Olivetti PCS 286 Rescue Part 1

In this video I'm going to be looking at this Olivetti PCS 286 that I received that is not working.
It kept blowing the fuse as soon as I turned it on. So this video will involve looking into the power supply of this computer and attempting to fix the issue. We'll try to get the PC to post again, and look at the PC itself in part 2 ( • Olivetti PCS 286 Rescu... )
A word of caution on working with power supplies :
Switching power supplies are connected to dangerous mains voltage
Capacitors can hold a charge with a dangerous voltage even when disconnected from mains
Risk of electric shock and death, fire, explosion
This video is not an instruction. Do not attempt this at home without a qualified person.
I am not a trained professional, so don't take my word for it.
#Olivetti #286 #Repair

[@JimLeonard]

As a fellow Olivetti owner (M24), I understand how frustrating these proprietary PSUs can be. Thanks so much for making this video; I learned a few things.

[@RetroSpector78]

As did I :) Thank you for watching the videos !

[@mattscomp]

Olivetti and the curse of proprietary components! Awesome job on restoring these old machines I must say.. You are doing the Lord's work.

[@RickTheGeek]

Usually an “exploded” fuse means a short, and a fuse that’s just “melted” is an overload.

[@proxy1035]

or you could just say the fuse was "blown" to mean "whatever broke this fuse" also technically a short is just a form of overload

[@andygozzo72]

yep, in some cases the fuse can literally explode, blowing its case to pieces, the inrush limiter thermistor would have prevented it,

[@simontay4851]

Ive had glass fuses before that exploded with a loud bang.

[@BenState]

yeah, nah, this is not anything anyone should take as a rule.

[@dminalba]

The Olivetti PCS 286 was my family's 1st pc back in 1991, It came with the PCS software 1992 kit which has MSDOS 3.3, Microsoft Works 2.0 and Ports of Call. We later upgraded it to MSDOS 5 and Windows 3.1, Good machine and good memories.

[@trainingtheworld5093]

I am a new subscriber and I am so glad I found you. You have a brilliant way of making complicated issues simplified which actually makes it very entertaining to watch you fix things. Your voice is also gentle and relaxed. Thank you.

[@gbclab]

Wowwwwww my very first PC from 1988, I also overhauled it 2 years ago and I am still using it thanks to XT-IDE!

[@konijnenkop1177]

I rolled out hundereds of these and many other models in my Olivetti engineer years. Nice to see one again!

[@RetroSpector78]

Hehe glad it brought back some memories. They are lovely little machines !

[@MarkALong64]

That was a trip down memory lane. I was developing automatic test equipment on one of these back in the late 80s.

[@djdjukic]

Nice video and computer! Very Italian, that design element on the front I would call a colonnade. Just FYI, that screwdriver you have is a Pozidrive, those are mainly used in furniture and you are likely going to chew up PC screws. Notice the 45°-offset second cross on the screwdriver tip. Dig around your toolbox for a classic Phillips style screwdriver.

[@the_kombinator]

I remember throwing these out by the skid in the late 90s. Some of them even had 1.44 embossed in a strangely concave-faced floppy drive. I think some of my 286 CPUs come from those machines. I thought the cases were cheaply built - this variant looks more solid

[@Inject0r]

Lovely to see that you've come across the same troubles that I've experienced a short while ago. It's so super satisfying to have a working power supply after this amount of labor. 😁💪 The PSU in my Philips NMS 9100 had 12 defective components after the transistor died on me. There was a big bang and spark coming from the back of the PC. One of the most awesome things I have repaired so far! Thank you again for these really clear video's. I've learned something again! 😁

[@RetroSpector78]

Really glad you enjoyed it ... wow 12 defective components .... i'm sure I desoldered and checked over 12 components in the DC output (diodes / caps / rectifiers / .....) because I was sure the PSU was still faulty ... but they were all good :) I just couldn't simulate the load the mainboard added to the PSU .... ordered some high wattage resistors and will see what I can still put in in part 2 for that.

[@Inject0r]

@@RetroSpector78 I'm really eager to see that video coming! 😁 I think the resistors might be a good start to further diagnose the PSU. Also, diodes and capacitors were on my list of replacement... 🤐 Anyway, good luck! 🍀

[@spwim]

really nice piece of machinery, looks so slick

[@wuss999]

I used to work for Olivetti in the UK well before PC's were a thing! Worked on the Auditronic A770/730 TC300 range of computer terminals and their Vector Mini system. Also many different Reel to Reel computer decks. I eventually left to work for an American firm called Wordplex who made stand alone and large multi terminal word processors.

[@gabrielebiffi9018]

My father worked for Olivetti in this period and brought this beauty home in '89, when I was 9... I learned DOS, Windows, Office, and programming on this thing, and now thanks to it I'm a software developer. Oh, the memories. Mine is since long gone, but now I restored four of them and learned a few tricks that may save you some time: - it needs the battery replaced to boot from HD, and it's in the infamous Dallas RTC - it needs the riser card to be installed or it won't detect the HD (bus termination?) - DO NOT connect that HD to a modern motherboard or adapter, IT WILL DIE! and perhaps the motherboard too - to detect a more modern HD, set it to master, use a 80 wires IDE cable and connect the HD to the SLAVE connector (yes, that's weird). The BIOS only allows 20 or 40 mb drives, you can choose any and then use XTIDE or Ontrack to use full capacity - some CF cards works too, but no SD or SATA adapters. Also, there's no way to add a second IDE device without another controller. - the FD is PC standard, but if you use a standard cable you need to use the connector for the B: drive. I couldn't find a way to make a second FD work, even though it was also sold in a dual floppy, no HD config. I have some of the original manuals and utilities, if you want them just write me. The interactive guide is actually GORGEOUS!

[@RetroSpector78]

hehe .... fixed the battery and noticed the riser card issue also :) That will all come in part 2 tonight :) Tried the hard drive on an old 486 and it did auto-detect it, but then threw a Drive C: error. It is a lovely little machine. Also have an Olivetti 386 that I am taking a look at, but that one seems to be a lot more difficult to service, with lots of plastic bits that can break off.

[@gabrielebiffi9018]

@@RetroSpector78 Can't wait for part 2! Which 386 is that? I never worked on one specifically, but they reused the parts in several models, maybe I can help.

[@RetroSpector78]

@@gabrielebiffi9018 it's a M300-02. Still need to take a look at it in detail. Bought it as broken. Did a quick power-up and noticed that it starts but it keeps rebooting in the middle of the startup-sequence (when it performs the tests). But haven't looked into it yet. The case seems to be very annoying to work with :) At first glance there seem to be lots of plastic things (that can break off) that you need to remove.

[@gabrielebiffi9018]

@@RetroSpector78 I love that little case. To open it there's a screw and then a lever to pull, the mechanism inside is plastic. Never had any problem so far but I can imagine it can break. And I never had that problem, as far as I can remember, but I do remember it locking up for bad ram.

[@BlackDragon-xn2ww]

I like the psu testing this was far better then what I got in college in the 80's great work

[@electronash]

Well done for explaning the safety risks of working on power supplies, even after they are unplugged from the mains. The smoothing caps in some PSUs do discharge relatively quickly, but others definitely not. And although a cap might not sustain the voltage for very long once it's discharged, it can produce a HUGE amount of current in a very short time. Same with making sure CRTs are dicharged correctly. The tube itself acts as a big HV capacitor, and some flyback transformers also contain caps, but not everyone mentions those, nor the caps on the main board. It takes less than 100mA of current across the heart stop it, or cause serious arrhythmia. Having said that, once you know what to look for, these things *can* be safely worked on. Interesting repair vid, too. Subbed. ;)

[@firatyuksek]

my very first computer ... dated in 1992 ... funny thing is I came across your channel a couple of months ago while searching for a video of this PC and subscribed because I loved your work ... now this happens =) I was the cool kid of the school because it had VGA monitor and 20 MB's of HDD... No disks required to play the beautiful 256 colored games

[@RetroSpector78]

Hehe... glad to hear you like the channel .... feel free to spread the word and continue watching, liking and commenting ! Appreciate it.

[@RiccardoRivi]

Finalmente qualcuno si rende conto dei computer italiani

[@RetroSpector78]

Hehe ... you are welcome. Did not even have to use google translate to understand (I think).

[@RetroSpector78]

Have 2 more olivetti’s (XT, 386 and perhaps one more 286) that will be featured here. Please tell all your Italian friends :)

[@HighwayHunkie]

@@RetroSpector78 i got a 486 and a Pentium 60 of Olivetti.... let me know if you need hahaha

[@RetroSpector78]

Haha ... you need my address ? I’ll cover the shipping :)

[@amberselectronics]

Great explanation of all the components, thank you

[@RetroSpector78]

Thx ... glad you liked it.

[@Wilson84KS]

Yup, I like it aswell that he didn't stop after finding the fault and not only explained but showed how to check further componets and did the unnecesarry extra-work and soldered them out, because this are the basics and they are very important, all together very important informations for people that just learn on their own.

[@parrottm76262]

I have no experience with an Olivetti, so this was a treat!

[@inwedavid6919]

Nice work and I love this kind of video, you save a PC and a piece of history. Keep work and videos they are good and instructives.

[@RetroSpector78]

Thx a lot. Glad you liked it.

[@procta2343]

This reminds me of the old RM slimline nimbus systems we used to have at school, the case is very similar.

[@antonionevone7320]

Very nice video, you made me remember my old Olivetti in 1992. Thank you!

[@arian.06]

i once had a pc that had one of theese 400v capacitors shorted to the casing. i learned the hard way.

[@gadi70]

I'd remind to also check that the swapped transistor is similar type than the original. There are maximum and saturation voltages, wattage etc. And the tab for the heatsink can be connected to another leg even if using using a compatible one. And while removing electrolytic capacitors, double-check the polarity. They'll tend sometimes to blow up loudly if polarity is reversed.

[@Edman_79]

Now this is a lovely machine. You're slowly becoming an old PC restoration God :D

[@RetroSpector78]

Haha ... wouldn’t go that far ... just enjoy playing around with them as a hobby and by no means an expert :)

[@Geomanb]

Oh you've got an Highscreen Compact Series II 386! - nice to see there are models of this PC well curated out there

[@RetroSpector78]

Well ... I got that pc for free but unfortunately there was a pentium in it... so it got upgraded at some point :) but will do a pentium -> 386 downgrade video on it.

[@osgrov]

What a slick machine. I'm gonna run off to part 2 now and hopefully you get it up and running. :) I love the detail you go into, it's just about right for a software guy like me who doesn't really tinker with hardware that much.

[@catriona_drummond]

Well this is interesting. I picked up a few Olivettis recently; among them an XT which avoided battery damage due to the mainboard being built in upside down. Definitely looking forward to the next episode, I have a lot to fix here myself. Got a 240, a 250 and an actually working 386. I kinda like the design of them, kinda clever and comparably nice looking thinking of all theother grey boxes back then. Italians...

[@RetroSpector78]

Also got an olivetti xt and an olivetti 386 I need to look at... but will first finish this one :) part 2 is already shot just need to edit the video.

[@dykodesigns]

Nice, compact looking design. Those PSU’s.... luckely my dad is an electronics hobbiest. We managed to repair the pentium 2, there where two bad caps on the motherboard who had budgled. No we are doing some preventative maintaince on the PSU of my BBC micro model (my dad’s first computer) as there are 3 caps that are notorious on them and two of them are those Rifa Caps.

[@simontay4851]

Rifa caps are nasty little buggers.

[@rberlim79]

Wow, that was very instructive, thank you! Channels like yours, LGR and 8Bit Guy are really fun to watch.

[@RetroSpector78]

Glad you like the videos !

[@DocMacLovin]

again a great video with lots of infos for beginners

[@RetroSpector78]

Thx a lot. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@s8wc3]

These computers seem to have come out of hiding recently, i've seen a bunch pop up on ebay within the past week or two and now this video! They came in 8086, 286 and 386 varieties, all seem like pretty good machines with integrated goodies.

[@davidbrown8303]

People that had them stored in their garage desided they can make a buck or two.

[@madmax2069]

Seeing all those retro computers reminds me of all the computers I use to have, that I wish I still had. I had an old Zenith 286 desktop, had a Wise 286 (can't find much info about it, and can't find a picture of it, it was quite unique as it had a little LCD screen on the front that would show you ram usage, and what speed the CPU was running at either 8 or 12mhz), two IBM PCs, one was a huge 40lb tower with a CPU upgrade, and the other was a IBM XT, a generic desktop PC with a 8088 or 8086 in it running around 5mhz. And a Compaq prolina 3/25zs

[@naikrovek]

I think the "OL" on multimeter continuity mode means "open line" and not "over limit" but I guess I'm not sure.

[@Hagledesperado]

I googled it, found almost the same, "open loop".

[@osgeld]

@@Hagledesperado yea I have the same argument with engineers at work, how could an open be over limit, its open line, open loop open whatever its open

[@Hagledesperado]

@@osgeld Well, the resistance is "higher than the limit of what meter is able to measure", so I think it's understandable that someone would interpret it that way. In either case, it's just a term. So long as we all can agree that it means a jolly high resistance, we're probably good.

[@Wilson84KS]

After I heard it here, the first time ever, I take it as a coincidence that both are correct, because depends on the situation it can be one or other, open line or over limit... as I've just looked up, some multimeters differ and show different letters "O.L.", "Range" or "Overload", so "Range" and "Over Limit" is the same I would say, so even three different information in one is absolutely true and not just "makes sense", let us establish this anyways, don't accept any argument, this is a fact now, some smart engineers meant it like that, next time when people start a discussion lift your nose and upper lip and say just "Nouuh" 😄

[@antilogism]

OL means that, whatever it is, it is more than can be measured by in the present range---past it's limit. Voltage and current will show the same when push beyond the range. Many meters will even show "-OL" when past the negative limit of the range. Many meters will top out at 40 MΩ or so but a blown fuse may be many GΩ or even several TΩ.

[@ceebee23]

This is a journey back int time .. BUT some serious thought has gone into the design ... the small icons on the rear to identify what plugs in where would have saved me HOURS of help desk time!!! And the CMOS seems rather icon based also. Interesting, even if the PC itself is a fairly standard 286.

[@dvdbytes4348]

Very clean internal design Despite the odd PSU and dive array layout.

[@Maxxarcade]

That's an interesting form factor, and going by those date codes of 1990, it's 30 years old now. I think that's the first time I've seen SIMM modules with DIP package IC's too. I'm pretty sure that BU508D is a horizontal output transistor for a TV, and it has an integrated damper diode. I've never seen someone use one in a PSU until now :-)

[@jonathanengwall2777]

That is what we had at home when I was a kid. That same ruthless operating system with educational games and weird writing programs. It had a strange mail application too. It ran text adventures badly. It was a painful machine to use.

[@retrogamestudios7649]

Now that's a shiny rear end

[@CYON4D]

Great work on the repair.

[@RetroSpector78]

Thx. Was fun and learned a lot ... Although it did took a bit longer than I was expecting :)

[@ct92404]

I'm just curious, do you mostly just collect computers from the late 80's and early 90's, or have you played around with earlier ones? I personally prefer collecting older computers from the early 80's because to me they're more intetesting and unusual. Early 90's computers just seem too "modern" and too similar to today's computers and what I've always used. There just isn't any novelty to them. I still enjoyed watching your video though.

[@RetroSpector78]

ct92404 have a lot of xt class computers that I featured on the channel. Recently received a retro donation that contained even older stuff (78 I think). Every time period has it charm and enjoy all of them for different reasons.

[@DxDeksor]

Very interesting ! That makes me remind the PSU from my ometra case (the big one that I have that looks like yours). It has a specific shape but it's AT, and the problem is that one day it didn't turn the pc anymore. The PSU still ""works"" (no blown component), but it's outputing something like 1 or 0.5v x)

[@RetroSpector78]

Deksor yeah can be lots if things ....you’ll need to start doing some measurements to find the culprit. Check if it is load related, make sure you can isolate the problem to the psu (and not some issue on the mainboard). If you suspect the output section, check the caps, diodes, rectifiers ....

[@steingat]

This computer defiantly looks like it was designed with industrial use in mind.

[@Dewotto]

Whenever I feel useless I just think about that heatsink glued onto that 286 CPU.

[@goncalodumas]

Nice video! This walkthrough of the PSU is very useful. You should do the same walkthrough to an Macintosh analog board :-p

[@vwestlife]

The saying is actually supposed to be " *lo* and behold", but "Lord and behold" is certainly an interesting twist on it! en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lo_and_behold

[@RetroSpector78]

Hehe .... been saying that wrong all my life ... luckily don’t use the expression on a daily (or even yearly basis) :) For a non native English speaker it is so easy to get things like that stuck in your head the wrong way :)

[@justusstern9125]

Back in time no one needed this shit, and today no one needs a 286 either !

Good job

[@jeffm2787]

Had to watch this video at 2x speed. I do this kind of stuff all the time so watching the PSU repair part is just well..boring for me. Good video.

[@RetroSpector78]

Hehe. I get that a lot. Need to learn to talk faster and find a better rhythm and flow.

[@jeffm2787]

@@RetroSpector78 It's all fine, just as someone with electronics training and having repaired countless switch mode supplies I was just looking for the failed component(s) to be found. I'm like let me speed this up.

[@RetroSpector78]

@@jeffm2787 feel free to give advise on my failed Tulip PSU video.

[@jeffm2787]

@@RetroSpector78 Thanks, I highly recommend you check out DiodeGoneWild on KZbin, he covers a ton of the theory behind SMPS in a way that won't put you to sleep. I would be shocked if you didn't learn a ton.

[@jordidiego3391]

That was my first PC. Love it 💕

[@GuybrushThriftweed]

A totally different design than my M290 286 Olivetti

[@hiredgun7186]

I would replace those Schaffner RFI AC caps , it's not a matter of if they will fail catastrophically, but when , they all tend to eventually crack the lacquer coating and fail short

[@jantestowy123]

I've lerned a lot, thank you sir!

[@RetroSpector78]

You’re very welcome !

[@argoneum]

Did you use PZ screwdriver for Philips screws? A common mistake (esp. the other way around), but please don't… It might be a good idea to replace those X2 RIFA caps, they are known magic smoke generators (seen that several times: magic smoke emerges, and that's it, the appliance is still operating). Great to see those old machines being restored, thanks for the video :)

[@RetroSpector78]

Guilty :) about the rifa caps : the 2 caps are also metalized paper safety caps, but not from the Rifa brand. Also had issues with Rifa caps and their distinct smell :) Do you know if this is a common issues with all metallized paper caps or was it specific to the Rifa brand ? And thx for watching. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@argoneum]

@@RetroSpector78 Only seen Rifa caps releasing the smoke (often the transparent resin was cracked before), don't know about other brands. That might not be necessary, but I'd feel better after replacing them, just in case.

[@deathcube2006]

It's so ugly , yet so beatiful...

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

Who the hell thought putting the expansion slots on the side was a good idea? I mean you already got the cables with the bulk of them in the back, and now your making the computer "wider" by having stuff come out the side. Oh well, its an old PC so can't really complain now since the company that made it probably isn't even around anymore (and thankfully they didn't start any trends int he PC world like the side ways expansion slots) **BTW, Thanks for the video! Enjoying these videos!**

[@the_kombinator]

MY 486 SIemens has the same thing - it makes for a slimmer case, basically the height of the power supply. I like that aesthetic on a desktop system. Of course, air circulation is an issue.

[@nickwallette6201]

Didn’t Compaq do that with their luggable too? I agree it’s not a great layout (riser with slots on the rear makes way more sense) but it was a period of trailblazing.

[@simonj48]

This is my first PC. Still have the monitor that came with it, but no longer the desktop. Long (now, sadly) upgraded to faster machines.

[@jameshearne891]

I'm guessing there were some stages replacing the switching transistors that you didn't show, the transistor and heatsink kept swapping around as the video progressed and at the end when it finally powered up the power transistor had no heatsink at all. The BU508D you fitted first has built in diode between the emitter and collector (as you saw on your meter) but this isn't standard on a transistor, the D version of the BU508 has it but most (including the original F444) don't. This may have caused you problems using that part.

[@RetroSpector78]

Yeah there are some continuity errors that creeped in during editing. Finally ordered a brand new transistor and used the original heatsink again. Will try to show that more in detail in part 2. Things can get kinda chaotic when debugging issues and trying different things. Not always easy to transform that into a meaningful and consistent 25min video :)

[@jameshearne891]

@@RetroSpector78 I wasn't complaining, i just found it amusing. It was a good video.

[@rodwallace6237]

The company bought a bunch of Xerox copiers and got three computers marked Xerox but made by Olivetti, early 1990's. I had a 286, no hard drive, had to load DOS before trying to use.

[@mrvellu]

Well done with the PSU! It seemed the capacitor lost its voltage rather fast or was the video speed up? I wish you could just replace these old PSUs with modern ones and not worry about them for the next 10-30 years

[@RetroSpector78]

Yeah... problem is they have a very specific form factor and the power button is also soldered on and needs to align with the case.

[@AncientElectronics]

You seem to have a good number of 286 machines in your collection. I'd say by far 286 PC's are the x86 CPU's I come across the least often not counting oddball stuff like the 80186. Makes me wonder if its just coincidence or if the 286 was more popular or pushed longer in Europe.

[@RetroSpector78]

When I started collecting a little over a year ago I think it took me 6 months before I got my first 286 machine (not counting the IBM 5162, the rarest 286 of them all that I got as my third retro pc). After those 6 months I started seeing some in local adds and decided to pick them up. I kinda like them cause I spent so much time working with XT based systems that these 286 machines felt like rockets :)

[@RetroSpector78]

Also as I think you pointed out in one of your videos, people don’t think about 286 pc’s when it comes retro pcs or retro gaming. Especially in the gaming department, things got interesting with the 386 and a lot of people I know tend to have started with a 386 or 486. So for the nostalgic feeling people often look at those.

[@AncientElectronics]

@@RetroSpector78 You've amassed an impressive amount of PC's for only getting in hardware collecting about a year ago. I didn't know anyone with a 286 based PC back in the day but I find them interesting despite there not really being anything special about them. I have an 8MHz IBM AT which is cool but a bit on the slow side and my 20MHz 286 is interesting for its rarity and just being a high end system but at that point mays well have a 386, I'm currently working on a VTI 12MHz 286 PC which I think represents the 286 "era" pretty well.

[@badscrewold3162]

Wow, nice bios!

[@RetroSpector78]

Yeah it’s pretty interesting. You can even jump to the bios from ms-dos using shift-ctrl-alt-del :)

[@PearComputingDevices]

A overly engineered Italian computer... neat!

[@andic8340]

You've installed a generic type chopper output transistor with an internal efficiency diode...it would be much better to replace the transistor with a similar type to the original. Also, check the chopper driver IC - looks similar to a TDA4600 type - and all the components associated with it by replacement. If this sounds a lot of work...well, it is but it's better than risking another PSU blow up in the new future. Best of luck!

[@MarkusQu]

SIMM Slots, 16 Bit ISA and PS2 Connectors on a 80286? Ahead its time :)

[@hipwave]

My Olivetti is older than that. It's a PC-1 HD based on an embedded NEC V40 CPU, 640 kb ram, 20 Mb hard disk + Olivetti PC-1 CGA color monitor and needle printer. Dos 3.2+Windows 2.0

[@RetroSpector78]

pippo spano looks like a cool machine. Have an XT based Olivetti that I will showcase here soon.

[@hipwave]

@@RetroSpector78 I'd like to add that Norton recently found only 1 bad sector in the HD, 31 yrs after installation... my new SSD is already failing after

[@bundesautobahn7]

Thank God the PC industry went away from proprietary AT-class systems during the '90s as they adopted ATX. Of course, there are still exceptions like Apple, but things have become much more harmonised across the board.

[@nickwallette6201]

I would say we’re back in the era of proprietary form factors again, as business PCs keep getting smaller.

[@markg3506]

Op 4minuut32 zie je 2 condensatoren zitten van 0,47uF. (ik heb het einde van het filmpje nog niet gezien), deze 2 condensatoren zijn brandgevaarlijk wanneer ze oud worden. Sterk advies om ze te verwijderen.

[@RetroSpector78]

Was ik nog van plan maar had geen replacements. Zal iets voor deel 2 zijn :)

[@RetroSpector78]

Zijn wel geen Rifa caps maar Wima (deze zouden niet zo snel scheuren / ontploffen). Maar misschien best vervangen na 30j :) heb zelf nog maar enkel issues gehad met rifa caps.

[@woswasdenni1914]

the fuse likely exploded because someone pushed the 110/220 lever on the backside (swithching ti 110 while connected to 220). source: did that myself

[@davidbrown8303]

You can get the yellow out of the plastic with Hydrogen peroxide. You get paper towels and soak them in Hydrogen peroxide then you lay them over the plastic and set it outside in the sunlight for about three hours and repeat that about three to four times and it will turn the case bright white like it was when it was new.

[@piecaruso97]

I had a power supply from one of those failing killing the motherboard of my unit, too bad it doesn’t use at style motherboards, for now I just have that case laying around

[@RetroSpector78]

Yeah too bad it’s all proprietary. Don’t think you will find a lot of standalone motherboards.

[@intel386DX]

very unusual PC :) NICE !

[@peterg.8245]

Are those RIFA X2 capacitors? Even modern X2 caps are safer than their 30-40yo counterparts, less messy when they pop.

[@HabadzaKalfa]

1:03 "Laite on liitettävä suko-rasiaan"... From the languages could assume that this specific unit was an export model to Nordic countries. No idea how common Olivetti computers were in general, but at least one friend had a 386 Olivetti PC in early 1990's. And regarding to the actual quote, my childhood house lacked grounded power sockets, so always felt a bit awkward to plug in computers and stuff there.

[@osgeld]

connor drives were tanks, forget who bought them wd or seagate ... and I see electrolytics go short every now and again, its right before they spontaneously explode, something like a power surge hits them in a storm or whatever and creates a weak spot in the insulation of the internal wrap.. then a couple weeks later BAM (if the fuse does not catch it). its a different failure to reverse polarity or prolonged overvoltage which is typically more released unless your doing something to MAKE them explode (like the old trick of sticking a 25v cap in a switched outlet and hoping your roommate turns on the lamp switch heh)

[@Krisztian5HUN]

wow really detailed vid thx

[@mikatorkkeli4932]

good info there thanks. now i know better what to look for, i have a C128 powersuply that doesnt output 9vac. 5vdc works and you say that those transformers rarely goes bad. i thought it has to be the transformer because 240 goes into it but i cant find anything coming out. well with my knowledge of electronics...tested it with 2 methods, the normal way with multimeter caps and broken traces, solder joints, input works right to the transformer and also tested with fingers, yep 240 is there :)

[@RetroSpector78]

Think these commodore supplies are a different beast all together. But I’ve never seen a bad transformer in a pc power supply. It’s usually something else. (Caps, diodes, transistors, rectifiers....)

[@mikatorkkeli4932]

@@RetroSpector78 That was what i was thinking too about transformers and theres nothing obvious that would be broken. theres not many parts, its alot more simple than a pc power supply so i will just start again by removing those transistors and testing them, that was a good point in the video :)

[@douro20]

Does that ESR meter automatically adjust the test frequency for a particular measured capacitance?

[@warrax111]

How long is safe to wait after disconnecting power supply / CRT monitor, before opening it, so it for sure don't have any charge... ?

[@14272nuno]

Hello, what is the reference for the fast switching power transistor you replaced with ???? i have a similar computer and the power supply is acting strange.. gives me a very wide range of voltage readings.. in the +5v i can have from 4v to 6,3v... i've replaced all the electrolitic capacitors, bulk capacitor, the two pair of Ac filters,..i think the power transistor may be faulty.

[@josedelcour6358]

Hi, I have the NTC 3.3 that blew on my power supply, so I need to replace it. Is it 3.3. Kohm ? Are there constraints on the current that goes through it ? Thanks for your reply.

[@lerkzor]

I know that I'm 3 years late, but I thought OL meant 'Open Line', rather than 'Over Limit'?

[@RuruFIN]

Looks like that it was also for Nordic market as there's Finnish text on the back.

[@bdrman2004]

“Lo and behold” not “Lord and behold”.

[@AdamChristensen]

I noticed that a couple times. Made me chuckle. :)

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

Tomahtoes tomaytoes

[@bassbustingman]

i was trying to explain 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag to a coworker did not know what an expression was i had explained it to him

[@twentyrothmans7308]

I'm stealing it.

[@AndrewAHayes]

My friend bought this PC and about 2 months later I bought an Amiga 1000, he was gutted and even more so when some of the excellent games came out, the only thing the 286 that my friend had that outdid the Amiga was the ability to run Lotus 123. He had DOS and Xtree and later Windows 3.1 which the Amiga community nicknamed Windoze as compared to Amiga Dos was extremely slow

[@massimo79mmm]

one of the two yellow capacitor just exploded in my pcs286. what is the code of the capacitor to replace them? thank you

[@cyberjack]

Little "SIMS" ..lol ..not seen them for may years

[@GiovanniBardazzi333]

Hi Retrospector! I'm restoring an Olivetti PCS 286, still have to replace/mod the Dallas RTC. With the dead battery I can't manage to get basic bios settings saved even if I don't powercycle the machine. Is that normal? Maybe I'm not saving settings while exiting the setup? Tried with esc and enter but on reboot no settings saved.. Can u help me or give some advices please?

[@andygozzo72]

be very careful substituting power transistors in switching psus and crt tv line output stages, ideally replace with identical or 'approved' replacement types or they may fail after a short while or even instantly.. check online or in databooks to make sure theyre 'compatible' ..

[@andygozzo72]

your replacement, the BU508D is normally used in tv line output stages, it has an internal diode collector to emitter, most psus dont need this, so a type BU508A without diode would do, but these two types have fairly low current gain, not a problem in line stages as they have quite a high current drive, in psus a type needing a bit higher gain is usually required, such a type in similar casing to the BU508s would be a BU426A..

[@A1L2E3X44]

Great video!

[@BlitzkriegGT]

i have it long time a go! i still keep hdd, ram, cpu. cuestion what type of disk format? i want to recover some old files

[@desperado0182]

[@arnaudmeert1527]

Are those 0.47µFarad caps RIFA's?

[@RetroSpector78]

They are not from the rifa brand but from Wima (also metalized paper caps). I don’t think they are as sensitive to cracks as the Rifa ones but I guess you could replace every component that is > 30 years old :) Will probably replace those as they are subjective to high voltages, and don’t know the history of this pc and how it was stored.

[@gordselectronicshobby3853]

Those transistors are PNP not NPN.

[@the_kombinator]

Right at the start of the video, that Kompact Serie III desktop case, did you get that on eBay by any chance? ;)

[@RetroSpector78]

Nope ... rarely buy retro stuff on ebay.

[@ct92404]

@@RetroSpector78 I would think that the shipping cost for a retro computer would be insanely expensive. That's why I never buy computers on eBay, at least.

[@the_kombinator]

@@ct92404 I ship for $35 USD. :) Free in Canada.

[@ct92404]

@@the_kombinator Ha, that's pretty good!

[@the_kombinator]

@@ct92404 My systems for the most part are complete, ready to go, with OS and games on them, and I try to maintian era correctness when possible. I film the interesting ones and their sales fund more strange purchases. Keeping a steady flow of comptuters gives me material to film, and some precious finds (I don't always know what I'm getting! Sometimes garbage but mostly not.)go into my personal collection, which my wife is just super thrilled about ;)

[@computerpro3330]

Do you have experience with removing corrosion from a motherboard? I just tried to remove corrosion on my 486 motherboard with vinegar and water and I forgot to take out the battery. Now I think I killed the board (But I think the battery was empty anyway). I'll find out when it's completely dry again.

[@OleArin]

It's not the voltage that kills, it's the amperage.

[@Decap1956]

0.47µf wima .. I always replace them, these are sometimes called stinkbombs here they burst open and spill a filthy stench

[@lellejazzo]

I have this computer, but hard drive is broken..