IBM 300PL Pentium III Personal Computer - Can we save it??

Can we save this late 1990's IBM Personal Computer from e-waste? Let's perform a complete tear down and repair of the motherboard and play a little Microsoft Monster Truck Madness! What O/S is installed... Let's find out! #motherboardrepair #soldering #pentium #ibm #retropc

[@timmooney7528]

Good thinking about checking the side that came off. Some of the "tool free" designs of that era required the drive cages and power supply removed before the riser card and main board would come out. Everything interlocked like a puzzle, and the only way to remove anything was to tear it down the way it was assembled.

[@TheRetroRecall]

For sure, yes when I realized it - it's so simple now! Needless to say the next time will be a sinch. So many different standards of case designs back in the day.

[@joec2078]

I remember upgrading a computer I had years ago with a new hard drive. I open up the side and thought 'what the hell is this, where's the ribbon cable'? It was the first computer I had that had sata cables. This weekend I'll be installing a second ssd with my existing ssd and hdd to set up a raid 5 config.

[@TheRetroRecall]

It is crazy how far tech has come - even something as simple as a cable! Good luck on your install!

[@markjones7109]

Fantastic restoration - as usual. Keep up the great work.

[@TheRetroRecall]

Thank you!!

[@maxtornogood]

Went to this clip after you brought it up in the recent Mega Haul video. Good to see you actually doing some soldering & getting this machine going properly, hopefully you'll get to do more of the same in future clips! 🙂

[@TheRetroRecall]

Yes! I have a bunch of caps ordered that I need to replace on various projects. Stay tuned!

[@ClassicBMWFanInQuebec]

Great video, thanks for posting it. I used it when disassembling my recently acquired 300PL. I was afraid of breaking the latch to remove the motherboard, but you really do need to apply quite a bit of leverage. It helps to pull on the white plastic rail on the edge too. So far I really like this machine, it ticks all the nostalgia boxes for me! I just wish the AGP slot wasn't this weird NLX format. NLX video cards are pretty rare. I think I'll go with a PCI FX 5500, I see they are still being sold new from China on eBay. I also wish I had the original IBM monitor for it. I'll have to settle for a generic beige LCD screen if I can find one...

[@TheRetroRecall]

Thanks for sharing this! You are right, I found it quite tricky to disassemble, but now I think I got the hang of it. As for the AGP card - again, I am with you... it would have been great to have a full AGP slot VS what is there. Let me know how you make out finding the PCI card! Thanks for watching!

[@jdancause]

oh my god, that remind me my old job. I was working in a recycle electronic center, as a computer technicien. These pc were use in banking industry and all these computer had always bad cap .

[@TheRetroRecall]

Awesome!! Were you always tempted to save these amazing machines? I don't know if I could work at a recycler... I would have to rescue everything haha.

[@matthewwijsma9978]

Just restored an identical IBM in a lot of 3 random PC's I picked up. Same 3 capacitors were completely blown, same errors came up. All good once replaced with 'close enough' caps I had laying around. Nice machines, except I had onboard S3 Graphics.

[@TheRetroRecall]

Awesome, I'm happy to hear that you have it back up and running again!

[@AJComputerServicesUK]

Another good Video Squire, I did like that particular IBM design, I just felt it had a nice clean look to it, Believe I had a couple of them along with the matching Monitors, The only thing I have now that's IBM branded is IBM Thinkpad Laptops & Hard Drives if I remember correctly! Anthony - Birmingham/UK 🇬🇧

[@TheRetroRecall]

Thanks! I loved the look of these systems. I am working on getting more beige IBM computers, but it takes time as they are getting harder to find. :)

[@AJComputerServicesUK]

@@TheRetroRecall I’m struggling to find old Beige PC’s now over here in the UK, A Customer of mine gave me there Old Compaq S700 CRT Monitor recently so that was a bonus! 🙂

[@TheRetroRecall]

Yes! Now, you have to find the rest of the system :)

[@arthurmann578]

Maybe you should have removed the CMOS battery before changing the caps just to be safe? 🤔 Nice video by the way and nice retro machine! 👍👍

[@TheRetroRecall]

Great call out and observation! Duly noted for next time :) Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!

[@arthurmann578]

@@TheRetroRecall 👍👍

[@redbuIIracing33]

Used to game on this PC alot back in the days. Running Windows 98

[@TheRetroRecall]

That's awesome! For whatever reason, whenever I see this PC I think of Windows 2000 or Windows ME. But yes, Windows 98 works just fine on it. Thanks for watching!

[@robertcartier5088]

Added detail about de-soldering... : At 22:00, and again shortly after, it is mentioned that it is easier to remove solder if fresh solder is added first... This is true, but I wanted to clarify that the reason it is easier is not just because it is fresh, but because the solder most of us use as hobbyists melts at a lower temperature than the one that is invariably used commercially. Manufacturers use a chemically safer, yet higher-melting-point solder. Adding our own regular solder to the joint lowers the overall temperature required to remove the part. This is particularly helpful if we don't have a special de-soldering tool like the one shown, or even a hot air wand, and we must continuously move our hot iron from one component leg to another to heat everything at once. The lower temperature requirement keeps everything nice and fluid longer, helping get the job done easier and quicker, while protecting the board from overheating.

[@TheRetroRecall]

Thanks for this added clarity. Makes sense!

[@bramvandenbroeck5060]

I bent the capacitor when 1 lead is heated up, i rock it back and forth until the cap comes out, heating the pins one after another, this works pretty well, and on bigger caps, it is actually recommended that you do it this way because of the space between the legs. I don't have a unsoldering gun or solder sucker, i use wick and a needle for those very stubborn holes! I put the needle on the part side of the board, i heat up the bottom, and once the solder melts, the needle goes through the board, pushing out the excess solder and freeing the hole, the solder will stick to the needle, i just push the entire needle through, i never had any damage but yet, the holes are free and clean, i don't have any money for fancy stuff so i do it my way, and it works flawlessly!

[@BenState]

Nice video man, but i feel that more caps will need replacing in your future with this board. May be a retro-bright?

[@TheRetroRecall]

One of my earlier vids! Yes for sure more caps, just need to keep an eye on it. Retro brite if the need arises. Always have to keep in mind the plastics being brittle and all that fun stuff :)

[@3dburger]

What is the recommended temperature do you use to remove caps? Mine is a 60w 110v and the range is 200c to 450c

[@TheRetroRecall]

I'm usually in the 375-400 range. I always add new solder to mix in with the old making it easier to remove.

[@exiavaganza]

I wonder how many different models of the 300PL exists. I have one, but besides the front panel, it isn't nearly the same as this one. It doesn't have a riserboard, as it's a regular ATX board, and everything is a puzzle inside to switch even a drive.

[@TheRetroRecall]

Hey there, so true! When I do any research there are sooo many variants. Although they are classic IBM and really nice looking, working on them can be a challenge. There is something to be said about a good old fashioned mid tower atx case! Thanks for watching!!

[@valparaisosting]

Yeah,mine is everything the same but doesn't have on-board video,only Agp and S3 number nine on it!

[@3beltwesty]

There are many dozens of variants. The IBM 6862 is a desktop and the 6892 is a vertical tower unit.. each model had many different variants. Ones I have owned 6892-U2U 6892-16U 6892-S2U -N2U 6862-80U etc.. The 6862-80U I had was a Pentium II 333 Mhz cpu with a 66 Mhz bus. Most mine were Pentium III with a 100 Mhz bus. The Pentium III with 450 to 600 Mhz cpu where very common. I believe the IBM ones had some is the 800 to 850 mhz range too. An aftermarket kit I had was with a 1.3 Ghz cpu in the slot type holder. Some boards worked and others did not accept this cpu.. All the pentium iii units boards would accept 3 sticks of 256 megs ram. One can add a usb 2 to pci card to run faster usb 2 speeds When those 3 capacitors get degraded I think the bios settings can get goofed up even with a good 2032 Lithium battery. Just a theory. After a power outage last night a 6892 here got goofed up. It was on a ups that has like 30 minutes capacity It too much time to set bios settings to fix the unit

[@TheRetroRecall]

This is great info, thank you!

[@3dburger]

What soldering iron did you use?

[@TheRetroRecall]

In this video I am using a ~$100 store branded iron, however I will be purchasing a Hakko to match my Hakko desoldering gun :) this one work well, hwkeeve the Hakko will give me more consistency.

[@bairfamilyfarm1336]

This guy reminds me of a very early LGR channel, sounds similar too! Maybe this channel will turn out the same!

[@TheRetroRecall]

Thanks for this amazing feedback! LGR is definitely an inspiration amongst others for sure! I just love sharing this old tech and I have lots of it! Stay tuned for more and thanks for the engagement!

[@sbirchsbirch6232]

Does this one fit a full length ISA card? I am looking for a new home for my ancient LAPC-I and it is a lanky lad.

[@TheRetroRecall]

Hey there!! I would say you could probably fit one longer card in the ISA slot below the optical drive as you wouldn't be bumping up against anything... However the most ideal would of course be a tower version :). Thanks for watching!

[@sbirchsbirch6232]

@@TheRetroRecall I enjoyed it, especially the last bit of your video sold me on it. I'll go get one for being my Fast DOS machine / Early 3D gaming rig.

[@TheRetroRecall]

@@sbirchsbirch6232 that's awesome! Happy to hear! Check out the other videos on the channel as well, lots of awesome goodies! :)

[@wskinnyodden]

Hahahaha, I have the exact same soldering iron that you have on the background :P

[@TheRetroRecall]

It works perfectly! I love the variable heat control and the different tips it comes with. Great tool!

[@hugosimoes5119]

From where you purchased the desoldering gun and how much was it?

[@TheRetroRecall]

Amazon. FR301 by Hakko. The price should be listed on the site :)

[@hugosimoes5119]

@@TheRetroRecall Thanks. :) As a newer sub, so far I like your videos. Keep up the great content.

[@TheRetroRecall]

Thank you!!!