Repairing an Unreleased Prototype Mac...TABLET?!

[@Stevew443]

Regarding open drives and clean rooms. Back in the early 80s I was a repair tech for a computer manufacturer. I helped train new techs. We had a 10 meg hard drive from which we removed the cover to show new techs how these drives worked. This was a time when one could still smoke at their desks. We used to flick cigarette ashes onto the spinning platters of the disk and watch the heads fling the ashes off the platters. That disk ran for the entire 2 years I worked at the factory and never once had a failure. Those were the fun days of computer repair.

[@tarstarkusz]

I've actually found that the main obstacle to opening and then resealing a hard disk is the torque of the fasteners. Always try to establish what the torque is before opening. If you torque the screws back to what they were, it almost always works.

[@nickwallette6201]

Great, now your test HDD is addicted to Nicotine. ;-D BOOT FAILURE Insert a stogie to continue

[@raphi_sch]

For a school project, I open and REPLACED the top cover with acrylics panel. The HDD worked fo all demo I did. It was a 6.4Gb IDE drive.

[@nohesiloli]

I am 27 years old, this is the coolest thing I have ever heard. I always used to open up my failing hdd's for fun when I was like 12 :p

[@neilcoo]

I doubt if that would work these days. The information density on the disk was a whole lot less then than it is now. (10 MB over a whole disk vs 10TB today). Basically a bit occupies like a few atoms now, so very easy to obscure with particles of crap.

[@donwilson]

I've never seen anyone repair a flat flex cable before, this channel continues to be one of the very best on KZbin.

[@tarstarkusz]

That's because, in general, there is no reason to ever fix one because replacements are available. This fix is not going to last. He needs to use wires.

[@escapetherace1943]

I've done it. People say it is impossible but it isn't if you can isolate the wires inside. Giant pain though

[@XinmingChen]

It is a common practice for Apple emate because the ribbon cable is prone to damage. I think Colin has talked about this in his emate video.

[@rich1051414]

I have many times. Just use magnet wire to jump past the damage. Removing the plastic coating can be an issue with some flat flex cables, but it's not impossible. A razor blade is good enough for most, but if really delicate, steel wool is a better option.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@rich1051414 Yeah and this repair will never hold up. He needed to do it with wire.

[@Mr.OCanada]

I'm one of your Patrons and I watch almost every video. The cadence of your tone and camera work is great. Thanks for showing all the hardware from the past, I find them relaxing and informative.

[@donkimble]

This is the clearest, most concise old computer repair channel on KZbin. It would have been easy to drag this out, but it’s just not his style. Respect.

[@alexrosenberg_tube]

PenMac. They built so few of these. Amazing that you got your hands on one. This project shutting down is what eventually led to Graphing Calculator, which has it's own amazing story.

[@JTCF]

This is exactly the kind and level of tinkering around I love.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

When repairing a flex you should put a wire across, as a solder-only joint is extremely weak and will snap easily

[@sebastianlarrivee4400]

Yeah. I typically see the repairs done with thin gauge magnet wire soldered across the break, and then covered in soldermask for extra support

[@FriesOfTheDead]

It's rare that youtube recommends something new that is actually good. Today was one of those rare days.

[@Psythik]

Welcome to the channel

[@csciacchitano]

Welcome. Consistently great stuff here.

[@Toonrick12]

If you're interested in Apple while Jobs was gone, you're in for a ride.

[@warderjack]

Welcome, he’s got a great backlog of videos like this

[@BardicRJ]

AYOOOOO!!!! Been watching him for years dude, nice to see you in here!

[@tonycosta3302]

The sound of that Connor hard drive brought back some memories. I had the same drive in my MacSE.

[@Collinormous]

I'm not even joking when I said I had a HDD in a 286 Samsung laptop that had the gasket fail and get sticky goo over the top platter. Deciding the drive was toast and I had nothing to loose I washed it...with water and soap...then blew dry it with compressed air. Put it back together and it literally booted up. Scandisk did show a few bad sectors but the drive worked enough to explore.

[@superJK92]

Luck 100

[@LaskyLabs]

Bruh

[@XerShadowTail]

I really love how you are very delicate and procedural with repairs for vintage electronics and not just doing whatever might work! Awesome work!

[@chriswareham]

Ooh, cliffhanger ending! Looking forward to learning more in a future video.

[@cpeak66]

I consider myself quite an Apple geek and am rarely surprised by stuff but WOW, I'd never seen anything like this! Keep up the amazing work!!

[@eCoLL77]

Great video - never seen anything like that before. Somehow I miss the sounds of hard drives but then I realise the speed and storage limitations from back then, and I'm happy we have SSDs now!

[@cyberyogicowindler2448]

Harddrives die if dropped (else can last many decades). But SSD die already when left unpowered for few years (the more writes, the faster) because they are DRAM with 1 year refresh rate. So with any nowadays tablet or laptop it is unlikely to recover any of its data when found on an attic only 10 years later.

[@bigmclargehuge1170]

Hey, you don't need a whole clean room to do hard drive repair safely, a laminar flow hood will do just fine. Especially for older drives, you can cheaply DIY one with a Corsi-Rosenthal box.

[@danielktdoranie]

Yet his repair worked fine

[@bigmclargehuge1170]

@@danielktdoranie Yes, thankfully! One can make sure the repairs stay working fine by whipping up a quick laminar flow station for cheap!

[@nickwallette6201]

I don't have any Corgi-Rosincore boxes. Will an Amazon one do?

[@bigmclargehuge1170]

@@nickwallette6201 Sure, you can substitute the corgi with any terrier breed of similar size, and pine oil can be used in place of rosin.

[@nickwallette6201]

@@bigmclargehuge1170 Haha :-D Thanks for playing. 👍

[@AaronEiche]

This was absolutely fascinating, and I'm delighted you took the time to cover the repairs and solutions required. I'm eagerly awaiting part 2!

[@guardianbob]

there were a couple of times when i thought "holy shit he's actually going to do that". Respect for doing everything possible to fix it.

[@piero_75]

You continue to make absolutely the most compelling and best edited repair videos I've seen on youtube.

[@surejan7787]

For anyone wondering what this is, it is an early Apple PenLite prototype.

[@thelegendaryck]

Ive seen a slighly less sketchy cable fix where they cut it a little more to ensure no contact, tape/glued it for rigidity, then added wire from a cm away on each side after scraping the coating off like you did but away from the damaged area

[@RobertBoerner]

In my opinion, this was a beautifully done video. Excellent story telling combined with excellent detective work. I very much look forward to the next installment.

[@Bushidounohana]

One wow after another in this go-round, great show as always, Colin! Such an incredible find and ninja-level repair mastery, such a pleasure to watch you work!

[@markhuebbe]

I love this deep dive. Thank you for all the work you do. This is one of the best vintage channels on KZbin and I get excited every time a new episode comes out. 🙏

[@schvabek]

I do electronic repairs as a hobby on my channel, so I can’t tell you how many times projects like this go wrong, how time and labour intensive and nerve wracking they can be. Sourcing parts (especially for a freaking prototype tablet!!!), troubleshooting, brainstorming ideas… Very impressive, and the video itself is awesome! Respect! ❤

[@toasTr0n]

Thanks for having us along on your adventure. This must have taken months to plan, acquire the hardware, execute, shoot, write, and edit. I'm amazed at your level of detail and storytelling ability, and the subject matter is just enthralling. I'm glad this prototype found its way to you and I can't wait for the next video!

[@OCDRex11]

Been watching you for years. I love every video and topic. This though, this was my favorite to date! I would have never seen this had you not done this work and jumped head first. Thanks for sharing with us all!

[@wojiaobill]

Colin really demonstrated his knowledge with this one. Great video.

[@termiterasin]

Amazing process restoring and documenting retro hardware.

[@signorelephant]

Amazing work. Clear that you are a professional. Seeing the mess when you opened it up would probably scare off 80-90% of people immediately. A delicate procedure putting humpty dumpty back together again for sure.

[@viceroy7792]

That was great! I’d forgotten about those awesome old Powebooks! I had owned several of them including a Duo. I was so proud of that thing. Those were great days!!

[@D4RKV3NOM]

Dude this channel is great! the cinematography is crispy as hell and the quality of knowledge and content is of a high calibre, really good stuff dude!

[@FinalBossOfCanada]

Ad Hoc is a term derived from Latin that means "For This" or "For This Situation." In the context of technology and computing, "Ad Hoc" refers to solutions that are developed specifically for a particular problem or task, without considering broader applications.

[@LightTheUnicorn]

Great work! I had a drive from an Amiga fail in the way you described, throwing sticky goop all over the platter and drive internals. It spun up, but there was no saving it as a working drive, never got a good read from it after that. What an amazing opportunity to work on such a machine!

[@TheRealWulfderay]

That is simply amazing. I've repaired flat flex cable before, but I had never heard of the trick with the hard drive. Something to add to my toolbox!

[@cheetosthrash]

your repair videos are absolute golden. keep up the good work, man

[@92trdman]

Mad respect for the effort, The proto-type successor (with keyboard and track-ball) was use in the 1995 movie called "Hackers"

[@SarahKchannel]

An old trick with stuck drives is, to put them in the freezer over night. The cold sort of deactivates the sticky mess and if heads stuck the thermal contraction loosens them up.

[@Sashazur]

I would think a big danger here is that when you take it out of the freezer, it could get moisture condensation on any of the circuitry that’s not inside the sealed drive part.

[@Ojisan642]

This was the most difficult repair and restoration I’ve ever seen. Amazing job!

[@alexis0a]

This is one of the most interesting videos about prototypes I've seen, you made an incredible work fixing it and archive all that you can, so great!

[@hisnameisjoel]

I don't think I've ever been so invested in old hardware! Thank you so much for putting this all together

[@mac27collection]

It's nice to see a flat flex cable repair be *successful* for once, seems that more often than not they go awry. Awesome episode, can't wait for next week's! And congrats on 400K 🥳

[@Toonrick12]

Next stop, 800k!

[@veccio]

*Bows down to your classic PowerBook logic board and spinner hard drive knowledge* Absolutely loved this! I was on the edge of my seat watching the flex cable repair, but figured if you had attempted it, you knew what you were doing. :)

[@GeekmanCA]

This reminds me a lot of the Modbook. For those who don't recall, a little over a decade ago, a company called Axiotron offered a kit (or service) to convert stock Core2Duo MacBooks into reversed touchscreen models just like this. They were fairly popular for a time.

[@Raptor50aus]

Thanks for the ride down memory lane when I worked for Apple in Australia. I do remember this prototype being talked about too.

[@edblor]

As always Colin, great video, the nostalgia runs deep on this one too. Looking forward to the next one.

[@Natervader13]

Your work continues to amaze.

[@bobweiram6321]

I wonder why Apple doesn't have a gallery museum of all their products.

[@thomasandrews9355]

i repair vintage macs professionally, internally they do in some departments.

[@davewhite7182]

They did and Jobs threw it out when he returned. He believed in the future and not the past.

[@tatianaes3354]

@@davewhite7182just recently, Cook reiterated this stance

[@Sashazur]

I worked at RCA in the 80s at the lab that developed color TV among other things. They had an actual museum on site, it was very cool. Even the ceiling light panels were shaped like old TV screens. But it wasn’t usually open to the public.

[@old_liquid]

​@@davewhite7182but without the past there is never be future. He is wrong.

[@GreenAppelPie]

that actually quite interesting for a '92 device, portable computing was barely a thing back then.

[@carsonwalker567]

Loved seeing the work done on this cool machine!

[@ethanlittle776]

I love these repairs. This is exactly what I like to do in my free time. Just did similar on a G3 Clamshell

[@hidde1626]

Awesome repairs. I respect that you had the courage to work on this prototype hardware.

[@mmkf]

I would recommend ddrescue instead of dd if you are not sure about the condition of the drive.

[@JHMBB2]

Dude, dude...impressive work, simply amazing. I'm stunned. Thanks for sharing, the vids not over yet and I can't wait to see the end result but that flew cable fix was just insane. GAH a cliff hanger?!

[@ronavitzur2167]

Oooh! I worked on software for that. We were trying to build an iPad out of 1992 technology. Good times!

[@ThePrimaFacie]

This is a really well made video. Thanks for it. You could do a short on taking apart the HDD and blur the disks out cause that part was pretty interesting. So much work and problem solving done. I look forward to the next one.

[@GrnArrow092]

Seeing a working prototype of anything is an interesting thing to see. it shows where they are in the development stage and gives a few hints on what they were trying to accomplish. I can't help but think that this prototype is most likely an ancestor to the modern day iPad.

[@james-d-mills]

This is genuinely one of the most interesting videos I've seen in a long time, thanks Colin!

[@stuffwhy3501]

Incredible drive repair! Incredible work overall, but also that in particular

[@richardbaker974]

Best video this year from TDNC

[@GarthBeagle]

Dang, great work!! And congrats on hitting 400K subs 🎉

[@markredf150]

Awesome video! You really did have plenty of tricks up your sleeve and got results!

[@GameInterest]

I hope this video gets you to 1M. I love this.

[@kerryhall]

Dude your hd fix is absolutely insane. Wow!

[@felixman9691]

I AM SO excited to learn the history of this thing in your next video. This was a fantastic project thanks so much for sharing!!! Inspirational

[@Matichuu]

Thank you for your work. One can learn a lot of about maintenance and repair from this video alone.

[@mason.alexander32]

Hahaha the alliteration at the end!

[@veitjacob9764]

That was very interesting and your skills are impressive!😮

[@insanelydigitalvids]

Wow! Wow! Wow! What an incredible piece of Apple history. My thanks to Colin and the lucky owner that we could get to see this. 🙂

[@LangleyNA]

Very good, This Does Not Compute. I am excited for any following coverage you share. :) Your videos are always wonderful for me. :)

[@rollingtroll]

Dude. You are good at this stuff, it's honestly impressive.

[@EvexiansVideoworks]

AYO NO WAY. YOU HAVE ONE OF THEESE?! Edit: (NAH, SCREW THAT, HE HAS MORE THAN ONE!!!!) I thought theese were all just.. concepts!! I never knew they actually existed! Dude you matermind! How did you get this?!

[@quantumphaser]

Ahh SCSI. Here's an old IT joke from the 90s we said a lot. System Can't See It

[@The_Traveling_Clown]

😢 I wish I had this man's troubleshooting skills. Might actually be able to fix my U-Matic player.

[@pierickroux1891]

Great episode ! I love the investigation you made to fix it ! Wow !

[@jerrymoreno1714]

Such an interesting dive into all that could’ve been from Apple in the 90s. Another great video from an awesome channel!

[@JacobHunt04]

Dang, leaving us on a cliffhanger! I can't wait! I loved the hard drive segment. Joining patreon because of this one.

[@iiidiy]

Great save on this one! Such a cool piece of Apple's history, and now I CAN'T WAIT for the next instalment! :)

[@Ultimatebubs]

You are a bold man, trying to power on a one of a kind prototype like that without checking the system board for bad capacitors!

[@howardbaldwin1226]

Another fab video! Thank you for making these captivating stories.

[@digitalrampage]

Never connect power to a Duo before a recap. They leak so bad (particularly the 270c) connection to power destroys the circuit. Additionally only use newer power adaptors like from the powerbook or iBook G3 (clamshell) as there is a large RIFA in those original power supplies that will go up like a Christmas tree

[@noseotter-01]

This is a GREAT video. Spellbinding. Thank you

[@RetroMacCast]

This is amazing! Congrats on getting your hands on such a treasure!

[@stephenhood2948]

Reminds me of my Kyrocera QCP-6035. That thing was so advanced for its time.

[@kjamison5951]

“If you like the video, I’d appreciate a thumbs up.” Oh, you got the thumbs up BEFORE I watched the video. Your content is awesome.

[@woodengamer]

I remember seeing this, glad you got so far with it!

[@antcosentino27]

i find it reassuring that even a company like apple has prototypes that are as hacked together as my own... and kudos to you for this video - some serious electronics and embedded system development skills here.

[@Derpy1969]

Excellent use of ancient product knowledge to glean design clues to restore functionality.

[@ConsolesRetro]

Machine qui amène à l’inspiration 😄 (après un « sofa wine » ^^)… Un travail de qualité, une voix off nette sans superflu tout comme le travail effectué sur cette « drôle de bête »! Merci pour le partage et du temps consacré pour monter vos vidéos… 👍

[@TweeterMan287]

I have a Powerbook Duo 2300c of which I was recently able to get the original hard drive backed up for personal archival. It once belonged to a long time Motorola employee.

[@marcusdamberger]

I wonder if this was ever shown at any conventions such as WWDC or CES. Maybe only shown to people who had signed non-disclosure agreements, if so might explain why nothing written about it or any old video? It would be cool if there was a video like from Computer Chronicles from the time.

[@NiallMurphy]

This is a masterwork.

[@gdutfulkbhh7537]

Showing off some great skills there. Very informative - thank you.

[@dus10dnd]

Instead of opening the drive, you could twist the drive. It won't feel like it has moved at all, but that small amount of flex could release the actuator.

[@TechwithStefan]

amazing work!

[@duncan-rmi]

those bendy pcb cables crop up a lot in portable video gear from around that time, & I had to mend loads in sony vx-1000 dv camcorders. nice work. >looks at ipad< we've come a long way.

[@duncan-rmi]

one of the small flotilla of ipad minis that my kids use- I've repaired it six times. each time I pry the shattered glass off another busted digitiser, I write the date on the shielding plate underneath. 😂

[@Toonrick12]

So what is this? Some sort of Powerbook Duo that's a tablet? The date codes do line up to other experiments at the time from Dauphin and Samsung. The 16mhz 68030 is also a dead giveaway considering that aforementioned examples used similar speced 386's.

[@thecorruptedbit5585]

possibly a Penlite prototype

[@10p6]

Around the same time Atari was working on the 'ST Pad'. Same external developer maybe?

[@ukmk3supra]

I'd contact Androda re the flat flex cables, he's made a few for other systems, powerbooks mostly - they look simple enough to replicate.

[@grudgnor]

This was your best video yet!

[@EricGranata]

Oh man! Eagerly awaiting part 2!