C64C Black Screen Repair

[@RussellRiker]

You gotta love it when a board revision number can make a grown man as happy as 5 year old on christmas morning. Thank Jan.

[@JanBeta]

Haha, I know I'm strange... ;)

[@shadowsoflife000]

That’s the same year model of the Commodore 64 I used when I started to make music via MIDI. I had a sequencer running-usually struggling-as I pushed the Commodore to its limits with MIDI data driving the synths and drum machine and synchronizing to a cassette deck. I had the Commodore cassette, the 1571 disk drive and the 1802 monitor. Man, I learned a *lot* with that system! Thanks for the memories, Jan! 👍

[@johnsaller2481]

I think those metal shields also make great heat sinks and I have never needed to put heat sinks on any that had it! Just remember the thermal paste! So far every 466 I have received had a bad Sid with the exception of the working C64C I first bought which had no sockets. Thanks for a very much needed video. I look forward to more like it. For me, the first thing I do for troubleshooting is take out the Sid. Most of the time it is the SID or the Kernel. I had one that all the socketed chips were bad but everything else worked after replacing the socketed chips.

[@JanBeta]

Yes, they do work to an extent if you put them on carefully (with thermal compound) but I think individual heat sinks will still be more effective. They are far easier to attach realiably, too. Taking out the SID is a good idea indeed (I was a bit too impatient) as it's a fragile, expensive chip and the system will start up without it. :)

[@JLsoft]

5:50 - So excited over getting that desired board revision that he's practically drooling

[@philrod1]

That made me smile. Let's admit it - we all get excited about the weirdest of things :-)

[@stefanocrespi5424]

ahahah, noticed that too! Poor C25! ;-)

[@PodeCoet]

+1 for PCBway, we use them almost exclusively at work and their quality is great

[@danielmantione]

The prefix of a C64 serial number is the factory were it was made, and these are named after the geographical location. "CA" stands for California I believe. Further codes are: S - Santa Clara P - Pensylvania WGA - West Germany WGB - West Germany WGC - West Germany DA4 - West Germany DA5 - West Germany UKB - United Kingdom HK - Hong Kong HB5 - China CH - China AA3 - Japan AF - Japan

[@JanBeta]

Ah, thanks! That makes more sense. :D

[@cherrymountains72]

That repair shop still exists, you can find it via Google Earth and Google Maps :). Pretty awesome to know that C64 has been there and now it’s in Germany. Call me old-fashioined but I find that kind of thing cool to realize :).

[@JanBeta]

Yes, it blows my mind every time I think about the internationality of this endeavor (I mean, the whole KZbin thing). Awesome and unbelievable still. :D

[@RetroLarz]

Made my first PCBWay purchase and selected one of the Shared projects for the C64 ;) love it

[@Miidolf]

Congratulations for the ntsc, thank you both Jan and the kind person for the donation :)

[@svenpetersen1965]

Ich habe eine halbe Tonne Expansion Port Connectors in der Garage liegen. Drunter has der AliExpress nicht geliefert. Ich werde Dir einen rüber schicken, wenn Du möchtest. Und den NTSC würde ich in keinem Fall umbauen. Das ist für die Forschung und die Sammlung doch viel interessanter. Ich habe auch einen 250466 mit 8521 CIA seit kurzem. Diagnostic 586220 zeigt U2 bad, aber auch den Interrupt. Das mag am Unterschied NTSC vs. Pal liegen.

[@joshonthetube]

Congratulations on the PCBWay sponsorship- they seem like a quality operation.

[@JanBeta]

In my experience they are. I was pretty hesitant about sponsorships at first but I can recommend them anyway and they pay me to do it now. ;)

[@RDJ134]

Another great system saved :D Ghost and Goblins music at the end brought back a lot of good memories.

[@aphexteknol]

Jan, the CA serial prefix is common to all USA made C64C machines. They did make some C64 breadbins in Canada (I’ve had a couple in my collection), but as far as I know all the C64C in Canada were just normal USA made C64C...

[@aphexteknol]

tone167 They also used the CA serial prefix on C64s made in West Germany as well though. I’ve never seen anything online that mentions what the CA prefix actually meant if anything...

[@JanBeta]

The Aldi models also have the CA prefix, also made in the USA. I think most German ones have a WGX prefix.

[@ljelley1]

I think all of the "CA" models were made in California. CBM first made C64s in Pennsylvania factory and those units have serial numbers starting with "P".

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

I just bought the same one (my first c64 in general) with the same keyboard and board version.! The huge plain grounds are a pain to change the capacitors!(and the back plate). Atari 8bits are a bit easier to work with. I can't wait to make it work!

[@8_Bit]

Funny how that C64 was sold in Canada, then repaired in the USA, returned to Canada, and then sent over to you to be repaired again and viewed by thousands of people. Most Commodore 64s don't lead such an exciting life!

[@csabasanta5696]

C64C with a Rev 466 board, the Kinder Surprise for Commodore geeks :) ... Nice vid as always, Jan!

[@BartPellens]

I think you should replace the cartridge port when you future-proof it :)

[@JanBeta]

Yes, definitely will!

[@e5frog]

Where can you get one of those, now-a-days?

[@sandmanxo]

My C64C looks the same externally and starts with a CA serial number as well. It was purchased when I lived in Illinois. I haven't opened it in years but need to soon to heatsink it and see what model motherboard is inside of it.

[@gower1973]

Why is that white line still on the left of the screen? Any way to fix that?

[@JanBeta]

Yes, the line usually is outside the visible area of CRTs. It only shows on some modern screens. It's a "feature" of the VIC-II chip itself, I don't think there's a fix for it.

[@dougjohnson4266]

From the 64C's that I have with the symbols on the side of the keys, the MB's are 250466 versions.

[@borealis75]

That is a great motherboard, my favorite also. Too bad about the SID, the 6581R4AR is considered the best by many, and their market value at least in Finland is ~50€. I was a bit uneasy with the way you handled it, since it is the king of SID chips. I'm sure you've heard this many times, but the SIDs are very sensitive chips. But, this one was already broken, so... That board sometimes does have the 8521 CIA chip in the U2 position. I can confirm that it will show as BAD with the diagnostics cart, even with the harness connected. Nothing to worry about.

[@JanBeta]

Yes, the prices for the R4AR are hilarious here, too. I have another one in my C128 and I have to admit I actually don't like the sound of it all that much... ;D

[@RacerX-]

As an NTSC user I can say the only thing you miss out on with not having PAL is DEMOS. There are a few PAL only games but the vast majority of games from Europe, back in the day, were brought over to NTSC land and the opposite is true thanks to US Gold brining over NTSC games to PAL. It is very common for people that grew up in PAL territory to say there is "Much more Software in PAL territory". It used to be a very popular debate. If you are counting DEMOs then yes but games and productivity then no. Also if you do convert your NTSC machine to PAL in NTSC land make sure you have a monitor that supports PAL like a Sony PVM if you want a CRT. LCDs probably more so but it depends on the make/model. I am thankful to have a C64 reloaded configured as PAL for exclusive use with DEMOs as all my other software runs just fine on may regular NTSC machines. On my CRT PAL produces flicker, since it runs at 50hz. I will take a little less software to run and zero flicker any day.

[@JanBeta]

Thanks for the info. I always thought there were quite a few games that didn't work properly for NTSC. I'm definitely going to explore it some more. I might make it a switchable PAL/NTSC machine or something. We'll see. :)

[@RacerX-]

@@JanBeta Check with Perifractic to see how close the VIC II switcher board he is working on is to being finished. That will be cool because then you can have a PAL and NTSC VICII chip installed plus both crystals and be able to select PAL/NTSC at the flick of a switch. As for games there probably are some later ones that were PAL that didn't get ported over originally to NTSC. I know some cracking groups fixed some of the PAL only releases to work on NTSC. But yeah I agree with you It is nice to have both standards. I am a huge DEMO fan so PAL is a must for all the Euro ones.

[@doctorweile]

Was that a Cauldron loader screen at 17:58? Haven't seen that before.

[@JanBeta]

Oh, it is a demo that is an hommage to the game. The Cauldron demo. I don’t think there ever was an official loading screen for the C64 version.

[@doctorweile]

@@JanBeta Yes, found it - thanks a lot.

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

Do you know if I can replace the LM340T5 that is currently on my C64c with a L7508CV ?

[@bwack]

Very cool. Congratz with the 250466. Some consider it the best of the motherboards. This is my 1986 C64 i got for christmas. It had also mixed cia, and r4ar sid. Also mine was bad. Sadly.

[@JanBeta]

Thanks! I have another r4AR in my C128 (and admittedly I don't really like the sound of it all that much really... ;)) The SIDs are soo fragile unfortunately. I have a lot of broken ones laying around but usually they only make weird noises and are not dead shorts.

[@root42]

Jan Beta I wonder if we could get a real SID fabbed somewhere. Not FPGA, not Arduino or something, but get one made from scratch. There is so much you can already get made...

[@annadenaro9919]

Hi I am looking to buy a PSU for the commodore 64c shortboard, but I am in Australia and can not find an Australian distributor, hoping someone will see this and help. Thank you.

[@SledgeFox]

Inspector Beta is on the case, finding the culprit. Most interesting and entertaining, thank you very much!

[@10MARC]

Another one saved! Very nice. I have a few Breadbins and of course some C128's and an SX-64, but never had a C64c in my collection. I still have my eye out for one, but I do not really need it...

[@JanBeta]

It's not a question of "needing" these things, I guess... ;)

[@SeltsamerAttraktor]

How many have you had in your hands now? How many of those have you fixed? How many were unfixable?

[@JanBeta]

Oh, I stopped counting. I currently have 5 or 6 here that do work (I repaired all of those). There's 2 or so that are beyond reasonable repair (butchered boards, ripped apart, missing components etc) and I have 2 around that I tried to fix and didn't succeed yet. Both short board versions interestingly. I seem to have more luck with the older models. ;)

[@belkida]

Hello Jan, I would really like your input on a problem I have been having with my c64 assy 250425. I can boot normal, but when I insert a cartridge like Final Cartridge or KCS Power Cartridge I get a blank screen. Pressing reset on Power Cartridge gives the kcs menu. Same with Ultimate II+. Blank screen, but when pushing the middle button, normal menu. I am at my wits' end with this.. Any input is highly appreciated! gz from Holland :P

[@Draknem]

Why is there a ferrite core on the power led wire?

[@JanBeta]

Probably for dampening some RF noise that would emit outside through the wires. They had to be careful with FCC regulations and such.

[@tharkthax3960]

Wish I kept my c64c, you have inspired me to get another! Love the old tech 🙂

[@JanBeta]

Same here, my original first C64 (Aldi model) was sold to pay for my A500 (that I luckily still have).

[@tiger1x]

@@JanBeta Same here! Sold my ALDI C64 to pay the Amiga 500 (which I sold later, too, just to buy a boring PC) :-( Well thanks ebay I have 2 C64C now (unfortunatelly the ALDI C64 are pretty rare...) and soon maybe a C128 which I always wanted to have. By the way: Which boards match with the ALDI C64 case? Just any? Or do some not match at all?...

[@Richard.Linder]

Please consider keeping it as NTSC for the timing, colour and aspect ratio. NTSC runs at a different speed, has a different aspect ratio and slightly different palette. I grew up and live in a PAL region, and only discovered these differences through emulation. So many games that I played as a kid felt a bit too ssslooow. Now I finally know why. They were NTSC games, designed to run on NTSC machines. So on our PAL C64's they really *were* running too slow! There are so many examples, you owe it to yourself to check what you (and all us PAL users) have been missing. Check out the opening speech in Impossible Mission. I always felt he spoke a little too slowly. And if turns of he did - on a PAL C64. I know he's supposed to sound evil, and the slow speech is for effect, but it just seemed almost unnaturally slow. Play it on your NTSC C64 and hear how it's supposed to sound. You'll also notice that the protagonist runs slightly faster, at a more narural speed. I always felt he seemed to be almost running in slow motion. I wondered if it was to show off the impressive animation . But, no. It turns out it was just caused by playing an NTSC game on a PAL C64. Also check out Summer Games. Same issue. Slow opening ceremonies. Slow national anthems. Slow running and movement, particularly evident in pole vaulting. And in NTSC, the speed is just right. Even the diver falls at a more natural speed. There is whole world of games out there to rediscover, and experience how they were mean to be played, and sound. The music is also too slow in PAL. So many of ours earliest C64 games were from NTSC land (some of them being ports from the Atari 8 bit computers). Fort Apocalypse, Pitstop, Pole Position, Jumpman, Super Cycle, and so many of the early arcade conversions were actually NTSC games. The list goes on. It would make a fascinating video. Now that you have an NTSC C64, please share it with us. I have yet to see anyone create such content. Americans wouldn't think to. And most of the rest of us don't have access to an NTSC C64. Now you do! :-D

[@krzysztofb9279]

enjoy your new toy. question.. is there anyway to make ntsc/pal selectable? it would be pretty cool to see a toggle switch so as not to lose any functionality what so ever.

[@krzysztofb9279]

@Mr T. Guru so what you are saying is that it is doable but not without a LOT of work. lol. and some serious engineering! ty for the quick response.

[@JVHShack]

As far as the NTSC to PAL change, why not use a small, low profile rocker switch? It looked like to me that if it were jumpered, it would be PAL only. If it were switchable, you'd still have a NTSC system in your collection that has your favorite mainboard. Just a suggestion...

[@vectorjoe]

As Jan said in the video, you also have to replace the quartz and the VIC. Otherwithe, commodore would already have included a switch when the machine came out.

[@JanBeta]

Yes, it's a bit more complicated than just changing the clock speed. Currently researching solutions to maybe make it a PAL/NTSC switchable machine some day. :)

[@JVHShack]

Sorry about the half baked idea. I was about to go to bed when I posted it. But I think it's feasible with some actual planning 🤔

[@dialog36]

Hi.. I suddenly get a black screen after more that 30 years :(... y check the power inside I measure the DC and AC that you say and one of this measeure fail for me. THe User port have got 1.7V DC (not 5V).. What can cause it? help me please

[@JanBeta]

I would guess that there is a shorted IC or other component on the 5V rail, difficult to tell which one because most of them are powered by the same rail (except for the VIC-II and SID which are powered through the 5V and 12V voltage regulators). You could try to feel if one of the ICs gets burning hot, if some of the ICs are socketed you could try to remove them one at a time and see if the voltage reads okay without the IC. Most commonly, RAM, the 6526 CIAs or the PLA fail like that.

[@dialog36]

@@JanBeta Gracias for your response. I power on and the only IC that get very hot (ouch!) and fast (1 minute i think) is the VIC. Others keep normal . :( . the mainboad model is 250466.

[@dialog36]

I remove the SID and c64 turn on ok !. so .. maybe it can be the SID itself or PLA?

[@00Skyfox]

Were the two parts of the key stem intact enough that you could glue them back together and have a usable spare? I have that revision of the C64c board, and it’s been giving me no end of diagnostic troubles ever since I started attempting to fix it last year. I’m going to have to contact Ray Carlsen for advice.

[@JanBeta]

The parts are still intact, I might be able to glue it back together indeed. Ray Carlsen is a true guru. He's most likely going to be able to help. :)

[@thenovicesretroreview7841]

Great channel. Makes really good in depth repair videos.

[@jdryyz]

I would like to locate this exact same setup (250466 board and original keyboard layout). Some day. Is this the first time we've seen you use your 1541 Ultimate? I've seen it in the background plenty of times but I do not believe you have shown it on screen before.

[@JanBeta]

Oh, I'm using it all the time really. I might do a dedicated video on it sometime, too.

[@StRoRo]

I need a C64C in my collection. I never liked the asthetics of it though but probably worth getting for collecting sake and to get a better image on the tv

[@ljelley1]

I love your sing song voice when you say things like "and now I have one" and "oh the suspense". LOL.

[@wizpin]

Have you tried those modern sid &pla replacements? I had a modern sid in a broken c64 breadbin, and that worked pretty good

[@JanBeta]

I only tried the SwinSID nano yet. It's not bad, especially for the price. I heard some demos of newer/fancier replacements that seem to be pretty awesome. I might look into getting one.

[@Thomaniac]

Congrats for finally getting your desired Board. Really cool! And again a very entertaining video :-)

[@JanBeta]

Thank you sir! :D

[@deborahberi3249]

What is your recommended voltage regulator did you use to replace the 7805 with? And what brands are you using? Seems to be a lot of options. Mark.

[@JanBeta]

I think the ones I have are 78S05 (the S means slightly higher current rating, will run a tiny bit cooler) from ST Micro. There's a couple of good brand parts. I think Texas Instruments also makes them.

[@deborahberi3249]

@@JanBeta Thanks for the quick response LOL I'm not sure if the voltage regulator is responsible for the slow rise in DC voltage did I'm experiencing but I thought what the heck may as well replace it for future proofing! BTW, keep up the great videos I watch all of them!

[@Trevorodunne]

Did not release you have Ultimate Plus You should do a Video on it 25:52

[@JanBeta]

Yes, I always meant to do a video. Maybe I will although the Ultimate64 is all the rage these days. ;)

[@SaintKaede]

An NTSC machine very cool and workin' again, I've never seen the fact that the SID could stop a whole board from workin' right. Ich weiß, dass ein PAL-Gerät am Ende besser passt, aber ich habe mich etwas gefragt. Sie haben versucht, ich denke, ein Spiel darauf, haben Sie andere Commodore-Spiele, die NTSC sind, oder haben Sie das bekommen, um auf eine andere Weise zu spielen?

[@JanBeta]

Oh, many games work on both NTSC and PAL, I think there are very few that were exclusively designed for NTSC. Usually they just run a bit slower on the PAL machines due to the slightly lower clock speed. :)

[@SaintKaede]

@@JanBeta I guess there wasn't anythin' that was exclusive made for one or the other with any variation at this point, never thought of that, realistically it should work either way but as you said PAL doesn't translate up to NTSC well sometimes.

[@danielmantione]

NTSC-Spiele funktionieren im Allgemeinen auf PAL, aber oft passt sich das Spiel nicht an die niedrigere Bildfrequenz an. Das Spiel kann daher auf einem PAL-System langsamer sein und die Musik kann auch langsamer sein. Eine NTSC-Maschine kann nützlich sein, um das Spiel so zu sehen, wie es die amerikanischen Programmierer beabsichtigt haben. Außerdem kann eine NTSC-Maschine bei der Entwicklung neuer Software zum Testen nützlich sein. Dennoch, wenn ich mir ansehe, wie viele Spiele auf meinen alten Disketten gut auf NTSC funktionieren, ist es sehr enttäuschend. Eine PAL-Maschine ist definitiv der C64, den du willst haben.

[@danielmantione]

@@SaintKaede Designing exlusively for NTSC was commericially not viable, because the installed base of PAL machines was much higher than NTSC. Making a game PAL only on the other hand, did make the market a bit smaller, but on the other hand programmers are always fighting for raster time. Having 20% more raster time on PAL machines is therefore a big thing and many coders just gave up the fight to squeeze their code into NTSC timings.

[@SaintKaede]

@@danielmantione Ah now that's somethin' I didn't know good info thanks!

[@DEMENTO01]

Btw i think adrian has a video for moding a C16 and switching between PAL and NTSC, idk if it could be done on a c64, could be a fun mod for this one I guess

[@JanBeta]

It's a bit more complicated in the C64 as you need both the PAL and NTSC VIC chip for that. The C16 TED supports both video standards natively so you just have to change the clock speed in that machine.

[@user-wj9xq7ig2v]

My Canadian 64c has the same sticker. I would have thought there'd be French on it but nope.

[@rager-69]

So what makes this revision so desirable?

[@Miidolf]

Well it is alot easier to maintain regarding the dram because it only has two chips instead the 8 chips on the normal breadbin. As Jan pointed out it is common to have the much desired Sid 6581R4AR on it and in general it has way better picture quality when compared to the breadin with the earlier Vic-II chips, like an ceramic 6569R1 vic-chip for example. I mean that 250466 uses an later version of the Vic chip. In Jan's case this time the Vic-II he's got there was the ntsc 6567R9.

[@DrTofu83]

AFAIK a shorted SID can affect anything on the 5V rail. But good restoration, I love the C aesthetic :)

[@JanBeta]

Thanks! Yes, the SID can short both the 5V and the 12V rails in the worst case I guess.

[@DrTofu83]

@@JanBeta I've heard lots of cases of SID shorting the 5V, so the former is more common than the latter, and an often overlooked point of failure. The good thing about those is that, much like in your case, removing the SID nothing else in the rail got affected, so restoration is truly as easy as swapping a new SID. Going slightly OT, I guess I'm one of the few people appreciating the 8580 more than the 6581: it sounds like my childhood I'm always more than happy to see a C64C restoration :)

[@josehereter4062]

My first computer was a C64c like it, thank you.

[@andresbravo2003]

C64C is Not just A Failure, But it is A great computer for gaming and do work.

[@UncleAwesomeRetro]

Always nice to see a c64 repair video :) I was hoping you had to struggle a bit more then just replacing the sid chip though :P

[@JanBeta]

Sorry! I was hoping for a more interesting troubleshooting part, too. But I think it's still interesting that a broken SID can bring the whole system down. :)

[@UncleAwesomeRetro]

@@JanBeta That is rue :) I'm glad you got it fixed.

[@GadgetUK164]

Very interesting revision motherboard! Don't forget the CIA will show as bad because you aren't using the loopback connectors! I am sure it will pass the test OK with those connected.

[@JanBeta]

I had the test harness connected for the Diagnostics. I heard from some people that the new revision CIAs will always show as bad anyway (slightly different timings?).

[@GadgetUK164]

Ah, I didn't see that! Thought you were testing without it at that point.

[@fluffycritter]

American C64s did not use Torx bits by default, so I'm guessing that the "sales and support" company "helpfully" replaced the screws as a deterrent from users servicing their own machines. And remember, PCB stands for: Perifractic's Camaraderie, Booyeah

[@Phoenix_1982_MD]

Hey Jan, cooles Video wie immer :) mal eine Frage.. Gibt es irgendwo aus Deutschland ein fertiges Cap Kit für den c64c assy 250469, 252311 Rev B? Bin Anfänger, habe mit den C auf ebay geschossen und würde den jetzt gerne Futureproofen :) Danke im voraus für alle Infos, mach weiter so geile informative Videos. Liebe Grüße aus Rheinland-Pfalz! Peter

[@JanBeta]

In Deutschland weiß ich leider niemanden, aber Retroleum.co.uk hat Cap Kits für so gut wie alle C64er-Versionen.

[@phreapersoonlijk]

"That's very nearly completely spot on." --Jan

[@JanBeta]

Whooops. Lol... :D

[@wimwiddershins]

Friday afternoon, workday over, Jan Beta video. = Smug!

[@henningbackes8368]

please Jan, don´t stop making c64 videos :-)

[@JanBeta]

#YouCanNeverHaveTooManyC64Videos

[@stimpy023]

A perfect example of sponsoring, I'm totally fine with... Hell, I might even check them out, if they continue sponsoring you long enough... ;D

[@rog2224]

If the original seller was Sascoa, then they're still going, just moved 10 units down, looking on Google maps. (as of 2017)

[@KingKuni88]

Perfect video for breakfast :D. Guten Morgen zusammen.

[@bairfamilyfarm1336]

Guder Namidaag! (Weird I had to think about what your comment said yet I speak a form of german known as Pennsylvania dutch)

[@KingKuni88]

"Guder Namidaag" sounds "real" Dutch to me. But I don't speak and understand it well even though I'm located 30km to the Dutchborder. As far I know is Pennsylvania Dutch a mix of German Dutch an English, or I'm wrong? I would translate "Guder Namidaag" with "Good afternoon" in english or "Guten Nachmittag" in german.

[@ErickBRSAO]

Hey, my c64c (same model) had the same issue! Except i shorted the sid myself ;(

[@JanBeta]

Oh no... :/

[@ErickBRSAO]

Jan Beta yeah, sad really

[@chrisgallant9889]

I have a question. Does the ntsc machine run slower on European power? I know in United States they use 60 hz. In Europe a lot of countries use 50 hz.

[@doktor6495]

No. The clock frequency is generated by the quarz, and the ntsc machines run a little faster (1,023 MHz) then the european version (0,985 MHz). Greetings, Doktor64!

[@thomassmith4999]

NTSC machines run "faster" but they also run slower.. Because there's less time to put things in the screen so in the end PAL machines are much "faster"... long story but in the end PAL machines can do more.

[@RacerX-]

@@thomassmith4999 I would hardly say "much faster" and it depends on how the game or demo was coded too. Fire up a spreadsheet and sort some rows and see which finishes faster... It really depends on the software. Most Euro demos for sure will run better on PAL and probably not at all on NTSC...

[@8_Bit]

The processor runs slightly (about 4%) faster on a NTSC C64 than a PAL C64. But for any game or demo that syncs to the video display (and most do!) an NTSC C64 has to update the screen 60 times per second, while the PAL C64 only needs to do 50 updates per second which is ~17% less. So the PAL machine ends up having quite a bit more CPU time available per frame to do complicated video effects, screen scrolling, sprite multiplexers, and so on. So that's how each machine is both faster and slower than the other.

[@MrRobbyvent]

nooo keep it original! Leave the shield in place also...please!

[@Eightbitswide]

Jan, now load an NTSC version of Skate or Die and listen to the how the intro is suppose to sound. ;) ;)

[@aphexteknol]

A shorted SID that causes a black screen is somewhat uncommon, but it does happen occasionally. Normally the dead SIDs I find are just silent, or one or more of the filters are faulty. As I told you on Twitter, welcome to the 250466 club Jan! Are you going to convert it to PAL?

[@JanBeta]

Yes, most faulty SIDs I encountered have some sound issues or are silent. Never had a SID that took the whole system down. I think I'm going to keep it NTSC or make it switchable as I already have a couple of PAL systems. We'll see.

[@bobjerome5390]

hi do a lot of re pair work the big thing no body talks about where do you put all the gear us fixers put after they are done with them i stopped fixing gear as i was running out of room lucky theres no lady i my life re word that i do have a lady cat do love you video's

[@simant5361]

12:46 no shorts i do believe Jan's correct as those look like cut off jeans🤣🤣

[@JanBeta]

Haha, indeed. Lol.

[@esshahn]

You camped at the respawning spot of the compressed air can - clever! (05:41)

[@JanBeta]

Haha, didn't notice that. :D

[@tjlazer71]

If you have multiple 64's it's nice to keep one different. Keep it NTSC. That way you can play NTSC Games they way they were intented. Faster! Also, there are a lot of games that work on NTSC, even PAL ones. (NTSC fixed) Just have to spend a little time hunting them down. ;) CSdb has them.

[@heberdua]

Great video Jan, thank you!

[@hobbyaddict9908]

I found this page "c64preservation.com/registry" . The indicate the CA prefix is the assembly line in the USA producing C64Cs.

[@JanBeta]

Nice! Thanks. :D

[@HarryVielwisser]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i57QXqqQlLyMjdU Hallo, habe folgendes Problem: Habe heute das C64 Diagnostic Modul REV 586220 bekommen. Bei all meinen C64 Computern werden vom Modul die gleichen Fehler gemeldet: U1 BAD, U2 BAD, U18 BAD, Cassette BAD, Keyboard open bzw. BAD, Control Port BAD, Serial Port BAD, User Port BAD und Interrupt BAD. Wie kann das sein? Würde mich über jede Antwort freuen. Danke. Hier der Link zum Video des beschriebenen Problems: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i57QXqqQlLyMjdU

[@JanBeta]

Das liegt daran, dass das Diagnostic Modul ein sogenanntes Test Harness erwartet, also Loopback Kabel an allen Ports, die benutzt werden, um diese und die verbundenen Bauteile zu testen. Siehe die Links zu Test Cartridges und Test Harness in der Videobeschreibung. Das Dead Test Diagnostic Modul läuft ohne Harness.

[@desperado0182]

PCB waaayyyyy ;-) ... stands for... ;-)

[@RetroRecipes]

Poor Commodore Blackscreen. Doesn't it?

[@rztrzt]

Sascoa Electronics is still in business in pretty much the same place.

[@youdud44]

As we all know, PCB stands for: Perfect Commodore Board.

[@octaviussludberry9016]

Also a win for your brother on Wednesday against Chelsea...Herr Klopp's bruder.

[@JanBeta]

Haha, I'm not that much into football. I guess my brother does quite well from what I hear. ;)

[@octaviussludberry9016]

@@JanBeta Jurgen is from Stuttgart. Being English, my detection of German accents is obviously very limited, but it's more the tone and speed you talk which is similar to Klopp's. You may be from Baden Württenberg - if so I'm happy with my comparison. You also look a bit like him. Your ability to bring things back to life from near ruin and your charming and positive attitude are also like Jurgen. Which is why I love you both.

[@stephenfoster9009]

I have 2 Commodore 64 bread box computers. Neither work - any repair people out there?

[@danielmantione]

You can contact me on daniel.mantione at freepascal dot org

[@zingyyellow554]

Thanks mate

[@axemanracing6222]

64C mit 6581 das Ding hat echten Seltenheitswert!

[@JanBeta]

Oh, die frühen C64Cs hatten alle den alten SID, die ersten mit den Short Boards und 8580 kamen ab 1987/88 (1987 der Aldi C64 war der erste C64 mit 8580).

[@axemanracing6222]

Wirklich? Mir ist der C64c im Bekanntenkreis nur als 8580 bekannt (schlechte Sample-Wiedergabe). Ich dachte, das gehörte mit zur Philosophie, Optik verändert und an Bauteilen gespart. Aber wahrscheinlich wurde, Commodore-typisch, jedes Bauteil solange verbaut bis es alle war. :-)

[@allan.n.7227]

Attemped repair by unauthorized persons voids warranty... WC Made in USA.. WC?

[@dragrem2k551]

Retro recepis PCBWAYYYYYY hehe nice

[@jamesdetenbeck6910]

😀😎

[@JanBeta]

Thanks again for the donation, sir! Kind of an easy fix. I'm definitely doing some more restoration work on it soon. :)

[@MultiArrie]

hey Jan uploaded a new video, push the like button and lets go watch the video.

[@JanBeta]

Haha, thanks. :D

[@benbaselet2026]

I would have thought Canadian C64s come with robertson screws :-)

[@gnzklr9275]

Funny, i‘ve googled it 😂

"You cannot have too many C64s". Well, tell me to my wife, she thinks I have waaay too many ;-P

[@benbaselet2026]

You better tell her she's walking on thin ice with those remarks ;-)

@@benbaselet2026: No. Instead, I've asked why she needs so many clothes. ;-P Let's call it a "tie" :)

[@thomassmith4999]

Next video.. NTSC to PAL conversion so it's usable :)

[@RacerX-]

NTSC is very usable unless you are into demos.

[@benbaselet2026]

He already has a bunch of PAL versions so... no.

[@JanBeta]

I think I'm going to leave it as NTSC or make it switchable to PAL. I really have enough PAL machines around. Still would like to have the best of both worlds. We'll see. :)