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Finally acquired and Educator 64

P

polishedball

Experienced Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
114
Very happy to finally have this in my collection, the screen is fine camera just blew it out.

educator.jpg
 
Nice.

I do have to wonder why Commodore didn't put color CRTs in these. I guess they figured they'd sell anyway, or they just needed to get rid of PET CRTs. But I really do not know.
 
How strange. I thought the Educator 64 had a colour CRT. Monochrome with the bright C64 colour scheme makes it look totally washed out - and probably caused screen burns.

It looks like the keyboard is just a standard C64 keyboard stuffed in there. I thought it was more PET-like.

Well, I think I'll take the Educator 64 off my "optional computers to look for" list. My C128 will have to serve as my "PET-like C64".

Nice find, though. :)
 
IIRC, the Educator 64 has a monochrome screen on purpose - so kids wouldn't play games. It was a way for Commodore to leverage the economies of scale from using c64 components while packaging it in the durable PET case that schools wanted.
 
Well I guess the guys at commodore should have taken a closer look at the Apple II's success in schools...
 
Mr.Amiga500 said:
How strange. I thought the Educator 64 had a colour CRT. Monochrome with the bright C64 colour scheme makes it look totally washed out - and probably caused screen burns.

It looks like the keyboard is just a standard C64 keyboard stuffed in there. I thought it was more PET-like.

Well, I think I'll take the Educator 64 off my "optional computers to look for" list. My C128 will have to serve as my "PET-like C64".

Nice find, though. :)
Click to expand...

No colour screens. The standard PET monitor casing is too shallow to hold a 12" colour tube. It would have to be extended a few more inches to fit one in (I know, I've measured!). The screen looks fine, but it's hard to photograph. It's not a standard C64 keyboard... Layout yes, however look at the number keys on the top row... the colour names are missing, plus the cable to connect to the mainboard is much longer. These machines are hard to find...

Steve
 
sjgray said:
No colour screens. The standard PET monitor casing is too shallow to hold a 12" colour tube. It would have to be extended a few more inches to fit one in (I know, I've measured!). The screen looks fine, but it's hard to photograph. It's not a standard C64 keyboard... Layout yes, however look at the number keys on the top row... the colour names are missing, plus the cable to connect to the mainboard is much longer. These machines are hard to find...

Steve
Click to expand...

They had one on ebay a while ago -- think it went for $350 non-working. I had kind of mixed feelings about it and ended up sitting it out.
 
That's not bad. Working ones can get up to $800. I bought mine for $125 broken. I needed to replace the motherboard, but luckily I had a spare C64. I would say if the case and monitor are working and in good shape $350 would be worth it. It took me a couple years to find my Educator unit.

Steve
 
sjgray said:
That's not bad. Working ones can get up to $800. I bought mine for $125 broken. I needed to replace the motherboard, but luckily I had a spare C64. I would say if the case and monitor are working and in good shape $350 would be worth it. It took me a couple years to find my Educator unit.

Steve
Click to expand...

Mine cost $600 shipped in a private sale from someone on the lemon forums. For those that had asked where it came from.
 
sjgray said:
That's not bad. Working ones can get up to $800. I bought mine for $125 broken. I needed to replace the motherboard, but luckily I had a spare C64. I would say if the case and monitor are working and in good shape $350 would be worth it. It took me a couple years to find my Educator unit.

Steve
Click to expand...

Where do you look for these things apart from ebay? I was hoping to bring in a couple more PETs... but ebay isn't producing lately.
 
The way I found my 2001 chicklet version was through a long time of searching but I finally resorted to using google to search craigslist in the US and checking for folks. I had finally found a very nice person in Wisconsin with a working one and fortunately we spoke on the phone and figured neither of us were scammers. He was ok shipping it and glad it was going to a good home and user so it was a win for both of us. I don't get a lot of responses from CL though and I know a lot of folks aren't wanting to ship (hence the local CL ad) but I've also seen a growing number of folks who accept it as a free version of ebay. Good idea though, lemon and amibay would be good places sometimes for C=/Amiga gear.
 
Well, my Educator came from a music store in the US with a listing on Kijiji.. It sat un-noticed for over a month before I saw it, since I don't check very often, and usually only check cities near me. Most of my stuff is from ebay, however I'm also lucky enough to live in the Toronto GTA area and there are a lot of sources around here for stuff, including TPUG and the World of Commodore shows.

I find ebay goes in cycles. For a while, nothing, then all of a sudden we're swamped with things. Just be patient.

Steve
 
falter said:
Where do you look for these things apart from ebay? I was hoping to bring in a couple more PETs... but ebay isn't producing lately.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the opposite, I just picked up a pet and drive combo for under $130 on ebay, I know someone else here got a great deal on a pair also think under $50 before shipping if i recall correct.
 
polishedball said:
I was thinking the opposite, I just picked up a pet and drive combo for under $130 on ebay, I know someone else here got a great deal on a pair also think under $50 before shipping if i recall correct.
Click to expand...
Ah, yes, before shipping... ;-)
Just curious: what'd that PET & drive combo cost to ship, and from where to where?
 
MikeS said:
Ah, yes, before shipping... ;-)
Just curious: what'd that PET & drive combo cost to ship, and from where to where?
Click to expand...

I'll have to look where it came from, but it was $87 to ship them both separate boxes. I don;t think that was actual shipping, but that is what I paid.
 
I got my Pet 64 through Yahoo Auction Japan (yes, I live in Japan). Not sure how one ever got here, but no one seemed to want to bid, so I grabbed it. Didn't work, but thanks to a lot of probing around and much help from Ray Carlsen the motherboard is up and running now. However the monitor is still dead, but I think I have an idea as to what components may be faulty, and I'll have a go at fixing it when I return to Tokyo after things settle down at the nuclear power plant.

Check it out here:
http://web.mac.com/lord_philip/Commodore/Commodore_PET_64.html

Phil

P.S. unfortunately I may have to sell it at some point as I'm running very low on space and my wife is complaining :-(
 
Nama said:
I got my Pet 64 through Yahoo Auction Japan (yes, I live in Japan). Not sure how one ever got here, but no one seemed to want to bid, so I grabbed it. Didn't work, but thanks to a lot of probing around and much help from Ray Carlsen the motherboard is up and running now. However the monitor is still dead, but I think I have an idea as to what components may be faulty, and I'll have a go at fixing it when I return to Tokyo after things settle down at the nuclear power plant.

Check it out here:
http://web.mac.com/lord_philip/Commodore/Commodore_PET_64.html

Phil

P.S. unfortunately I may have to sell it at some point as I'm running very low on space and my wife is complaining :-(
Click to expand...


Hopefully you get to keep it, look for a wirewound resistor to be open on the monitor board. I have repaired several by just changing out that single resistor. I'll look later for location and show you a picture. But it maybe a good place to start.
 
Well, I'm thinking its either the R752 resistor (I believe it's a flame proof type) or the D752 diode on the same line. Basically the 400V line seems dead.
Please let me know if this is what you are thinking too.

Thanks
 
I just read the article on your website Phil. Man, a lot of chips were faulty. I wonder why? Could something have been plugged into the unit with a 5V line where it shouldn't be and wreaked widespread destruction?

Tez
 
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