This time around I put the Vectorio back together. There’s no real surprises here – it all bolts back together about the way you’d expect. Next time around I hope to have a working composite monitor that I can plug into it (my modern Sony LCD workshop TV doesn’t like the composite output from many retro machines).
This time around we take a look at a monochrome 9″ Apple ][ monitor, and make a start on rectifying its issues. This will be part 1 of at least 2 as I’m still waiting on some of the replacement parts to arrive (some I had in stock, but many I didn’t). You’ll see what a PITA this thing is to get apart, and next time I expect you’ll see what a PITA it is to put back together! ...
In this video I clean and re-assemble the Vectorio keyboard that I took apart quite some time ago. In doing so I noticed another area where this machine differs from the genuine Apple ][+, so I explore that a little before giving the keyboard a test. AND IT DIDN’T WORK PROPERLY! But it wasn’t a huge issue, and the fix was pretty straightforward if not slightly fiddly.
A while back now I picked up an Apple II clone on eBay – listed as “unknown condition – parts only”, or words to that effect. Back then I popped it open, checked the power supply for obvious issues, checked the output voltages, and was able to successfully power up the machine. BUT, the machine was a bit of a mess – the case is very yellowed for one, and it needed a good overall clean. So I pulled it all down and made a start, but that was about the time I ran out of space in my little home office, making it very difficult to get anything done in there. That was the driver to build a new workshop for this stuff! ...
This Apple ][ clone arrived in the mail today. Mightly yellowed, but other than the ‘K’ key, the machine seems to work fine. The motherboard is branded “Vectorio”, so it’ll be interesting to learn a bit more about this one. Live streams on Twitch