Silver VIC20 Mod
OK so I made a 23ct Gold C64.. Surely the VIC20 deserves the same treatment?
Silver VIC20… It’s the future 😀
First things first.. Find a donor VIC20. Had to be a classic Square Key. Square keys are known to be the future! I had a few to choose from, picked one with a hi-ish serial number. 5xxx
Apart from being firthy it’s also got a small scuff in the case.. Wouldn’t use a minter for this
Nasty.. One of the 3 case screws had rusted off.. Plenty of signs of rust in here too. No idea if this thing works, but I’m sure it will once I’ve finished with it.
One of many screws that snapped off!
Signs of some sort of liquid.. Probably should have worn gloves.
More corrosion.. Around a third of the screws snapped off in the end.
Manky
This thing is like a vintage car.. If it’s metal, it’s rotting.
More smeg
OMG this thing gets worse
And worse
And worse’r still
How do you turn a PET keyboard into a VIC20 keyboard. Simply cover the holes up with gaffer tape ;D
That’s better.
Top tip.. Clean rubber contacts with an eraser.. Don’t go mad with it.. A quick wipe is enough
You might not believe it’s the same keyboard.. But trust me it is!
PCB Cleaned and re-capped.. Time to put it back together ready for testing
Wow.. Apart from having to replace a bunch of corroded sockets, it took me a while to find out the 74LS133 was toast
It’ll probably end up as a daily drive.. Might as well add a bunch of copper
Time for the Silver 😀
Bottoms up! This is my second attempt.. First time around the finish wasn’t so good.. More than happy with it now
Needs a bit of a buff.. But apart from that, smiles all round 😀
PCB refitted.. Copper in all it’s glory
And now.. Labels
Oh yes! 😀
White LED’s are the future
Needs a bit of a touch up here and there.. I think the square key VIC20 suits a bit of silver
Might sick a resistor on that LED.. Little too bright
If you where a Cylon (BattleStar Galactica), you’d want a Silver VIC20 for Christmas.. Just imaging the hissy fit if they only got a ZX81 ;D
Well.. I’m more than happy with the results.. If you’ve not seen it already. Check out my 23ct Golden C64