
Indeed, my thanks for some of its background, in addition to the usual restoration! 😎 And thinking back from this, to that load of customized VIC-20s used in media production, to the "worst VIC-20" that used to control industrial equipment...* The VIC-20 kinda _was_ the Raspberry Pi of its day, wasn't it?
Being less ambitious, I would have chosen Option#3 from the start. A fully working computer from the 1980s is a significant achievement. You did a GREAT JOB. This is an excellent video. Thanks! Subscription earned.
I used to work for an AM radio station as an operator/engineer. The program looks like it was used by a call screener, a job I have done many times "back in the day." The "K-Life" program name suggests it was a community or current events show. It is very easy for a show host to get distracted while on the air. There are several things to keep track of like sponsor mentions, network breaks, que cards to read, and more. The alert flashing and call count-down timer would be handy to notify the personality of important events without making any noise in the studio. In the studio where I worked, we had a glass window. After a call was pre-screened info was written down on a slip of paper with a sharpie in large print. It would be taped to the window and hand signs flashed or signs held to tell the personality what to do. This program seems like a digital version of that. Custom programming found its way into all kinds of odd places at the radio station. One project at our station involved a programmer working on-site for 3 months to build a first-gen digital recording and queuing system. It was meant to put me out of work! Fortunately for me, the programmer was horrible and couldn't write a line of bug-free code to save his life. After spending $50,000 on the project they gave up and I got to keep my job.
When I'm using spray paint, I always try to hang the piece from a wire coat hanger or a string so that I can keep the spray can upright. Just use the hook of a wire coat hanger and then bend the rest of it to the shape you need to hang it from something. Then, the piece you're painting will be hanging at eye level and you can walk around it and spray all of it while keeping the can upright. That's just how I do it. Your mileage may vary.
This, or standing the items upright on an easel so that you can get coverage across them while keeping the spray car in the regular upright orientation. Pressure pack cans do not mix the paint and propellant nicely when sprayed at angles, especially horizontally. Personally I've had plenty of experience with this repairing rusted sections of cars.
VIC-20 was our first home computer - pretty cool to see you bring this rare PET-style variation back to it's former glory. Love your retro computer restoration videos!
I too had a VIC-20 as my first computer as a kid, though I never knew of this PET variation. I love his restoration videos. He has such a love and appreciation of these classic machines that I just admire.
I was screaming for "Number 3! Number 3!" and when you said "Number 2!" I said... "Nooooo!"🤣 When you got back to number 3 I really felt like I won something! Great video as usual, anyway.
As someone who's worked in radio for a long time: yeah the double-sided tape is definitely so all the different people that would be using it left it at the same place and couldn't drop it, spill something on it or otherwise damage it. Replacements are expensive and radio stations don't usually have stellar budgets. I guess that explains it's relatively clean state as well. Nowadays we nearly screw and nail down everything we can!
Awesome! Totally agree with Door 3! I know you can't spend too much time in a project, but with some more indoors retrobrighting it could go all the way. However, you showed that eventually it will get yellowed again and it's almost inevitable, so Door 3 is even more the best option here, I think. Thank you for your work!
Love it. I'm 99% sure I had one of these as my first ever computer. My parents bought it for me for either my birthday or Christmas. It was already a used one but it broke a few months later. They took it to a computer repair shop here in the UK but the shop was broken into and everything stolen. So the shop paid for a brand new VIC 20. But I remember it was slightly different. The keys were different, the colour of the function keys was different and I'm sure the power connector was different on the new model. So this finally explains why.
I loved how you told the story of "finding lost toys" a new home. Its very sentimental and makes people on the side of "letting go" of these old things feel good. That some of them get show cased and help bring back our memories of the past.. is very touching.
I am a RTV Major, and I’ve had some professors who actually have used similar systems in the past and have explained it in depth to us. I can verify that the system that’s on the cassette and the way he demonstrated it, while not 100% accurate, is very close to how stations used it back in the day.
I am really not good at spray painting but I did a couple of good paint jobs in the past and the key to is: Don't use too much paint in one go! If the paint doesn't cover correctly, you will have to add another layer and maybe another layer after that one but that patience will show worthy. Applying to much paint at once kills every paint job! This is equally true if not using spray paint. Also keep a larger distance. The larger the distance, the less your paint will cover, the longer you have to spray and the more paint you are going to need but the more even and smooth the result will be. And the more long lasting it will be as having multiple thin layers won't wear off as fast as only having one or two thick layers; also is more resistent against scratches. Yet I generally put two layers of clear paint on top as then neither usage nor scratching will ever be a problem. Keep in mind that there is non-glossy clear paint, too and even clear paint that makes surfaces look and feel slightly rough if desired.
Yeah, except you'd have to actually SELL it. Most people would buy it when they see what they can use it for. But they actually have to see what to use it for first. Early development wasn't as golden as you might think. You couldn't distribute your work the same way you do today. And most programs were simply copied anyways, meaning you didn't sell it. You just wrote it and people used it without even knowing who wrote it.
Oh god I can't imagine being the coder who cobbled together a program for my local radio show and then having someone 40 years later inspect it and try to understand it haha. I always say "Back when I wrote that code, only two people understood how it worked: me and god above. Now it's just god."
David's cleaning sections are like watching the training montage in a Rocky movie. So satisfying! 🤣 I feel like he needs to add a scene running down the beach and then hugging a big bottle of peroxide.💪
As you said in your last video, restorations can go repetitive after a time... but watching you giving these old beasts a new life is simply so satisfying! :)
Our first VIC was the later style for Christmas in 81. The whole family got so addicted to Cosmic Cruncher my uncle went out and bought his own VIC, and his had the PET style keys. I guess they lingered in inventories for a while. I should ask him if he still has it. I liked typing on it better for some reason.
I always find it really fun to see these restorations, even if you've done them before. Each machine is different, with its own unique story and challenges, such as with the yellowing on this one. Especially for any beginner looking to restore their own Vic-20 or whatever, seeing multiple perspectives might help them with troubleshooting their own unique issues.
Instead of giving stuff away to your collector friends who no doubt have loads of retro equipment already, it'd be MUCH cooler to give stuff away to your subscribers in a giveaway every so often. I'm pretty sure many of us here would love to have the chance of getting some retro gear, and it'd be a great way to say thanks to people who have supported your channel and helped get you to where you are today.
I actually had the pleasure of working on one of these when I worked for a Computer Repair business back in the day. Somebody plugged a "figure-of-8" mains lead straight into the power socket... you can guess what happened next... ;) Thanks for the fond memories and please keep up the restoration projects, they remind me of happier days :)
I'm surprised there was anything left to work on after that. People make fun of the older hardware for being big and clunky, but it was damn tough. Do that to a modern computer and you'd vaporize the motherboard. XD
@@vicroc4 If I remember right we just replaced the board for the customer. The power regulator section of the board took most of the damage which actually saved a lot of the chips, but not enough to make an economical repair unfortunately ;)
Nobody has air-condition in the areas that are now seeing 40c+ (104F). Normal summer temperatures max out at around 30c. In addition there is a drought in many of the affected areas, meaning there is simply not enough water for the people living there. So far, many people has been killed, mostly elderly.
I don't think his point was to criticize or make fun of Europe for its circumstances but to illustrate what is normal for one area is difficult for others and to not so easily judge.
I love your restoration videos, I’ve watched them all! I don’t mind the repetitive nature of them as it’s the satisfaction of seeing an unloved piece of technology that has played an important role in the evolution of the PC be brought back to life that is a joy to watch. Your knowledge and passion for these computers comes across during the resto videos and I love them! Thx
As a dev who started working recently, I would love to live in a time where programs can just solve one problem well instead of trying to change the entire world.
The restoration was great as always, but wow what a cool thing to see, programs from decades ago and how they was used in the business they found it at. Truly cool.
I think you made the correct decision. After all, it is a collector's item, so it is better to keep it as original as possible. From my point of view, I would only choose further experimentation with paint or more aggressive bleach (or anything in that direction) if there had been more than one identical unit available, so at least one of them could stay 100% original.
Hi! Love the video! Always love a restoration! From the UK here, just thought i would chime in, The issue we have with the heat is that we can’t escape it, we don’t have air con in our houses and our houses are built to keep heat in. Add that on top of the fact we love to complain 🤣
Yes, love some 8 bit restoration vids. Don't know how most feel but it's very calming and therapeutic for putting all of life's crap out of one's mind, thanks and I hope this series continues 😁👍
I like how you handled your options. I do belive though that if you had hung your test piece up on a clothesline or something the results would be better. Also; don't spray-paint outside in blistering heat, you'll get overspray. The aerosolized paint will basically dry by loosing it's solvents before it hits it's target and not "run out as smoothly". Spray-paint in about 20-25 c then move the painted object to a place where there's heat
I am so relieved that you ultimately chose to leave it at good enough. Something as drastic as spray paint I think is only acceptable in the case of something like that black apple computer you did a while ago, where you had to fix a piece of the case that was cut out, though even then I personally was uncomfortable with that decision
I love the restoration vids! And the egg thing is true, people just adapt to the temperatures of their environment. If you live in the desert you probably are not going to be used to snow and the cold, if you live in a more elevated mountain region you’ll be more used to snow and cold than the extreme heat
Yes when I moved to where I am now I used to laugh at the locals here, who would be out with down parkas and mittens in what I considered to be shirtsleeve weather.
These are my favorite videos of yours for a very long time, I find them so satisfying to watch, and always end up learning a ton along the way. Love retro stuff so damn much
for the case you could try using plastic polish to remove the yellowed surface of the plastic and then spray the case with a clear spray to get a uniform finish on the rest of the case
Hey David, a suggestion when is comes to painting. You can hang it up on a hook and some thin wire and do several light coats. Also make sure to shake the can every so often while painting and that should help. Hope this helps!😁
Yep. You absolutely NEVER spray down with a rattle can. You always spray horizontally so the propellant doesn't do what happened to you. Also you want to place the can of spray paint in a bath of HOT water before you shake it up and use it. That helps make the paint drops much smaller and allows for a finer myst of paint to be applied.
I'm a volunteer at 90.1 FM KPFT, a community radio station in Houston, and yeah, that program looks very similar to the one we used when I was the mixing board and phone operator for a call-in talk show. Our setup had one monitor at the mixing desk with the keyboard to input the information, and another monitor in the broadcast booth so the talent could see what callers were on what lines. I believe ours did have the ability to hook into a box that controlled what line was answered (used by either the talent or the engineer), and it would automatically update to show what caller was on the air and then clear them after the person using the box hung up. Cool to see yesterday's implementation of that same kind of software! And yeah, the double-sided tape was probably to keep things from moving around-- a mixing board station is busy and often a little cramped, so it's easy to accidentally knock something over or move something around, and that could be bad when the thing getting moved is connected to a monitor or to the mixing board itself or what have you.
I don’t care what those other nerds are saying, your restoration videos are so wonderful and satisfying. There’s nothing better than seeing old tech not only go to a good home, but be restored to their former glory so the younger crowd can see exactly why we thought this stuff was so fascinating back then. Great job as always!
WOW I think you avoided a big controversy by not painting it. Personally I think it could have become the next IBM 7496. Anyway I can't wait to RUclips poop this. 😉
I love watching restoration videos like this, definitely (retro)brightens my Saturday morning here in Australia. Never had a Vic or actually any Commodore myself; it was all Apple IIe and Microbees at school and then my family got an Atari ST in 1987.
Re your weather peice at 11:50ish, I feel like I should add that here in the UK, we're not prepared for any slight variation in the weather. Anything below 0C (32F) and everything stops working due to the 'extreme cold' and anything above 30C (86F) and the government issues a 'risk to health' warning and everything closes due to the 'extreme heat'.
Y'all are lucky to have such mild weather. Here in Maryland, it's not uncommon to get down to 20°F (-6°C) in the winter, or upwards of 100°F (38°C) and 90% humidity in the dead of summer. And that's not even counting the storms. Edit: I should point out, our weather is fairly mild compared to other parts of the country.
Hey, 8-Bit Guy, as a long-time painter using spray cans, haha, I can say with experience that the best things to do are: 1. On plastic, use plastic primer first. I often do two coats. 2. It's best to spray a surface holding the can mostly upright, even if you have to place the object vertically 3. For recessed areas, one light coat is probably enough, and paint them first 4. I've often used a fine steel wool, like 0000, to smooth the surface after primer. You must clean it well afterwards I started about 30 years ago painting vintage fridges and appliances using cans, moved on to restoring those with plastic parts and toolboxes. I can now get them to look like factory finishes. Just practice some more on those old parts pieces.
For some perspective with David's comment on Texas weather, I live in Louisiana which is right next to Texas. In my 40 years on this earth, I could probably count the amount of times I've seen snow down here on one hand. We also lose our minds when it happens. :P That winter storm is an even rarer event. Might be something you'd see once in a lifetime in that area, if that.
What made it crazy was that it was not just one part of the state that was hit with insane weather; almost every county in Texas was at least 10 degrees F, mostly 20, below its average, all at the same time! Normally when a really bad winter storm hits, they make up for any power-production troubles by borrowing power from neighboring parts of the State that our doing fine; when the entire State is engulfed in a major winter storm all at once, especially in such a large landmass as Texas, this strategy just will not work. At that point, all you can do is hope the power plants can make it work and pray. That kind of storm truly is a one-in-a-lifetime sort of thing
@@popemon7608 Yup, and most of Texas is its own separate power grid, with little to no interconnection with the rest of the US.* Meaning they couldn't get power from other states either. And yah, as for other effects, it's maybe once a decade that any given place in Texas gets enough snow to be worth plowing -- so nobody's equipped for it, really. And unlike California or the desert Southwest, Texas doesn't have any snowy mountain areas to borrow equipment from either. Meanwhile, here in Minnesota (where the Texas Snowpocalypse would've been just a normal winter storm), we do get summer heat too, though not _quite_ as extreme as Texas and the Deep South, in heat _or_ humidity. The hottest I've ever experienced here in the Twin Cities is probably about 102°F/39°C -- though summer heatwaves in the 90s F/mid-30s C _do_ happen most years. This year's heat waves weren't exceptionally hot for us** -- but they _were_ longer than usual, and the first one was much _earlier_ than usual for June. (Usually that kind of heat and humidity doesn't start until around the beginning of July.) * Texas's grid stays separate to avoid federal regulations (since none of its grid crosses state lines), and it's big and diverse enough to get by without such interconnections -- except in the rare case when cold weather _literally_ freezes up too much gas and electric production. Though there are places on the edges of TX that are part of the surrounding grids instead. ** So far, at least. ~knocks on wood~
@@AaronOfMpls Yeah, we're on our own grid, but we have arrangements with the Feds, especially the Eastern Power Authorities, to be able to draw from them in emergencies. The problem was that they were having serious problems as well, since large parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana were having major problems, albeit a bit more mild of ones. Hence, they cut us off entirely to save that part of their grid. The dirty little secret of course is that even when you are all technically on the same "grid", there are numerous regional breaks that can and will be flipped to stop a blackout from rolling across the country. And yeah, snowplows are nonexistent here; the closet we get is that salt trucks will salt the bridges and the major highways, and usually only once or twice a year max
i have one vic-20 like that in the video. it was my first computer and i still keep it with me. mine was made in west germany and the serial number is 5100. motherboard is dead (never understand the problem), but is working as a usb keyboard for use with vice emulator, thanks to a keyrah interface. by the way, i am from north of italy and the problem with hot temperatures is not the warm (air conditioning in my country is common in houses and workplaces), but the fact that we are running out of water, because of the scarcity of rainfall.
I know that in the UK, especially in BBC Local Radio there was a solution very similar to the one you showed in this video. But it wasn't as advanced. It was literally a command line screen where the producer would type the guest name, a description about what they're coming on to talk about and their fader. For example: "Dave in London Fader 4 - Thinks it is too cold". The reason this is done is because talkback can be incredibly distracting and would also cut the guest off in the presenter's headphones. This setup was used in some stations right up until 2017. Unfortunately I don't know the computer they were using to do this.
Are you kidding me, I've had a pet keyed older Vic 20 for almost a year now, I would've been overjoyed to send it to you! I have the box, power cables and manuals too! I just didn't realize it was an older Vic with Pet keys
If you do go the painting route in the future, look into applying an isolation layer before the paint. Conservators use isolation layers so the paint can easily be removed in the future without damaging the underlying surface.
Also, avoid direct and hot sun when painting. It evaporates the thinner out of the paint too fast, creating unwanted texture. The longer the paint has time to "settle" on the object, the more even it will become. That means something similar to normal room temp and humidity.
Technology Connections and the 8-Bit Guy are my go-to fall asleep channels. They're both verrrrry different in many ways, but I get the same effect. I think what they share is a late 20th century public education aesthetic.
I haven't found them to be very sleep-inducing. This channel especially is very visual similar to hand tool rescue. You might want to check out John Michael Godier, Isaac Arthur, PBS Spacetime, or Event Horizon too. I find them to be much more auditory while still being very sleep-inducing.
David’s restorations are in a league of their own, he shows every choice weather it’s a mistake or not and we can actually take away something from it. Unlike watching a time lapsed silent restoration from 50 other identical channels seeking for viewership.
11:30 People are commenting about dealing with crazy cold weather... my city's mayor is too much of an analphabet to buy and use snow cleaning machines, so we were pretty much locked inside during the storm. I live in Eastern Europe.
Option 4, a melamine sponge or baking soda can remove the surface of the plastic, exposing un-yellowed plastic underneath, but that can rub off the texture leaving the case smooth and shiny, which isn't good either. Option 5, Sun-brightening might get to the sub-surface that the peroxide can't reach.
@@Okurka. that will remove the texture even faster. Melamine and baking soda go into the valleys and remove markings without too much loss of texture. Sandpaper will strip the texture immediately before reaching the valleys.
David as a resident of Northern Ireland I can relate to being “ridiculed”, if you will, for being unable to cope with snow. I had a friend from a part of the USA who thought it was “ridiculous” for me to describe a six inch snowfall as “heavy” - according to my friend, they regularly got SEVERAL FEET of snow. I don’t think my friend really understood or believed me when I pointed out that six inches of snow is A LOT of snow where we are - we don’t usually get more than an inch or so at most.
@@samuelholmes3696 I’d of course always seen pictures and footage of eg NYC snow, but it was _really_ driven home for me when I visited Ontario in winter and saw how they dealt with many feet of snow for 3 or 4 months at a time… everything just kept going! (And TBH, the large snow piles between the pavement and the road made me feel safer from traffic too.) At least the puddles on the dropped kerbs felt like home :P
I think the only place where ridicule is deserved is when basic infrastructure starts to fail. Sure, some people in the UK forget that dry grass is flammable in summer, or people panic when driving on a few millimetres of snow, but our power grid stays online, coping with the huge load of fans running 24/7 in summer, and it stays operational in winter. Contrast this with what my friend from Texas has told me he experiences, with load shedding in summer because the substations become too hot to operate, and power cuts in freak winter storms, presumably from damage to power cables from the ice buildup. I don't ridicule the people who didn't prepare for a disaster that they never expected would happen, I ridicule the bureaucrats that think a system that fails with such regularity is adequate.
@jameswalker199 I'll agree with you on the load-shedding (we don't experience that here in Maryland, though our summers can get nearly as hot). But as for power lines getting damaged in the winter, that's more a matter of just how nasty winters can get here in the States. Six inches of snow with a glaze of half an inch of ice is a lot of weight, and most trees can't cope with it - so they come down on top of the lines and knock out power. Or worse, a substation gets the full brunt of a blizzard - 80-90 mph winds and upwards of four feet of snow - and that's when you get the big winter blackouts.
As a British guy who has been to Texas multiple times, holy balls does it ever get hot over there in the summer. We're talking so hot that I can't walk more than a few blocks without needing water. If you're not used to it, it's absolutely stifling. If you ARE used to it, then the UK likely feels hella cold in comparison XD
Had it been something worth substantially more money, Door 2 would have me and other cringing! But I think for what it's worth, you made a good attempt. Door 3 was the right choice in the end. Great video!
I can’t believe I just spent 21 minutes watching this. I even felt anxious, watching you play froger. And cheered when the keyboard worked. My first computer was a VIC-20.
I suspect this computer sat in one of the radio station studio control desks to provide the text for their programme, that's why it had the sticky tape on the bottom. Maybe the desk had a lid that could be closed to cover up the computer when it wasn't used? BTW, you can easily save that paint spatter by just lightly sanding the area and then spraying over it again at the right angle/distance.
8:15 I always cringe when you spray windex directly onto electronics, but this one really got me good, the tape is in the drive and you can see the windex running into the counter. I don't know if windex can actually do any harm to electronics or magnetic tape but it was drilled into me on my first job never to spray directly on electronics, always the cloth, still do it to this day.
I've washed entire motherboards in soap and water. As long as there is no charge and you dry them completely soon after, and arent using anything abrasive that could potentially damage contacts and traces, well, I've never had an issue.
Wow! I had one of these! My Dad bought the Vic-20 early on to get me started. It had th klicky-klacky keys and the no-rainbow logo. I learned so much from that machine. I wonder what ever happened to it?
When ever you go to test a keyboard use the sentence "A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" it includes every letter in the alphabet at least once.
I found a great trick for conductive pads that don't work even after cleaning. Just rub them on a piece of paper. One swipe usually does the trick. For whitening plastic, I just rub the surface with a bit of dish soap and cheap 3% peroxide and sit out in the sun. Rub in a palm full of peroxide ever couple hours. No submersion, great results.
Even if you think it's repetitive to do restorations, i still find them really enjoyable to watch, or your piano ones too! Thank you!
Yeah speaking of which... What happened to 8-bit keys
I feel the same way,it reminds me of my past and how much I was into these computers back than.
Yeah we love a good restoration :)
Indeed, I like seeing old computers made good as new, broken computers fixed, and dead computers resurrected.
I originally came here for the restorations and I want more of them!
This is how it's done. Quality work, from someone with a passion for attention to detail and their craft. Thanks for uploading and sharing with the world.
Hey Louis! Great videos! Hope your summer's going well.
didnt expect to see you here!
@Rosetta Stoned Can you do better?
OMG!! Louis!! :D You also collect old computers like these?
Two of the greats on RUclips.
Door 3 for the Win.. You took it as far as you could and this maintains it as close to original as possible. Nice job.
I'll be that guy too - spray paint was the wrong answer. It's never really the right answer for restoring retro equipment. Especially if you're talking about a "museum" piece. Just live with the fact it's 40 years old and isn't going to be perfect, or swap the case. Retrobrite is about the only thing you can do to them that doesn't really damage the original piece in some irreversible way.
@@Retro6502 Plastic looks horrible when spray painted. Use acrylic paints and an airbrush for professional results.
A lot of plastics these days comes painted. But it is painted with, as best I can tell, acrylic paint from assembly line paint equipment.
I have seen airbrushed plastic done with the right paint and it looks great. But NEVER once in my life have I seen something spray-bombed without a TON of after-work that looked anything but horrible.
Retrobright is no real fix either.
@@tarstarkusz what do you say boomer
@@danek_hren What Boomer watches this channel? You cannot get more Gen-X than this channel. It may as well be called Nostalgia Gen-X!
Was your mama smoking that pipe when she was carrying you?
IMO the right way. As the case was never painted from the factory that feels like the wrong way to "restore" it. Plastic, just like all materials, ages and unless you've had something in a dark, airtight box it's never going to be 100% new in box condition so some blemishes is IMO just part of the deal when you're dealing with old stuff.
The fact that this came with the software so that you can get a picture of how it was put to use in a professional environment is so interesting. It is sometimes difficult for me to picture how these machines were used other than for games and schoolwork since that was my experience.
Look carefully at the early footage of NASA ground control.
Zoom in on the desks for a real shock.
Commodore Pets,and C64s here and there.
I always expected to see a bbc computer or a sinclair lurking in those shots...but nope....all the NASA clips I only spotted commodores.
@@boogieknee3781 I just looked it up, and even in the 80s they used a large super computer with the control room being full of terminals.
Good video as always. The "K-LIFE" (if you haven't already been informed) is a reference to one of Dallas' legendary radio stations, KLIF 1190. I think they're still on air in a news-talk format, and they had a lot of that even in their 60's heyday. Todd Storz and Gordon McClendon were the architects of that station, and a lot of what guided radio in the 60's.
I was thinking similarly, "don't all american radio stations have to conform to a regulated callsign system, same as radio amateurs? There's probably a KLFE or KLIF station, something that fits the KXYZ pattern that remotely resembles the word 'life'".
I don't care what anyone says: The restoration videos are the best content on this channel, and I hope you never stop making them.
i fully agree and if someone say otherwise then to hell with you
absolutely. I subbed after watching a restoration several years ago. The other content is great, but I'm glad to see another restoration, very satisfying
Keep them coming!
Restoration videos are my favorite!
That’s why he is making them , for revenue
This video had so much going on! We had the restoration, we had the Monty Hall problem, we had a little How To Basic moment. I loved it!
This was not a place I expected to see this channel commentate lol
omg it's the toy dude
Egg
when you coming back?!?!
thats not the monty hall problem
Door 3 is my favorite door. I'd rather it look like this than painted. 🙂
At least with paint, you can remove it whenever you want
I were thinking that you should offer to paint it on your channel 😋
I believe in the the classic car world, this would be called "patina" and is currently in fashion 🙂
When in doubt, keep it original.
@Les just use paint remover, I’ve seen people use it and not have it damage the plastic
Phew! So glad you ended up doing option 3. With an old, rare model like this, I think that for preservation reasons, you should keep it as original as possible. We start getting into 'Ship of Theseus' territory when you talk about replacing the case, and painting rarely turns out to be the best option.
I was glad he tried that. I have a busted (now repaired) Amiga case and am facing the same question. Do I fill/sand/paint or just live with it? It's a tough call sometimes.
I straight paused the video in shock when he revealed he went for painting it. Was about to just close the video but checked comments instead. Thank god. Sanity resumes at 16:45.
@@FalconFour Glad I read your reply. I wasn't concentrating, I was so disgusted he was going to paint the case, I unsubscribed, that I missed he tested on a dud case. I've happily re-subbed!
I'm a little surprised he didn't to a targeted application of the paste and try leaving it overnight under the UV lights. I think if he gave it time to 'breathe' and then made another pass at it, it would probably come out fine.
Given that he's not been retrobrighting with the UV lights recently, I wonder if he even has them anymore, or if there was a good reason to abandon it. Or maybe it's just sunny out and he wanted to use it.
K-LIFE is the station name for the old seattle area catholic station KLFE AM 1590 5:17
It was probably a call in line prompter. The call taker would enter the name and line number along with a brief description of question. You hear this on any call in show where the host says “john on line 2 your on”..
@@jaybrooks1098 KLFE is actually a relative newcomer to Seattle radio. At the time the VIC-20 was out that station was either KZOK or KJET, both rock stations (yeah, music on AM, I know). I still remember KZOK’s psychedelic hand logo…
The great thing about option 3 is that it avoids damage to the case right now, but leaves the possibilities open to attempt to address the yellowing later when you get more practice with the paint or when some new retrobrighting technique is discovered. It adheres to the principle, "first, do no harm."
Not to mention, it's the easiest. But I agree, it leaves open the future.
I was so worried the case will be ruined by painting it. Please don't look into that option anymore. Old original slightly yellowed will always be better.
I knew he was going to pick the paint and cringed through the whole thing. I hate when he chooses that option. Glad it didn't work out.
Yea but even retrobrighting is shown to not be permanent and not really long term tests on how well the plastic lasts with or without it. Just saying option 3 for me, just because it feels like a great test on trying many high UV methods,
@@markusjahn78 Even old original *very* yellowed is preferable to paint. There's nothing wrong with an old object showing the natural signs of age
I love that this tech sat in a closet for 40 years and yet it loaded that data tape like a champ.
Option 3 was my choice. I still think to keep it original means keeping the original parts, even if they may have problems. There was an option 4... keep retrobrighting. It might just need more than 3 days. Leaving it in one of those UV light tanks for like a week.
Definitely #1. No risk it, no biscuit! (Besides, it's not my computer...)
Same. You can address the yellowing later on!
He's doing retro brighting for some time yet he doesnt invest in UV light tanks..
@@minovskyparticles1834 he probably has a mindset of “it works, and thats all that matters”
@@RonJohn63 its a very rare computer, so risk should be minimized. also who cares if it isnt your computer? you’re making a suggestion for someone else.
That program you found is pretty neat! Are you going to make a backup of it and upload to an archive somewhere? I think even mundane software like that should be preserved. To some that might not even be mundane, I'm sure that was someone's favorite radio show and would love to see a part of that history.
It's fascinating to me as someone who's worked in radio. I've used programs like it in the past. Of course, they ran on much newer hardware, but the functionality is remarkably similar.
@@SmaMan I read this and now I'm curious what hardware your were running
You can download it from the description of the video.
This reminded me to take a look at some floppies I own that may contain rare networking software. Thank you.
Option 3 was a great choice. At my Game Store in Florida we always take in non-working computers and consoles and I sell them for parts. We get quite a bit of people coming in who repairs /refurbs them so for me the best part is they don't end up in the dump.
hot my ass that egg didn't even cook proper there so it's neither super hot there or super cold what a bunch of whinners in Texas🤣🤣
I think that you did a great clean up. Door 3 was the right option. No pitchfork here.
I love how David occasionally goes on a tangent and talk about "a small experiment I've always wanted to do" and then comes back to the main topic.
indeed. interesting that the egg couldn't get as hot as the frying pan.
@@naysmith5272
Well the egg also cooled the pan
@@Hwyadylaw it looked quite low thermal mass, like an aluminium pan. I wonder if a heavy cast iron might’ve had enough thermal mass to overcome the delta from the egg
Please never stop making restoration videos. It's about the satisfaction of the process, so it maybe being repetitive is irrelevant. They are among my favorite videos on RUclips.
Hi David - I was very happy you did not paint the case. As a purist and historian, I love it when things get left in their original state. Thanks for all your fabulous work!
Loved seeing that demonstration of how it was actually usefully used back in its day. I imagine that Roz from Frasier would be the one operating it. And it would not surprise me if someone wrote that specially for that radio station. How awesome would it be if they are still alive and this gets back to them!
We developed a similar program for the Colour Computer back in 1985 for WDVT. It was use to prescreen callers and pass info to the host from the producer of the show.
It used the educational version of the CC that did not have the TV RF modulator in it just, Video output in to two monitors one in the air studio and one in the control room.
The top area of the screen was a "fixed" area for each phone line (2 lines of text per line) a "hotline" phone section and a general message line. The producer could highlight the the callers name and info to indicate the next call the host should take. In order to save characters on the screen each line was in a fixed position and a dynamo label with the line number was stuck to the side of the screen. We could also set the screen to flash red if we needed to get their attention. While we had a "talkback" system for in ear cues. a number of the host did not like wearing either an earpiece or headphones so this was the "easiest" way to get messages to them. It seems trivial now but 35+ years ago this was a major feature for the station.
I also wrote a sophisticated call in program for the C64 back in the 80's for Moody Broadcasting Network. This type of program is for communication between the producers and hosts. Mine had running clocks for all those waiting on hold as well as time a caller was on air. On mine you would enter their name, where they were from (city and state - this was for country wide network programs), station call letters, and a line describing their question or comment. We used it for many years. We would take the video out and split it to a local monitor in the control room and also a monitor in the studio. My software was called Call-In Comm and it was compiled with blitz basic. A few other network programs used it as well After entering the info the F keys were used to move callers around in rows (with their timers), put them on the air (top row in reverse vid), delete them... or, swap to a full chat screen and then back to the call in screen. It was full featured. What great memories! Oh, and we also had a flashing border to get the hosts attention, too. Yep, we did that as well. :)
@@videodistro +1 for the BlitzBasic ref!
Was that in BASIC or assembly?
@@Tatsh2DX CO-CO BASIC
I kludged a call screening system together with an Apple//e and a couple monitors for KENI back in the late 80's - this VIC20 program is definitely more sophisticated than my garbage code... but nice to see a small slice of radio history there. What a fun restoration!
I sent you an email about an accelerator card a few weeks ago and you advised me to see if any collectors wanted it. I ended up getting almost $300 for it. Thanks!
you mean 300$, not $300
@@anderstermansen130 no
@@anderstermansen130 no. he had it right the first time. Only the euros symbol comes after the number. You must not be an American to be making that rookie mistake.
Thank you for archiving the program! It's great to see people still care about old, strange programs probably made internally for a specific purpose that time forgot.
Let me share my experience. Some computer cases produced in USSR had kind of similar plastic that doesn't like to be retrobrighted. I was experimenting and may advice to increase the peroxide concentration.
@s90hifi Soviet computers are different. And yes, the have different types of plastic. Sometimes 60% peroxide saves the day. Sometimes I was experimenting with sodium hypochlorite
Love these old Vic 20s with the pet keyboards. I remember seeing these in then manuals and they looked different/nicer than my silver badge Vic 20. Thanks for sharing
If you ever needed proof that 8 bit guy doesn’t fake hit videos, let’s all remember the time he put in a cheeky “it’s hot enough to fry an egg” segment that failed and ultimately went nowhere in an attempt to silence the haters. He is a beautiful soul.
Some of those conversations did get out of hand, so the joke is relevant; but the sad reality is that some of those places just don't plan ahead well enough - both Europe and Texas. I'm in MN, so we have to deal with hot and cold - so no shock that we ride out most severe weather rather casually compared to others. It's perhaps time for homes in TX to have a proper heater, for those rare times you will need them; and for France to get used to window AC units?
I agree. David gave the Europeans a black eye with that segment.
@@chouseification Being from NJ we get a bit of both, hot days during summer cold days during winter sure you should focus on what you regularly deal with but this highlights a really interesting effect with humanity people will judge others on factors because they themselves are either not experiencing it or there struggling with something that is normal to them. When these factors are not the peoples fault but is an effect of acclimation towards a climate but also content into thinking there situation will always be the same.
And the reason he is poking fun at the haters cause now the shoes on the other foot people are suffering from heat he deals with on a regular when people were getting on Texas and him cause they couldn't deal with the cold they deal with on the regular.
Simply put don't fall into content and don't crap on people because of adverse changes to there climate they cant handle as I am sure you wouldn't do perfectly fine in the outback's of Australia or out deep into Alaska because if you were taken out of your climate then you'd probably wouldn't do good either so don't judge people cause there outside of that.
Here in southeast of Brazil, the coldest we get is 0°C and the hottest varies of 38°C on some areas (where I live) and 45°C (also known as hell) so if it suddenly we get a snowstorm, it would be literally the apocalypse, so I understand all these people
@@videogamerNattie98 I take a different perspective as a former Boy Scout... be prepared. Don't assume. Plan. I'm not saying to be a paranoid stockpiler, but have a few weeks of canned goods and a few gallons of water around always. An electric fan. A few blankets. Some people don't seem to understand such basic things, which is the primary cause of mayhem/deaths during a period you should be able to ride out to some degree perhaps uncomfortable but not dead. :P
As to your comment about the Outback or Alaska, well I don't have the gear for either, but know how to start a campfire with one match 100% of the time and spent a lot of time in the woods, including the BWCA, etc. Some of the people you run into here actually can go out into the woods with a backpack's worth of gear and survive for weeks before casually wandering back to town. We learned how to use map and compass before GPS was allowed to civilians. :D When you have skills and good gear, you do well. Always. This applies here as well. I lived in DFW area for a few years, and the furnace on our McMansion was smaller than a townhouse in MN has... so it rings true. Same deal where France assumed nice cool breeze forever and don't have a lot of AC - well, expect to be toasty when it's not nice out. /shrug
Restorations by you are never boring or "competitive", just a honest fix up with a attention to detail that not many other have. :D
You? Here?
I really like seeing how the computer was used. We see them so often but other than games we rarely get to know or see what the original purpose was. Thanks.
Yes, knowing what a computer was used for is always quite interesting. I picked up an IBM 5140 portable a couple of months back and the seller told me her brother-in-law used it to write a few novels. I also scored a few Amiga 600s several years ago that were used in a slot-car business to display lap times etc.
Indeed, my thanks for some of its background, in addition to the usual restoration! 😎
And thinking back from this, to that load of customized VIC-20s used in media production, to the "worst VIC-20" that used to control industrial equipment...* The VIC-20 kinda _was_ the Raspberry Pi of its day, wasn't it?
Being less ambitious, I would have chosen Option#3 from the start. A fully working computer from the 1980s is a significant achievement. You did a GREAT JOB. This is an excellent video. Thanks!
Subscription earned.
I used to work for an AM radio station as an operator/engineer. The program looks like it was used by a call screener, a job I have done many times "back in the day." The "K-Life" program name suggests it was a community or current events show. It is very easy for a show host to get distracted while on the air. There are several things to keep track of like sponsor mentions, network breaks, que cards to read, and more. The alert flashing and call count-down timer would be handy to notify the personality of important events without making any noise in the studio. In the studio where I worked, we had a glass window. After a call was pre-screened info was written down on a slip of paper with a sharpie in large print. It would be taped to the window and hand signs flashed or signs held to tell the personality what to do. This program seems like a digital version of that.
Custom programming found its way into all kinds of odd places at the radio station. One project at our station involved a programmer working on-site for 3 months to build a first-gen digital recording and queuing system. It was meant to put me out of work! Fortunately for me, the programmer was horrible and couldn't write a line of bug-free code to save his life. After spending $50,000 on the project they gave up and I got to keep my job.
Great insight!
- Richard, mentioned in vid.
Knowing when to stop is a skill in and of itself.
So yeah, going down the "Do nothing" path is totally a valid solution 🙂
When I'm using spray paint, I always try to hang the piece from a wire coat hanger or a string so that I can keep the spray can upright. Just use the hook of a wire coat hanger and then bend the rest of it to the shape you need to hang it from something. Then, the piece you're painting will be hanging at eye level and you can walk around it and spray all of it while keeping the can upright. That's just how I do it. Your mileage may vary.
This, or standing the items upright on an easel so that you can get coverage across them while keeping the spray car in the regular upright orientation. Pressure pack cans do not mix the paint and propellant nicely when sprayed at angles, especially horizontally. Personally I've had plenty of experience with this repairing rusted sections of cars.
VIC-20 was our first home computer - pretty cool to see you bring this rare PET-style variation back to it's former glory. Love your retro computer restoration videos!
I too had a VIC-20 as my first computer as a kid, though I never knew of this PET variation. I love his restoration videos. He has such a love and appreciation of these classic machines that I just admire.
I was screaming for "Number 3! Number 3!" and when you said "Number 2!" I said... "Nooooo!"🤣
When you got back to number 3 I really felt like I won something!
Great video as usual, anyway.
As someone who's worked in radio for a long time: yeah the double-sided tape is definitely so all the different people that would be using it left it at the same place and couldn't drop it, spill something on it or otherwise damage it. Replacements are expensive and radio stations don't usually have stellar budgets. I guess that explains it's relatively clean state as well.
Nowadays we nearly screw and nail down everything we can!
Awesome! Totally agree with Door 3! I know you can't spend too much time in a project, but with some more indoors retrobrighting it could go all the way. However, you showed that eventually it will get yellowed again and it's almost inevitable, so Door 3 is even more the best option here, I think. Thank you for your work!
Love it. I'm 99% sure I had one of these as my first ever computer. My parents bought it for me for either my birthday or Christmas. It was already a used one but it broke a few months later. They took it to a computer repair shop here in the UK but the shop was broken into and everything stolen. So the shop paid for a brand new VIC 20. But I remember it was slightly different. The keys were different, the colour of the function keys was different and I'm sure the power connector was different on the new model. So this finally explains why.
I loved how you told the story of "finding lost toys" a new home. Its very sentimental and makes people on the side of "letting go" of these old things feel good. That some of them get show cased and help bring back our memories of the past.. is very touching.
I am a RTV Major, and I’ve had some professors who actually have used similar systems in the past and have explained it in depth to us. I can verify that the system that’s on the cassette and the way he demonstrated it, while not 100% accurate, is very close to how stations used it back in the day.
I am really not good at spray painting but I did a couple of good paint jobs in the past and the key to is: Don't use too much paint in one go! If the paint doesn't cover correctly, you will have to add another layer and maybe another layer after that one but that patience will show worthy. Applying to much paint at once kills every paint job! This is equally true if not using spray paint. Also keep a larger distance. The larger the distance, the less your paint will cover, the longer you have to spray and the more paint you are going to need but the more even and smooth the result will be. And the more long lasting it will be as having multiple thin layers won't wear off as fast as only having one or two thick layers; also is more resistent against scratches. Yet I generally put two layers of clear paint on top as then neither usage nor scratching will ever be a problem. Keep in mind that there is non-glossy clear paint, too and even clear paint that makes surfaces look and feel slightly rough if desired.
The golden age of software development. You could write something like that program up in an afternoon and actually sell it.
Yeah, except you'd have to actually SELL it.
Most people would buy it when they see what they can use it for. But they actually have to see what to use it for first.
Early development wasn't as golden as you might think. You couldn't distribute your work the same way you do today.
And most programs were simply copied anyways, meaning you didn't sell it. You just wrote it and people used it without even knowing who wrote it.
The fact it still has its software with it is so cool to me.
@Repair Wins I don't think it's reverse engineer. Because the code is there, it's more like reading the source code of an open-source program.
I would think last names were not used. IE: Bob, aliens are cool, Line2.
Yes, im that Richard from video.
This is probably one of the sickest computers I have ever seen. I love this PET keys. Great Job 👍👍
Oh god I can't imagine being the coder who cobbled together a program for my local radio show and then having someone 40 years later inspect it and try to understand it haha.
I always say "Back when I wrote that code, only two people understood how it worked: me and god above. Now it's just god."
David's cleaning sections are like watching the training montage in a Rocky movie. So satisfying! 🤣 I feel like he needs to add a scene running down the beach and then hugging a big bottle of peroxide.💪
As you said in your last video, restorations can go repetitive after a time... but watching you giving these old beasts a new life is simply so satisfying! :)
Our first VIC was the later style for Christmas in 81. The whole family got so addicted to Cosmic Cruncher my uncle went out and bought his own VIC, and his had the PET style keys. I guess they lingered in inventories for a while. I should ask him if he still has it. I liked typing on it better for some reason.
I'm really impressed how clean that board is. WOW!
I always find it really fun to see these restorations, even if you've done them before. Each machine is different, with its own unique story and challenges, such as with the yellowing on this one. Especially for any beginner looking to restore their own Vic-20 or whatever, seeing multiple perspectives might help them with troubleshooting their own unique issues.
Instead of giving stuff away to your collector friends who no doubt have loads of retro equipment already, it'd be MUCH cooler to give stuff away to your subscribers in a giveaway every so often. I'm pretty sure many of us here would love to have the chance of getting some retro gear, and it'd be a great way to say thanks to people who have supported your channel and helped get you to where you are today.
That is a good idea!
I actually had the pleasure of working on one of these when I worked for a Computer Repair business back in the day. Somebody plugged a "figure-of-8" mains lead straight into the power socket... you can guess what happened next... ;) Thanks for the fond memories and please keep up the restoration projects, they remind me of happier days :)
"Holy Fried Chicken Circuits, Batman!" lolz (Yikes!)
I'm surprised there was anything left to work on after that.
People make fun of the older hardware for being big and clunky, but it was damn tough. Do that to a modern computer and you'd vaporize the motherboard. XD
@@vicroc4 If I remember right we just replaced the board for the customer. The power regulator section of the board took most of the damage which actually saved a lot of the chips, but not enough to make an economical repair unfortunately ;)
Nobody has air-condition in the areas that are now seeing 40c+ (104F). Normal summer temperatures max out at around 30c. In addition there is a drought in many of the affected areas, meaning there is simply not enough water for the people living there. So far, many people has been killed, mostly elderly.
I don't think his point was to criticize or make fun of Europe for its circumstances but to illustrate what is normal for one area is difficult for others and to not so easily judge.
@@sfs2040 Sure, I get that. I only intended to put out some facts there. Aka - Just pointing out that it's pretty bad.
I love your restoration videos, I’ve watched them all! I don’t mind the repetitive nature of them as it’s the satisfaction of seeing an unloved piece of technology that has played an important role in the evolution of the PC be brought back to life that is a joy to watch. Your knowledge and passion for these computers comes across during the resto videos and I love them! Thx
As a dev who started working recently, I would love to live in a time where programs can just solve one problem well instead of trying to change the entire world.
The restoration was great as always, but wow what a cool thing to see, programs from decades ago and how they was used in the business they found it at. Truly cool.
I think you made the correct decision. After all, it is a collector's item, so it is better to keep it as original as possible. From my point of view, I would only choose further experimentation with paint or more aggressive bleach (or anything in that direction) if there had been more than one identical unit available, so at least one of them could stay 100% original.
Hi! Love the video! Always love a restoration!
From the UK here, just thought i would chime in, The issue we have with the heat is that we can’t escape it, we don’t have air con in our houses and our houses are built to keep heat in. Add that on top of the fact we love to complain 🤣
Also it's humid here. Texas is dry heat, which feels far more comfortable.
Which is ironic, because if you ask someone from the UK how they are, they'll likely respond "Can't complain..."
Yes, love some 8 bit restoration vids. Don't know how most feel but it's very calming and therapeutic for putting all of life's crap out of one's mind, thanks and I hope this series continues 😁👍
I like how you handled your options. I do belive though that if you had hung your test piece up on a clothesline or something the results would be better. Also; don't spray-paint outside in blistering heat, you'll get overspray. The aerosolized paint will basically dry by loosing it's solvents before it hits it's target and not "run out as smoothly". Spray-paint in about 20-25 c then move the painted object to a place where there's heat
That larger font on the older VIC-20 is really nice, great donation! great get!
Glad it went to a good home.
- same Richard from vid.
A good restoration every once in a while is very welcome. I learn a lot from them, as well as from your documentaries.
I am so relieved that you ultimately chose to leave it at good enough. Something as drastic as spray paint I think is only acceptable in the case of something like that black apple computer you did a while ago, where you had to fix a piece of the case that was cut out, though even then I personally was uncomfortable with that decision
I love the restoration vids! And the egg thing is true, people just adapt to the temperatures of their environment. If you live in the desert you probably are not going to be used to snow and the cold, if you live in a more elevated mountain region you’ll be more used to snow and cold than the extreme heat
Yes when I moved to where I am now I used to laugh at the locals here, who would be out with down parkas and mittens in what I considered to be shirtsleeve weather.
These are my favorite videos of yours for a very long time, I find them so satisfying to watch, and always end up learning a ton along the way. Love retro stuff so damn much
for the case you could try using plastic polish to remove the yellowed surface of the plastic and then spray the case with a clear spray to get a uniform finish on the rest of the case
Hey David, a suggestion when is comes to painting. You can hang it up on a hook and some thin wire and do several light coats. Also make sure to shake the can every so often while painting and that should help. Hope this helps!😁
What he says! ;)
Primer would help too.
Yep. You absolutely NEVER spray down with a rattle can. You always spray horizontally so the propellant doesn't do what happened to you. Also you want to place the can of spray paint in a bath of HOT water before you shake it up and use it. That helps make the paint drops much smaller and allows for a finer myst of paint to be applied.
Learning about the radio program and how it could be used is really interesting. I hope history like that isn't forgotten.
I loved when you showed us the old radio station program and how it would have worked!
I'm a volunteer at 90.1 FM KPFT, a community radio station in Houston, and yeah, that program looks very similar to the one we used when I was the mixing board and phone operator for a call-in talk show. Our setup had one monitor at the mixing desk with the keyboard to input the information, and another monitor in the broadcast booth so the talent could see what callers were on what lines. I believe ours did have the ability to hook into a box that controlled what line was answered (used by either the talent or the engineer), and it would automatically update to show what caller was on the air and then clear them after the person using the box hung up. Cool to see yesterday's implementation of that same kind of software!
And yeah, the double-sided tape was probably to keep things from moving around-- a mixing board station is busy and often a little cramped, so it's easy to accidentally knock something over or move something around, and that could be bad when the thing getting moved is connected to a monitor or to the mixing board itself or what have you.
I don’t care what those other nerds are saying, your restoration videos are so wonderful and satisfying. There’s nothing better than seeing old tech not only go to a good home, but be restored to their former glory so the younger crowd can see exactly why we thought this stuff was so fascinating back then. Great job as always!
WOW I think you avoided a big controversy by not painting it. Personally I think it could have become the next IBM 7496. Anyway I can't wait to RUclips poop this. 😉
Can’t wait for the 8-but guy shoves a rare Vic 20 up techmoans tech-hole or something
I love watching restoration videos like this, definitely (retro)brightens my Saturday morning here in Australia. Never had a Vic or actually any Commodore myself; it was all Apple IIe and Microbees at school and then my family got an Atari ST in 1987.
"It retrobrightens my Saturday morning" with a nice yellow VIC20 in the background...I'd definitely buy that T-Shirt.
Yep I feel you chose the best option. It already looks much better and it's still original this way.
Re your weather peice at 11:50ish, I feel like I should add that here in the UK, we're not prepared for any slight variation in the weather. Anything below 0C (32F) and everything stops working due to the 'extreme cold' and anything above 30C (86F) and the government issues a 'risk to health' warning and everything closes due to the 'extreme heat'.
Y'all are lucky to have such mild weather. Here in Maryland, it's not uncommon to get down to 20°F (-6°C) in the winter, or upwards of 100°F (38°C) and 90% humidity in the dead of summer. And that's not even counting the storms.
Edit: I should point out, our weather is fairly mild compared to other parts of the country.
Hey, 8-Bit Guy, as a long-time painter using spray cans, haha, I can say with experience that the best things to do are:
1. On plastic, use plastic primer first. I often do two coats.
2. It's best to spray a surface holding the can mostly upright, even if you have to place the object vertically
3. For recessed areas, one light coat is probably enough, and paint them first
4. I've often used a fine steel wool, like 0000, to smooth the surface after primer. You must clean it well afterwards
I started about 30 years ago painting vintage fridges and appliances using cans, moved on to restoring those with plastic parts and toolboxes. I can now get them to look like factory finishes. Just practice some more on those old parts pieces.
For some perspective with David's comment on Texas weather, I live in Louisiana which is right next to Texas. In my 40 years on this earth, I could probably count the amount of times I've seen snow down here on one hand. We also lose our minds when it happens. :P That winter storm is an even rarer event. Might be something you'd see once in a lifetime in that area, if that.
What made it crazy was that it was not just one part of the state that was hit with insane weather; almost every county in Texas was at least 10 degrees F, mostly 20, below its average, all at the same time! Normally when a really bad winter storm hits, they make up for any power-production troubles by borrowing power from neighboring parts of the State that our doing fine; when the entire State is engulfed in a major winter storm all at once, especially in such a large landmass as Texas, this strategy just will not work. At that point, all you can do is hope the power plants can make it work and pray.
That kind of storm truly is a one-in-a-lifetime sort of thing
nice pfp lol
@@popemon7608 Yup, and most of Texas is its own separate power grid, with little to no interconnection with the rest of the US.* Meaning they couldn't get power from other states either.
And yah, as for other effects, it's maybe once a decade that any given place in Texas gets enough snow to be worth plowing -- so nobody's equipped for it, really. And unlike California or the desert Southwest, Texas doesn't have any snowy mountain areas to borrow equipment from either.
Meanwhile, here in Minnesota (where the Texas Snowpocalypse would've been just a normal winter storm), we do get summer heat too, though not _quite_ as extreme as Texas and the Deep South, in heat _or_ humidity. The hottest I've ever experienced here in the Twin Cities is probably about 102°F/39°C -- though summer heatwaves in the 90s F/mid-30s C _do_ happen most years. This year's heat waves weren't exceptionally hot for us** -- but they _were_ longer than usual, and the first one was much _earlier_ than usual for June. (Usually that kind of heat and humidity doesn't start until around the beginning of July.)
* Texas's grid stays separate to avoid federal regulations (since none of its grid crosses state lines), and it's big and diverse enough to get by without such interconnections -- except in the rare case when cold weather _literally_ freezes up too much gas and electric production. Though there are places on the edges of TX that are part of the surrounding grids instead.
** So far, at least. ~knocks on wood~
@@AaronOfMpls Yeah, we're on our own grid, but we have arrangements with the Feds, especially the Eastern Power Authorities, to be able to draw from them in emergencies. The problem was that they were having serious problems as well, since large parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana were having major problems, albeit a bit more mild of ones. Hence, they cut us off entirely to save that part of their grid.
The dirty little secret of course is that even when you are all technically on the same "grid", there are numerous regional breaks that can and will be flipped to stop a blackout from rolling across the country.
And yeah, snowplows are nonexistent here; the closet we get is that salt trucks will salt the bridges and the major highways, and usually only once or twice a year max
As a fellow Texan, I would not say 108 is a _normal_ summer day for us, but it's definitely not unusual, either.
i have one vic-20 like that in the video. it was my first computer and i still keep it with me. mine was made in west germany and the serial number is 5100. motherboard is dead (never understand the problem), but is working as a usb keyboard for use with vice emulator, thanks to a keyrah interface. by the way, i am from north of italy and the problem with hot temperatures is not the warm (air conditioning in my country is common in houses and workplaces), but the fact that we are running out of water, because of the scarcity of rainfall.
I know that in the UK, especially in BBC Local Radio there was a solution very similar to the one you showed in this video.
But it wasn't as advanced. It was literally a command line screen where the producer would type the guest name, a description about what they're coming on to talk about and their fader. For example: "Dave in London Fader 4 - Thinks it is too cold".
The reason this is done is because talkback can be incredibly distracting and would also cut the guest off in the presenter's headphones.
This setup was used in some stations right up until 2017. Unfortunately I don't know the computer they were using to do this.
Are you kidding me, I've had a pet keyed older Vic 20 for almost a year now, I would've been overjoyed to send it to you! I have the box, power cables and manuals too! I just didn't realize it was an older Vic with Pet keys
20:53 - 9998 seconds to goo... maybe it was used on a Nickelodeon set!
Fits the theme of having all those sticky pads on the bottom though.
If you do go the painting route in the future, look into applying an isolation layer before the paint. Conservators use isolation layers so the paint can easily be removed in the future without damaging the underlying surface.
Also, avoid direct and hot sun when painting. It evaporates the thinner out of the paint too fast, creating unwanted texture. The longer the paint has time to "settle" on the object, the more even it will become. That means something similar to normal room temp and humidity.
Technology Connections and the 8-Bit Guy are my go-to fall asleep channels. They're both verrrrry different in many ways, but I get the same effect. I think what they share is a late 20th century public education aesthetic.
I haven't found them to be very sleep-inducing. This channel especially is very visual similar to hand tool rescue. You might want to check out John Michael Godier, Isaac Arthur, PBS Spacetime, or Event Horizon too. I find them to be much more auditory while still being very sleep-inducing.
David’s restorations are in a league of their own, he shows every choice weather it’s a mistake or not and we can actually take away something from it. Unlike watching a time lapsed silent restoration from 50 other identical channels seeking for viewership.
11:30 People are commenting about dealing with crazy cold weather... my city's mayor is too much of an analphabet to buy and use snow cleaning machines, so we were pretty much locked inside during the storm. I live in Eastern Europe.
Option 4, a melamine sponge or baking soda can remove the surface of the plastic, exposing un-yellowed plastic underneath, but that can rub off the texture leaving the case smooth and shiny, which isn't good either.
Option 5, Sun-brightening might get to the sub-surface that the peroxide can't reach.
Option 4 can be replaced with sandpaper.
@@Okurka. that will remove the texture even faster.
Melamine and baking soda go into the valleys and remove markings without too much loss of texture. Sandpaper will strip the texture immediately before reaching the valleys.
That egg experiment was interesting tho.
David as a resident of Northern Ireland I can relate to being “ridiculed”, if you will, for being unable to cope with snow. I had a friend from a part of the USA who thought it was “ridiculous” for me to describe a six inch snowfall as “heavy” - according to my friend, they regularly got SEVERAL FEET of snow.
I don’t think my friend really understood or believed me when I pointed out that six inches of snow is A LOT of snow where we are - we don’t usually get more than an inch or so at most.
Yeah, at these latitudes with the Gulf Stream, we can’t handle snowfall OR heatwaves lmao
@@kaitlyn__L No, we're really not equipped are we?
@@samuelholmes3696 I’d of course always seen pictures and footage of eg NYC snow, but it was _really_ driven home for me when I visited Ontario in winter and saw how they dealt with many feet of snow for 3 or 4 months at a time… everything just kept going! (And TBH, the large snow piles between the pavement and the road made me feel safer from traffic too.) At least the puddles on the dropped kerbs felt like home :P
I think the only place where ridicule is deserved is when basic infrastructure starts to fail. Sure, some people in the UK forget that dry grass is flammable in summer, or people panic when driving on a few millimetres of snow, but our power grid stays online, coping with the huge load of fans running 24/7 in summer, and it stays operational in winter. Contrast this with what my friend from Texas has told me he experiences, with load shedding in summer because the substations become too hot to operate, and power cuts in freak winter storms, presumably from damage to power cables from the ice buildup. I don't ridicule the people who didn't prepare for a disaster that they never expected would happen, I ridicule the bureaucrats that think a system that fails with such regularity is adequate.
@jameswalker199 I'll agree with you on the load-shedding (we don't experience that here in Maryland, though our summers can get nearly as hot). But as for power lines getting damaged in the winter, that's more a matter of just how nasty winters can get here in the States.
Six inches of snow with a glaze of half an inch of ice is a lot of weight, and most trees can't cope with it - so they come down on top of the lines and knock out power. Or worse, a substation gets the full brunt of a blizzard - 80-90 mph winds and upwards of four feet of snow - and that's when you get the big winter blackouts.
Door #3 would have been my first choice. Keeping the unit completely original is always my preference. Great work on this!
As a British guy who has been to Texas multiple times, holy balls does it ever get hot over there in the summer. We're talking so hot that I can't walk more than a few blocks without needing water. If you're not used to it, it's absolutely stifling. If you ARE used to it, then the UK likely feels hella cold in comparison XD
Friday night 8Bit guy here we go 👀
Had it been something worth substantially more money, Door 2 would have me and other cringing! But I think for what it's worth, you made a good attempt. Door 3 was the right choice in the end. Great video!
Holy... 80s were 40 years ago, god damn... 21:00
I can’t believe I just spent 21 minutes watching this. I even felt anxious, watching you play froger. And cheered when the keyboard worked. My first computer was a VIC-20.
I suspect this computer sat in one of the radio station studio control desks to provide the text for their programme, that's why it had the sticky tape on the bottom. Maybe the desk had a lid that could be closed to cover up the computer when it wasn't used?
BTW, you can easily save that paint spatter by just lightly sanding the area and then spraying over it again at the right angle/distance.
8:15 I always cringe when you spray windex directly onto electronics, but this one really got me good, the tape is in the drive and you can see the windex running into the counter. I don't know if windex can actually do any harm to electronics or magnetic tape but it was drilled into me on my first job never to spray directly on electronics, always the cloth, still do it to this day.
I think it only harms screens, but I'm not really sure
I've washed entire motherboards in soap and water. As long as there is no charge and you dry them completely soon after, and arent using anything abrasive that could potentially damage contacts and traces, well, I've never had an issue.
@@EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay That's still different then letting it run inside where you can't wipe it up. Also megnetic tape.
I think you have put way to much thought and emotion into this. He's not restoring it, it doesn't matter.
@@Dargaard I think windex evaporates quickly tho.
9:06 YOOOO WHO JIZZED IN THE KEYBOARD??? smh frickin 80’s corntub or something?
Wow! I had one of these! My Dad bought the Vic-20 early on to get me started. It had th klicky-klacky keys and the no-rainbow logo. I learned so much from that machine.
I wonder what ever happened to it?
When ever you go to test a keyboard use the sentence "A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" it includes every letter in the alphabet at least once.
I found a great trick for conductive pads that don't work even after cleaning. Just rub them on a piece of paper. One swipe usually does the trick. For whitening plastic, I just rub the surface with a bit of dish soap and cheap 3% peroxide and sit out in the sun. Rub in a palm full of peroxide ever couple hours. No submersion, great results.