Amstrad Mega PC - Retrobrite and Repairs | Trash to Treasure (3/4)

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you for watching. You can enjoy 75% off NordVPN at nordvpn.org/RMC - Thanks NordVPN for your support and thank YOU for watching today. Neil - RMC

[@david-spliso1928]

Been using NordVPN for over 2 years and can confirm it's a great and reliable provider. Free testimonial for you 😁👍

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks! I'm impressed with it myself, I moved to them from Express VPN and it's a lot snappier for me

[@cadpietre4378]

are you a ventriloquist? i`m pretty sure i saw you throw your voice at the word "should" at 2:26

[@newsome36]

Hi, have a amstrad mega PC, I have the dreaded battery leak issue how do I find out if its repairable?

[@francistheodorecatte]

in the future, re-galvanizing corroded steel is actually very easy via electroplating. just need a ~6V@2A power supply (a 6V battery charger or bench power supply), a chunk of zinc to use as an electrode, some copper wire, a tub big enough to hang the steel piece in, and some epsom salt as an electrolyte. before starting, make sure the steel is very clean; use nitrile gloves while handling it, clean it with fragrance free dish soap and a nylon brush to remove any dirt or oils, and then with a metal cleaner and scotchbrite pad to remove any oxidation. otherwise you could end up with dark spots or peeling zinc. hook the positive lead of your power supply up to the zinc electrode, and the steel up to negative with the copper wires hanging it. make sure to move the work piece around as the plating is more-or-less 'line of sight.' just don't let the electrode touch the work piece! with a thick enough plating, you can buff the zinc to a shine and clear coat it. 😺 I replated the rusty EMI shielding and IO ports on my Macintosh Quadra 610 that way.

[@ajax700]

Yes, as many of you seem amazed by seeing that seasonic PSU, seasonic manufactured that kind of compact PSU for many pc manufacturers, for example epson highly integrated 486's.

[@DynamicRockers]

If ever you want to print the decals, the scrip font is "Mistral". Nice job!

[@mikewolf78]

337V is peak-to-peak voltage of AC waveform. 240V is RMS (root mean square) value of ~339V p-t-p. These big capacitors in power supplies are usually rated at 385v-400v because of this. Using lower rated capacitor will result in fireworks.

[@cadpietre4378]

i also said psu recap was not necesary since that PC was probably not used for more than 3 years. My dad has DVR for video surveillance at his firm and it has a "Delta Electronics" PSU inside which looks identical to this Seasonic and it`s been on for the past 17 years with minor intreruptions. PSU it is rated 250w maximum peak power but the DVR uses less than 70w. These new electrolitic capacitors (manufactured 2019..2018 ) that can be found today in shops are like the blank cd`s you find today in shops.. just a legacy.. poor quality... i think he just shortened the lifespan of that PSU :(

[@vectrex28]

Awwww I'm gonna miss Monster Joysticks with their genuine Sanwa arcade parts, and 1ClickPrint.com (for your photos on canvas, acrylic, gifts and more)

[@AdamChristensen]

True. Trevor always looked quite dashing in his 1clickprint cameo.

[@myleswillis]

Local craftsman. Global delivery.

[@RMCRetro]

Oh they will be back don't worry. Nord was a one off trial at this stage. Next week you can enjoy both monsterjoysticks.com (with genuine Sanwa arcade parts) AND 1clickprint.com for local craftsmen and global delivery. I'm Morgan Freeman. That confused you didn't it.

[@mrkrunch4340]

@@RMCRetro now I reread that comment in Morgan Freeman's voice!

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

RetroManCave ohh thank goodness! A lot of KZbinrs are trying to sell Nord and Audible it seems, I have no interest in either service so it’s nice to have some variation 😀

[@ctrlaltrees]

Always in awe of your extravagant retrobriting setup. I just chuck my bits into a clear plastic tub full of peroxide and check on them every so often to give them a poke!

[@DubiousEngineering]

Wow! What a difference in colour... I’m going to have to have a go at retrobriting! Great work restoring this machine!!!

[@herbiehusker1889]

The Alan Sugar cameo was pretty grate.

[@RMCRetro]

We heard you Alan 😂

[@namakudamono]

Excellent work Neil! The indoor retrobriting really did the job! I’m glad you mentioned adding an FPU and upgrading the memory at the end too. Looking forward to the final instalment.

[@Jimfowler82]

Handy having a light for the homegrown & reteobrighting ☺️😝

[@RMCRetro]

Vectors in the daytime, Rastas in the evening

[@DisruptedSinner]

Great job! A lot of work went into this. One quick point... you could use a bit of Roxul (also called Rockwool) to dampen the PSU sound (up to 40-60% - maybe more). It's also fireproof and non conductive. :)

[@MrVolksbeetle]

So sweet! It’s always so rewarding watching your restorations.

[@IanRomanick]

11:50 "...in a spare PCI slot." :D

[@RMCRetro]

I know I know 😂

[@MelsvanWees]

Looks like a pool were they keep sharks! Great video!!

[@povilasstaniulis9484]

Nice to see a Seasonic PSU in that old system. And it still works well despite the age of it's capacitors. These PSUs are built to last. I have one in my PC that's over 6 years old, still going strong. There was absolutely no need to recap your power supply although doing so definitely didn't hurt, considering the age of those caps. Those ADDA fans are indeed quite noisy, even the 80mm ones.

[@lepterfirefall]

I saw this back in the day in my local PC shop....I was using a home built budget 286 at the time and this monster was over £1000...way out of my price range but oh....what a machine.

[@PaulBosanova]

I love these videos, thanks for putting them together. I always wanted a Mega PC when I was a kid. I had to make do with another one of Alan's creations with that weird analogue joy stick.

[@randywatson8347]

I have a pc magazine from back in the days advertising that system, very poche. Love your smooth bgm.

[@misterspitfire6564]

Loved this series - especially as I actually owned an identical machine. Strangely, I never used it to it's full potential - only ever used it as a pc! I know it came bundled with a lot of software and games, all of which elude me, apart from the excellent Prince Of Persia. Thanks for a wonderful series Neil.

[@simonj48]

Nice to hear Alan is with us again :)

[@jcfamaral]

Your channel is one of the best on KZbin. Greetings from Brazil!

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you and greetings Brazil!

[@jameslangridge8849]

I bet the swindon museum would probably rather have the cleaned and upgraded one instead. its so much better!

[@PixelsAtDawn]

Looking good! And glad you were able to get more Sugar Beat in at the end, as is Amstraditional.

[@JohnSmith-ch9sm]

Glad to see Alan helping out again.

[@lactobacillusprime]

Great instalment of the MegaPC refurbishment. Looking forward to the final part. :)

[@ItsJustElenore]

I'm in Germany and I would kill for 2 weeks of clouds and rain. It's so hot...

[@PaulioBee]

Unfortunately it is still very warm. Just cloudy and wet at the same time.

[@saltynuts8529]

Love those restoration videos mate !

[@nfijef]

You are the only You tuber I trust when it comes to sponsors, I'll have a look.

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks! And I do use nord. Previously I used ExpressVPN but I found that was slow when uploading to youtube so was happy to find nord was nice and quick for me

[@ZeroWalker26]

In all honesty I wish this episode was longer so I did not need to wait for a part for. Bloody love your videos and this one was super cool I mean combining my first ever console with a PC man I wish could buy one today but yeah sadly they are rare.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you I'm glad you enjoy them. I'm really working at full capacity to bring you what I can each week hence the episodes... I'd love to be able to drop a completed series on you. That being said I have a mini single episode T2T coming soon.

[@ZeroWalker26]

@@RMCRetro Yeah I totaly understand you do them as long as you can and have time fore and I love them. It is just me being impatience and can´t wait for part 4 I wanted more now.

[@WiggysanWiggysan]

Great video series RMC. Well done on the retrobrighting, worked great.

[@GMMilambar]

Why does everyone call it "retrobrighting", when its just peroxide bleaching?

[@WiggysanWiggysan]

@@GMMilambar No idea. I first heard 8bit Guy David use the term and I've continued to use it myself.

[@RMCRetro]

@@GMMilambar I guess it's just the "brand" name we use after the experiments many years ago we followed when they came up with the method. Just like we call a vacuum cleaner a Hoover

[@Dev_olution]

Another great video and excellent work, so nice to see these machines cared for and that Alan seems a smart chap, he should audition for the apprentice.

[@EastyyBlogspot]

With the heatwave across europe and had tons of sunshine here in ireland i think this is the week or two to do retrobrite outside :)

[@MoultrieGeek]

Outstanding series. Looking forward to part 4.

[@sffpv9671]

looks absolutely amazing Neil, Great work!! Hope Alan is getting paid for all this voice over work!

[@tweakpc]

As a power supply Reviewer i feel triggered :D this should be one of the oldest Seasonic PSUs I've seen so far. Today they are well known. Great how you renew it and how you demonstrate how dangerous it is. People somehow don't believe that. Apropos Dangerous in the USA probably a teenager died after an electric shock by opening an PSU. So you can not often enough point the dangerous out. nice restoration BR Thomas

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks Thomas! Yes I'd hate for someone to get hurt by following my escapades so hopefully the disclaimer is warning enough to be careful while acknowledging we're all adults here.

[@tweakpc]

@@RMCRetro I think the warning is very good, there's nothing more you can do. I sent the video to Seasonic, let's see if they even knew that it was built in. 😂

[@SteDubya]

Very satisfying to watch. Thanks for making the series.

[@MarkyShaw]

Brilliant job. It really turned out great. Love the series on this machine very much!

[@Sinisteve]

That’s is looking fantastic! If you ever get really bored and want to restore my Amiga microvitec multisync monitor let me know😉

[@luppa79]

You can measure a voltage across two points in any circuit and it is always completely accurate, no problems (well, if the meter is in order). Measuring singular component values (in example measuring resistance of a resistor) in a circuit might not give correct results because of the other components. The large cap is rated for 400V (the max voltage you can put at it's pins), the capacity is something else. Shorting a "loaded" cap with a screwdriver will most likely damage the cap itself before the other components.

[@kyugiyeneku1803]

At the end the Museum calls and tells you that you do a restoration on that machine too

[@RMCRetro]

At the end I realise I restored the wrong MegaPC 😂

[@JohnnyWednesday]

Oh fantastic :) thank you very much Neil, hope you're well!

[@RMCRetro]

Doing great here Johnny, I hope you are too 👌

[@ianhughes5090]

Have to say this is a fab channel full of retro info which i enjoy breaks up my day keep going i look forward to more intresting videos. unfortunately I did not find a solution and restoring boxes that the retro computers come in anyway cheers Neil fab video

[@kevinjacquot3183]

A Sega Saturn with a GPS... Ever heard of the Hi-Saturn Navi ?

[@jeremygregorio7472]

That has to be an Easter egg :). Also I'm not convinced Mattel didn't have a rotisserie addon for the Aquarius.

[@PierreVonStaines]

I bet when Mrs ManCave wants to make a delicious vinaigrette dressing for her summer salads she is clean out of luck because Neil has been stinking up the house using it all to clean all the rust off his tat. 👍

[@RMCRetro]

Tat! TAT! How very dare you VonStaines

[@PierreVonStaines]

@@RMCRetro You loves it when I call your prize possessions tat.

[@RMCRetro]

One day I'll win your approval. One day

[@heberdua]

Awesome video Neil !

[@mdrumt]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable journey. Would recommend Noctua fans, they have a full range including 60mm.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you! I did turn to Noctua but couldn't find one slim enough...but if you come across one let me know and I'll add it to the RMC shop to help others

[@mdrumt]

@@RMCRetro I stand corrected, It looks like Noctua only have the 25mm. I looked through some of my fave fan brands and only found the Scythe Mini Kaze 60mm which is 20mm thick, only 2 pin with a 3 pin adapter however. I still have a Scythe tower cooler/fan combo running since 2007! Thank you for the heart! 🙏

[@Rip-Van-Tinkle]

You weren't kidding about those puns were you mate! 😆 I'm really enjoying this series Neil (and Alan), great work 👍

[@tdub8719]

Thanks for the vid Neil. Great watching. Who is doing the Alan voiceover? Hilarious.

[@MSmith-Photography]

The Amstrad looks in much better condition now. Sir Alan...not so much. 🤣

[@unclerubo]

I'm totally loving this series. Gongratulations, man!

[@aaldrich1982]

When working on the PSU, had you considered replacing it with a pico one with adapters to change connectors to AT and molex? Would that have even been possible?

[@RMCRetro]

Hey Coconut Andy. Yes you could but you'd need to get creative to keep the monitor power pass through... not that that's essential. Where possible I like to keep it original though

[@BertGrink]

Excellent job with the retrobrighting and metalwork!

[@jabbawok944]

When you Re-Capped that VPN did you use Panasonic?

[@dergrunepunkt]

Neil, one thing, not sure if you thought about that or not, but just in case, maybe you want to consider placing some aither aluminium or a black foil bellow the bath to bounce the light up in the case of the AL foil or heat up in the case of a black one. I used a black plastic inside a bath like yours to heat up the water inside when exposing to direct sun light and it helps raising the water temp for a couple of degrees.

[@RMCRetro]

Good idea! My table was probably absorbing a good amount of heat. Anything to give that Sous Vide stick an easier life

[@twmbarlwmstar]

Really enjoying this series. And I can even support the sponsor as I’ve been using Nord VPN for 2 years now (just paid for another 3years) and found them to be everything they’ve promised- even the telephone support was excellent the one time I used it, I was on the phone for just a few minutes and the problem was resolved. As to the Mega PC, I am very tempted although I think it might just end an unfinished project in my hands. You mention regular washing up liquid contains salt and seem to warn against its use- not being funny but you also suggest using baking soda which is Sodium bicarbonate so, erm, salt! Good advice on the PSU, but that PSU still looks dodgy by design. There is a fan venting in but no way for air to easily escape? I build a few small form factor/ITX/STX builds and these types of PSU are by far the last choice. Server/Flex design is always noisy. I’d trade originality and swap it out if I could, I think. Have you looked at Noctua fans? I use them a lot, expensive but really world class, they have 15mm designs and come with a low speed adaptors (much like you already are using really). Also, a bit of a patina is OK, it is supposed to look a bit old. Alan grew on me as well; repetition is the trick here I think-LOL. Great Work!

[@RMCRetro]

Hi Jason, good points and thanks for commenting constructively. I guess with the bicarb it's a case of using it before the final rinse to make sure it's all off although yes a small amount will then be in the water you're rinsing with. On the PSU there's a vent at the back and at the side which is where the fan mounts, a couple of people have raised this so I clearly didn't show enough angles of the PSU and confused you all sorry about that. Good news on NordVPN though I'm glad that's working out for you. I have it on permanently on my phone and desktop with no complaints it's great. or Grate.

[@samuelschwager]

Very nice result!

[@Lorfarius]

Is there not a danger of the print coming off the front? Like the Amstrad and MD logos?

[@RMCRetro]

Not unless they are stickers... I've not had problems so far with this but never say never... peroxide is not gentle

[@retrochristmas7329]

If you want to stop it from yellowing after retrobrighting get some high quality car wax and apply it to the plastic. It will reflect uv light and act as a replacement for the original protection the plastic had. It will slow down the yellowing process substantially.

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

Great Retrobrite and Renewal :) QC

[@MegaManNeo]

Can't wait for the final part of the series, this looks amazing!

[@cbw56]

I really enjoy your presentations/videos and just like you as a person from how you carry yourself :) (Alan is ok too)... Newly subscribed!!

[@74bobby]

It looks Amazing! Cant wait for part 4...

[@amigoamiga9254]

That machine looks so nice

[@RonLaws]

The professionally recommended method of discharging caps is indeed to use a high value resistor and not a dead short. This avoids accidents and unintended damage/injury.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

Cool indoor RetroBright process. @8bitguy will be impressed !.

[@DeckardGames]

Seasonic power supply? That is awesome. Didn't see that coming.

[@YesterGearPCii]

I noticed that as well, that's awesome :) Still around and powering many PC's (including mine) today!

[@cadpietre4378]

@@YesterGearPCii too bad it has 2019 caps in it now.. fan would have been fine with just a drop of mineral oil.. that is not a seasonic anymore.

[@badash786]

Just wanna say i think this channel is awesome.

[@mattjackson9859]

Looks like you could retrobite it outside with the weather now...!

[@RMCRetro]

Typical isn't it! Need to Retrobrite? 2 weeks of rain. Oh I see you've finished Retrobriting....European heat wave!!

[@Wazoox]

From some others' experiments, it seems that UV light is the most important parameter in retrobrighting. In fact, UV light alone seems to work perferctly fine.

[@M0LHA]

Which VRAM did you use and where did you source it? It's the final upgrade I've never had much success in sourcing. This series has been absolutely incredible, I've been very impressed. I'd like to recap mine but I don't dare!

[@RMCRetro]

Here you go, I can confirm that it now detects 512kb since fitting it as I film part 4 - www.silicon-ark.co.uk/aaa1m304p-07-256Kx4-dynamic-ram

[@VaterOrlaag]

Not sure how to tell you this, but... Alan Sugar isn't really there. You're talking to a book. Maybe you should consider seeking professional help...

[@Ar-kx4hp]

VaterOrlaag and yet you hear it. Irony there

[@PeTTs0n88]

Did you change the airflow direction on the PSU fan? Looked like it from the mounting - any thought behind it?

[@organiccold]

Amazing job Neil ;)

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you Filipe!

[@RobertBlow]

Damn that looks great, hard work but worth it.

[@maperez5860]

I have my MegaPC without monitor. What monitor model did you use in the video? Can you recommended me other monitors that support the multisync 31/15khz

[@saracade69]

Bravo! It looks great

[@mcg6762]

doin' some restorin' assumin' you want some gamin'

[@KarlToona]

switch your aluminum foil to white plastic. Reflects the same amount of light, but doesn't create hotspots. Panda Film is great :D

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks for the tip Karl

[@FatNorthernBigot]

Some of this video looked like a hydroponics demonstration for er... "Herb" growing.

[@Dave_K.]

As a big fan of your YT channel, I especially love your Amstrad Mega PC with other Sega MegaDrive, NEC PC-Engine and (of course) Amiga related videos. It's pleasure to see in details parts of this Amstrad Mega PC because it was very, very rare in my country (France) and is impossible to find today. Just a question/suggestion: I wonder if it's possible to make the MegaDrive part region free with a switch as with a regular Model 1 Sega MegaDrive? Did you check about this possibility? Because I don't remember you speaking about that in the previous videos (maybe I'm wrong). And thanks a lot for your great videos.

[@jabelsjabels]

oh I'm so glad you didn't spraypaint the metal!

[@andresbravo2003]

Neil, I really know you're making A Great Video for retro gamers! =-)

[@Teppic11]

I really hope one day the real Alan comments on one of these videos. Not that I'm suggesting the real one isn't already in the videos.

[@Megatog615]

I think there do exist cooling fans that have built-in thermistors to control their speed based on ambient temperature. They're not exactly accurate but they are kinda neat and you wouldn't need a fanspeed controller for it.

[@GazMarshall]

Looks absolutely amazing, makes me wish I had one 😘👍

[@VAX1970]

I use neat supermarket bleach in a ziplock bag and leave it on the window sill.... works great!

[@ironhead2008]

I'm curious as to why you didn't just swap the fan out for say a 60mm noctua fan. It'd be quieter. Is it because you didn't want to bother with converting the 12 volt fan header to 5 volts?

[@smokey91820]

Wouldn’t a hps light no do a better job? I think the lumens would give the heat of a summer day and have a more sunlight type spectrum

[@JoeBetro]

Amazing work! ☀️

[@rwdplz1]

I got shocked by a 300V capacitor, felt like a bee sting. Not nearly as bad as being shocked by mains power.

[@nicwilson89]

The capacity of the capacitor is important. 300v could feel like anything from a mild tickle, to literally blowing chunks out of your skin, or how about flash boiling the liquids in your arms/across your hand/whatever and 'exploding' your arms with the big serious big boy power capacitors (also, the kind I like playing with..so yknow). Don't go carelessly spouting bullshit that could get someone killed, if you don't mind

[@StarkRG]

I'm pretty sure that pure UV would work better than a full-spectrum light

[@timballam3675]

Why not use a fan with built in ptc speed controle?

[@RMCRetro]

It's a good idea and one I'd be happy to implement in a future restoration thank you

[@matthewday7565]

If there's room, chopping out the punched fan guard and replacing with a wire one would improve the air to noise ratio

[@BillyBuerger]

I second this. When he turns up the fan, you can really hear the wind noise likely from the stamped fan grill.

[@colinbaldwin3278]

Another great video thank you!!!! Such awesome content! I also have that same 1000W grow light!! :)

[@Robert_Wolf]

Why didn't you replace the fan with a built in thermister to control the fan speed?

[@RMCRetro]

Not a bad idea Robert, something perhaps for a future refurb thank you

[@DeadReckon]

Gelid makes a fan, the Silent 6 60mm that's only 15mm deep, thumbs up so he sees this. I've used one fixing an old oddball retro PC of some sort with a Pentium III, the fan had to be really thin 'cause it had to work with the screws with the included heatsink, was pretty damn quiet too. Certainly quiet enough you won't hear it over Alan www.amazon.com/Gelid-Solutions-Silent-Computer-Case/dp/B008S1HNPS

[@twmbarlwmstar]

Noctua are the premier kit I think but there is a whole small form factor sub-scene being supplied so there is a lot of stuff that can be used, especially fans and PSU.

[@Tim_3100]

Been looking forward to this 🙂

[@nicwilson89]

Holy shit what is that desktop board vice type thing that you're holding the PSU PCB with? That thing would save me soooooooooo much headache

[@RMCRetro]

Hey if you check the video description you can see links to an Amazon shop front I curate. You'll find this and other useful tools in there

[@nicwilson89]

@@RMCRetro Thanks muchly! :D

[@nicwilson89]

@@RMCRetro ....aaaanddd ordered one. Thanks again!

[@GianmarioScotti]

I'm not on board with what you did with the PSU fan. You will have to guess the temperature inside the PSU pretty much constantly, just so you could fit the smaller fan inside. I would have tried necessary modifications to the larger fan to make it fit, or just keep the smaller fan with no regulation. Seems like the safer solution, to me.