4 ms·

Commodore PET 2001 repair

45 points by erickhill 4y ago

eggy 4y ago
My first computer! I bought it used in 1977/78. I paid $800 for the 32k upgraded one. I learned to program on this, but actually learned PDP-11 assembly from a book before I purchased it. Of course, not applicable to PET Basic! I loved the graphics on the PET's keys. I wrote a horse racing program (parents were into the ponies!). I stayed with Commodores - A Vic-20, Commodore 128, and then the Amiga 1000. I kept it until 1988 and let my cousin John use it. He sold it years later when I was overseas. I was bummed, but more so now. I would have loved to have had it until now for the nostalgia trip. Talk about constraints in programming. I get some of that now with PICO-8 and other toys, but nothing beats hitting PLAY to load a program!
Cockbrand 4y ago
I got one of those for free in the late 80s when they were decommissioned from my school. I wrote a few programs on it, and sold it decades later. Very beautiful and interesting machine, but definitely way too bulky for someone living in a small apartment.
greenbit 4y ago
I had a 4032 for a while, which had a nicer keyboard, but it had green phosphors. I think green was standard with the 4016, 4032, 8032s, but I liked that blueish phosphor on the 2001 better.
- eggy 4y ago
  I am pretty sure mine had white phosphor. A 1977 PET 2001. Maybe it was white/blue?
classichasclass 4y ago
I've got a blue-label PET 2001 in the office. Except for some iffy keys and the internal Datasette, and there's a loose solder joint in the monitor that I've yet to find, it works well. The keycaps are worn but not so worn you can't figure out what keys are what. Picked up a Tapuino I'm trying to do some work with on the secondary cassette port.
jandrese 4y ago
That machine has so many chip failures I'd start to wonder if the power supply is suspect. I think he replaced over 3/4 of the chips on the board by the end, plus several discrete components. Or maybe it was put away after a lightning strike?
- randombits0 4y ago
  Old, failing power supplies are a known issue. If he didn’t know then, he does now.
kmoser 4y ago
I still have my PET 2001. The chassis could stop a bullet.
djmips 4y ago
He was asking for advice to clean corroded IC legs and sockets (2017) and I see that he went with a new replacement board. There are two ways I have seen corrosion fixed. First is Brasso it cleans that black corrosion off IC legs and they look like new. Sockets is harder so Google that because it usually involves acid and it's dangerous enough that I'll leave that for others to describe but it's basically acid solution and a brush followed by plenty of rinsing.

45 points by erickhill 4y ago

eggy 4y ago

My first computer! I bought it used in 1977/78. I paid $800 for the 32k upgraded one. I learned to program on this, but actually learned PDP-11 assembly from a book before I purchased it. Of course, not applicable to PET Basic! I loved the graphics on the PET's keys. I wrote a horse racing program (parents were into the ponies!). I stayed with Commodores - A Vic-20, Commodore 128, and then the Amiga 1000. I kept it until 1988 and let my cousin John use it. He sold it years later when I was overseas. I was bummed, but more so now. I would have loved to have had it until now for the nostalgia trip. Talk about constraints in programming. I get some of that now with PICO-8 and other toys, but nothing beats hitting PLAY to load a program!

Cockbrand 4y ago

I got one of those for free in the late 80s when they were decommissioned from my school. I wrote a few programs on it, and sold it decades later. Very beautiful and interesting machine, but definitely way too bulky for someone living in a small apartment.

greenbit 4y ago

I had a 4032 for a while, which had a nicer keyboard, but it had green phosphors. I think green was standard with the 4016, 4032, 8032s, but I liked that blueish phosphor on the 2001 better.

eggy 4y ago
I am pretty sure mine had white phosphor. A 1977 PET 2001. Maybe it was white/blue?

classichasclass 4y ago

I've got a blue-label PET 2001 in the office. Except for some iffy keys and the internal Datasette, and there's a loose solder joint in the monitor that I've yet to find, it works well. The keycaps are worn but not so worn you can't figure out what keys are what. Picked up a Tapuino I'm trying to do some work with on the secondary cassette port.

jandrese 4y ago

That machine has so many chip failures I'd start to wonder if the power supply is suspect. I think he replaced over 3/4 of the chips on the board by the end, plus several discrete components. Or maybe it was put away after a lightning strike?

randombits0 4y ago
Old, failing power supplies are a known issue. If he didn’t know then, he does now.

kmoser 4y ago

I still have my PET 2001. The chassis could stop a bullet.

djmips 4y ago

He was asking for advice to clean corroded IC legs and sockets (2017) and I see that he went with a new replacement board. There are two ways I have seen corrosion fixed. First is Brasso it cleans that black corrosion off IC legs and they look like new. Sockets is harder so Google that because it usually involves acid and it's dangerous enough that I'll leave that for others to describe but it's basically acid solution and a brush followed by plenty of rinsing.