Retro Rescue: Commodore PET 4032

[@MrLurchsThings]

If you’re curious as to why the video starts with the Pet under a black sheet, I originally had the idea of “I got a grail machine, can you guess what it it’s?” But in the process of cleaning and working on it, I decided it deserved to be front and centre from the get go.

[@ctrlaltrees]

I personally enjoyed the big reveal despite already knowing what was coming 😁

[@marioavossa]

Way back in 1980, I went on a school trip to the local college, and the first computer I had ever used was one of these. Someone just wrote a small basic program that wrote my name down the green screen and I was captivated by that simple thing. 42 years later, my basic programming skills are exactly the same as then.

[@RG-ot1vy]

What are you saying, you haven’t learned shit about programming since then?

[@gklinger]

What you're calling the "wider sticker case" PET (aound these parts we call them short neck and long neck) has two cuts out where low-profile disks drive could be mounted. Commodore never shipped any with internal drives though. When Commodore replaced the 9" monitor with a 12" one they redesigned the case removing the unneeded openings so the monitor wouldn't be as high up. Such PETs carry the "Fat Forty" nickname.

[@homelate1306]

Me wife asked what I was watching after she heard ‘now I have a working keyboard on my Pet’. As always, great work!

[@sio2groper410]

When I first started (UK) High School, the computer room was a small cupboard outside the maths office. It had a Video Genie (Dick Smith System 80 MK I over here), a 2001 series PET and a 40 column PET with the dual disk drives and the tractor feed dot matrix printer. Soon after a BBC model B arrived. We could 'Learn To Program' at lunch times (programs which usually had a high score table) but the Video Genie was left alone for the new comers to use. After a while the old hands would show you the dry carrot stuck under the U key, a memento of when somebody had chundered all over the keyboard. You were wise to spend all that time cleaning!

[@SirHackaL0t.]

We had two of these in our secondary school. Loved using them as a teenager.

[@rogerjones8809]

Loved this video Mr. Lurch! The first computer I ever got to touch and use was a Commodore PET in 1978 and it had the chiclet keyboard and a cassette drive for storage. It was like magic to see it work, alas all the mystery is gone now but the magic never left me. I owned a C64 at one time also! However I have not seen one of these PET machines since I left school. Hope to be lucky enough to acquire one one day! Thank you for sharing this!

[@zacherynuk842]

This is a mad blast from the past. My right hand was an extension of that right hand NUMpad - but back then - smoking in offices meant that I had just thought that everything was yellow - LOL! this is a great restore.

[@retronicksprogrammingchann2337]

just 5 years later the amiga was released. the changes in technology were massive in this short period of time.

[@MrLurchsThings]

And now the world gets excited over a slight tweak on the latest phone every few years.

[@Sheevlord]

Speaking of the key repair - I had the same issue with my TV remote. I opted for a rather ghetto method - cutting out circles out of thick aluminum foil and supergluing them onto the button plungers where the carbon layer was. In order for glue to stick I had to slightly sand them first. Not the most elegant solution but it actually worked. And it was really cheap.

[@robertsissco2439]

I picked up my 4032 about a year ago, and I love it.

[@ctrlaltrees]

I love how these hinge open to reveal the innards. Cool design! Thanks for once again showing me around another computer I knew very little about. 🙂

[@MrLurchsThings]

.... and now you want :D :D

[@shanesdiy]

I love these old machines so much. I still have my 4032 Pet in my storage room covered with a plastic bag. I even have the cassette tape recorder for saving and loading programs to a normal audio cassette tape. Been probably 15-20 years since I powered it up, this makes be want to pull it out and give it a test run. So cool to write a basic program, hit "record" on the cassette deck and save the program. Then retrieve it from the cassette.

[@MrLurchsThings]

You 110% should. And if you run into trouble, the community is fantastic.

[@shanesdiy]

I posted before I finished watching. I'll certainly pull it out and take a look at the items you mentioned at the end of the video to see if I have any info that may be useful. I think I might have two cassette recorders for it. One had something wrong with the door I think, it wouldn't stay down or something. I'll see if I still have both. Perhaps you might want the one that needs some work to pair up with your unit? If I can find it we'll chat!

[@TechTimeTraveller]

Jealous. Really want a 40 col PET with the larger screen. I have an 8032 with the same keyboard issues so this gave a really good visual on the process to fix. The music was on point too! Well done!

[@cpace123]

It's a wonderful machine. I just happend pick one up from an estate sale 2 days ago. Also on my list of retro pc's to get. I am now eagerly awaiting my SD2PET to arrive.

[@reiner0609]

Cool music during the cleaning montage. More of that please!

[@MrLurchsThings]

The British IBM gave me special permission for this vid, but I really recommend you go check them out.

[@ashtonsretrocomputerroom]

Beautiful, one of my favourites!! 🙌

[@richardperritt]

Ah the things of my misspent youth (it's misspent when you are suspended from high school for skipping art class to program on the school's CBMs 🤷‍♂) While I am a world away in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I would be remiss if I didn't mention reaching out to TPUG - the Toronto Pet Users Group. Invariably a primo resource for all things Commodore. Dave Bradley comes to mind as a trove of hardware knowledge. He also has his own small YT channel. There are others from TPUG as well. On YT, Adrian's Digital Basement is a great resource. Congrats on scoring what appears to be a 4032 in really good nick!

[@minombredepila1580]

I really don't know if I liked ***your*** brand new PET more or by the contrary your face of joy and excitement. Enjoy it mate !!!!. Glad to see you happy 🙂

[@BigCar2]

Nice video, and great sweatshirt!

[@ronininteractive]

Totally off topic but awesome to see Kurt's photo in the background!

[@user-marco-S]

Some years ago, a seller did want to sell a working CBM model 4032 (no "PET" on the label). But the video went black, so it was sold as defect. I did buy it. After replacing a burned resistor in the monitor, it came back to live. But now, it needs a different repair. The computer doesn't show the cursor.

[@necronom]

I also had the PET as "a computer I would love to own but never will", but then I got one in November, so for about 5 months I've played every PET game I could find and that would work on my 4032 (and even fixed some and translated others). I got the 4032 as it's the best one in my opinion. It looks the best, has 32K, a gorgeous 12 inch green screen, and almost all software works. I added a reset button to mine, and adjusted the screen height slightly (it was too squashed), and I love it 🙂 There was some paint damage on the case, though I've managed to paint over that as best I can. It's really hard matching the colour! I learnt to program on them at school from 1982 onwards (we also had some BBCs, and one RM 380Z that the teacher used). I have an SD2PET, which is really good. I just load the wedge program first to make moving around the "disk" easier.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

When the C64 first came out, the Vic-20 was still being sold for a while. I asked my parents for a Vic-20 because I figured the C64 was too expensive to request for a Christmas present. But when Christmas rolled around and I opened that boxy present under the tree, I was floored to see that it was a C64 and not a Vic-20! My mom said that they couldn't remember the name of the one I had wanted, only that it was made by Commodore and they ended up getting this one. My friend at the time was super jealous because he had JUST got a Vic-20 with a 16k RAM expansion...

[@ForTheBirbs]

Ahhhh, more nostalgic memories. Its so long ago, but I moved from a PET 2001 to a 4000 series, and onwards. When I sold them I was visited by someone from CSIRO. Little did I know that one day I'd be working for them...

[@theretroasylum]

Great work, loved seeing the Pet working again 👍

[@MindFlareRetro]

Brilliant! What a great piece for the collection! Shhh... don't tell anyone. I actually have one waiting for some love, as well.

[@robertsissco2439]

Also, there is no polarity on the Shift Lock switch. In order to engage it you just need to bridge lines A and 9 on the keyboard connector. I built miniPET from Tynemouth and got the tex elec keyboard and just experimented on it since my PET keyboard had the lock wires coming from those lines by using a piece of where to just bridge and would trigger it it on both the miniPET and the real thing when I connected the keyboard to that as well.

[@KAPTKipper]

A PET 2001 is my first PC. Bought used in 1979. I still have it and it works. Chicklet keyboard was terrible. We used 4016 and 4032 units in HS for the first "Computer Sciences" course our system offered. Yours just needs a case badge

[@Renville80]

My local school district had dozens of PETs and the corresponding peripherals (dual drives and printers with IEEE488 ports) back in the 80s, and I now wonder what their ultimate fate was. For sure, they wound up in the city’s annual surplus auction, but whether someone snapped them up or whether they ended up as e-waste, I’ll never know.

[@MrLurchsThings]

I know the thousands of Microbees here in Australia end up mostly in landfill 😢

[@RudysRetroIntel]

Excellent find and video! I own one and it is lovenly known as the Fat 40, due to the 12 inch screen. You should get a SD2PET device that plugs into the IEEE port that acts like a floppy/hard drive form the future was 8 bit. Excellent addition

[@cpace123]

I just repaired my shift lock key. With the help of a 3d printer. I made 3d model and purchased a new mini on / off switch. I still have to do clean the entire keyboard as some keys are sticky and 1 or 2 keys don't work. Cross fingers it just need a little tender care.

[@melanierhianna]

The first “big school” I ever went to did computing by filling in tables on pieces of paper and sending them off to be entered and run and then you got the bugs or output back. Then we moved and the second big school has a Pet so it’s the first real computer I ever touched!

[@geekwithsocialskills]

Very nice score! The monitor CRT might brighten up after you let it run a while. That happened with my PET 4016. After running a few hours and warming up, the picture came back to life.

[@MrLurchsThings]

It not completely terrible. It’s certainly usable, just a bit on the dim side. Given the age of the machine - it’s probably the yeast of my concerns.

[@geekwithsocialskills]

@@MrLurchsThings The PET will be a solid machine for you. I recapped mine to future proof it. I'm pretty sure the monitor will brighten up a little bit. I'm sure it looks better in person too.

[@brianv2871]

That's the downside of these vintage all in one systems, one day those monitors will completely go and they aren't making new crts. Unlike something like a c64, hooking up to a lcd is barely an option for these (and even if you managed it, it would be super awkward to have an lcd next to a pet with a non functioning crt).. guess time will tell.

[@MrLurchsThings]

@@brianv2871 If the CRT went and I couldnt get a replacement, I'd probably try and retrofit an LCD internally.

[@geekwithsocialskills]

@@MrLurchsThings I've seen a composite video board being made to have external video on PET computers. I've also seen someone put a small LCD into a PET monitor chassis with a scanline generator board and it looked decent. Of course not a real CRT but better than no screen at all.

[@michaelcarey]

Excellent video! I too have always wanted a PET computer but as you say they aren't common in Australia. I'm likely going to head down the replica path.

[@parrottm76262]

Yeah, even when my original Model 1 was with me, it was temperamental enough then. Can't imagine how much trouble it would cause today. If I ever bought another TRS-80, I would probably get the last revision of the 4, or maybe even a 4p. I totally agree on getting the PET model you have. I worked with both you mentioned in the vid, and the later one was much more stable, even back in the day. Totally stoked to see more PET vids from you. Congrats on the new ownership!

[@winstonsmith478]

I hope that two-part conductive paint works better than the one-part paint meant to restore the pads on remote controls. I used that one-part paint on a remote control and after a while it began to flake off and by moving around within the remote caused all kinds of hilarious behavior of the items controlled by the remote.

[@IanSlothieRolfe]

This is only a guess, but some 4000 series PETs had slightly different size monitors. The wider one would need mounting "lower" so that it wouldn't make the computer taller. Commodore had a tendency to morph their designs from one model to the next, putting what parts they had during the transition. Often they would release a model with one board, develop the next one then design a "universal" board for repairs and later production - they did this with the 3016/3023 boards and I think the later 2000/3000 PETs. I have an original 2001-8 and its a great device, but keeping it running is a labour of love, its the machine my Father and I got back in 1979. The BASIC in its standard form only works with some of the IEEE peripherals and notably not the disk drives, so going for a later model is a good idea. The 4000 series is compatible with most (later) PET software and certainly more than the 2000 series with original ROMS.

[@robintst]

That was awesome to watch, great work, man! Another beloved PET rescued from the trash heap!

[@thomasives7560]

Great restoration and a beautiful machine. I first used the Pet in grade 7-9, spent many hours typing in games from magazines, and I remember them fondly. Pro-tip regarding the grounded table edging: **PLEASE** for your safety, install a 1M-Ohm (or larger) resistor in the wire between the table-edge metal and earth ground. When working on energized equipment, a direct path to ground near you coud result in shock or damage because of the direct path to ground through the metal surface. For the purposes of ESD, a 1M-Ohm resistor (minimum) provides (1) safety from shock and (2) a low-current path to ground for electrostatic discharge that is less likely to damage sensitive semiconductors. The ESD resistor can be up to 100M-Ohms, but 1M-Ohm to 10M-Ohms is better since the ESD strap probably already contains a 1-10M-Ohm resistor. At some point, it would be a good idea to get an ESD mat to cover the entire surface of the table, which will both help to dissipate ESD and cushion the equipment you're working on. ESD is the silent killer of electronics because it can either totally zap an IC or just degrade its functionality and make the system unstable. I hope that helps! Love the channel and your enthusiasm for the subject. Cheers!

[@MrLurchsThings]

The resistor is already done 👍

[@jeffreyphipps1507]

For storage using SD, you might want to try the SVI that connects to the commodore tape port (if it's the same one used on the C-64). The SVI has an adapter. Useful device because it can be used on many systems (some require adapters). The SVI is also made in your area - ships from Australia. Might save a lot in shipping. There is a bit of a wait list because of parts shortages, but it didn't seem long to me.

[@MrLurchsThings]

I actually have one already

[@TimsRetroCorner]

I cut my programming teeth on a 3032 at uni 1n 1980. I always wanted to own one, but I've never lived anywhere with enough space to keep it & use it. Back in those days we bought floppy discs as singles. A box of 10 was way expensive!

[@marctorres7182]

Always love your videos. I wish you'd hit a critical mass of subscribers to encourage more videos

[@captaincrash12]

I have two 8032 versions. One is having memory issue indications on the screen. The other just stopped working. Get to them one day when I get room again.

[@patbreen3859]

Well done on the keyboard repair Jason!

[@MrLurchsThings]

Cheers. I honestly hate working on keyboards. They're repetitive and its so easy to make one small mistake that you can then loose hours back-tracking. So on this I just decided to go for gold and luckily it paid off.

[@KAPTKipper]

@@MrLurchsThings C64 Keyboards are compatible electrically -

[@GORF_EMPIRE]

A truly beautiful machine! Congratulations on your acquisition!

[@VK2FVAX]

Excellent! Really enjoyed watching this and your excitement is great! You can use a 1530/C2N with it from a C64. Then run tap2wav or wav2tap on your PC sound card.

[@digitaldiggings]

Ahh, I remember Steve's well. Being into both computers and radio, it was a one stop shop!

[@DarrenLandrum]

I like your choice in music.

[@mariusberger3297]

i can definitely confirm the "cranky-ness" of old computers. I have a PET 2001 (the first version with the built in tape deck and small keyboard) and when I got it, it was dead. After having replaced a total of 8 bad chips, the computer worked fine for a while but recently something failed in the reset circuitry. I have some later PETs as well (a 3008 and an 8032) and they are way more reliable the keyboards are very notorious for being flaky, I had to do them on every one of my PETs The PET is my favorite computer of all time, I hope you'll have lots of fun with yours in the future

[@MrLurchsThings]

I think for my own sanity, I'm glad I went with the 4032. As much as I love my Europlus and Model 1, they drive me nuts and I really wanted to enjoy the PET without the headaches. I'm pretty happy with the KB repair. Ive been banging away on it a bit since and it seems pretty solid.

[@BlaBla-pf8mf]

Let's all pretend that we didn't read the title and we don't know what beauty is under the wraps

[@OldAussieAds]

That design of the PET is something I could imagine being in the space ship of 2001 A Space Odyssey. I wonder if that was intentional (particularly as Commodore used 2001 in one of the model names)? I’ll have the Google that.

[@richretrotech9426]

The machine I used in school. About 15 years ago I had a couple of them but had to get rid due to finances at the time. Miss them.

[@brianv2871]

Something relaxing about just watching a computer cleaning video. My experience with my Pets keyboard was pretty similar and i also just went straight to the paint method (though i used silver contact paint) rather then screwing with each key to see what i could make work and not. Had already done the same with my trs-80 model 4. Good luck with the next steps, i ran into some difficulties with the Pet2sd so I'm not sure how much I'd recommend that, but ymmv or maybe there's better options now.

[@MrLurchsThings]

Cheers. There seems to a couple of options now. I'll look into it soon. Unfortunately shipping and exchange rates are a killer at the moment.

[@brianv2871]

@@MrLurchsThings yeah, i had a couple pcbs printed which is also what Adrian used.. he had sightly better luck then me, but he just built out the bare minimum whereas i fully built one with lcd and everything.. however there's a known issue with one of the chips randomly having issues and i had that issue but Adrian didn't (maybe because my chips came from china... Haha). Chuck has a video where he builds one and also had the same issue.. not a deal breaker but it is a pain. My lcd also sucks. Anyway, if you find some other good reasonable options, let me know.

[@andyhs1970]

Anyone know where I can get a To3 transistor, power regulator. SFC 2805 RC. Or an alternative 🤔 any help would be greatly appreciated 👍

[@Robertkopp84]

My guess is that this variant is preconfigured as 80 column so it can be deployed without further configuration. When you said there is more software for the 40 column mode, you are just looking at commercially available software. I bumped into some PETs during my apprenticeship at Siemens and they all ran proprietary software made in house.

[@MrLurchsThings]

For proprietary business software, yeah I can understand 80 column. As for the 80col on this, it’d definitely been done after the fact.

[@yeetmaster0072]

i got one by an school that wanted to throw away but it works and it was free what can i do with it now

[@larryk731]

Could you have used your kitchen oven to reach 90C

[@KolliRail]

Awesome! Well done, Jason! A PET isn't something you'll see every day here in Germany, but they are not that rare. Back then the biggest mailorder company 'Quelle" were selling them for DM 3950,- in late 1981 (that's € 4600,- in today's money). In fact the first home computer I ever saw was a PET 2001 in the local store of that mailorder company. I'm not a Commodore guy, as you probably know, but I would like to have a PET in my collection. I also like the PET followup models with the more rounded case a lot.

[@andyhs1970]

Great work. Still trying to repair my 4032 here in the UK 🇬🇧 😫

[@j0eCommodore]

Other problem with that model being 80 column is that most 80 column PET games were written with the business keyboard in mind, so that keyboard ("N"on-busines or graphics keyboard) is seen differently (I just got a 40/80 mini PET and am using a graphics keyboard with it and a lot of the 80 column arcadish games don't recognize the graphic keyboard keys) The two keymaps are almost totally different. 🙂 It wouldn't be hard to modify, just some time poking through the ML to find the keyboard interpreting code.

[@j0eCommodore]

Oh on "very Commodore 64-ish keyboard", the first VIC-20s actually used PET business keyboard parts (only used one column of the numeric keypad area for the function keys) and a different circuit contact board, and some of those keycaps has the nice big PET keyboard alphanumeric lettering. To get games into the PET you can use the VIC/64 cassette tape drive. To get programs onto the cassette right away, you can use a Commodore 64 with the program Unicopy 64, (found in most PD collections) it lets you file copy programs from disk (or emulated disk) out to tape. fortunately the PET disks are compatible with the 1541 or whatever you use to mount d64s.. The thin display PET 4032s had 4.0 ROMs but not the more advanced CTRC controller so they were mostly compatible with the "Fat 40s" but not quite (you find some 4.0 PET games only work on one or the other 4.0 ROM PETs.) the 80 colum PETs came out at least a year before the fat 40s but bopth use the same MB, so that MB is probably just an early production. As far as the panel height, I think the first ones were just copying the original PET case proportions, then for a while they had models where that black panel was a separate piece and could be removed and internal floppy drives put in - had extra mounting holes under the monitor section for them (never seen it used though), then they went with the low profile badge - might be to add extra room for expansion boards like on the 8096 and SuperPET.that's my speculation..

[@RetroSteamTech]

A brilliant video Jason 👍👍👍 I love my PET (CBM 3008). When I restored it 5 years ago one of the best storage solutions available was the PetSD+, sadly these are no more. I will be very interested to see what you come up with in the storage department. There are some amazing games for the PET computers. There is a great version of Space Invaders, which even gives you a circuit diagram at the beginning showing how to wire the PET up for sound. Then there is Meteorites by D.E.Anthony a great Missile Command clone, also with sound. Labyrinth, a 3D Maze game. Also, my favourite, Seige by Mike Singleton. You should be able to find all of these on the net but if you want any specific program that you can't find let me know, I might have it. Cheers, Alan.

[@UpLateGeek]

That's one good looking pet, and it'll be even better when it gets its name tag! 😁

[@lowlevelretro]

I noticed your 4032 seems to take a little while to boot after turning on the first time. I'm guessing that start up time will be less if you turn off and turn back on within a minute. Mine sometimes does this after sitting a month, and will take up to 30 seconds to come up the first time... I'm suspecting a cap has kind of stopped being a cap and needs that time to remember what it's job is.

[@avvidme]

Anyone know any good resources to get a key cap for Pet? Or whole new keyboard worse case? I have an 8096 in great shape but missing a space key.

[@VK2FVAX]

Wonderful :) Makes me want to dig my 8032 out. Half your luck! Good that it's got a loving home :) Now you need to find SuperPET board.

[@MrLurchsThings]

I'm just (ridiculously) happy I have this one.

[@falksweden]

Well done! It's a wonderful machine. With the replacement 4032 label and maybe a CRT swap it'll be like new.

[@MrLurchsThings]

The CRT is certainly still usable, just not super bright. If a tube comes my way, I'll try it - but i can certainly live with how it is now. (In saying that, if i need to do any video capture in a video on it, I'll probably overlay emulator video)

[@aytviewer2421]

I would have also picked a 4032 over the 2001. I love the 40xx machines!

[@cyningstan]

Did the PETs with the wider label also have a smaller screen? About 30 years ago I had a CBM 4032 with a 9" screen, but I don't remember whether the label was a wide or a narrow one. I prefer the 9" model as (I read) it isn't susceptible to the infamous "killer poke".

[@RDJ134]

Thats a cool historical piece, as a kid i wanned one so bad, but my first own real computer was a C64 :)

[@svenpetersen1965]

Indeed, I have watched it. :-) yes, the PETs are really sexy retro computers. I was working with them for over 10 years between 1980 and I think 1991. I have written a huge amount of software. Unfortunately, there is nothing left. Would be cool to check out my old code.

[@mariusberger3297]

the reason you had trouble separating the monitor from the chassis is because the holes for the chassis aren't drilled very precisely and the threads usually get caught. It will come free with some careful prying with a business card

[@MrLurchsThings]

Ok, so in theory it should have come apart they way I was going?

[@mariusberger3297]

@@MrLurchsThings yes, it just takes some convincing. the 8032 i am currently fixing up had the monitor frame fused to the chassis by rust, removing it was pretty scary

[@MrLurchsThings]

@@mariusberger3297 Cheers. I dont feel like a complete idiot then :D

[@LetsPlayKeldeo]

Red goes to the top :P Hope the reminder was late enough

[@eveypea]

I have to ask: did you try disconnecting the keyboard and re-attaching it to the motherboard before doing all of that work? The reason I ask is that a lot of retro repair videos that I have seen always recommend trying to de-oxidize and clean the connection contacts before declaring the keyboard as needing work

[@MrLurchsThings]

Yup. 100%. It was definitely the carbon pads.

[@bzuidgeest]

the black cloth over the machine is a little rediculous considering it's plainly visible in the thumbnail 😮 and named in the title of the video.

[@MichaelEhling]

29:26 That seems fair. :)

[@MrNonesuch]

Damn, I'm jealous man. This is one of my unicorn computers.

[@MrLurchsThings]

I'm still pinching myself. Honestly.

[@brianv2871]

Yeah, i remember when i got mine (i actually won it in a raffle for a local commodore show) and i felt the same as lurch in that i never thought I'd have one.. admittedly as much as i love having one, they are super limited in use compared to other vintage systems.. but it's okay, they look awesome.

[@MrLurchsThings]

@@brianv2871 I kinda like how people use the limited petscii characters to do creative stuff. It has its own charm.

[@tommyovesen]

Oh how I want a PET, but it's impossible to get unless you pay 1-2 months wage for it

[@ropersonline]

5:52: "What I desperately want to do to this machine right now is to basically get rid of 20 years of dust inside and out."

[@MrLurchsThings]

20 years -> how long it’d been in storage.

[@chaoticsystem2211]

What monster locks up their pet for 20 years in a storage can???

[@MrMaxeemum]

I would have subscribed but it's just another running commentary video.

[@MrLurchsThings]

You do better