Denial

didn't mean to be rough with a girl!

not at all

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.

No metal box around your VIC chip I see.

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.

Makes sense since it was the FCC making a fuss.

Imperious wrote:Yeah, the PAL models never had that fitted.

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

Bobbi wrote:Makes sense since it was the FCC making a fuss.

Exactly as I was saying in another thread...

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.