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Episode 409: Commodore SX-64 Restoration

Matt enjoys working with retro computer and gaming platforms, so when a friend asked if he wanted to come to take an "old Commodore laptop" off his hands, he jumped at the chance! The machine had obviously seen its better days, but Matt would not be deterred from such an extreme restoration challenge! Will the SX-64 come back to life? Watch as Matt repairs and rebuilds a relative retro computing rarity, restoring it to its former glory so he can finally play Planet X2!

Supplemental Content:

Bill of Material:

Product Name Manufacturer Quantity Buy Kit
DIN Audio / Video Connector, 5 Contacts, Plug, Cable Mount, Solder, Tin Plated Contacts, Metal Body SwitchCraft 2 Buy Now
DIN Audio / Video Connector, 6 Contacts, Plug, Cable Mount, Solder, Tin Plated Contacts, Metal Body SwitchCraft 2 Buy Now
Computer Cable, D-Sub Plug to D-Sub Receptacle, 6 ft, 1.8 m, Black Tripp-Lite 1 Buy Now
Computer Cable, D-Sub Plug to D-Sub Receptacle, 2.5 ft, 760 mm, Black L-COM 1 Buy Now
D Sub Connector, DB25, Standard, Plug, AMPLIMITE HD-20 Series, 25 Contacts, DB, Solder AMP-TC Connectivity 1 Buy Now
Mains Power Cord, NEMA 5-15P to IEC 60320 C13, 1.2 m, 10 A, 125 VAC, Black Tripp-Lite 1 Buy Now
Audio / Video Cable Assembly, Stereo Audio Patch, Dual RCA Plugs to Dual RCA Plugs, 6 Ft, 1.8 M Stellar Labs 1 Buy Now
Premium Female/Male Extension Jumper Wires, 40 x 6" (150mm) Adafruit 1 Buy Now
Extraction Tool, DIP/IC OK Industries 1 Buy Now

Additional Parts:

Product Name

Commodore SX-64

Bondo Automotive Filler Compound

Rustoleum Metallic Satin Nickel Finish paint

Commodore 906114-01
Commodore VIC-1540
Commodore SX-64 Restoration

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Anonymous
  • in reply to d3bug

    I appreciate the suggestions, and believe me when i say, I tried everything to get that drive working (We often don't show every specific failed attempt due to time constraints).

     

    1. Drive alignment was the first and most obvious answer, but it wasn't the problem. The problem stemmed from a combination of a worn-out mechanism and a malfunctioning read/write head. It was faster and easier to swap the drive wholesale. I'll revisit the original drive with the standalone 1541 another day.

    2. Yes, of course, but that was not within the scope of this video.

    3. Heat management on the old PLA chips is a problem, and a heatsink will solve that problem, correct.

     

    I actually have that book on my shelf! It's a great resource!

     

    Cheers

  • Good except for a couple of suggestions:

     

    1. You should have checked the alignment of the drive instead of replacing the mechanism.  It is dead simple to write a small BASIC program to do so.

    2. You should consider re-capping the entire board's electrolytic capacitors as they leak over time and cause issues.

    3. You should probably add a heat sink to the chips to prevent further damage long term.

     

    Have a look at this book:  Inside Commodore DOS (PDF)

  • in reply to airbornesurfer

    I agree.  I miss tweaking the .bat files and IRQs to get just a little bit more out of a system.  It's one of the reasons I like the Arduino.  I like trying to find a way to make the code just a little bit smaller - for no other reason than I sometimes succeed.

  • in reply to clem57

    Miniaturization has certainly caused great leaps and bounds for "daily driver" technology, but I still love the whole "hands-on" feel of working with separate boards and socketed chips. There's a certain craftsmanship (not unlike what woodworkers or other artisans appreciate) that lends itself to the older machines. Things that--as the "old farts" lament--you could work on. I live for that feeling!

  • Back in the day, these Commodores were state of the art. OMG, how far we have gone with MCU's and ARM...

  • in reply to eboggs1

    That's pretty awesome! I may look into a battery pack when I revisit this later, but for now, I'm just enjoying some of my old games!

  • in reply to kmikemoo

    Thanks! I really enjoy working on things that were designed to be worked on--they just don't build them like they used to!

  • in reply to clem57

    I'd been working on it for the better part of a week solid in 110+ degree (F) heat, so yeah--I was a little excited

  • in reply to DAB

    You misspelled "fun"

     

    Seriously, though: A PET refurb/renovation would be pretty cool! And thanks! This was a huge project that I had been looking forward to for a long time!