These aren’t just restoration videos. I watch random restoration videos when I’m bored. I watch YOUR restoration videos when I want to learn about the history of a computer, how it works, and how I can keep my vintage equipment running forever. Your channel is an endless spiral of knowledge and while I love EVERY video you make, something about your restoration videos makes them stand out from all the rest. I’d never tell you how to run you channel, but know that your restorations are top-tier for a multitude of reasons and many people wish to continue seeing your passion.
What I notice is the clear focus on the particular failures of the restored device, and when they are common ones, the little explanations of that. Otherwise it would just be just another montage of restoring a device, with 'replaced failed ejector gear' being more of a footnote at best.
Watching David restore old computers is like watching Bob Ross paint. There's a certain Zen to it...It's oddly comforting to see another person treat something you care about with care and respect.
I really enjoy the restorations. They're always enjoyable. No 2 computers lived the same life, and restoring them tells their story. Your VIC-20 is a prime example of that.
Personally, I think restorations, where there are MAJOR issues to solve, are the best ones. Watching you problem solve in an honest manner, sometimes leading to dead ends, is entertaining and informative.
Please don’t let all these other RU-vid channels influence your restoration videos. They are my favorite videos you make other then the history of videos. At the end of the day no one is the 8 bit guy but you.
Most of the other restoration channels don’t have what 8-Bit has. Personality. He’s just such a fun guy who has a great personality that makes me want to see more content.
Exactly. Also, the fake channels only prove there is a market for the real thing. If, in response, everyone stopped doing it for real then all we’d have left are fakes!
Your authenticity, professionalism, and very evident passion for these older computers, (after all, you have developed several games for these older platforms, simply because you like them) is what makes *your* restoration videos incomparable to other restoration videos, there's a feel to your videos that other creators cannot ever replicate. In short, your videos could never compete with other restoration videos, don't let it get to your head.
Alps SKCM "Orange" - nice! The other keys were most likely PBT double-shots, because of the vintage, and those don't yellow after UV exposure. Space bars, then and now, are often made from ABS due to its cooling properties.
Honestly, my favourite are the restoration videos. The fact is, you do a great job not only explaining what's going on, but also the significance. Most other videos either go into way too much detail for people like myself, or don't explain enough what they are testing/why they are doing what they are. I do understand the idea of them getting repetitive though, at some point how many bad ROM chips/blown capacitors can we see replaced. Still they are very relaxing and educational, so I'm a little sad we won't be seeing as many going forward.
Jrose, this isn't Pokémon RU-vid, what'cha doin' here? In all seriousness, I totally agree. There's something so wonderful about how David does his restoration videos. They're approachable, relaxing, and it's refreshing to have a RU-vidr who isn't playing into the oneupmanship that many others in the restoration space are unfortunately starting to partake in.
Two callouts in one video! Thanks. It’s nice to see one of these looking so nice again. Also, seaking of your other IIc, I noticed that one of my IIc machines that I retrobrighted a while back has also started to yellow again. Funny as I have stuff I did longer ago that hasn’t began to re-yellow. As all can imagine, there is no sunlight down in the Digital Basement, so it’s not that.
Adrian, you and David should do a live chat session together - like the one you did with Bil Hurd - just rap about all things retro computing and inside baseball youtube content creating
@@The8BitGuy disappointed that you didn't say the name of his channel, the 8-bit RU-vid Poop channel could have made excellent use of you saying the word basement
But what are the downsides to retrobrighting? I've never done it because I got used to it long before retrobrighting became widely known and, more importantly, I have heard that they are never really the right color again and that it will reverse and yellow again. But this is ancient plastic that is brittle and I have to wonder what the retrobrighting, basically dipping it in bleach is doing to the plastic besides changing its color. Is the plastic leaching anything during the process? Has anyone ever done chemical testing on the water/bleach after the process is done (I don't mean for getting rid of the water. I mean is it changing the plastic)? Are there chemical changes in the plastic? Is it still fire resistant?
@Adrian's Digital Basement It's not just UV light that can cause the reaction, it's heat. How warm is it down in the basement? And contrary to what everyone probably thinks, it's not the bromine that causes the yellowing. If the BFRs degraded into a bromide or bromate salt, then they would simply dissolve in water and the plastic would not stay yellowed. Yet that doesn’t happen. Another suggestion is that it degrades into bromine, which would also not keep the plastic yellow. Bromine is a volatile liquid and evaporates very quickly. It is also one of the more pungent smells that you could experience and even little amounts linger. It doesn’t cause the plastic to yellow. The yellowing is entirely caused by the degradation of the ABS plastic.
I'm one of those people who enjoys watching you restore things. I'm subscribed to a number of people who do it, with various things, rather it's computers, radios and TVs, pocket lighters from the 1940s, it's fun to watch the process making something old and rusty / yellowed / dirty resemble what it once looked like.
By the way, the keys didn’t need retrobryting because they’re PBT and the space bar did because it’s ABS. Pretty common practice in mechanical keyboards.
@@jaysoncowan5763 I think they generally don’t cast larger parts out of PBT because you risk warping as the plastic cools. ABS is better at that, but the downside is that it yellows over time.
@@StariusPrime that's why. As far as I know, IBM was one of the only companies who made PBT spacebars, and Unicomp continues that tradition. No one else seemed to do it reliably.
All key caps but space are made of PBT. Space is made of ABS. PBT tends to move when curing, so it's hard to make long parts. The switches are Alps SKCM Orange and are among the best ever made =)
I have an Zenith Datasystems 286e Supersport laptop with Alps SKCM Baby Blue switches I personally think have a better key feel, but Orange is not bad either. 👍I wish more laptops/all in one computers these days would come with these kinds of awesome switches at least as an extra option.
The way you do your restoration videos is exactly what (almost) everyone of your fans wants to see. You don't have to worry for the "competition" (what competition? *g*). Just do them when you want/need to and how you want them to be. It will be just fine!
There's a bunch of fake restoration videos that go around, but I've only seen them for game consoles and such. They are annoying though because they clog any searches for good restoration videos, which pushes these ones to the bottom.
You DON'T need to defend yourself for using Petscii Robots as a demo floppy!! If anything, you deserve to plug your hard work a little! Wonderful job, David!
Like in the "olden days" when running MS Flight Sim was one test of "IBM compatibility" ... these days we use PETSCII Robots to verify retro computer functionality ;) /Brett
The restoration videos are great - it's not about how often you've done it, it's about seeing how you're bringing an old computer back to life - sometimes not working at all, sometimes working but in poor quality so we can see how it looked originally and also how you're keeping computing history alive. I wouldn't worry about any of the competitive nonsense - it doesn't matter what someone else is doing, you've always been authentic and people know it.
I love the restoration videos! There is just something absolutely comforting about your process of tearing down, cleaning, and re-assembling. I just love seeing them cleaned and restored. I think it's the same reason I like the Hoarders shows, watching ickiness become clean somehow makes me feel better about the world or something. Keep it up, please! I promise to watch every one.
Don't worry about the repetitiveness of restoration videos. It's like watching Bob Ross do a painting. I don't know how many happy little trees I've seen that man paint, but I'd gladly see it again. The process, and your thoughts and commentary, it's like having an older brother with a neat hobby that you love to get a glimpse of. Whenever you release a restoration video, I'll for sure be there to see it! :-)
I really like your restoration videos. It offers up an oportunity to learn a bit about the history of the computer and the innards. I think its interesting to know about what has failed over the years and you do a great job showing that and fixing it especially compared to some that might fix electronics for a quick buck or weird asmr.
I have used the restoration videos as a reference to what the inside should look like, if I’m doing repairs or comparing what I got when I acquired something new.
One of these reasons you've got to do these restorations, I may bet which is: the love and achiving excellence in everything you do for classic techs. Thanks for this!
The restoration, documentary of older hardware and learning how older software works are the types of videos i normally watch when i feel bored or feeling curious, keep up the good work!
Honestly I love watching the restoration videos. There is always something new each time, like the electronic eject mechanism in this one. Sure the retrobrite part is the same each time but restoring the mechanics is always fun to watch.
Spacebars usually are made of ABS, while the other keycaps are made out of PBT. PBT doesn't yellow with age but has the tendency to easily warp immediately after injection molding, so manufacturers usually only made the smaller keycaps using this material, using ABS on the spacebars simply because it's easier. And those are salmon ALPS key switches, if I'm not mistaken (it has been years since I was into custom mechanical keyboards). You can only remove the metal plate by desoldering all the switches.
I believe those are ALPS SKCM Orange key switches (Deskthority's article on the Apple IIc series of computers confirms this), which are the SKCM variant of tactile switches.
I love your restoration vids! Even if they might seem "sameish" the pleasure is just as much from seeing the hardware restored to proper glory again. Thanks!
I love watching your restoration videos David, you have such a love for these vintage machines and it really shows in how you take care of them! What a neat collection and fun to play around with.
Hey David, I wanted to comment on the clear coat experiment you mentioned. I actually have had great success with this method *however* , only with a specific type of clear coat used for hobby plastics. Initially around 2012 I tried rustoleum clear and krylon clear after doing (what was eventually called) retrobrighting but both of those unfortunately yellowed again over about a 3 year period. After that didn't work I spoke to a friend I grew up with in Japan that does a lot of model building and he suggested *Mr. Super Clear - UV Cut* and I have to say It is the *BEST* at preventing these devices from yellowing after retrobrighting. I've used it on every device I've done since (at least 20 or so different systems and many peripherals) and after about 8-9 years none of it has even begun to yellow. My friend who let me in on the secret has Gundam figures that are known to yellow that he built in the 90's that still have not yellowed. He sold me by sending me an image comparison of new in box ones from 94/95 to the ones he built with the uv clear spray and man is it night and day, white vs golden brown. Process- Please thoroughly scuff up the plastic prior to painting with a red scotchbrite to ensure that the paint bites to the plastic evenly (be sure to get the vents with a flathead and the scotchbrite). When painting do two very very light coats initially and wait about 20 minutes in-between each coat so they can gas out (very important). After apply a third medium thick coat then wait 2 hours to gas out and a finally apply a forth and final medium thickness for matte paint or if using gloss use a heavy thickness coat and wait 24-48 hours to handle to yield best results. Here's the paint Matte- www.hobbylinc.com/gunze-sangyo-mr-super-clear-uv-cut-matt-spray-polycarbonate-hobby-and-model-paint-b523 Gloss- www.hobbylinc.com/htm/guz/guzb522.htm Thank me later ; )
Restoration videos are my favorites. I love how much you care about these computers, the restoration playlist is my "I'm feeling overwhelmed" playlist. So relaxing and cheery to watch.
Your restoration videos are the main reason why i subscribed to your channel. Most retrobrite restorations i've seen dont have the same level of passion and love for these PC's like you do. Your care and attention to detail really shines but most importantly these videos are extremely relaxing with chill vibes. I hope this comment encourages you.
Count me in the pro-restoration videos camp. It's sort of like the first step in introducing a newly covered PC IMO. I would also say you do them quite well to begin with. I'll be watching your content regardless, but just wanted to say I've been watching since "How oldschool graphics worked pt. 1" and still love the resto videos too. :)
Those who are in the modeling hobby can tell you that there are varnishes for plastic that protect from UV light and contact with oxygen from the environment. They are also extremely easy to remove using alcohol and rubbing if you don't like the finish. Some products that I recommend are the MR. SUPER CLEAR UV CUT and MR. SUPER CLEAR.
@@rudeskalamander I don't think UV does anything to these I had a super nintendo that turned yellow and it was in a box in a dark room with no UV light and it still turned yellow I just think the Yellow happens from time.
your restorations are special because you actually explain what youre doing, what it means, and how the computers work. that makes it such an interesting experience AND i learn more about computers/technology. id watch you restore ANYTHING
I agree with you about not getting involved in any kind of retro computer restoration competition on RU-vid. You always do a fantastic job and your videos are a blessing to watch!
Nobody makes restoration videos like you do. Please don't stop doing them, they are my favorites!! While I like everything you do, it's still my favorite thing. I was waiting until the end of this video to say "Thank you for finally putting up another restoration video" and then you drop that bomb on us of being weary about them. Damn... If you feel weary, I understand why you may not be so keen on doing them. And obviously, you should only do what you want to do. If anything, don't let other youtubers influence you. Just do your thing. It never was a competition to me.
I enjoy the restoration process: it is always satisfying to see something old that was once an exciting new purchase and that has suffered neglect and abuse being restored to almost brand new condition. Please continue to include this process in your future videos whenever it is merited. Thanks!
I love your restoration videos! Not so much the super dirty/oily ones, but the general wear and tear videos which show some of your creative research and impromptu solutions and repairs to make these older machines come back to life. Also, there is something cathartic about watching something so "old and useless" be cleaned up and shown in it's former glory. So much history and passion to even make these machines to begin with! Very informative videos, I have enjoyed all of them so far. Keep it up!
I really enjoyed this. When I was a kid I treasured my IIc far too much to "risk" open it up, unlike so many other electronic devices. Only many years later did I start tinkering with and re-assembling hardware. Thanks very much!
i love the cathartic and repetitive nature of the restorations, the music and your narration is always super relaxing, plus its always interesting to see what problems a specific piece of hardware has, even if they arent particularly grueling restorations i enjoy them.
@@SonicBoone56 its one of the better ways to relax, especially when its computer related, its always so much more interesting when it comes to the restoration.
I can't believe that some people wouldn't trust the NES restoration was real! Those must be the same people who couldn't believe you wrote Tetris in BASIC in a few hours that one time
I love your restorations. One things I've especially enjoyed is watching develop and refine your retro-bright process. I'd love to see an update on that some time. Some of us just enjoy watching things being cleaned and fixed. It's a very satisfying thing to see. :)
I love your restorations! You give insight into each computer while you restore and I love that bit of history. My dad and I have a few C64 that we have been meaning to restore as a fun project, your videos have helped me understand the process!
David obviously takes care about what others are saying and there were some comments on him sticking his game whereever possible ;). I think that he might as well print posters of PR and Planet X3 making them as a background of all upcoming videos because there defienetely IS something to be proud of.
Love restorations though, definitely have re-watched your other restorations. Your videos aren’t fake and you always do the best you can. I enjoy learning alongside when you find out you can’t use a certain retrobrite technique or when you learn certain chemicals don’t work. I love the experimental process because your videos are very down to earth and real. Love your videos, keep it up!
Your restoration videos are one of the things that made me subscribe long ago, dont worry about repetitiveness. Seeing a lot of different old computers being restored with the structure you created in the last years is one of the best part of the channel.
Echoing a lot of the other comments here but I love watching the restoration videos! It's always so satisfying seeing the backstories behind these machines and watching them being restored to their former beauty. I never grew up with most of these things so it's also just cool to see what came before my lifetime and how things have aged after so many years.
13:36 as much as you gonna do it :) There's a difference between "another restoration video" and 8-Bit Guy's restoration video :) Your videos were at the very start of series somewhat educational slash entertaining, nowadays there isn't much to be told (disassemble, gather dirt and do retrobrite), yet it's still very satisfying to watch. So as long as pure entertainment and idea of saving these artifacts from scrapyard are concerned, you should keep posting ^^
As someone that just bought an Apple 2c with the monitor and the printer, I find the restoration videos extremely helpful, and informative since you give extra information on them!
Would literally watch you restore the same exact PC 1000 times. It's not about the specific brand or model. It's about the care and passion you display for each one. I've been watching you for a really long time and your drive to bring old hardware back to life to be remembered properly hasn't ever changed.
David, to get those Alps keyswitches out, you'd need to desolder them all, then the PCB will come off the back and then the switches will snap out through the front of the plate.
I enjoy the restauration videos. I don't care if they're "less fancy" than what other youtubers produce, and it's been fun to watch you learn and grow over time. I'm glad this channel has a little bit of everything, and not just one type of content.
I've been watching a lot of watch restoration videos lately. Your cleaning and lubrication of the drive parts reminds me of those videos. Always great content on this channel! 👏
I definitely enjoy your restoration videos. They don't have to be on anything excessively dirty or damaged.. just as long as you make them as detailed as you did with this one. It's good therapy.
I wouldn’t worry about “competition” with your restoration videos - many of the ones I see offer little to no commentary about their experiences, the hardware involved or what they are doing, whereas yours (and a few others I like) offer those insights. I would rather watch one of yours because of that. Keep doing what you do.
@@detrage5483, if you think he's just repeating himself, if you don't like what he does, watch something else. He gets enough statistics that, if it really is a problem, it will show in his viewership and - regardless of what you and I say - he can choose what to do about it. I voiced my comment because of one thing that bothers me, when creator's come on their videos complaining about a type of video and then defending himself for what he does. HE DOESN'T NEED TO DO THAT - what he does compared to the other repair and restoration videos I usually also watch is he puts himself, his home and his stories into the equation. I have a better understand of why he retrobrites (not sure if spelled correctly) and does what he does better than I do other creator's, and when I get the money to tackle projects like these, I'll have that to reference. He does enough to make his videos stand out that he doesn't need to cut those type of videos back to avoid being competition or being repetitive. Sometimes letting someone know their positives can help rest concerns or understand how they can improve what they are uncomfortable with.
Honestly while I do love pretty much every video off this channel, the documentaries, the unboxing of donations, I especially loved the studio and original dream desk builds too, I think the restorations have always been my favorite as well, there's a particular style to the explanations on troubleshooting, and the methods to solving each problem that I've always really enjoyed since I started watching back in 2015 or 16 or so. It got me into working at restoring old tech I've either found through work or storage from family, and I'd always found them extremely helpful and entertaining.
I'll never tire of seeing restoration videos of machines you are personally collecting or restoring for a special purpose. I enjoy the variety of content you do!
I never would have thought I would be watching videos of people cleaning computers. But somehow yours hypnotized me and basically got me into a genre I didn't know about. I enjoy watching your restorations a lot because they hit all the best highlights. You have some technical problems you solve as you discuss computer history, and end up bringing one of the wonder machines of yore to life again. The editing and scoring are a major plus. The track you use during cleaning and retrobrite sequences is dramatic, punchy, and gives the impression of getting down to business and preparing to kick butt.
I think you just can’t do bad videos no matter what topic you choose. And I think the retrocomputer repair community can thank you so much because of the exploration of retrobrighting process. Keep up the good work, I will watching your videos! 😊
I love your restoration videos. I don't know anything about OLD computers, but I look forward to every restoration video you put out because I LEARN SO MUCH. If people watching this aren't satisfied or think it's fake, they are more than welcome to make videos themselves.
Personally I love the restoration videos, especially when there's some kind of technical problem where you do hardware diagnosis. It's like a puzzle/mystery but more fun since I dont have do the work to solve it lol.
SOOO worth supporting you on Patreon! You are, without hesitation, my absolute favourite RU-vidr! I remember discovering you in late 2016 and one of the first videos I watched was the one on early digital cameras like the Sony Mavica. It’s been fun watching you grow as a content creator! I joined when you were somewhere in the 400k subscriber range and now, at the time of writing, you’re at 1.38 MILLION! Keep up the amazing work! I’m sticking around for as long as RU-vid exists!
@@B3Band - It really depends on how many videos I’ve rewatched. But I have had many videos come up in my feed before! What really drew me to the channel was and still is his impeccable ability to be technical and complex while making it more friendly to understand! I’m a tech-minded person and I still can get hopelessly confused by some topics. One example of The 8-Bit Guy helping me was when I was watching some “Behind The Code” videos from Displaced Gamers. Thanks to 8BG’s video on Assembly/Machine Language, I was able to understand the videos a little better with the coding language they used. I’m familiar with some coding, particularly in BASIC, but I’m still very much a newbie.
I love the restoration videos. I could watch a million of these and legitimately not get tired of them. Please keep making them as long as it doesn’t become unfun for you 🙏
As much I love vintage Apple computers, I hated their motorized floppy drives since they lack a manual eject button and they often get stuck! Our school’s Macintosh classics had their disks stuck because of the design flaw.
Your restoration videos are the exact reason I stumbled upon your channel, and how I learned the term 'retrobrite'. Please keep these videos coming, you do have fans that love to see them, please don't feel like you need to compete!
Just love seeing the restoration giving what ever you're working on new life. Shouldn't worry about other channels or people making ridiculous claims that you fake it. I've seen those ones and they are terrible especially when it's a newer item that is obviously intentionally damaged just so they can make a video. Just keep doing what you do and know we appreciate you and what you bring.
I really appreciate your videos. There is just something about them. You found a great formula. I sometimes leaves your video and RetroRecipies on in the background when I work.
This is the only Apple // I've ever personally owned and still have! I've done so much to keep it preserved and functional. I absolutely love watching this beautiful machine get the love here :D
got busy with work so didn't have time to watch alot of 8 bit guy but it was a blessing in disguise because it's so good to binge watch these, always a blast to watch. keep up the great work, love these restoration videos
I started watching for the restoration videos, but I enjoy most of your other content also. I especially love the videos where you show and explain your own personal setups for things related to or adjacent to computers. Do what makes you happy(and works with the algorithm)!
Really great to see you again, You and James Rolph's content are all that keep my mind from falling apart, my only break from the disaster of life. Thank you, I can never repay what you've given to me freely.
I could watch you restore computers for 12 hours a day without getting bored of it. I would enjoy a constant stream of watching you competently being detail oriented while making things cleaner and better than they were. You are my "lo-fi beats to relax or study to". ^_^
I first discovered your channel from a restoration video, and I love those videos. I even go back and rewatch them from time to time. Please keep doing them!
David! Love these restorations, but something stood out to me about this one that could've been improved, if just slightly! The Apple logo on these machines, at least from my experience with most other Apple products, usually has a small hole in the back side of the logo on the underside of the plastic. This is so that it can be removed and changed if needed, but also really helps when it comes to whitening these plastics, as the logo often times (in your case not *too* bad) will bleach along with the plastic!
I noticed too. It's definitely lighter. Probably worth covering with paper tape or clear coating just the logo (the paint is VERY flimsy as I found out when cleaning mine)
Please don't stop doing restoration videos. Your videos are my absolute favorite and the fact that you give running commentary throughout makes them so fascinating and insightful.
I'm not a programmer or into computers in any big kind of way but I do love restorations. As a restorer myself, been restoring for 40 some years, I can always spot a fake. Sadly, you're right, there are so many fake restorations and restorers on youtube trying to out-do each other with all kinds of restorations. On the flip side, there are also many true and brilliant craftsmen/women out there working real magic with their skills. So far, I've never seen you fake one, so as far as I'm concerned keep up the restorations.
@@alt842 Classic car instruments. Old school instrument guy. Don't go near any of the new car instruments, I don't have the deep electronics know-how or the software. Just the classic mechanical instruments. So I love watching restorations because I'm never above picking up a new tip or a trick from someone else.
I wasn't going to watch this but I started and couldn't stop. I do find your restoration videos fascinating. Seems I always learn something new watching your channel.
The restorations - and repair - videos are just about my favorite on your channel! I don't care much for the "competition" around the restorations, with finding the filthiest computer, but I just like seeing someone restore a computer to its former glory with methods attainable to any home user.
I was blown away the first time I saw one of those 3.5" drives eject a disk itself (on a IIGS). Must have cycled that drive dozens of times before I got bored. Haven't seen the broken gear phenomena yet, but good to know to look for it! 👍️
My original Macintosh did that, this apple II model is newer than that, they used the same mechanisms. for me it was normal, drives that did not do that were old crap drives, LOL
So cool to see this thing turn out so nicely. Love the bright white color and design language of these computers! You did a good job cleaning it up and getting it fully operational again
I enjoy your restoration videos. It gives me a chance to get a look at the insides of computers I never owned (and may never own). It also gives me some insight as to what to keep an eye out for in the wild and what issues I might come across. The Apple IIc Plus in this video is a great example of that.
