In his latest video, Arctic Retro walks viewers through a straightforward Commodore 64 repair that turned out to be simpler than expected. While it started as a routine resurrection of a dead system, the repair process revealed a faulty CIA chip causing serial port issues—an easy fix for an experienced tinkerer.
After an initial discovery of a blown fuse, the machine still wouldn’t load from a disk drive. Using a diagnostic cartridge, he quickly identified a bad 6526 CIA chip. This chip handles I/O functions like serial communication, and without it, peripherals like disk drives simply won’t respond. That’s where the real Commodore 64 repair work began.
With his usual calm approach and dry wit the chip was desoldered, carefully avoided pulling pads, and popped in a working replacement. The result? Success. The machine booted perfectly, loaded a game, and passed joystick tests with flying colors. But he didn’t stop there. A full cleanup followed—motherboard, keyboard, springs, and all. The video showcases how vinegar and patience restored rusty springs, while isopropyl alcohol made the PCB sparkle again.
To cap off the Commodore 64 repair, Arctic Retro adds heat sinks to protect the VIC-II, SID, and CPU from future thermal stress. The system, once destined for e-waste, now looks and functions like new—and even passed a final test with the Kung Fu Flash cartridge.
Though the repair was relatively minor, this video reinforces how even basic fixes can give vintage computers a second life. It’s a satisfying watch for anyone who loves retro computing, repair content, or just seeing crusty old tech come back to life.
