A WORKING mini KEYBOARD FOR THEC64 MINI®!

Let's explore the new working keyboard option for THEC64 Mini - the miniature Commodore 64 - with 3D printed or resin keycaps! Made possible by our friendly sponsors PCBWay.com - great PCBs from just $5!
🙏 Become a supporter: perifractic.com...
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🎧 Stream the music: perifractic.com...
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🗨️ Website/social/freebies: perifractic.com
RECIPE INGREDIENTS*
• Mini keyboard blog: bleughbleugh.w...
• Mini keyboard contact/order: [e-mail]
• Tiny microphone: 🇺🇸amzn.to/2MKqdS2 | 🇬🇧amzn.to/30y05lg
CHEERS TO
• Dean Woodyatt
• Adam Woodyatt
• All the Woodyatts
• Gardenside Prods. & Clue Detectives & Paradise Radio
• Special thanks to Lady fractic & Puppy fractic:
🐶 Get a discount on Puppyfractic's featured collar fitness/GPS tracker at bit.ly/periwhistle & a free Bark Box at bit.ly/barkyfra...
SAUCES USED WITH THANKS
• BBC tv
• Wikipedia & Wikimedia Commons
• The Internet Archive
• Every attempt was made to contact copyright owners before including content. Very occasionally things can get forgotten in the excitement to release a video so please don't hesitate to let me know if that is the case & I'll put it right. All other media featured is marked as public domain on Google Images or used with written permission or shown under fair use law.
🚘 With free Tesla supercharging/discounted solar your better half can afford to buy you more retro gear!*: bit.ly/teslafra...
SOME INGREDIENTS BY
• MattGrandis.net - website design
• / _gazmarshall - some graphics
• / elwoz - colour palette cleanser
• PaulKitching3d.com - some 3D models
©️ All music & content copyright Perifractic's Retro Recipes/Bideas LLC 1988-2020. All rights reserved.
*Some links may offer some peanuts to support this retrochannel but all opinions are 100% unbiased.
#retrogaming #retrocomputing

[@Toymakerstudios]

C64...best Christmas gift I ever received.

[@CubicleNate]

The microphone gag was downright funny! I wasn't expecting that at all.

[@RetroRecipes]

Hehehe!!

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

Obama out **mic drop**

[@Diggnuts]

I'm quite sure that was edited in reverse!

[@RetroRecipes]

@@Diggnuts Correct

[@draketungsten74]

A soldering iron isn't hot enough to vaporize lead, so there's no concern about inhaling lead. However, the flux that is in the rosin is nice to vent away from you.

[@madmodders]

Yeah, you need over 1749°C for that :)

[@TzOk]

I wanted to write the same, adding that lead-free solder wires use more aggressive flux, and these are the ones I'd be afraid more.

[@andrewmorton9683]

@@TzOk Hey, how comes you and Drake Tungsten knew what I would be writing only an hour later???

[@DIYTinkerer]

...and I think Lead based solders were banned in the '70's in the USA. But the fumes from the flux have been carefully designed to be attracted towards you!

[@matthiasmartin1975]

But rosin is just cooked tree sap, how could that be dangerous?

[@juan4allHD]

Lady Fractic in Santa suit is the best Christmas gift, ever!

[@rager1969]

Yes, I've been wanting to see someone do this for a while. I thought/hoped Ben Heck would do it before leaving element 14, but I'm glad you did it.

[@Sharklops]

I like to think that every time a screwdriver is on-screen Lady fractic hits the sound booth and does a custom foley performance that captures the unique essence of that particular leftyloosey or rightytighty

[@julienderiviere4907]

Gotta love those squeaky, Worms-like sounds the components make when you place/solder them :D ahaha always gets me

[@sysghost]

Those puns at the end really clicked. The key is to deliver them to push the right buttons.

[@Wall-ID]

Hi, I'm a big fan from Algeria and i am absolutly in love with your channel. Thank you, you gave me the courage for restoring my old C64 :) (sorry for my poor english btw)

[@RetroRecipes]

Your English is excellent! Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@fditty276]

I'd love to comment on how great and cool this resipode was, but I don;t have a microphone to chew on!LOL

[@KenWilliamson]

This is genius - a man after my own heart. If it looks like it works, it should work as it looks.

[@anno5936]

I NEED THAT! Most likely the Mini won't turn into a productive machine but a great option as a case for 8 bit FPGA emulation. Thx a lot for highlighting it!

[@LurgsHowToGuides]

Blimey is there anything you haven't been in! Great vid and you are very close to getting your plaque for one hundred thousand subscribers! I don't watch Eastenders as all they do is shout at each other all the time.

[@lurkerrekrul]

As soon as I saw that there were no keycaps included, I thought of cutting apart the molded keyboard on the mini. Now you need a really fine brush so you can paint the graphic symbols on the front of the keys. :)

[@farpointgamingdirect]

My hands cramped up just looking at that tiny keyboard...no painting miniatures for me today...😆

[@lubricatedgoat]

I'm so bloody excited to see a C64 emulator running on the Pi Pico. I know.. it's off topic, but I had to get it off my chest. You, Chris, are the chosen one to make this happen. Keyboard from Commander project; bodged VGA output.

[@infindebula]

I thoroughly enjoyed the puns at the end. You're out of CTRL!

[@stupossibleify]

You are utterly crazy. That's why I keep watching.

[@RetroRecipes]

This is one of the best comments I've received! 👍🕹

Really nice, just need a mini screen and a powerbank and you have a portable c64 to show off at starbucks :)

[@minibigs5259]

The fact that you were still Alfie Moon-era proves that as I get older I have no concept of time.........

[@WalterTGreenIII]

That is so cool!!! I need to get one! I think I will wait till the key caps are available. I really do like the mini and I always thought it would be cool if the keyboard worked. And like always I really enjoyed the video!! Keep up the Great Work!!

[@MikeRox83]

"Hey I'm perifractic, I used to be in Star Wars innit"... "Hey I'm perifractic, I used to be in Eastenders"... OMG CAN I GET YOUR AUTOGRAPH MISTA!? "I'm a big tool!"... that's why they want your autograph! :D

[@antpage2]

Awesome! Thanks for the episode. Been waiting for this. I got one myself and will be modding it too. Doesn't look too difficult. Though I think I'll mod the keyboard that came with it instead of injection molding the keys. Looks cooler.

[@Darkfiberke]

you are by far the best actor I have never seen. 👍🏻

[@RetroRecipes]

LOL that's quite a compliment! ;-)

[@spielkindrc]

Always love your projects and videos. Thanks for all the crazy work you put in them! 🥰👍🏻

[@VectrexForever]

Thanks for this video! I've had this kit for months but hadn't started on it yet, because I was sure I would butcher hacking up the mini's keyboard. Good to know that resin key caps are being worked on.

[@FuzzWoof]

I realised a couple of days ago that I've probably watched far too many RR videos when I was sat by myself working on something and realised I was making "EE OO EE OO" noises out loud without thinking while unscrewing the case.

[@RetroRecipes]

Haha sounds like you need to grab the ringtone! www.tuunes.co/ringtone/ladyfractic-s-retro-recipes-screwdriver-ee-oo

[@HisVirusness]

You just never stop with the great content. Thank you.

[@RetroRecipes]

Wow thank you!

[@HisVirusness]

@@RetroRecipes No, thank you.

[@willierants5880]

Peri, for you on your printer try printing the keys on a raft. Or try using some glue stick to give those keys a bit more grip on the bed. For next time. Cheers. Adding an additional comment based on the shot at (4:23). To me it looks like the corners of the keys were lifting off the bed (clearly they are). The above recommendations will help, but the bed might not be hot enough or your printer is in a place that is too drafty. PLA should not be lifting off the bed like this, tiny print or not. Here's to next time. :)

[@davidcox1508]

THAT is utterly FANTASTIC!!! As I'm a fan from the 'other side of the aisle', I truly wish that Atari would release an 800XL 'Mini', so that I could try this same technique on a REAL machine - LOL! Just having a bit of fun in re-kindling the ORIGINAL console war - Atari vs Commodore.

[@zdanee]

I absolutely agree with Lady Fractic's comment, this mini-keyboard is truly *bites, sniffs*

[@OtreblaMaslab]

Fun Fact: You can socket the Arduino. If you solder the pin headers to the underside of the Arduino, long side down, it'll fit into a 0.6" socket. 👍

[@HelloKittyFanMan....]

Haha, Ladyfractic's response to your request for comment is priceless! :-D :-D

[@Sandra-wu6gr]

Tip for printing, if you haven't tried: - New print bed, especially with PEI, I've had very good experiences! - If it just doesn't last, try BRIM or RAFT Good luck!

[@MrFurriephillips]

Imagine my confusion/delight, as I slipped into unconsciousness at 8:04 & woke back up at 8:15!

[@vargurluni]

Finally a fully working Mini. I love that recipe. Perifractic from today on, you are my personal hero. The video is full of information and additional tips as always. Totally beautiful. And a good dose of lady-fractic to make the recipe extra delicious. 👌 Your content gets better from video to video.

[@RetroRecipes]

Glad you liked it

[@WistrelChianti]

And the award for the cutest soldering montage of all time goes to...

[@JohnnyJTav]

Just updated my Mini to 1_5_2... Cool

[@j-m-reed]

You should work more of your acting gigs into your videos. They're really fun to watch!

[@RetroRecipes]

Haha thanks, I’ll try to do that!

[@Skrallslim]

There is no lead in the smoke from soldering it's the flux. Lead boils at 1749 C. Then its fuming. Thats one angry soldering iron. But the flux fumes is probably not the best for you anyway. More important when handelig solder is to wash your hands afterwards. Love your videos and music:) And I adore puppyfractic :)

[@RetroRecipes]

Good points. I actually knew this but was trying to be succinct. I wash my fingernails with a brush after every session in case some gets trapped under them and transfers to food I eat. 👍🕹️.

[@josko50]

Loving the new music too!

[@andrewmorton9683]

That's good advice on using something to get the soldering fumes away. It isn't the lead in the solder that gets you, it's the fumes from the flux. Apparently the flux for lead-free solder is even worse.

[@ClayCarlino]

Love this project! I was planning to do this myself at some point, but it a kit is already available that's WAYYYYY better! Thanks for this video. Entertaining and i formative as usual!

[@ChrisMcDonough]

You are so endlessly inventive, it amazes the rest of us

[@Ironlord2015]

Sniff sniff, scrape scrape sniff 😂 Loved the speeded up bits where you sounded like Morph 😂

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you! I love Morph! Do you know there are new episodes of his on KZbin?

[@gevaliasvittne7150]

Damn,..you´re truly talented man, i mean it !. Handy people use to work with projects from a wood, metal, stones/rocks or glass perspective. You do it with CHINESE FACTORY PLASTIC´S !. -And that´s just the parts that hasn´t to do with the electronic´s/soldering aspects of it !. I Love to watch at when this kind of "Proof me wrong !"/"Impossible mission" stuff comes to life ! (it´s like "a rebel cry" or "a big fat face blow to all the negative ""you cannot do it""-sayers out there"..). Keep it coming man !.

[@JohnnyJTav]

Wow... I Can't Believe It. I Want one.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

We just keep taking more and more baby steps toward that truely portable Commodore 64 that I've always dreamed of having.

[@Aragubas]

that screwing noise is amazing omg xD

[@8BitRetroJournal]

When your wife watches the posted video she's going to be like "honey, when did you film the dogs talking to the mic???"

[@djmips]

Nah. That's just you.

[@dragonfirerich]

The timing of that might be why he called himself a big tool at the start of the video....

[@desiv1170]

A couple of possibilities for getting the keys to stick to the printer... Possibly using a raft. Also gluestick and/or hairspray for bed adhesion. And possibly increasing the bed temp.. Just some thoughts... Note: If you are worried about too much adhesion on the bed, you can use painters tape. That way, if it over-adheres, you just have to scrape tape off the keys and not keys off your bed..

[@AndyHewco]

I could easily see myself putting an order in for this kit when the keycaps are available... not sure why other than it looks cute and awesome.

[@UnholyTriforceDelenn]

"I'm a bit Shifty!" - Perifractic 2021 See, I've said before and I'll say it again: It's those crafty brows! I'm sure if you look closely, the word "SHIFT" is printed on them :)

[@RetroRecipes]

🤨

[@willierants5880]

Better than him getting Schwifty! I don't think the Mum's and Dad's would like that too much.

[@Dorff_Meister]

It seemed like the corners were lifting on your print. I wouldn't rule out PLA, but it would be a lot of work. Your final product looks amazing.

[@HelloKittyFanMan....]

Wow, I think it's been a minute since we've seen the Mid-meal Colo(u)r Palette Cleanser! (If I remember right.)

[@fsddevelopment4513]

I laughed so loud at the "nah it's my mum" joke I got told off as my wife and son are busy recording a video. Which made me laugh even more. I'm now renovating the shed :-/ Keep up the great work!

[@RetroRecipes]

😁

[@HecTor11207]

Sound affects hilarious!

[@matthewschreiner]

Once the keycaps come I will buy it

[@BleughBleugh]

I'm expecting to have them finished and in stock come March. I'm just finishing up a test version 6!...you saw version 1 on this video!

[@gazorbo.]

1:09 "not only did I appear in a few episodes of EastEnders" ... Blimey! I'm gobsmacked ! Next RR episode ... "I was also in some of the 'Carry On' films" :D It is now clear why George Lucas hired you for TPM. He continued his Brit actor hiring tradition. After hiring Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, and Sebastian Shaw, Lucas had to have a top Brit talent, Ewan McGregor was not enough ! And with all that you do for the Retro community, I would not be surprised if her Majesty has your number on the hot dial to make a Knight, at the very least.

[@yelloledbetter100]

Thats cool, cant wait till thats readily available.

[@MartinFarrell1972]

Saturday evening (in the UK) time for RR.

[@davidwilliams1720]

Obviously a great Morph fan.

[@bknesheim]

What you should be using the 3D printer for is printing insert for the cut outs from the orignal keyboard for mounting on top of the switches. A resin type would be best, but PLA should also work. It would just be a few different scapes and they would be a lot easier to print.

[@BleughBleugh]

I tried that and it didn’t work too well. The inserts are tiny and also the key geometry inside is different for every row. Added that the switches actually go on at a slight angle, it got a bit beyond my CAD skills. And it was also difficult to ensure each type of insert was differentiated enough to get them to stand out’ unless I changed filament 5 times for 5 colours.....expensive in Labour to do

[@scottminutolo894]

Interesting video, I think the idea of using those original keys was a great idea since it replicates the original look of the C64. Maybe look into getting another 3D printer that does finer printing for those small jobs or look into 3rd party upgrades for your printer, I know many printers allow their nozzles to be swapped out with diameters as narrow as 0.15mm... Thanks and take care!

[@wisteela]

Fantastic. I can't believe I'd not seen this video before.

[@andydurbin8309]

Great video as always. I enjoyed watching you assemble the mini keyboard. Cheers sir

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you kindly!

[@sylvaingauthier908]

you could use a raft to print the key caps, you'll get more surface adhesion than the keys by themselves

[@GlensRetroShow]

Now that is awesome 😎!!

[@flekkzo]

I wouldn’t mind a stand alone C64 (and C128) keyboard for use with something like a raspberry or MISTer. Haven’t seen any. Maybe a Perifractic project for the future?

[@CaptainNow2]

You're gnna have to try this with the newly-announced Amiga mini ;) :D

[@raoullangner-macmillan7655]

What a great project, thanks for sharing.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thanks for watching!

[@erebostd]

Great mod, amazing work. As usual, one could say 👋😁👍

[@mistermark8755]

As always awesome project

[@boydpukalo8980]

I would love to be able to get a new set of full size C64 keyboard keys. Everything else is available to build a new C64 in 2020/2021. In 2020 I got Ultimate Elite 64 board, pixel wizard SX64 case from original commodore injection molds, Pi1541 and picked up Mechaboard64 PCB from PCBWay! But not key caps. I have never owned an original C64 and don’t want nasty used key caps. You have no idea what yucky things used keyboards have seen. Great video

[@Gorillarevolta]

You were in Eastenders as well? Wowee!

[@kyleheckman]

all that is left to do now is 3d print a mini 1702 monitor shell to house a small HDMI screen, pair that with the mini 1541 project you did and you will have a fully working scale c64 setup

[@dreamvisionary]

Now ll you need is some mini hands to be able to type on it ;)

[@CanuckHam]

uhg my fat fingers would not be able to type on this keyboard. this keyboard gives a new meaning to the "poke" command very cool!

[@arsasoor4908]

makes me want to buy an a500 mini, do this mod to it, and: put a SD card reader into the fdd cavity

[@lordferdinand85]

6:37 lol, subscribed for sure

[@lordferdinand85]

8:11 lol ...stop!!!

[@kduhtdkzrt]

Awesome. Now we only need a Mini version of the Ultimate64 to replace the useless innards with.

[@mihumono]

The problem with solder fumes is not lead. Lead does not evaporate during soldering, but flux is. Lead free solder is even worse as the flux has to be more aggressive.

[@plan7a]

:D - Perhaps some kind of kit, with bend or snap-off parts might work? Could they be printed that way? Much like an Airfix model is designed, with all the keys printed together, ready to be snapped off? Just a thought; ideally I think they could be designed as 'hoods' which could be secured or glued onto the rest of the parts you already have? Perhaps they could be 3D printed if they were made deeper perhaps? I haven't a clue, but I can make suggestions at least. LOL.

[@Nianfur]

I would seriously buy a ready made one.

[@BleughBleugh]

I'm (slowly) Working on getting an affordable 'ready assembled' one, each takes 3 hours to solder / finish up which doubles the cost for the kits, and then people still have to butcher their keybaords!...

[@andresbravo2003]

5:39 I'm Quite Afraid Of Electricity Shock! XD that's Hilarious!

[@ikke1981]

Chris, try 3d printing with a brim if things fail to stay on the build plate. The key caps probably have too little contact area with the build plate to really stay on there properly. It takes only just a bit of force to knock them off.

[@glorfification]

I guess the next project should be to build a giant Commodore 64 keyboard!

[@rarbiart]

6:55 this is one of the easiest ways to cause intermittant contact problems on vias and traces: prying on leads after soldering.

[@RetroRecipes]

You're probably right but in decades it has never happened to me and I just find it easier ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@CoreDreamStudios]

Another gem, thank you. So many good retro computers. :)

[@TimmyJoe633]

Love that microphone gag 😄, I've got a tannoy system round my house and I used to love playing the sound of a wasp down it whenever my former girlfriend was in bathroom...it's a great way to get them out of there quick, he he he 😁

[@RetroRecipes]

Bahahaha! Bee-have.

[@TimmyJoe633]

🤣🤣🤣

[@FlightDreamz]

That's a VERY cool mod! But I'll think I'll wait for the C-64 "Maxi" with the working keyboard to come to the United States. Too labor intensive for me (and my soldering skills have atrophied considerably since the 80's). The keyboard keys are too small to be useful and you can't see the PetSCII character graphics. BUT this is the way the C64mini should have left the factory.

[@scottharvey-davies1607]

get out my pub !!lol

[@ITGuyinaction]

Cool idea! 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 🍀

[@piduino]

We're all tools! Great video

[@ecwnikos]

you were in east enders thats amazing love that soap.

[@darkthorr350]

yay

[@SoulPoetryandOtherWorks]

Congratulations, Perifractic on your excellent keyboard work. Let's hope you will never be "type-cast" because of it. Now you probably need a stylus to operate the keys more effectively. Maybe a sort of keyboarding set of chopsticks would be a good idea. Loved the mini microphone joke. What a cool thing. Maybe size doesn't matter after all? LOL. Mind you a mic drop could be a bad idea as you may not be able to find it afterwards. Fabulous work as always sir.

[@RetroRecipes]

Hahah!

[@HelloKittyFanMan....]

LOL, "actual speed (probably)"! :-D

[@MyHolidayInAustralia]

Would love to see a kit like this for the A500 mini

[@eijentwun5509]

These need to be MASS produced. I would even pay up to $40 for one which is more than I payed for the C64 Mini (I got about 4 of them for $18 at GameStop)

[@SIPEROTH]

Wow! That's crazy cheap. They really must have wanted to get rid of stock.