No apologies needed. That's the priority list of recovering from natural disasters: rescue people, rescue homes, rescue retro computers from basements. Glad we're at the third step already! Bring it on!
You’re good in spooking me; “hi it’s Jan Beta and unfortunately…”, I filled that in with “have to tell you this is my last video”. Lol These repairs are always nice to see with a bit of coffee!
Jan, never apologize for a Commodore repair video. Commodore was responsible for the best selling computer of all time. I love watching all Commodore repair videos, even the models that were not so successful.
Love your videos! Don't stop repairing Commodore computers! My basement was flooded too (Eifel) and I drew my VC20, I've just repaired a month before, out of the mud. I hope I get it back to live again when my basement is fixed. Keep up that great work. And wear gloves! There is everything in this mud. Some people got sick of it here!
Jan apologizes for another C64 video. Other RU-vidrs drift away from the vintage repair content I love and I drift away from them. Keep going, Jan, we love you for a reason!
Never too much C-64 rescue videos, every time one is saved is another chance to preserve this great piece of technology that gave most of us our start being tech geeks. Thanks for the tireless work and great content. PS my first job that I made for myself was asking the computer science teacher in my high school to pay me $25.00 per Pet and 64 to fix them up over the summer and get them ready for the next school year. My recipe for the key contacts ended with using a white gummy eraser on the carbon rubber pads of the key plungers and lightly scrub them. I had a 100% success factor with all keys.
Don't apologize for the C64 stuff, I mostly enjoy your repair stuff. Same goes for a lot of us. You were one of my main inspirations to get into electronic repairs!
as a Brit, I always find it super strange to see people using electrical appliances in a bathroom. Great video Jan, another Retro machine saved for future generations!
How timely. We just had a storm (Ida) go through last night and my basement is flooded. I'll have to go rescue my C64's and other retro computers today.
I love the C64 repair videos, Jan. They are my favorite episodes. I don't even know why, it's just how it is for me. I watched so many that I can almost name every single part of a C64 and I haven't soldered even once in my life.
Very nice job and very generous of you to give your time to help out flood victims. As many have said, no need to apologise for C64 content - it was never a machine of mine but I always find your videos fun and entertaining. Once again I feel I must complement you on your excellent English. Despite spending quite a bit of time in Germany (which I loved) with my job my German never got above the basics needed to order food and beer!
My favourite video's. You are looking very well Jan by the way. Love your channel, thank you for running it. Sorry to hear about the flooding, all the best from the UK
Jan Beta, I will NEVER get tired of a Commodore 64 or VIC-20 Repair Video. They are my favorite videos!!! I look forward to them! Never stop making them! :o) Tony K. , Melbourne, Florida (USA)....
First off, my heart goes out to the folks affected by the flood. We just had one that killed 20 people in Waverly, TN. I'm originally from Frankfurt, Germany, so I pay some attention to what goes on there (coincidentally, I have a birth certificate in a language that I can't read). Second, it's great to see someone "take the plunge" and not be afraid of getting the entire board wet. And it was nice to see you use the same method of "drying" the board with alcohol. Mind you, I do mine outdoors... :)
You should wear gloves on the flooded hardware before cleaning, since the devices can have fecal germs on them or skin-irritating fluids like laundry detergent. I was also affected by the flood, but luckily my retro collection is not in the basement. A neighbour gifted me his flooded A500. I'm already afraid of cleaning/restoring its floppy drive...
Good Job Jan!! I've seen on ebay Kleinanzeigen an advert with a lot of flooded commodores. I went on holiday in Germany but this is just above the flood area. First of all its good to hear the people are save and they have a lot to care about other than retro computers. But it is very very nice you offered assistence to save retro machine's in some way ! And never, never say sorry about a c64 repair video :-)
Brilliant clean up job Jan!! I love to see you giving some much needed tlc to these beautiful vintage machines, and they definitely deserve it!! It is such a shame that that persons computers were all damaged in those floods, something which could never have been imagined/predicted I would've thought, more so when you don't usually get that sort of freak weather there! If my machines ended up damaged like that i'd be devastated, and because i'm not really savvy enough to do the great work you do, I would probably be sending them over to you if you were willing to repair them, but hopefully that never happens :-D Great to see that lovely C64C good as new at the end there....cracking stuff Jan! Heartfelt sympathies to the flood victims also, it must be a terrible thing to go through, to have your home and prized possessions destroyed, and worse still, to lose your life, or loved ones :(
Very nice of you to repair the water damaged computer. You have saved one and I'm sure the owner is very happy. Our hearts and prayers are with everyone affected by the flood
What I would have done for the metal parts that were rusted is to soak them in vinegar which is very good at getting a lot of crud off metal parts. for anything that stuck after that I would have turned to a metal polish like Brasso which I have used in the past for cleaning off rusted motorcycle parts.
I'm glad you're safe from the flood. I used to live in Rheinland-Pfalz, and we got a lot of wind and rain in the Eiffel Mountains. Thank you for MORE C64 content; I really enjoy it!
When I was in Biloxi, Mississippi long ago during the C128 era and a while after a hurricane had hit there, I was in a computer shop and was offered as many new C128s (for repair) as I wanted for $75 each. Trouble is, while they were new machines they had been flooded with SALT WATER during the hurricane and had been left to sit in their boxes. I looked in the rear ports with a borrowed flashlight, saw green corrosion everywhere and said "No thanks."
Another thing that works really, really well is a foam based oven cleaner in a shower cubical. I know because my shower cubical was as crusty as yours and I sorted it out with foam based oven cleaner. Remember, before you dislike my comment, my shower cubical was also crusty and I am sharing my experience here with fellow enthusiasts!
Never apologize for any content. This is your channel, publish what makes you happy. I will personally never tire of C64, or any other retro computer, videos.
Never seen anyone go through the slightest trouble trying to save the shields and the cardboard insulation sheet. Stop apologizing for Working on C64's ... and making videos. I for one love them so much. Replace those Cap's bro!
I once used to have that exact model of C64C and that exact cover. That C64C is still my daily driver, I had to replace the cover as it got lost in the ravages of time I enjoyed this restoration
Noticed you using a backbit cart to help hold up the keyboard, along with whatever else you had nearby. I picked up some old hockey pucks and, because they're fairly heavy, they work great for quick solutions when I need to position/hold things on the bench. Grab a few and keep them handy!
Jan, the keyboard mechanism is the same mechanism that was in the very early C64's and the Vic 20. I found this out by watching a 2 part episode of The 8 bit guy as he worked on a Vic 20 that was covered in not only dirt but OIL too. I recommend that you check them out. Good video too. 👍
It's a typical September day where I am which is even more proof of catastrophic, man-made global warming. If only we gave more money to politicians, they could free us from this nightmare.
Another poor man's solution to rust removal is molasses+water. Something in molasses acts as a cheleator.. That is, it chemically binds to the rust and makes it water soluble. It does work a little slowly, you might have to soak your part for hours or maybe even several days for anything with severe rusting. But it does work. Chealeators have the advantage that they don't attack the metal (or anything else) like an acid will. The slightly more expensive (and faster) solution is evapo-rust, which is also a cheleating agent, but works much faster. Evapo-rust is maybe $15-$20 for a gallon of the stuff, but you can re-use it many times.
I've heard at least one person had his basement full of pinball machines, they're full of mud now - now he's gotta clean all the playfields and switches and relays. I was given a breadbox C64 that sat in a damp tool shed/workshop for a few decades. The RF shielding was pretty mouldy, the screws were rusted, all ICs were socketed (by the previous owner), most IC sockets were corroded. Had a bad KERNAL ROM and both CIAs bad. I didn't change the sockets so if I hit the keys too hard, it crashes. But I did clean the keyboard so by my standards this machine works fine now. This plant has worked NaN days... The best previous record was UNDEFINED (or maybe NULL or segfault).
Best thermal compound remover that I've found is Zippo lighter fluid (aka cheap Goo-Gone, the ingredients are the same). A single drop and a towel is all I've ever needed on anything, including new computers. Works very well on sticker residue also (oddly enough).
Flooding is really a nasty business especially for coastal areas here in the US where Salt Water really can do some serious damage to electronics. Then we have to deal with Hurricanes and Tornado's. Actually the video is beneficial for those who have water damaged electronics and how to deal with it. I have several ultrasonic cleaners that I use and yea they can get costly but the solutions for cleaning PCB's is not exactly cheap and your going to need liters and liters of Distilled Water and 99% IPA. You will need large containers to fill with the IPA to submerge the boards to remove any remaining water on the PCB. I didn't buy the most expensive units and they have heaters which seem to take forever to heat up the solution. I have one at work for cleaning hydraulic valves.
OH NO!!! Not the C64! Ahhhh! Just kidding you dude! It is/was a great computer! I used mine for many years and actually worked for Commodore servicing and selling them in a retail shop. Good times.
14:46 deoxit removes corrosion from the key springs! FYI. They will look shiny. Spray the springs in a plastic bag to keep the deoxit from getting everywhere or losing springs. A grocery bag works. IPA will clean dirt but not restore or protect the springs. 26:46 Oh! You did WD40 them.. =)
Isopropanol vapors are very combustible, I wouldn't dare to use a hairdryer to dry the board freshly cleaned with the IPA, especially in a small closed area.
Old 8bit PCs are impressively durable compared to modern electronics. Large traces, simple 2 sided boards, through hole components. They can take an incredible amount of abuse and keep working.
That factory must have had a bunch of extra 250425 boards lying around, because I've seen a couple of old style 64C's containing this board but they have all been from West Germany. Typically these machines contain rev. 250466.
