Commodore 64 back to life

Commodore 64 back to life.

My brother found an old Commodoe 64 in his basement, and asked me if i wanted to have it.

Commodore 64 box

I got this box from him, it was very dusty, and yes that is a printer.
I was not sure what to expect, but went ahead and connected it to the TV, and it actually turned on.

Comodore 64 start screen

I was quite surprised, i did not expect that, but i soon found a issue with it, Almost none of the keys on the keyboard was working, so it wasn’t possible to use it for anything other than the pretty blue screen.

Commodore 64 Keyboard

I took it apart to see if there was something obvious wrong with it, but there wasn’t, so took the keyboard apart, and cleaned the print with some isopropyl alcohol, some of the soldering point didn’t look to good, so i gave them some new tin. i cleaned the rest of the Commodore

Commodore 64 keyboard print
The bad soldering point on the Keyboard print.

Commodore 64 disassembly

Commodore 64 motherboard
Logic-board of the Commodore 64 after it has been cleaned, it was covered in a layer of dust and even some mouse droppings. this one has been modded with a reset switch.

Commodore 64 keyboard
There was a lot of dust under the keys, so removed them all, and cleaned under them. some of the keys where missing the springs so i have ordered some new ones from http://store.retroleum.co.uk/
I
 haven’t received them yet. but it is a easy fix.

Old Commodore 64
Finally assembled, and the good news was that more of the keys where working now, but sadly not everyone, so was still not able to type “LOAD” on it, so i took it apart again and messuret on the keys that wasn’t working, and the connection was fine, and the problem was the connector you plug on to the logic board, it had some bad contact, so had to replace some of the pins, i used some from some RC connectors i had they did the job and it was now working perfectly, although it very yellow, i’m thinking about giving Retr0bright a go to see if that will make it nice again. but that will be a project for another time.

The Commodore has been cleaned and is now working. i think i will look into a SD card reader for it, because i don’t have many diskettes for it and many of them aren’t working, but still looking into which SD card solution i will go for, if you have any experience with it please leave a reply

 

 

 

logo

Related posts

Battery Pack From Old Laptop

Battery Pack From Old Laptop


Battery Pack From Old Laptop

Make a 3S battery from old Laptop Battery I needed a battery for my gimbal, and wanted to make it as small as possible and still have enough power to run the gimbal properly. The top bar of the gimbal is an old carbon bike handlebar. And I thought it would be cool to have the battery inside...

Homemade Camera Gimbal Finished

Homemade Camera Gimbal Finished


Homemade Camera Gimbal Finished

Homemade Camera Gimbal Finished (Almost) So my Gimbal project is reached a state where i can call it almost finished. Of course such a project will always have place for improvements, But for now it is in a working order. A lot of people have been asking me for the drawings / plans for the...

Reef Build – W00tifrutti

Reef Build - W00tifrutti


Reef Build - W00tifrutti

Reefbuild This reefbuild is not mine, i just helped a friend build this Saltwater aquarium. The Tank is ordered with measurement to fit the furniture.  

Making a Concrete Table.

Making a Concrete Table.


Making a Concrete Table.

Homemade Concrete table. I was looking for a new coffee table for my living room, because the old one was well used, but i could find one i like, or could afford. So what to do ?  Well i decided to build my own and it went quite well i think :) I wanted something with a rustic look, so...

Camera Slider Schematics

Camera Slider Schematics


Camera Slider Schematics

Wiring diagram for My camera Slider build. The stepper motors wiring is dependent on witch stepper motor you use, so for that you have to examine how the wire it to the EasyDriver. Also the relay is wired but how you wire it to your camera is also something you have to examine to your...

DIY Gimbal Project (AlexMos) Worklog

DIY Gimbal Project (AlexMos) Worklog


DIY Gimbal Project (AlexMos) Worklog

Today i ordered the first parts for my Gimbal project. I have ordered Battery, Motors, and Controller, when i receive the parts i can begin to design the frame. The Gimbal is going the be used with a Sony A6000 Camera. This is the fist gimbal i ever made so this is Not a how to guide(at...

Leave a Reply