VIC-20 Clip Repair (3D Printed)

Support this Channel on Patreon:
/ thegeekpub
In this video, we're going to repair a Commodore VIC-20's broken clips with a set of freshly 3D printed replacements.
Detailed article and downloads here:
www.thegeekpub.com/237121/com...
Thingiverse Files:
www.thingiverse.com/thing:365...
Parts List for Project:
* Digital Calipers: amzn.to/2Eydk9O
* 3D Printer: amzn.to/2VU6NvX
* Gorilla Glue Gel: amzn.to/311tT83
* CA Glue Accelerator: amzn.to/2JOE2zj
Visit The Geek Pub and The 8-Bit Guy Forum:
murray2.com/
Find us on Social Media:
/ thegeekpub
/ thegeekpub
/ thegeekpub

[@TheGeekPub]

Found this Commodore VIC-20 in a yard sale. It just needed a little TLC and some 3D printed replacement clips.

[@HebaruSan]

I initially read that as "replacement chips," and was amazed by the progress 3D printing has made! ;)

[@ReggieCotton]

@@HebaruSan I did the same! Mmmmm. Yummy VIC-20 chips! Tasty!

[@dalriada842]

I still have the leftmost two hooks intact on my VIC20. I had bought a pack of two-millimetre spacers for hanging doors. They have a recessed area in the middle, to save on plastic. I was able to carve three tabs that fit between the existing hooks from them. They fit really well. I was able to use the remaining hooks to mark a line with a fine liner pen to avoid the need for a positioning recess.

[@2048Dan]

I love how it turned into a C64 after you repaired it. ;)

[@TheGeekPub]

Yeah yeah....

[@emmettturner9452]

Thank you for this. My C64 breadbin is one of the less-common variants with no labels on the rear ports. My twin brother and I fried the SID by plugging power into the completely unlabeled rear ports. When taking it apart to replace the SID I found that the clips simply would not release and hinging from the front would break them long before you could open it wide enough to deal with them from inside. It was completely unavoidable. We just had to bite the bullet and break them to open it. Fortunately, it stays closed with just the screws but I still always wanted to replace the clips. Back in 2017 someone on Lemon64 was printing them in ABS and bonding to the existing ABS plastic with ABS Cement or Acetone (can’t recall) and I had a 3D printer but, IIRC, he wasn’t sharing the files… just using them for his own refurbishment projects. By the time I got familiar enough to make my own I had already forgot about my broken C64 clips. :)

[@lockpickingmen]

Glad to see you're getting back on the channel. Thanks.

[@dennisneo1608]

CA glue is awesome for repairing cracks in my motorcycle plastics.

[@xcon3k]

Great video.. very interesting as always. Good to see old and retro tech being restored and saved. :)

[@wing0zero]

Great vid, always have a soft spot for the VIC20 as it was my first computer as a kid.

[@TheGeekPub]

Same here. PET was the first one I ever touched. VIC-20 was the first I owned.

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

A couple other things people forget about glueing are: contact surface and matching surfaces. If you're trying to glue two smooth pieces, you're gonna have a bad time. It's good practice to roughen up the surfaces before glueing, so the glue has a larger area to stick to. And if the pieces have slightly different shapes, it's good to try matching them as much as possible, which will also increase contact surface.

[@TheGeekPub]

Absolutely correct. Thanks for the comment!

[@ericsills6484]

That machine looks a *little* better than the one from the industrial environment that David restored!

[@balloonfu-sen]

I remember "Commodore PET Repair". It was linked from The 8-bit Guy and was the first video we saw on TheGeekPub. It seems that this procedure is probably established as a Repair of TheGeekPub.

[@spidermcgavenport8767]

Thank you, TheGeekPub, much appreciated Commodore Vic-20 repair.

[@spidermcgavenport8767]

Something to point out is that when super glue is added to baking soda it hardens significantly. Enough so that its used on cracks in helicopter blades.

[@ReggieCotton]

@@spidermcgavenport8767 I've heard that it also makes it more brittle.

[@MrMikeHawkey]

This is awesome, thanks. I have at least one VIC-20 that needs new clips. Actually, I think the last one I took apart, which was in great condition like yours, also broke the clips. I was also going to design some clips, but now I don't need to. :^) You have earned my sub.

[@rolandgerard6064]

Great channel

[@quizplz]

The word 'broken' has been removed from the dictionary as of 2019. Finally.

[@k.a.930]

You are a cool guy!

[@tsartomato]

also you can create polymer out of superglue basically sculpt entire missing chunks and form them with a file

[@TheGeekPub]

That's really cool! Thanks for the comment.

[@tsartomato]

@@TheGeekPub can't believe you didn't knew about superglue+baking soda

[@RetroRecipes]

Great work! Sorry I had to watch with the sound down, but do these work with the C64 also?

[@TheGeekPub]

On my list to try.

[@Christopher-N]

While I haven't used Gorilla Glue yet, I have used other brands and found them to be generally unreliable... except for Krazy Glue, which is my goto. Krazy Glue brand isn't perfect, as the vapors will discolor and damage surrounding surfaces. It tends to harden in the bottle so I often have to buy a brand new tube just for small projects (though I have come across packs of smaller one-time use tubes which I love for this reason).

[@TheGeekPub]

Old glue that has dried out should definitely not be used. I always buy smaller bottles just for this reason.

[@DavidArnold2God-Glory]

I see that you use Autodesk Fusion. I drew for a long time with Autodesk Inventor and now that I’m retired I downloaded Fusion for free. It’s a very interesting program and very much like Inventor in many ways. I would be interested in seeing fusion being used with a 3-D printer in more detail.

[@ReggieCotton]

I think fusion is a pain in the ass!! Guys like mike always make it look so easy.

[@Kumimono]

Really need to get better with Fusion, I have few battery covers in need of, well, creating. A sidenote, what would be a good glue fora ceramic mug?

[@ReggieCotton]

Me too. Guys like Mike make it look so easy.

[@krisztiannemeth6148]

Epoxy?

[@Kumimono]

@@krisztiannemeth6148 Yeah. I think I have some dual tube glue somewhere. Gotta try it.

[@SirWolfCZ]

Hi! Could anyone tell me if these replacement clips are good for the oldest style C64 case too? I think the shape and dimensions are similar or identical, but I'm not sure.

[@TheGeekPub]

I'm not sure, but I do they they will fit. This is something I hope to test when I can get one of them in my possession.

[@michele97593]

Why does the badge look different The badge that says "Commodore VIC-20"

[@TheGeekPub]

This is one of the older versions of the VIC-20. Commodore changed the badge a couple of times as they changed production runs and cost reduced it.

[@michele97593]

@@TheGeekPub thanks

[@ReggieCotton]

@@michele97593 Yep! This is a super vintage VIC-20. It's an old timer and deserves to be treated well!

[@jurekogorek6715]

I'm wondering why at 2:12 you so quickly hid and flipped the CA Accelerator? It's helpful in repair videos to show or atleast put in the description the parts used. I originally watched this on my smart phone but couldn't see the brand/name. Went to a desktop and was able to pause the video and see the name: Bob Smith Industries CA Accelerator.

[@TheGeekPub]

Because the glue was taking too long to come out. I didn't want to waste 20 seconds of your time.

[@TheGeekPub]

I just added the links to them. However, they were already on my website. :-)

[@jurekogorek6715]

@@TheGeekPub Hi, thanks for the reply. Just want to clarify, I wasn't trying to be a dick with my comment. I genuinely wanted to get that CA Accelerator since it appeared to work well in your video. I watched the video on my phone, and was impressed. I didn't think of checking your website, but as mentioned I did find the name by pausing the video on my desktop. Appears like good stuff. Already ordered a bottle a few hours ago! Thanks for your tutorial. I have a piece of plastic I need to glue on my commodore (different than your tabs) but and I strongly believe your method will work. Thanks again. Good video. Take care

[@TheGeekPub]

I didn't think you were trying to be rude. No worries.

[@krisztiannemeth6148]

Great video, as always :) There's a kind of trick with superglue (CA glue), thant can make the bond much stronger if there is a little more space. First use the glue as you normally would. Wait a minute till it dries. Then, on the outside, where the two pieces meet, add more superglue, and pour baking soda onto it. It will act a bit like a welding. Wait a little, remove the extra soda and repeat a few times. Here's a nice video showing a car headlight fix, unfortunately in Hungarian, but you'll see the point: auto.indavideo.hu/video/Fileres_neppertrukk_-_ragasztotuning

[@lwvmobile]

Whoever owned that Vic 20 must have taken really good care of it, but probably accidentally broke the clips when attempting to open it up for cleaning or service.

[@Richet125]

Isn't accelerator just baking soda and distilled water?

[@TheGeekPub]

I've never heard that. not sure.

[@Dukefazon]

I wrote a whole article on CA glue but I pressed a bad button and now it's gone... I won't write it again...

[@ReggieCotton]

What were the basics?

[@Dukefazon]

@@ReggieCotton Something about CA glue cures by taking in moisture/vapor from the air and I usually keep the piece together for about a minute, occasionally breathing heavily on it. But I let is sit for about 24 hours before final assembly because some fumes come out of it that can burn plastic and that's how I ruined an expensive PSP game and almost my PSP as well.