Restoring an old AT computer case

[@claymccauley]

My second ever PC was a DTK 286/12 with a very similar case. At some point in my youth, I downsized and let go of the case to this and my original XT clone, but kept the boards. I recently restored that 286 system in a generic case, but wished I'd kept the original case after seeing this. I really liked the look of the front panel with the backlit turbo button. Nice job on the restoration!

[@christerjohanzzon]

I used to work in the world's first PC-Museum in Sweden, where we had 100's of these old machines. We restored and took care of them...was a really cool learning experience to see how computing evolved through time from Altair, or big computer with vacuum tubes to todays small computers. I even hooked one of these old computers up to Internet (in 1995) thorugh modem and fetched websites through text. Did not look pretty at all on a green screen monitor, but worked really nice once we got protocols and stuff talking to each other. Great to see that there's still some people out there taking care of these old machines! Liked & subbed! :)

[@Saphykitten]

I am very happy to see this computer come back to life!

[@Fir3Chi3f]

With the slow jazzy music this really reminds me of an LGR thing.

[@Madness832]

I felt like I was watching Mr. Rogers!

[@mustard_mage7011]

felt like i was playing Getting over it

[@datcomputernerd4668]

This felt like an LGR episode for me as well

[@francoisfritz198]

Both have good feeling, then add RMC and the familly photo is complete.

[@dormcat]

My very first PC-compatible was a DTK 80386DX-20 bought in 1990, with a case slightly newer than this one by adding two 3.5" bays in addition to those three 5.25" bays. I remember seeing this case (with red reset and green turbo buttons) in the ad section of my computer's user's manual. The case is in a quite good shape with almost 30 years of age.

[@igotsomespace]

This is nice to see vintage hardware restored and cared for.

[@marc6340]

Must be the geek in me...I get all giddy inside when I see these old cases restored to like new condition! :)

[@clintthompson4100]

I feel the same Mark. It's great seeing someone that has a great appreciation for this old hardware and wants to restore it to its original glory. I have a DTK Peer-1630 spare case (missing the power supply and only have 4 of the 6 5.25 drive rails) would love to get the extra parts and put together an old 486 build myself for it.

[@mrvellu]

it's nice to see how your videos have evolved over the years. These are classics!

[@bitrot42]

Wow, I built dozens of 286 and 386 PCs in that case! DTK units typically came from a distributor as barebone case/ps/mobo/cpu combos. They were better quality than most, particularly the Enlight power supplies they used. That model is from around 1990. Fortunately, most of those PCs were tossed long before the batteries caused failures. Cool to see one back in action!

[@dagglock7615]

Great video and the soft jazz was a wonderful touch for the background music

[@Dr_Reason]

My friend had this case model. He upgraded the motherboard and gave me his old 286 1 MB motherboard. It was my first desktop computer.

[@andresfest487]

This is really cool, it makes me think of the first PC we had at home. It wasn't as antique as the one in this video, but I really felt the nostalgia kick in.

[@mikemoyercell]

I’m onto old computers and luckily never had a battery explode. So I haven’t done this but if I ever have to this was a great video. I like your rust remove/proofing techniques with the baking soda. This really turned out good. Love the case. Those full size at cases were always my favorite. But I like how this one has that style but for a baby at form factor.

[@ale8oneboy]

Great job. Glad to see videos on restros of these old cases and computers. Brings back memories.

[@Scotty_in_Ohio]

We used to build in these cases all the time back in the late 80's/early 90's.... It wasn't uncommon either to use 2 or 4 cell alkaline battery packs for the CMOS/BIOS backup - possible that those batteries leaked and caused the damage/rust. I also remember having bins and bins of those side rails (both plastic and metal). Great video - love to see these old systems being used again. You'd use brass stand-offs where the nylon slid type won't work...

[@Teh509]

I feel better now... such cathartic, much relax.

[@88ariesk]

I have a DTK 1000 that I'm restoring. It's nice to see others from that company.

[@NaoPb]

This case reminds me of a Laser XT computer I used to have. The layout and the power supply and the 5,25" bays are pretty much identical. I enjoy watching most of your videos. Your voice is lovely and the way you are able to find a solution for pretty much anything you come across is very satisfying. And the music really adds to it. About the power supply fan: The original Nidec one probably would've been more quiet at something closer to 5v, and still last a really long time. Though replacing the fan is always a good idea to be certain that the power supply will stay cool for a long time to come. And I think paiting the bottom part of the power supply probably would've been a good idea in hindsight.

[@Snowwie88]

That sound at 8:59 gave me goose bumps. It's like scratching nails over a chalk board.

[@quertize]

Why no turning it on?

[@pinetree013]

Adrian great video....but, it's like setting up the dominoes, and....you get the idea. A power up would have capped it.

[@Mikeywil0003]

I haven't seen a DTK in a long time. Back in the mid 90's, I had a DTK "Grafika" 486DX2 66mhz. That was a great machine.

[@Mikeywil0003]

I have no idea. The newest machines I have seen from DTK were 200mhz Cyrix MII based systems in a similar AT case. The school district I worked for from 1999-2003 had a bunch of them, and a bunch of similar Pentium 133 systems. Their website still exists, and they seem to offer a few products, mainly solar panels, and police/taxi mobile data terminals.

[@Pasi123]

I have two DTK PC's with Athlon XP 2400+ and Celeron 1.8GHz

[@VK2AO]

Love to see you putting a modern motherboard in a retro case, I think that would be funky

[@1Shignog]

Nah you would have to mod the case and it would ruin it. But other have done it just look for them.

[@magicpokey4922]

Awesome restoration (and I am aware that I am a year late to this party) but seeing the floppy on top of the CD-ROM just rubs me the wrong way. Not for any good reason, just memories. When I was a kid I was so afraid that the floppy drive would be too heavy and damage my precious CD's! (I was 10) so I ALWAYS put the cd drive on top. I still do to this day out of habit!

[@factsoverfeelings1776]

Would love to see one of these old AT cases modified to hold modern ATX/MicroATX motherboards etc.

[@jannevaatainen]

A great looking case! Perfect for some old school 386 action!

[@altrogeruvah]

I'm really enjoying these retro tech restoration videos, and the jazz music was so great!

[@matthewplehn4271]

very nicely done!...i know the video is about 2 years old, but id love to see more restoration videos on this channel!..Thank you!

[@Lemonade197]

Cool painting Adrian, ... and also great job ! ! !

[@Geekzmo]

Nice job sir. For getting rid of the rust I recommend to use a Dremel tool with the soft fabric heads and baking soda.

[@ELGlueckert]

My dad had something similar to this back in the day, clocked at a whopping 16 Mhz, really cool to revisit something like this.

[@ukmk3supra]

Now i want to find the case i used back in 1997 and re-build my AMD K5 machine...

[@robwebnoid5763]

Love the old AT-style cases, I still have at least one of them (the full size AT case). Also have at least a couple big XT/8088 cases. Even though they are nice, these big AT/XT cases do take up space, which is why I really don't have a bunch of them. But the ones I like even more are those Baby AT desktops & mini-towers, although I only have one mini-tower, plus a few midtowers & one fulltower. Baby AT cases remind me of Star Wars droids. The case in this video is not a full size AT case, it's more like a mid-compact (widthwise) AT desktop, i.e. between a full size & Baby AT case, because it seems a little too big to be a Baby.

[@xldkxnewyorker8914]

Recently bought one of these with a P1 Non MMX inside of it for Doom/Daggerfall/Early 3D games Case looks amazingly retro

[@BCProgramming]

My first PC was a 286-based system which looked very similar to this one, just stretched it out to Full AT size. Kind of a shame I tossed it as it was in perfect working order and looked pretty much new except the permanent marker on the turbo switch. It had one of those Cigar butt batteries and when I got it (2003) it was already growing crystals.

[@gsmurfen74]

I had one of those a few years (well, decades) ago, and it was my first PC of my own (a hand-me-down from my dad). It started out as a 286 with hercules graphics, one 40Mb hdd, one 1.2mb 5.25" and one 720Kb 3.5" drive. I upgraded it to a 386-sx 16 somewhere around 1992-1993 I think, and added an extra hdd (that cost more than a decent notebook does today). Eventually I moved the stuff inside to a bigger case, and this one ended up in the trash, AFAIK. When working inside it, it was important to connect the turbo and lock cables the right way, or you'd end up with them working "backwards". Ie unlocking would actually lock the computer, turning the "turbo" on would turn it off, and so on. Even after 30 years, I think I still have something in my current computer that was once in my old dtk. A cable, screw or a jumper.

[@jamesfmackenzie]

This case is a thing of beauty. Love watching these vids, especially with the jazz music. So relaxing. Subbed!

[@TheUniversalEyes]

I don't miss those days at all.

[@thereallantesh]

Great video. I really enjoyed it. You should consider taking an old case like that, and putting modern hardware in it. Of course an ATX board wouldn't be plug and play, but with some modifications you could make it work. I think that would be a really interesting project.

[@RMCRetro]

*pulls up a chair for todays lesson*

[@spencerkamdyn5980]

i guess I'm pretty off topic but does anybody know of a good site to watch new series online?

[@marcelcasey5008]

@Spencer Kamdyn Flixportal xD

[@spencerkamdyn5980]

@Marcel Casey thank you, I signed up and it seems to work =) I really appreciate it !!

[@marcelcasey5008]

@Spencer Kamdyn no problem :D

[@GameRetro]

Nice video. I just got a Siemens Scenic D7 which I'll be working on soon, and wanted to comment that WD-40 is far better than baking soda for removing sticky stuff. It will not scratch the paint or plastic like Baking Soda might. Good idea to use the baking soda to polish metal though! Will be using that.

[@criffree]

DTK was a clone parts supplier that I used to use to build clones.

[@orangeActiondotcom]

Great looking case! I need a few like this!

[@drright71]

One of my first jobs, working for a subsidiary of DTK.

[@OfficialiGamer]

my college in Texas had a bunch of Dtk Pentium II PCs back in 2004ish, so definitely had operations in US

[@TheBeteljuice]

I love restoring old computers, and really enjoyed this video. Thanks!

[@jaimeramoscarranco]

love this vid man!!! rare not see the workbench but it is amazing :D

[@angrygamer69]

Great video im in the process of doing a old case myself this was very helpfull!

[@Stjaernljus]

to remove marker from plastic without abrasive things use a witeboardmarker then wipe it of.

[@RMCRetro]

SandyStarchild good tip, LGR also demonstrated this on big box PC games to remove permanent marker on glossy boxes

[@teg24601]

It doesn't really work on the rough surface plastic, like DTK used.

[@stinkycheese804]

This is a different type of plastic than those you've seen people have success with from your method. There is no way to remove marker from his type of plastic without removing the top layer of the plastic because over time the market seeps into it. Normally the solution is to paint the whole thing with spray vinyl dye which similarly seeps into the surface to make a very durable finish that won't flake off. However you are limited in the color range that vinyl dye comes in and will probably not find one that is that light beige color, so will have to settle for one of the more common colors it comes in such as black, white, silver, brown, etc.

[@rdxdt]

Thank you sir for providing me good content to go with my snacks.

[@harunal-muhajir5555]

They used to sell these out of discount catalogs. The same ones where they’d sell cheap stereos and VCRs and stuff. I forget their name.

[@garyjohnson4608]

The case turned out great !!!

[@DatBlueHusky]

With odd power supplies, what you can do is gut them put another psu guts in there. No one is going to know its been changed inside and usually its better too since its more newer and better power output. Only hard part is if its an atx psu, you just have to solder the AT mobo wires to it and use the front panel on switch as power on signal for the atx psu.

[@PhilXavierSierraJones]

If you hate the smell of vinegar, citric acid can be used to neutralize alkaline battery leaks (creates copper hydroxide) and remove rust just like vinegar, albeit just a bit slower.

[@jameslewis2635]

I would be more likely to adapt the case for a modern PC build rather than a period one. Nice job on the restoration overall but the one thing that struck me at the end was that pretty much all of the games and software I had in the 486 era were on 3.5mm floppy discs and they installed onto a hard drive, I didn't notice either of these items being installed in this video.

[@Krivulda]

The 5V was too high because you had almost no load on the rail. Yes, the Seagate drive eats 2A of 12V, but almost nothing on 5V :)

[@jessihawkins9116]

that’s an old dtk computer. that’s bad ass 😃

[@jessihawkins9116]

it’s an old ibm 286 clone. I have one of those with a cga monitor 😃

[@Schattennebel]

Cases like this can make a real good sleeper pc. :D

[@silentbloodyslayer98]

Omg i had this massive AT case too, sold it months ago...

[@studmeister1977]

Hi Adrian. I love watching your channel. It brings back a lot of memories of building and repairing PCs in my pre teen and teen years in the late 80s and early 90s. What I'd love to do, is build a modern PC in a 1980s style PC case. I know you're in to restoring vintage PCs, but I'm wondering if there are any kits to help out with that, or would I have to have the chasis machine modified? What's your thoughts on this?

[@davel8116]

Needs a "Colorado 250" tape drive

[@johnpossum556]

The active ingredient in that rust reformer is Naval Jelly... IIRC it converts it into another form of rust FE2O3. It's on wikipedia under rust. Funny you spent so much work on this. I think I have an unrusted original AT case sitting around here somewhere. I remember the turbo button. I have something, can't remember exactly what it is.

[@stinkycheese804]

More specifically the active ingredient is some type of acid like phosphoric acid. Naval jelly is mostly water and thickener as a delivery system. However that was all light surface rust so all he really needed was a wire brush and steel wool, then paint it with Rustoleum. There was no need for rust reformer on something meant for indoor use. Obviously the system had sat in a damp location and if it does again, the rest that is unpainted will rust. He ought to have waxed or clearcoated all bare metal if he were going to all that trouble anyway.

[@darkwind9000]

Nice restoration!

[@5parcovici]

Great video ! Keep up the good work !

A friend of mine put some different coloured LEDs to the "gaps" of the diagonal lines at the front of a similar (but not the same) case. It looks odd first, but somehow transforms an old style case to a modern era. Well I wouldn't do that (I think nowadays we are just infected with the "RGB lighting virus" ...), but still it was some like 10 years ago that he did, and it really gave some "new power" to it somehow ... Again, I'm not sure if it's a good idea, hut it came into my mind now, watching this video after one year it was released btw :D

[@Chu3505]

This is a 386 AT computer case.I remember throwing out one of these computer about 25 years ago.

[@Solder-Flowz]

Very nice clean job. Keep up the good work! :)

[@BigSneakySnake]

I have a DTK 386SX. The board is totally destroyed by corrosion as well.

[@mike52787]

Aww Im looking for a nice AT case like that. I have a loose 5160 motherboard that I have been playing with on my bench for awhile. Would love to build it into something.

[@snikkers83]

This is an awesome looking machine, nice work! Subscribed. :)

[@TEBLify]

Awesome job on the case, really like the finished matte black finish on it. However... Am I the only one wierded out by the combination of a 52X cd-rom and a floppy drive, but no 3.5 inch drive? Seems, well, odd!

[@genericgreensquid6669]

I own that exact same DVD drive and a similar TEAC drive.

[@cee128d]

I had one of those with a 386 back the day.

[@ZombieRyushu]

I would have loved to have someone like you to work on my Tandy 1000 TL. Which I still need to finish. I have a LoTech EMS Card. and LoTech XT IDE in conflict.

[@kirbyyasha]

I have a variant of this PC. It was sold under the ULTRA professional system brand, however the back is labeled a DATA-1000. But the PC Lock/Turbo/Reset is exactly the same, and it just lacks those nice vertical stripes. Also made in Taiwan. I got it for free and it's in terrible shape, FDD is dead, no HDD or controller, and just missing a ton of crap. Not sure if I am going to restore it, or repair the case and put a 16 Bit system in it.

[@robrocksea]

if that much is gone, check the power supply, if it is good, upgrade to 32bit. if not scrap it all.

[@IRTheBorg]

did you recap the power supply? Just curious - thumba up! -Larry

[@Channel-Zx]

Great Video case turned out great!

[@redline.international]

Well done

[@creativelife4453]

cool work to restore it

[@variantpixel]

nice work

[@RetroComputerist]

WD-40 works really great to remove label/tape residue...

[@MauroDiaz1991]

Does it work? LEts us see if it wors! Nice videos man.

[@ZILOGz80VIDEOS]

oh wow i've got the keyboard thats styled to match that computer, DTK SPK-101

[@BikeLifePinas]

pretty relaxing music here. :) :) :)

[@johanponin1360]

That case cover is heavier than all my phones

[@ocsrc]

I remember this machine with the 16-bit ISA slots that had the 3 extra slots that I think we're for video I think they were 32 bit I think they were the first 32-bit slots that were used before they went to the combo PCI slot with is a slot motherboards Pretty cool to see this machine and it would have been Circa 1987 or 88 if memory serves right It use the old large styled in keyboard and the one may be Memory Styx and everything required a card there was a card for the hard drive interface a card for the video a card for the sound a card for the modem a card for the ethernet if you use the ethernet which most people did not a card for the floppy Drive Amazing how fast we have advanced in technology in just 30 years I recently saw the new nvme 1 terabyte hard drive which is not much bigger than four postage stamps and supposedly it's supposed to be faster than any other type of hard drive I have yet to install an operating system that can use it I'm going to try Windows 7 64 bit they have a update that is supposed to give the same functionality that 8. 1 and Windows 10 gives which Windows 10 support sit natively right from the installation files Unfortunately my motherboard does not have UEFI so I have to do a little fiddling around to make it work using a pcie card so much changes so quickly and the new technology doesn't work with the old even just a few year old board is obsolete now But time moves on and you have to move on with it but I still have a few old XP laptops and I keep them for a nostalgia I really miss the days of XP even though we have advanced so much in the last 15 years I still miss XP

[@ims0deranged]

I want to do something similar, but with a modern motherboard. Do you think a micro or Mini ATX will fit?

[@alphabuilders]

Would an alcohol wipe not work well on the tape residue and marks?

[@JakubChalupnik]

Didn't you try to use vinegar instead of baking soda? I believe the NiCd cells contain hydroxide, not acid, thus trying to remove the residuum with alkaline stuff is rather pointless :) I've fixed a few motherboards with leaking batteries, and the stuff fizzles when it gets in touch with vinegar. Let it fizzle, add vinegar if needed and then give it a good rinse.

[@robertruetz3703]

Hi Adrian, I have a TECH-1230 and am the original owner. I'm planning to restore it to all its glory as the only thing wrong is that the seagate scsi 48 meg hard drive likes to stick in the parked position but works with a little help and the Varta rechargeable battery is starting to corrode. The board has a 4 pin connector for 4 AA batteries so that should not be an issue. I have all the original manuals and 5 1/4, 3 1/2 disks. I just have to decide what to do with the hard drive replacement. Any suggestions?

[@kingforaday8725]

Ive thrown many of these in the dumpster!

[@MartenElectric]

Looks awesome, you got me subscribed! :)

[@Mr.LT1]

What is your source for getting your hands on these relics in your area?

[@jasonhowe1697]

i would recommend a pc atx stealth build with the case.

[@gmcmaster1985]

I’m fairly certain the contents of the battery would be an alkali, so you should have been using an acid such as vinegar to clean it?

[@johneygd]

I sometimes sonder, why to be dependend on wheather circonstances and bright yellowed plastic if you may could just use bright white ligh in a garage, right?

[@toronado455]

nice video

[@brrebrresen1367]

for last bar maybe a Gotek drive, or just replace the the 5,25 with one. may be not "old-school" but makes life way easier and a 5,25 and not a 3,5 on an 486? o.O even my old Philips 2864 where delivered with 1,4MB 3,5" as standard...

[@raggededge82]

I have to know how you found the original motherboard?

[@edsiefker1301]

What a beauty. You could do a bit better on the rust with some Naval Jelly, might not even need to paint. Phosphoric acid removes rust like it's nothing.

[@griftereck]

I wonder if they ever used the big switch, as on old Frankenstein films...on computer psus