Amstrad Mega PC - Restoration and Repair | Trash to Treasure (2/4)

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● Series Links
Part 1: • Amstrad Mega PC - Cons...
Part 2: • Amstrad Mega PC - Rest...
Part 3: • Amstrad Mega PC - Retr...
Part 4: • Amstrad Mega PC Test D...
● Episode Links
Amstrad PC1512 Video: • The PC That Cracked Eu...
● Cave Links
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● Description
The Amstrad Mega PC is a curious thing, a 386 IBM PC compatible with a Mega Drive inside it released in 1993. I picked this one up for £100 sight unseen and today I'll see if it can be salvaged. Let's open it up and see what we find.
● Music
All To Me - Wave Saver
Fugent - Lupus Nocte
Midtown - Brookii
Resting Quality - Brookii
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Опубликовано:

12 июн 2019

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Комментарии : 446

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Thanks for watching. Please don't encourage Alan or he'll be back for part 3 😂 If you enjoy my content and would like to show support for The Cave then here's how you can help: ● Support RMC on Patreon: www.patreon.com/RetroManCave ● Treat me to a Coffee with Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/retromancave ● Leave a tip on Paypal: paypal.me/RetroManCave Thank you! Neil - RMC

@josso1 5 лет назад

think you forgot to link to swindon computer museums site, can't see it

@josso1 5 лет назад

oh nvm it's actually in the video

@keropiprojects 5 лет назад

great vid, if you make the disk images where will they be available? thanks!

@katpea2359 5 лет назад

A Dragon 32 and a Rubix Cube!!! I'm literally in fucking tears of laughter 😹😹

@ShadowTheHedgehog85 5 лет назад

I encourage him... Because Woolworth still exists..... In Germany. 😜

@shelby3822 5 лет назад

Dunno why but I think Alan's voice dictating what LGR should check out whilst thrifting would be an absolute hoot

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

oh lord I would watch that all day 😂

@baitsnatcha 5 лет назад

@@dryphtyr Indeed.

@Turnbull50 5 лет назад

I really like your attention to the tiniest detail, always interesting watch you and I like your sense of humour

@seymansey 5 лет назад

I remember quite vividly seeing one of these in Dixon’s in the ‘90s and being bowled over at seeing the combo of a PC and a MegaDrive.

@TheMalMeninga 5 лет назад

Loving the Alan Sugar impression. :D

@Doobie3010 5 лет назад

Yup,shame we cant feel the absolute feral-moneygrubbing-ness of the A.Sugar!

@DoRC 5 лет назад

Retract the glass fibers almost all the way in and use the end to abrade. It works much better.

@enigma776 5 лет назад

That monitor is surprisingly good. Nice and clear and a good image quality.

@bruwin 5 лет назад

It certainly shows off how good megadrive games can look.

@VSigma725 5 лет назад

@Michael O Callaghan The operative word here is "nice quality" though. A lot of CRT monitors were absolute crap, only used because they were cheap or came bundled with the machine.

@johnknight9150 5 лет назад

Have to admit, a Sharp X68k you can play while cooking a pasty sounds like a winner to me.

@TheResistorNetwork 5 лет назад

This is a well produced and written video. Nice work on the restoration. Looking forward to Part 3!

@FOIL_FRESH 5 лет назад

i gotta fix up a few capacitors and your work is much needed help, cheers bud!

@MegaManNeo 5 лет назад

Gotta say it again, I'd love to have a machine like this, especially back then. Glad to see you made it functioning again!

@DubiousEngineering 5 лет назад

Awww... now I see how much work you put into this... not just the refurbishment, the video, editing and voiceovers too! ... the detail is epic! :)

@dj_paultuk7052 5 лет назад

Love seeing that Acorn Electron in the background in all your videos. Such fond memories of that machine. I wrote so many programmes on the electron and it helped me get my A in O level Computer Studies.

@colinbaldwin3278 5 лет назад

Another fantastic quality video!! I can't wait for the next. Tell Alan, I bought ALL of his PC's.

@MordecaiWalfish 5 лет назад

man this series is so cool. thanks for sharing your experience with this oddity!

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

You're welcome and thanks for watching

@samsulummasamsulumma6898 5 лет назад

Yay! The exciting follow up! Thanks for the great material!

@benlawrence7527 4 года назад

your recapping videos are very calming to me. Keep up the content, fan of the cave.

@WiggysanWiggysan 5 лет назад

Fantastic detailed restoration Mr RMC. Top work as always.

@ForgottenLore 5 лет назад

Brilliant restoration! :D

@serpentza 5 лет назад

Very nice mate!

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Cheers! Alan says he loves your channel

@StarDustForge 5 лет назад

Heres an idea for the battery: put them inside a sealed plastic container inside the case. A small tupperware box should work, just cut some holes for the cables and seal it up with hot glue. Then you can tie, velcro or glue the container down so it doesnt rattle around. That should be way more conviniend than an external battery.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

That's not a bad idea but I have an idea for it which I'll share in a future episode if it works as planned

@MrEmperorApples 4 года назад

I love the humor of any videos of yours involving Sir Allen M. Sugar!

5 лет назад

Yes, the dust cover came with the keyboard.

@MelsvanWees 5 лет назад

This is my favorite retro computer channel!!

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Thank you! This is my favourite comment!

@peachflavored 5 лет назад

These videos are awesome and very informative, thanks for all your work and dedication in preserving these old systems. And bring Alan back for part 3! 🤣

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Alan will be back, he's getting quite big headed with all this attention

@dykodesigns 5 лет назад

I remember once seeing an Amstrad Mega PC in a shop. I thought it was quite a neat concept. Sadly it didn’t really become mainstream but idea to merge a console with a pc still seams very appealling to me.

@mcg6762 5 лет назад

A suggestion is to tin the exposed tracks with solder using solder braid before applying the protective paint.

@RETROCENGO 5 лет назад

Great video, really enjoyed watching you giving this board some love/care. Well done RMC👍🏻

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Hey thanks! 🖒🖒

@angushodge1 5 лет назад

RMC, a interdental brush is quite good for getting into the pcb nooks and crannies to clean up corrosion, dirt etc. Plastic ones can also be used for delicate areas. Love the channel.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

That's a great tip thank you

@74bobby 5 лет назад

Its looking great,cant wait for the next episode...

@geezerdiamond 5 лет назад

Just a thought on the monitor front, if you’re not too precious about it being a CRT, there are a few older Dell LCDs that sync down to 15Khz

@adampoll4977 5 лет назад

Can't wait for the next installment of Mr Sugar ;)

@dschult3 5 лет назад

I love this series. Keep up the good work!

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Thank you, working on the next episode right now. Retrobriting indoors is happening

@jayslittleprojects1431 5 лет назад

Nice work on the main board. it looks really good

@desther7975 5 лет назад

I found a couple of floppy disk holders just like that one at a garage sale recently! Funny seeing that here. Mine are branded Fellowes.

@user-pi5xz5je4y 5 лет назад

I'd watch a RU-vid channel that comprised solely of that Alan Sugar impression. It's hilarious.

@RetroRecollections 5 лет назад

Coming along nicely, great to see :)

@Colin_Ames 5 лет назад

Another great episode. Very enjoyable.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Thanks Colin

@tomicarr90 5 лет назад

Awesome as always, rather interesting machine there. Can't believe you got Lord Sir Alan Sugar on! Love it :D

@AtariLegend 5 лет назад

Great video!

@amigoamiga9254 5 лет назад

I don't know what's more amazing the Amstrad branded Joypad or the WHSmith Floppy box. It's a nice machine, and the fact you could switch from one mode to the next without losing any data was a smart move.

@MrDuncl 5 лет назад

Amigo Amiga If you watch the Micro-Men docudrama (available on RU-vid) you will see that WH Smith were one of the main retailers of 8 bit computers and software. I'm trying to think whether Dixons (who also sold computers) sold software. If they did it wasn't a very big range.

@fortitude9932 5 лет назад

Awesome part 2 already great video

@Di3mondDud3 5 лет назад

MOAR ALAN. This video was chill and hilarious on swapping occasions

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Alan is back in part 3 😂

@Di3mondDud3 5 лет назад

@@RMCRetro lets hope he isnt too angry about your box stunt

@WarriorRazor 5 лет назад

My very first PC was an Amstrad MegaPC back in 1993, had a bigger 80MB hard disk too IIRC. I loved that machine, we later sold it to one of my Dad's work friends, I wish I'd have kept it. I can confirm mine came with Windows 3.0, which we upgraded to 3.1- I spent hours in Coral Draw playing with the car templates.

@andresbravo2003 5 лет назад

Good luck with your Amstrad Mega PC RMC! ;-)

@PaulBosanova 5 лет назад

Great video, thanks!

@SteDubya 5 лет назад

Very nice comprehensive video. I have the same disk box with windows 3.11.

@alexsutton85 5 лет назад

Great videos, I remember seeing these advertised in magazines like GamesMaster and such! I've been messing around with the emulation for the Mega PC which is included in PCEM these days, although for obvious reasons it only emulates the PC side of the machine. Looking forward to part 3

@heberdua 5 лет назад

We used to have a Woolworth where I live, I remember those. Great video !

@MrDuncl 5 лет назад

Duane Hebert Every town in Britain had a Woolworths. A sad loss. If you read the details on the Woolworths Museum web site it is interesting ti read that any investor in Woolworths (UK) would have done very well. In the mid 1980s they decided to invest in DIY buying some small chain of shops called B&Q.

@StudioBebopUSA 5 лет назад

I can't believe you managed to get Alan Sugar back for another episode :O

@herbiehusker1889 5 лет назад

We need more Alan Sugar cameos in these videos.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Oh don't worry he's back in part 3 and he'' be asking for you hybrid ideas on Twitter tomorrow for his next rap. twitter.com/theretromancave

@TheTurnipKing 5 лет назад

@@RMCRetro you need a puppet

@yorgle 5 лет назад

I've got one of those slidey disk holders. they work best if you grab on the sides/edges of the disk rather than the top.

@anthonykearney608 2 года назад

A friend of mine had the mega pc when we were teenagers. That analogue joystick is more comfortable than it looks. We spent hours playing f15 strike Eagle 2 with it

@TheGamingMuso 5 лет назад

I need to get some desoldering equipment, and some skills! Loving this mate, friend of mine once had one of these! Was actually my first experience of playing a Megadrive game!

@LeftoverBeefcake 5 лет назад

Once you get a desoldering gun, you'll wonder how you've lived without one for so long. The only downside is the long shipping time if you order direct from China.

@Ben_3113 Год назад

I remember seeing them for sale but never saw one in the flesh outside of a store

@005AGIMA 5 лет назад

Oddly Amstrad are the ONLY PC's I hold any Nostalgia for. My first PC, for which I had to sell my Amiga 500, was a used Amstrad 386DX which I believe would have been the PC2386-65, which looked like a tank, and was cursed with proprietary Keyboard and mouse connections (for the love of God). But now, it's the only old PC I'm on the look out for to re-buy.

@lemagreengreen 5 лет назад

Seem to remember cheap keyboards of that era all coming with that sort of plastic cover, pretty impressed someone kept one!

@frigbychilwether 5 лет назад

Hi, one of the most interesting things was the fact the PC was called "Mummy's Computer". Telling the kids who had just finished playing on mega drive not to do mess around with it.

@Johnnyafc 5 лет назад

Great video thanks

@youtubbeisshit 3 года назад

Really amazing having a pc that plays mega drive

@bnerd1 5 лет назад

i find this thing so wild a pc and a console combined

@Davey656 5 лет назад

Alan Sugar impressions SO accurate!!

@greedygreggor 5 лет назад

Good skills, that M/boards looking great :)

@Watcher3223 5 лет назад

Very good work.

@alex76gr 5 лет назад

Way to go man!

@Aravzil 5 лет назад

I'm glad I found your channel. You gained a sub, thanks for the relaxing mini series :)

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Hey welcome and I'm glad you found my little corner of RU-vid too

@joeedmunds8414 5 лет назад

Loving the Sugar impressions... :)

@gamedoutgamer 5 лет назад

Great show, RMC! Inside the floppy connector there may be remaining corrosion, despite cleaning it externally. Would suggest using a new one. Also the power connector on the motherboard might have some remaining underneath and inside as well. Just FYI, white vinegar is known to be hard on the copper traces and there are other solutions specifically designed for this purpose. Electrolube Safewash 2000 ESWA400H 400ML I think is the stuff. Then Electrolube Saferinse 2000 afterwards, iirc. Then you might consider some 'conformal coating' (MG chemicals) to protect the board and chips from further oxidation. Watched the whole video. Well done!! The sega side of the machine is great! VGA video output is a treat.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Thank you that's some really constructive feedback and I appreciate you taking the time to share it. I'll take a look into these, if it can help my methods and viewers then I'll be stocking up!

@kins749 5 лет назад

Hello to Alan and thanks for those great ideas at the end, some of those could have worked

@bwganblack9 5 лет назад

Neil dealing with Alan reminded me of Tony Hart and Morph...

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Morph spoke more sense 😂

@CooChewGames 5 лет назад

Thumbs Up from Australia :-)

@H3adcrash 5 лет назад

Yees! Was really looking forward to this one :D Cuppa tea time!

@kennylauderdale_en 5 лет назад

Good job. That looked like a lot of work. I'd like to see you service a PC-98.

@twmbarlwmstar 5 лет назад

That desoldering gun is cool. I wish I needed one I make d with the USB MINI TS100 Digital which is great as it has no cable, using a ceramic bit/tip which holds in the heat, there's a battery as well. But it is only for light work, I have to get out a mains iron for anything older than 2012.

@surflos4002 5 лет назад

Good Job!

5 лет назад

Woah, Amstrad branded Windows disks? The original Mega-PC didn’t come with Windows! This must be a very late Mega-PC. That’s *not* normal. Counterpoint is the interface the computer used to come with.

@mooseblaster 5 лет назад

Yeah, can confirm that my Mega PC I had as a kid in Dec 1993 did NOT have Windows, simply DOS 5 and Counterpoint. One thing I did do as an upgrade on the original 386 was to replace it with (I believe) a Kingston TurboChip TC366-400, which was an AMD K6-2 sitting in a Socket 5 adapter. It offered a decent speed boost, although I expect both that and the Evergreen Spectra command a high price nowadays).

@MrDuncl 5 лет назад

I wonder if they were bundled, or a separate purchase from the local Amstrad store. Yes in Bournemouth we had an Amstrad store in a similar way to the Samsung store we have today. I'm not sure if it was official or (more likely) a computer shop that had decided to specialise in nothing but Amstrad in a similar manner to the Amiga store which also existed a couple of miles away.

@littlemuchty 5 лет назад

Yeah, I am pretty sure it was never supplied with Windows as standard. I received mine, a late model sold through Tandy for the discounted price of £499 as they couldn't shift them, DOS 5 and Counterpoint was your lot. I used to spend ages getting Counterpoint setup just right with links to my applications and games...oh the memories! And that joystick that was supplied with the system was the work of the devil :P

5 лет назад

Richard Burgess Editing and re-editing icons in Counterpoint was sometimes more interesting than playing the games! And yes, the joystick was awful. Such a major design flaw - the calibration sliders are right where your hand will be during gameplay!

@Skaera75b 5 лет назад

*grabs cat* *opens beer* ..... Bliss.

@welshparamedic 5 лет назад

You are obviously quite skilled with the soldering side of things, I know it's not part of your normal remit but why not a 'in depth' short tutorial on soldering capacitors and de-soldering them, the best equipment to use etc....just a thought, I have some old PC 'ABIT' motherboards which i practice on but despite my best attempts, I am nowhere near the skill level of your good self or indeed Mr Sugar too! Thanks again for a informative and very inspirational channel! As an ex paramedic now pensioned off, I have plenty of time to be 'inspired' b y channels on YT.......At the risk of embarrassing you, I have to say You are perhaps the most professional channel on retro tech computing. Once again, Thank you 'RetroManCave"

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Thank you for the kind words. I try to share a little of my techniques in each video without repeating too much from previous ones... It's a fine line because everyone does things a little differently so it can quickly result in a comment section filled with "you're wrong do it this way". That being said I will consider it, if I heavily caveat it with a disclaimer that this is my way take it or leave it...people might be more forgiving. Something for me to ponder thank you

@Doobie3010 5 лет назад

Wow! that amstrad Joystick reminded me of those old Saitek Joysticks from Suncom-very similar style!

@ralfr.5974 5 лет назад

Nice Computer!! 👍

@martin.pokorny 5 лет назад

I feel a bit of envy... What a nice machine...

@AaronRedding 5 лет назад

about 20 years ago I did technical support for British telecom from a at&t call center for dsl modems ... this was actually pretty common

@kooky216 5 лет назад

great job

@Ouch. 5 лет назад

Really enjoying the videos.....Even the dodgy Clive Sinclair impresions.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

I know Clive and I share the same hair and beard but I swear I'm not doing an impression of him 😂

@franklinsilva3847 5 лет назад

It's very good, congratulations.

@booboo699254 5 лет назад

I'm almost 100% sure that NCR did service those... NCR has done support for a ton of manufacturers due to their service network.

@eightzerofour9957 5 лет назад

lol Australian thumbs up, shout outs from Australia Mate xD

@SergiuszRoszczyk 5 лет назад

Not sure if they have any historical value but I would just replace goldpins rather than cleaning them.

@RobertLaneTech 5 лет назад

A tip for your battery extender leads, add a drop of super glue at the point where the wires split and then add a small piece of shrink tube to prevent accidental separation.

@RetroSK3L3 Год назад

Almost too scared to admit this, but I owned a Mega PC it was my upgrade from a Commodore 64. The sad thing is, I took it up to the tip only 2 a couple of years ago thinking it would be no good. Who knew that a year or two later I would get back into the Retro hobby and seriously regret throwing it all away!! hey ho, you live and learn.

@pizzacade8594 5 лет назад

To be this good takes ages.

@pizzacade8594 5 лет назад

Sorry, Sega, not ages.

@herbiehusker1889 5 лет назад

Sega hasn't been good in ages.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

@@pizzacade8594 Commodore agrees with your original comment 😉

@draggonhedd 5 лет назад

Dell LCD monitors from the early 2000s will support a 15khz rgb signal and auto switch over the HD15 connector. This has been confirmed with the Dell 2000fp. Lots of NEC multisync and syncmaster monitors will support the same thing as well. Usually, if the PC LCD has an SVIDEO or Composite input, it will also support 15khz RGB over the VGA port. Just try as many as you can and see what happens. There are loads 15khz.wikidot.com/ (Thanks Simon Walker for the link)

@kanalnamn 5 лет назад

Dell 2001fp is the go-to monitor in the Amiga community. (Also handles interlaced signals.VGA / composite / DVI. Perhaps even s-video, I can't remember.)

@chaoticsignal 5 лет назад

Had one of these back in the day it was the best picture you could get from a Megadrive. So sad to see a part of my youth so yellowed but I haven't fared much better. It definitely came with Windows, I think the GUI you have seen is a program that came with the computer. You could create shortcuts to programs I had lots of fun customising it!

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Yellowing will be fixed in part 3! And I've installed Counterpoint... It's quite simplistic but better than a batch menu I guess.

@chaoticsignal 5 лет назад

@@RMCRetro Awesome, can't wait to see it all cleaned up ☺️

@RobA500 5 лет назад

The Amstrad PC’s I’ve seen and used back in the day I had to try and sell them came with GEM rather than Windows.

@cyberghost74 5 лет назад

Thank you Sir.

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Thank YOU!

@DrLilo 5 лет назад

Now do a PAL to NTSC region switch mod on the mega drive :)

@colinjohnston8519 5 лет назад

Why would he do that?

@zxkim8136 5 лет назад

It's looking good Neil just the case to go mate seeya in episode 3 🌸🌸🌸Kim🌸🌸🌸

@mmcplus1947 5 лет назад

Double molten cheese sandwich + This video =THE ULTIMATE RMC COMPUTER RESTORATION EXPERIENCE

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

This is the approved way to view. Thank you.

@michaelsworkshop9031 5 лет назад

Neil - that silver Samsung LCD monitor you had been using in past videos as a bench monitor is frequently capable of 15khz AND 31khz analog video using the same 15-pin "VGA-style" port. I had mentioned this on a past video's comments as a possible solution to another retro machine needing a screen. See if yours will display both frequencies of video - supposedly some will and some won't depending on the revision date of the boards inside that Samsung used. Great video!

@RMCRetro 5 лет назад

Hey Michael, it's a great little monitor as it supports sync on green so works with some of the workstation grade machines like the NeXT Station and the Octane, but it doesn't support 15Khz I've given it a go in the past. I do now have the MegaPC working with my own monitor though and am just editing ep3 to show you

@michaelsworkshop9031 5 лет назад

OK very good - keep your eyes out for others if you see them in your travels - they're versatile, even just with the ports onboard (mine has svideo and composite alongside DVI and VGA). There is also a website (15khz dot wikidot dot com) that tracks known 15khz and multisync compatible screens -- very handy for checking monitors when you are shopping used gear for finding true multisync screens that are useful in this way (for both 15 and 31). Best wishes.