The scarcity of Commodore 64s in the wild

[Wraith Storm]

Around the Tulsa area C64s are almost impossible to find anywhere other than craigslist.

It irritates the hell outta me too. In the past 8 years I have bought 4 C64s locally and none of them work anymore. I tried and failed at soldering ic sockets and new ram chips on one of them and don't know whats wrong with the other 3. So i have 4 C64s in various states of working order. I cant repair them, but i hate to throw them away, and no one locally wants them.

I just wish i could find a GOOD RELIABLE WORKING C64. Are the 128s better built? Better chips and components or anything? Would they last longer or be more reliable than getting yet ANOTHER C64?

[wizardofwor1975]

Around the Tulsa area C64s are almost impossible to find anywhere other than craigslist.

It irritates the hell outta me too. In the past 8 years I have bought 4 C64s locally and none of them work anymore. I tried and failed at soldering ic sockets and new ram chips on one of them and don't know whats wrong with the other 3. So i have 4 C64s in various states of working order. I cant repair them, but i hate to throw them away, and no one locally wants them.

I just wish i could find a GOOD RELIABLE WORKING C64. Are the 128s better built? Better chips and components or anything? Would they last longer or be more reliable than getting yet ANOTHER C64?

Given your location you should try and track down the Tulsa Area Commodore Users Group (TACUG). I'm not sure if their still around but that would be a good place to start. Buying from a Commodore User Group in my experience has always worked out well whereas Ebay has been a hit & miss. Plus they are usually a vast source of knowledge especially when it comes to repairs.

In the mean time this website has been helpful to me in the past with repairs to my 64 & SX-64:

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm.html

If your interested in having one or more of your 64's professionally repaired you should talk to Ray Carlsen.

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/

[Wookie]

Around the Tulsa area C64s are almost impossible to find anywhere other than craigslist.

It irritates the hell outta me too. In the past 8 years I have bought 4 C64s locally and none of them work anymore. I tried and failed at soldering ic sockets and new ram chips on one of them and don't know whats wrong with the other 3. So i have 4 C64s in various states of working order. I cant repair them, but i hate to throw them away, and no one locally wants them.

I just wish i could find a GOOD RELIABLE WORKING C64. Are the 128s better built? Better chips and components or anything? Would they last longer or be more reliable than getting yet ANOTHER C64?

If you've had multiple 64s die on you, I'd suspect the power supply. They're notorious for going bad and taking out the computer with them. Check the output voltage under load and if the 5VDC line goes above 5.2V, throw it away. There are multiple possible solutions to the power supply problem (using a protective relay, find one of the more reliable supplies sold with the 1764 REU, convert a C128 supply, build a new one from scratch, etc).

The 128 is generally a more reliable machine than the 64, mainly due to its beefier and more stable power supply. The do tend to develop keyboard problems, though. I've also had better luck with the 64C model compared to the original. None of them were really well built, though, and all are more than 20 years old at this point.

[AdamAnt316]

The unfortunate thing about the C=64 power supply (apart from its tendency to fail) is that the vast majority of them are sealed in epoxy, so you can't work on them without cutting the shell apart. I've been lucky, though, in finding a number of power supplies that can be opened up, including one intended for use with Commodore's 17xx RAM Expander Units (basically a C=128 brick with the C=64 connector on the end). The most interesting of these is actually a third-party unit, the Phoenix CPS-10, apparently sold via the Jameco catalog at some point (and also made under the Estes name, apparently). It's in a metal box (mine is white, not black like in the preceding images) with a power switch on the front, and has a pair of (switched?) accessory outlets on the back. I haven't tried it yet, due to the likely presence of 20+ year old electrolytic capacitors, but it seems like it should be reliable otherwise.
-Adam

[thegamezmaster]

Very rarely do I see any C64's. The only one lately was at a Mega Replay. But the price was too high. Plus already have a ton of Commodore stuff and systems I got when my Dad passed away. Even had a silver C64 that works. Did buy an Atari 800 like new in the box with the outer box, styrofoam, power supply, and RF switch. Looks like it got little use. No paper work though.

[Niku-Sama]

About an hour ago I picked up a complete c64 for 32 bucks. First time I ever saw one for sale in years.

I think it might be a pal one though. Is there any way too tell between pal and ntsc without turning it on?

Still undergoing physical hardware checks / cleaning

[Mayhem]

Yeah, open her up and look at the VIC chip (it will be underneath the metal plating area). NTSC is code 6567, PAL is code 6569.

Although if it's made in West Germany (look at the label on the bottom), it's probably going to be PAL. Where was it made?

[schnuth]

About an hour ago I picked up a complete c64 for 32 bucks. First time I ever saw one for sale in years.

I think it might be a pal one though. Is there any way too tell between pal and ntsc without turning it on?

Still undergoing physical hardware checks / cleaning

Nice score if it's a PAL machine. I paid way more than I wanted to for my PAL C64, but it's been more than worth it. So many good PAL only games.

[Niku-Sama]

I can't tell if it is or not.
It has a pal jumper behind the mitsumi rf box. Rev a board with 1983 dates on most stuff