Commodore 128D Restoration Project

I picked up a Commodore 128D personal computer and give it the usual restoration treatment!
big thanks to lactobacillusprime for allowing me to use parts of his Commodore 128D Video -
• C128D & C128 More In D...
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[@obsoletegeek]

Happy to see this machine in use. I saw it sitting on Raymond's shop floor for years, usually with boxes sitting on top of it. He'd never sell it, claiming it was destined to be parted out for chips. He finally agrees to sell and the rest is a happy ending!

[@ModernVintageGamer]

thanks for going out there to scoop! id love to visit his shop sometime

[@MarkParkTech]

Hah, I was going to say. 128 MB back then would have made that machine cost a hell of a lot more!

[@aussie_retro_dude9253]

Hey MVG . I'm a fellow Aussie . I actually have both versions of the 128D . And like yourself I am missing the keyboard. But I do have the keyboard for the other variant that has it stored underneath . I have not powered these up yet as I only just purchased these. I need to find a keyboard !

[@JoshTolbertUrbana]

My grandfather had a C=64 when I was little. One of my earliest memories from when I was six or so was sitting down and debugging BASIC with him. He eventually got a 128D, just like that one. Thanks for the memory.

[@leocomerford]

0:05 A C128D for $30 US in 2017? That *was* an absolute steal.

[@MsMadLemon]

It's actually he first time i've seen or even known of the Commodore 128D. It resembles the Amiga 1000. Nice looking machine and Great restoration work.

[@SailBeforeSunset]

Love the 128. I have a 128D in my attic that I have set up with an LtK hard drive, and a C-128, too. My old standbys.

[@DaveDoc1984]

I wonder why Commodore actually bothered with the 128? The Amiga 500 was in development at the same time and is superior to the 128.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Because the 128 was developed in 1984. Amiga was still Amiga corp at that time. Although Commodore did have largely what was to become the Atari ST, they were on completely different design teams.

[@waltherstolzing9719]

Commodore had a knack for releasing pointless models, e.g. the Plus/4; C16; Amiga 600

[@tjlazer71]

@@DaveDoc1984 What is more curious is why in 1987 did Commodore bother with the 128D? That was weird of them to release it at the same time as the Amiga 2000.

[@pmedwards42]

Great video! I love this kind of nostalgia, I was a Commodore purist until PCs finally lured me away around 1991. You have a new subscriber.

[@doppie1200]

Love that system. I have the same one myself! The metal case variant is called the 128Dcr (cr for cost reduced) What you can do to modify is fit a drive device number switch and an 1541 ultimate. It really improves the machine a lot. Also I recommend adding a 1084 monitor so you can use the 80 colums mode. Geos is very nice in that mode. Not that I have found much use for it :-)

[@ibd1977]

Looks great. Would be awesome to see an 128 setup next to an Amiga 1000. They have a very similar appearance and form factor.

[@aussie_retro_dude9253]

I have a 128D in both versions . I also have an Amiga Commodore 1000 .

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

10:00 - for getting individual keys clean, I recommend _putting them in a dishwasher_ . Worked fine with my Amiga 500 keys and an IMB PC keyboard.

[@demoscenes]

Great to see another fantastic "restoration project" and bring the C-64 back to life. I own my Commodore 128D myself and they are very great to mess around with. What I'd like to see are the mods I spotted. The jiffyDOS I know what it is however the drive mods I wonder about. Thank you :)

[@haxxy40]

6:25 That should be '128 KB of RAM'

[@ModernVintageGamer]

good catch - thanks!

[@CanuckGod]

I wasn't sure if I was hearing things, but yeah, we knew what you meant :)

[@mattmaddux]

Good call on not using the RetroBrite, everything is looking gorgeous without it. That was an amazing transformation on that keyboard with just a little elbow grease.

[@ceebee23]

The 128D was always such a great looking computer....

[@totih144]

You are keeping up with the commodore for sure!

[@JesusisJesus]

Commodore stopped keeping up with me in 1993.

[@AndrewErwin73]

I didn't upgrade from my 128D to a PC until around 1994. I was never a gamer... I just used it to dial into BBSs and SLIP into the internet. When I got a PC (with Windows), I really missed the black screen and using commands... so, it wasn't long until I started using Linux. Never looked back! :)

[@ToddsNerdCave]

Wow, that cleaned up super nice! I was looking at a 128D recently on Craigslist in my area that was also missing the keyboard. After looking into purchasing a keyboard I ended up passing on it due to the cost. Glad to hear that you scooped up a good deal for them.

[@ModernVintageGamer]

yeah its weird, i dont really get how they can be without keyboards so frequently. I guess people part them out but it makes no sense to me

[@SlavomirG]

how can you not get it? the keyboard is/was treated as a cheap and replaceable part. so if someone decided to keep the old hardware in his attic, he was far more likely to keep the computer but throw away the keyboard. nobody knew/thought that it has a special connector and will become hard to get/valuable. also, the keyboard is usually the first thing to get dirty and ugly so you want to get rid of a cheap dirty and ugly replaceable part (again, no one knew) but you are far more likely to keep the expensive part (the computer). you are welcome.

[@ModernVintageGamer]

as far as im aware, Commodore never sold replacement 128D keyboards as a standalone unit.

[@SlavomirG]

that's not the point. people threw away the old keyboards long after this hardware was relevant. but they were far more likely to keep the computer because of higher value/possibility of selling it. most people don't go into details like "is this part available to replace etc." that's why you have so many units without the dedicated peripherals. the same goes for apple computers and so on.

[@fredda81]

It looks stunning after the cleaning. My C128D deservers the same treatment.. Ill ask my wife if she can do the buttons next time she does the dishes.

[@tetsujin_144]

Nice. I briefly owned one of these back in the late 1980s - a broken one I'd picked up at a flea market. Kinda wish I'd tried my hand at fixing it or something, but in those days I probably wouldn't have really known how to go about it - and in a worst case scenario I might have destroyed my working C-128 trying to use it as a parts donor to fix the C-128D. I would have loved to actually have a working C-128D but in the end I think I just sold it at the next flea market or something. (Looking back now, however, I kind of wish I hadn't stuck with the Commodore 8-bit platform for so long. Kinda feel like it would have been more interesting to get in on the m68k machines like Amiga...)

[@DOSBoxMom]

I had never seen a C128D before! My spouse and I used to own a couple of C64s (both the "breadbox" version and the C64c), a C128 and an Amiga 500 back in the day. I used a C64SX, I think (it was a luggable computer with a built-in color monitor and a separate keyboard? -- memory's fuzzy, as it was a VERY long time ago) once at a gaming convention; however, I wasn't aware that there had also been a variant of the C128 with a separate keyboard also.

[@be236]

I have a Commodore 128D too. I dont have a mouse anymore or modem (I used to have them, but sold them off a long time ago, I wish I had kept them). I also wish I kept my C1902 monitor for 80 columns display. Just have old C1701 for 40 columns only. Also have datasette and C1571 and C1581 bought off e-bay awhile back. Love this unit. I wish I had more time to play with GEOS.. it's been so long. It's in storage in my garage for now.

[@freibier]

Pretty much my dream system of the mid 80s, before the Amiga 500 shows up. Now that I am older and got more money, I try to get my "dream systems" from way back then. Got a C128D with Dolphin DOS, an Amiga 2000 and an Atari Mega STE.

[@teemofie]

From the grot you got there I never thought something would come up that nicely without retrobright! Well played sir!

[@VectrexRoli]

There were also European 128D models available with a metal case, I am currently working on a restoration project with mine. ;-)

[@ModernVintageGamer]

oh very cool - make a video on it!

[@VectrexRoli]

I will at some point but first I have to try ro change the internal drive address using a switch, so that I can boot from an external Ultimate II and it is also a challenge to get the tape adapter of the Ultimate II working on that 128D model.

[@ModernVintageGamer]

yes i hear you. i was fortunate that someone previously had put switches in mine already to do that. i can tell you the Ultimate II works great with mine.

[@4playrse]

I have owned a few (european versions) myself of both variants (plastic/metal). At least here in Europe the metal one is the DCR version aka Cost Reduced.

[@lactobacillusprime]

Was that a German market model?

[@johnfoster3895]

Great to see an older machine still in life and doing what it was made to do - COMPUTE!

[@Ichinin]

Looks really nice! Just remembered that i should clean out and check capacitors/batteries for leakage in my C64's, 128D and A1200. I have seen recaps for the Amiga, but i haven't seen any for the older commodore models.

[@MidwestComputerMuseum]

My cleaning arsenal is very similar but I have one more thing...a dry erase marker. Apparently a solvent in the dry-erase marker is what removes the permanent marker. It's effortless, I've never had to scrub off permanent marker when covering it dry-erase marker first.

[@loudfiero]

I sold my C128D-CR with a black screen and 2nd SID for $230 on ebay to someone in Cali back in Dec 2020 ... I now regret that decision. I wasn't following the scene and didn't know about the modern addons available for it. Shame on me. My favorite computer of all time.

[@giggabyt78]

i have a 128D complete and in mint condition got it about 17 years ago with heaps of games for $55

[@8BitBoyzRetro]

Great video and nice to see the 1571 is working also!!! I had someone donate a 128D to me 2 years ago and I finally started to clean it up just a couple months ago. The unit was like yours already pretty clean but the 1571 needs an alignment as it tries to read the floppies but just can't but hey getting them 100% again is 1/2 the fun!!! Keep up the great work!

[@RandomBitzzz]

one way the 128D differed from the regular 128 was that it had extra video ram. there was at least one photoshop/drawing program that used it and it was pretty awesome for its time. IIRC there was a video ram upgrade you could do on a standard 128 as well.

[@loudfiero]

The 128's VIC is a IIe, not a plain 2(II). It actually supports an interlaced 320x400 mode and 2mhz mode that disables video output. The Euro 128D uses a different motherboard more like a flat 128 motherboard. All D-CR's came with 64k of VDC ram as did newer flat models...I believe the eruro 128D still had 16k...not sure.

[@weepingscorpion8739]

That's beautiful. As an eternal fan of the C128, finding a C128D is a dream of mine. (not to mention the SX64 but that's a story for a different time).

[@DaveDoc1984]

That looks FANTASTIC! I hope someday I find a normal 128 to add to my collection. They didn't sell too well so it might take me a while and quite a bit of money to get hold of one!

[@ZamuelAtari]

I have cleaned a lot of keyboards and I usually use regular washing powder. It works great on the entire computer but for the keyboard I just put all the keys in a bath with washing powder and let it sit for a while. After that they are like new and so much easier than cleaning them one by one.

[@cryinglion]

Really came out great! I always wanted one back in the day, but never did get one. I had a C64, then bought an Amiga 500 right after that. Figured I would eventually get the 128, but alas it never came to light. :(. Good job cleaning this one!

[@MichaelOglesby]

Excellent restoration MVG! The 128D looks brand new!

[@ownpj]

@6:50 The 128 will autoboot on reset if a disk is inserted that contained special code on the first track. There's plenty of demos and even some comercial software that make use of this.

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

I cannot believe I had one of these mint in original boxes in a "set" that was another box w/handle. Sold it around 1995 for a song. :(

[@toniriikonen2544]

Your right SHIFT key still has fly shit on its side. Otherwise superb job. I had plain C128 with cassette drive when I was young. Memories.

[@pauldeane8369]

Nice find, good job. I think you made out pretty good considering you got the machine for $30. Two keyboards for $180 is pricey but overall these things are going for CRAZY money on eBay. Great video.

[@sulrich70]

Fantastic work, great you got it all running.

[@JensHove]

I'm old enough that I bought one of these a little after they came out. You could get Turbo Pascal for it (CPM mode), which is the reason I bought it. Really nice restoration job!

[@andljoy]

Isnt it odd how us vintage computer people like different things ? I LOVE cleaning keyboards. I collect vintage computer keyboards IBM ALPS cherry etc and i love cleaning them. Sometimes if there is a good deal about i will buy the keyboard just to clean it :). I will go whole hog sometimes and take the switches themselves apart and ultrasonic them lube and put them back together.

[@mortensteen]

10:13 - that C= key and right Shift key drives my OCD up the wall! :D Anyway, GREAT video, as always - and great work. :D

[@mark12358]

Awesome! Keeping up with the Commodore 128D!

[@MattyStoked]

That beautiful beige! Great cleanup vid mate, love watching these.

[@MrSvenovitch]

1st computer I ever touched at my cousin's. 1st game ever played was Choplifter. Mid 1980s are far gone.

[@PatDorush]

Looks great, makes me wish I had kept my old Computers: ( Vic 20, Commodore 128, Amiga 1000 ). I still have a Amiga 2000 I had put into a tower. Now using Linux Desktops and laptops

[@SteveStoltz]

Nice. I always wanted one of those when I was a kid, I would go to the department store and play with the display model all of the time.

[@ModernVintageGamer]

man so did i ! our local K-Mart used to have them on display and id love to play around with it. The 128D came out the same year as the Amiga 1000, so i kinda forgot about it once that was released. Glad to revisit it all these years later. Thanks for watching

[@antonhenry4817]

Great video Lovely machine always wanted to get 1, Back in the day. My sister had a pc 1. Looked very much like this computer.

[@SledgeFox]

Great to see this machine restored! Thank you very much!

[@AnimalFacts]

It’s beautiful

[@borismatesin]

Thank you for making this video! I'm just about to receive my own C128D and this will definitely come in handy!

[@Archimedes75009]

Thanks for the upload, but to me what you do isn't the most important, which would be removing all socketed chips, clean the pins, use an electronic contact cleaner spray, re insert the chips etc ... (the thumb down isn't from me btw).

[@bitnisse7186]

Had one of these(European model)in the eighties. Nice refresh of memory.

[@helipilot727]

Mint 1702 and nice 128D well done

[@madmodders]

I've never seen a 1351 mouse with that type of slim connector housing, those types of glide pads, and that type of ball lid. Looks exactly like my Amiga tank mouse. Some C64 softwares work with an Amiga mouse. If the label doesn't say 1351, it's not. Maybe the last models used the newer Amiga style housing? Time for some research. [edit] Yes, apparently Scanntronik made these in the 90's. Interesting, who knew... :D But there are a lot of scammers on ebay selling Amiga tank mice as 1351... Anyways, good stuff!

[@nosferadu]

Great job restoring this! Was hoping to see you clean up and retrobrite the other keyboard too but oh well.

[@SaschaHenken74]

I had one as well but my dad was clever enough to destroy the internal Floppy Drive. It got never repaired. That was the step to go for an Amiga 500 afterwards. Sad... Loved that C128D........Great times :)

[@nexusofice9135]

You need to rejuvenate your CRT tube on your monitor. That's why all of the colors seem so washed out. If you can find a tech to do it the average cost is around $75. But it will make the colors far more vibrant.

[@Daz555Daz]

I recommend a key puller. So easy to break a key when using a screwdriver.

[@Archimedes75009]

I use the dishwasher ... neat and easy.

[@SinMelchiah]

Way to go! Awesome job!...is that racing chair comfortable? I’m in doubt and every racing chair takes away my focus. But wow! I was lucky enough to use a commodore 128 but I never even heard of a commodore 128D. I thought it was the amiga line after the 128. Commodore history never ceases to amuse me. Thank you for this great addition! Best of wishes!

[@Bort_86]

My first computer was a 128D, but as far as I remember it had a metal casing even if it was an European version (with PAL and purchased in Germany). It should still be in my parents house!

[@mjy]

Something I thought was worth mentioning: The VIC-IIe in the C128/C128D (48-pin) is not the same VIC-II as found in the C64 (40-pin).

[@michaelstoliker971]

I thought it looked like an old Dell 386 pizza box unit that I had back in the 90's

[@freibier]

Great video - I really like the design of the C128D and the "quirkiness" of putting several CPU in one machine. I have a C128D with Dolphin DOS disk accelerator sitting around here in storage, maybe it is time to give those old games another try :-)

[@bastianfromkwhbsn8498]

I love the C128D, it was my machine in the early 90s when I was a little kid. It was far more capable than my parents Commodore PC10-II eventhough it was way cheaper :)

[@blackterminal]

You should replace caps regardless of visual appearance. But it's your device. I liked your video.

[@mjegullan007]

Great video well done, little bit jealous in your retro stuff you have.

[@1234garrett1993]

Q-tips are a great tool for what you do, you might think about picking some up. It's helped me with cleaning apple keyboards many a time lol good for the nooks and crannies. Yeah they are disposable but it's worth it in my opinion.

[@351oldskool]

Smashing c128 what a machine!!

[@6581punk]

Didn't see the legendary 128 bodge wire on the 128D motherboard. Did they fix the problem properly? for those who don't know what I mean, the 128 had an issue booting CP/M close to release, so to resolve they added a big wire to divert a signal away from other chip to avoid signal ghosting.

[@lactobacillusprime]

Only just gotten the time to watch your video, turned out great! :)

[@tickledropstop]

Stunning.

[@74bobby]

Nice Restoration

[@neilland8209]

We had these at school 1991-92 i believe.

[@obsidian9998]

This is an awesome video. Keep it up.

[@TheVintageApplianceEmporium]

Need to get one of these for my collection. So rare and expensive tho :-/

[@fkthewhat]

I recall only ever reading about these - never seeing one... I'm at a loss as to where you're picking up these thrifts in Aus - I have a feeling the early 00s would have seen most c64s maybe even some Amigas become landfill here - it's just the general attitude you tend to see with tech.

[@niklasuhl6734]

I got a present from my uncle it's a full clean and functioning 128d with 4 joysticks and a Cassette Thing and countless floppy discs there is even a keyboard cover included and a handbook and everything the accessories are barely fitting in a 1x1 m box but it's the European version I don't know how much ill get for it but I wouldnt give it away and I keep on running this things l

[@rager1969]

Looks nice. It almost looks like an Amiga 1000 with a 5-1/4: floppy drive

[@mrpositronia]

Scrubbed up beautifully :)

[@crazyivan030983]

Looks great :) greetings from Poland :)

[@echosmith6092]

top job i have the c128 i will fallow the way you did yours soap and water

[@Ynffy]

It looks great!

[@DavidSnay]

Damn good job cleaning it up!

[@RichardTroupe]

Great work! It's a beautiful machine for sure.

[@MarcusLager]

I'm getting that exact setup. Some day. Before I die.

[@Runar_W]

funny how the c128 looks like an a1000

[@GaryKildall]

Runar W ...Amiga 1000 indeed very alike.

[@MrGoatflakes]

The Commodore 128 and Amiga 500 were released in the same year. I'm not sure on the timeline of the Amiga 1000, but I bet given the famous cheapness and propensity to use whatever was left over at CBM, that it actually _was_ the same case.

[@abortretryfail2053]

It looks a lot like the body of a Commodore PC-10

[@colinstu]

great work

[@EXITMUSIC2011]

Nice cleanup but you forgot to do the cable!

[@waldevv]

How would one fix the c64/128 mice? I have one that doesn't register the movement when the rollers move but it doesn't seem to be physical but instead the rollers move some wheels that have some kind of sensors on either side of them, no idea how they should work

[@paule6101]

another great video, thanks

[@thegreatjonzini]

great stuff! great luck on the keyboards :)

[@Sephy69]

great video! it came out very well indeed!!

[@cbm80amiga]

It is not true about metal case! In late 80s I had C128D purchased in Germany, with German keyboard and it was in metal case and without special room for keyboard. And it wasn't C128CR, just C128D.

[@ModernVintageGamer]

yes i was informed by others also. you are correct - thanks for letting me know

[@cbm80amiga]

By the way - you achieved great result with cleaning. Regarding yellowish plastic parts you probably know the method from "8-bit guy" channel which does miracle :)

[@DasIllu]

Also that version had 64k of video ram for the VDC instead of 16kb that all other versions had (afair) I owned one of these myself. I think there was even a different version of GEOS or a mod that used the extra memory. But i never used GEOS 128 myself. I think i read about it in the "64'er" magazine.

[@teresamartinson7427]

128 MEGA FRIKIN BYTES BRO

[@RogelioPerea]

Nice project, not a bad deal all things considered :-)

[@SeltsamerAttraktor]

Why don't you cobble together an adapter? Even if you have to do some active translation, would be a nice microcontroller project.

[@SeltsamerAttraktor]

Oh nvm you got one.