Video: Atari 65XE Total Restoration

[llopis]

This Atari 65XE didn't look too bad on the outside, but the inside was a complete nightmare: dust, rust, dirt, insects, spider webs, and even some kind of cocoons! Where did this poor Atari come from, the trash?? I actually had to use hydrochloric acid to remove the massive rust stains on the bottom case. All in all it came out really well, especially when I get the keyboard membrane 🙂

 

 

[atariry]

Impressive work, especially with the RF shield. I was shouting "throw it away". It was surprising that the electronics were actually in good shape.

 

In some C64 restoration videos the youtuber removes and throws away the RF shields (whatever their condition) and gets a lot of flack as a result.

[manterola]

Yep, the trick was the spray you applied... Can you give us the name of the product?  Once I got a similar shield , all rusted. I left it in vinegar for some hours and that helped me a lot. Then I sanded it that was it... free of rust, but not shinning anymore.

 

[13Leader]

Yuck!  What a mess,   My 800xl had a roach clip someone lost years ago!   The inside of on the case was full of stenchy pot smelly  dust and crap.

 

 

Edited February 28 by 13Leader

[+Nezgar]

Gonna have to get myself some of that Galvanizing spray paint... That's totally the finishing touch for the shield!

 

Good on you for quickly walking away from DIY repair of the keyboard membrane... I spent too much time and money on cleaning & conductive paints that never worked before just replacing the mylars with new ones... INSTANT FIX.

[llopis]

Thanks everybody! I almost threw away the RF shields (I always throw away the silvery cardboard C64 ones), but with the XL computers I had in the past, they actually made a big difference in the RF video quality. So I decided to give them a try just in case they were salvageable.

 

The spray I used was marketed as "galvanizing zinc spray". Specifically for cold temperatures. They have them available in any hardware store. I didn't find any good hits on the Amazon US store, so maybe it's called something else over there. Here's the link to the Spanish store just in case it helps as a reference:

https://www.amazon.es/CRC-30713-AA-Spray-400-ml/dp/B00U1J1AYU

 

[Wilheim]

Thanks for your video! I found it very interesting and also very instructive!

 

To fix the mylar, have you tried to solder copper filaments to reestablish the conduct? Some friends here in Chile have used that technique, and it worked quite well. Of course the best solution is to buy a brand new one, but at least you could make it functioning until it arrives the new mylar.

 

Cheers!

[manterola]

OK. that's interesting... I tried to glue wire filaments and kind of work but it was not great. How do you solder to the Mylar without burning the plastic?  (con mucho cuidado?)

 

[ivop]

Be sure to get Zinc Spray paint and not oral Zinc Spray   (Yes, they do exist. Also known as snake oil and can cause permanent smell damage)

 

 

[jamm]

I've never used hydrochloric acid, so I was surprised it didn't eat through the bottom of that plastic case when you used it to remove the rust!

[Wilheim]

2 hours ago, manterola said:

OK. that's interesting... I tried to glue wire filaments and kind of work but it was not great. How do you solder to the Mylar without burning the plastic?  (con mucho cuidado?)

 

To be honest, I don't know exactly, but I can imagine that wire tape should do the trick. And, obviously, CON MUCHO CUIDADO!!

[Preppie]

3 hours ago, jamm said:

I've never used hydrochloric acid, so I was surprised it didn't eat through the bottom of that plastic case when you used it to remove the rust!

Glass & Plastic usualy don't react with acids.

[jamm]

5 minutes ago, Preppie said:

Glass & Plastic usualy don't react with acids.

I guess that should've been obvious to me given that he had the acid in a plastic bottle!

[ivop]

The Sulfuric Acid (H₂SO₄) 97% I have, came in a glass bottle, exactly because it burns right through plastic. Very useful for decapping ICs.