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Retrocomputing

Questions tagged [maintenance]

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Methods, techniques and tools for the care and upkeep of working retro machinery. Use [repair] when asking about non-functional machines.

52 questions
Newest Active Bountied Unanswered
2 votes
1 answer
268 views

Having a cryptic issue with this pair of hardware. Scenario: Amstrad PC1640DD (manual here) with one floppy long since swapped out for an HDD. Exact controller card is WD1002A-27X (board photos ...
Tim Williams's user avatar
  • 131
37 votes
4 answers
6k views

I have had allergies in the past, mold, grass, and other causes of hay fever, also dust and cigarette smoke. I like getting old 8 bit systems, untested, and getting them to work. So far mostly for my ...
scm's user avatar
  • 1,159
7 votes
1 answer
523 views

I have an old IBM PS/2 30/286, now sitting for a while on one of my desks. I'm a bit afraid that it will stop working sooner or later, so what's the best way to keep it 'alive' ? I fire it up every ...
Tommylee2k's user avatar
  • 849
3 votes
1 answer
729 views

I bought a 1977 Gracia Color Video Game TVG 432 (not much to be found online), image from 20th Century Video Games: And the unit works, but the video signal is kind of sketchy. It is not very strong, ...
Bart Friederichs's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
589 views

According to this section of an excellent book on the history of Novell, I had actually started a business attempting to do some phases of what we are doing here at Novell. My plan was to develop to ...
rwallace's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
814 views

I have two original Nintendo 64 controllers. A year or so ago, I finally opened them up and replaced the old, worn-out analogue sticks with new ones. They work and I can play games, but it "...
Ladelf's user avatar
  • 47
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

I have long wanted to clean up some old hardware to make it look new again. It really bothers me that it's all yellowed and depressing-looking. However, https://retr0bright.com/ wants me to purchase ...
Killgore's user avatar
  • 81
10 votes
2 answers
7k views

So I have various old computers and peripherals that could use retrobrighting. However, after researching, I have more questions than answers. What type of cleaner/degreaser is best to use or avoid? ...
Community wiki
Keltari
7 votes
0 answers
177 views

This is related to the following question: Cleaning 5¼" floppy drives Is there a proper way to clean the pressure pad that simply presses against the back side of a single-sided 5.25-inch ...
Dale Mahalko's user avatar
  • 3,767
12 votes
8 answers
6k views

I have watched countless videos of people opening up old video game consoles. Talking ones up to year 2000 or so. They never touch a radiator or mention using some kind of technique or measure to get ...
Kellyn L.'s user avatar
  • 137
10 votes
1 answer
719 views

Big Blue IBM seemingly since forever is using a fixed numbering scheme for all their parts, where every little thing, dingus and gizmo is labeled with the so-called IBM SKU#. It's always in the form: ...
Micropolis's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
631 views

I am working on restoring an old Intel Motherboard with a 478 PGA Socket, an accompanying Intel Pentium 4 Prescott, and various expansion cards that have some form of dry mold coating it. I am working ...
Zeno of Elea's user avatar
  • 81
23 votes
5 answers
11k views

I have a few IBM ThinkPads from the 1990s, and they had a rubberized sort of finish to them that feels sticky to the touch now. How should I realistically go about cleaning them such that they won't ...
Brian Reading's user avatar
  • 1,052
9 votes
2 answers
984 views

How do you clean keyboards with buckling springs? I have mentioned in an earlier question that I've recently bought an IBM keyboard but how do you clean a keyboard with buckling springs? I only know ...
bithiah k's user avatar
  • 153
4 votes
1 answer
400 views

I have an what appears to be an AT&T 6300 Computer. It seems to work fine, but I am missing the F5, #7 and numpad + key caps on the keyboard. What is the easiest way to find a replacement for ...
user4574's user avatar
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