PET keys?

[orion70]

didn't mean to be rough with a girl!

[Bobbi]

not at all

[Imperious]

Here's my Pet key Vic20. Some of these photo's are in a retrobrighting thread I made here. This is a PAL model.
Originally had a MOS 6502 and 6561E.

[Bobbi]

No metal box around your VIC chip I see.

[Imperious]

Yeah, the PAL models never had that fitted. Also there is an extra IC, UB10, a 74ls74 which is involved
with the cpu and Vic frequency circuit.

[Bobbi]

Makes sense since it was the FCC making a fuss.

[srowe]

Yeah, the PAL models never had that fitted.

I think the CR variants did but neither of my two prong PAL machines do.

[eslapion]

Makes sense since it was the FCC making a fuss.

Exactly as I was saying in another thread...

[Muzz73]

Blasted FCC... I honestly don't know anyone who's a fan. They don't do much more than hinder the progress of great products and cause a lot of people a lot of grief. Not to mention all of the money it costs people to get their products compliant and sales that are lost when a cutting edge product falls a year or two behind due to ridiculous delays in certification.

Bah! Humbug!

End of sermon.

[Bobbi]

I am guessing the re-layout from Rev 1 / VIC-1001 to the later full-size board layout was probably motivated by the need to get FCC approval.

[srowe]

Does the metal shielding around the VIC circuitry not benefit the video signal in any way?

[Bobbi]

I don't believe so. I think it is just a Faraday cage to prevent the VIC pins and the traces radiating lots of RF interference.

It also helps to allow the VIC chip to overheat too.

[Bobbi]

Well the PET-keyboard machine just arrived. I don't have a 9V AC transformer yet (in the mail - hopefully tomorrow) so I can't do a full test.

However the machine looks beautiful - nice and white and clean, very original. They keyboard looks like new. Hooked it up to my CR VIC and every key works perfectly without even a cleaning! Best $25 I spent in a while!

Date codes are 50th week of 1981. Pics soon!

[Bobbi]

Well here she is. I even got the foam liner from the box with the serial number (but not the cardboard sleeve.) That was an unexpected bonus.

The machine looks *like new*. It is not yellowed at all. The keyboard isn't even dirty! I guess it has been in that polystyrene shell for the last 30+ years.

The only concern I have is the slight bubbling of some of the PCB tracks / ground plane here and there. My CR VIC does not show that issue. Any PCB experts here? Should I be looking to try to fix the trace, or just ignore and enjoy? (Or find another VIC with a good donor motherboard?)

The machine is very original. I wonder if I am the first person to ever open it. Notice the electrical tape on the keyboard covering the unused holes where the PET numpad would go.

[mrr19121970]

The bubbling is only the solder mask. No reason for concern.

I didn't look in detail at yours, but this is what I have in mind as a Hong Kong board. They are lighter green and somehow cheaper and ugly looking compared to the darker green ones that seem to have aged much better.