Checking out a big container of Commodore 64 stuff - part 2

[@SeanChYT]

2:22 Oh! 🙂 I know that feeling. Such a downer to get a new Commodore 64 machine on the bench, and then it just... works. Seriously. The two most recent C64's I have bought (untested) just worked. 100% of it. It's like buying a 5000-piece jigsaw puzzle, that comes already fully put together. Sure, it's good financially to not have to obtain rare and expensive vintage chips to repair them, and for sure I like to do a lot of refurbishment work on them just to make sure they run as reliably as possibly for many years to come, but the hunt, the head-scratching and the chase is not there. And the great joy of reviving a completely dead machine will not come. Well, well... I paused the video just to write this comment, so maybe you find something wrong with it in the next 10 seconds. Fingers crossed. 🙂

[@TheRetroChannel]

Keep watching 😄

[@SeanChYT]

@@TheRetroChannel Yay! I was so relieved to see that, and I learnt a lot about carbon contacts that I didn't know from before. I will try to buy some of that stuff you applied on them, if I can find it. Thumbs up! (always)

[@SeanChYT]

@@TheRetroChannel ...and yes, I lied a little bit. I've never actually got an older type C64 that had a 100% fully 100% working SID, so I usually have to reach for my bin of ArmSIDs.

[@michael_CRC]

250425 boards are common with early C models. Then again he keyboard style with all the PETSCII in front of the keys is from later C64 shortboards (usually).

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

I had a keyboard with the keys in the top left corner not working also! Turned out to be a couple traces on the keyboard pc board had some liquid contamination that ate the copper away. I repaired it with some bare wire wrap wire laid and soldered on top of the bad traces

[@soundsonline796]

The C64 Channel 😂

[@shangrilai1990]

🍪

[@TheRetroChannel]

💩⌨️

[@paszTube]

"old silly scope" actually made me laugh!

[@donaldblakley6796]

That's pretty neat that the paste fixed the keyboard problem:) I also understand about the (boring) when they just work. I have quite a collection now, but the last 2 I received this year.. just worked. Refurbishing is ok, but not the same. The last 64c I got, wasn't even the one listed in pictures and description. That said black screen and had the characters on top of keys. The one I got had the older style keys... which I like better, but that's not the point. Some sellers. Urg. I know you can relate from your previous videos

[@rthefish]

Where's Mr Lurch? He's been missing in action for a few months.

[@daveuser4955]

Mr Lurch is "on hiatus". He made a post under the community tab of his channel about 2 months ago explaining his absence. He posts semi regularly to his twitter account, mainly to do with toys these days.

[@jandjrandr]

Sometimes a "working" C64 board isn't as working as it may first appear. It also proves not all C64Cs are guaranteed to be the more reliable short board, but we already knew that. Those deceptive long boards. I wonder if some of the C64Cs received long boards because Commodore was trying to save money by shipping older long board stock or if it was where it was being built that made the difference.

[@TheRetroChannel]

I think, but not 100% certain, that the shortboard came a year or so after the release of the C64C. Usually if the keys have printing on the top and sides, then it's a longboard 250466. And if the printing is all on top, it's a shortboard 250469. But again there's no way to be certain, and Commodore or a previous owner could have put any board in there

[@networkg]

I have a very similar jar of contact fix paste sitting on a shelf for years. Nice to know that it will work.

[@christianlarsen1070]

Can you share a copy lf the No Ram Check diagnostic?

[@TheRetroChannel]

It's in the video description

[@g4z-kb7ct]

The conductive paint is quite expensive and typically sold for repairing car rear demisters. As far as I'm concerned conductive paint has always been a hack job fix when used on a PCB. A better way to fix it for any PCB that has copper traces is to custom cut some copper tape (available in a roll of various widths) and solder it to both sides of the connecting traces.

[@helgew9008]

The stuff used for automotive demisters contains silver and needs to handle high current. This carbon stuff is much less expensive. The problem with copper is that it tarnishes over time. I have seen a keyboard like this, where someone had removed all the carbon pads. I'm sure it worked fine for a while. I wonder if it is possible to gold plate copper in a home lab.