Commodore 64 General Maintenance

The Commodore 64 (C-64, C64 C, “bread bin”, 64C, Aldi C64, SX-64) is now 40-plus years old. Aging electrolytic capacitors, brittle plastics, and the infamous “death‐brick” PSU all put these machines at risk.

This page collects best-practice hardware care, preventive service, fault-pre-emption, and periodic checks for every board revision from 1982 ASSY 250407 to the late 250469-05 short board. Follow the sections below to keep a C-64 healthy for the next four decades.

Identify Your Board Revision

**C-64 Motherboard Generations**
ASSY	Year(s)	Key Differences
326298 (“Rev A”)	1982	5-pin A/V DIN, 6567R56A / 6569R1 VIC-II, ceramic SID (6581R1), fully socketed
250407 / 250425	1983-84	8-pin A/V DIN, original long board, PLA 906114-01, discrete DRAM (8×4164)
250466	1984-85	Long board, HMOS-II 6510 CPU & 8701 clock chip, “short” color RAM, improved RF modulator
250469 rev 3/4/5 (“64C short”)	1986-92	Short board, 64-pin CSG 8500 CPU + PLA inside 64-pin “Super PLA” (Chips #252535-xx), HMOS-II 8565 VIC-II, 8580 SID, 2×128-kbit DRAMs
SX-64 portable	1984-86	5″ RGB CRT, 1541 mechanism inside; logic equivalent to 250425

Find the ASSY number silkscreened near the cartridge port or RF modulator.

Regular Cleaning

Case & Keyboard

Wipe ABS plastic with a damp micro-fiber cloth & mild dish-soap.
Keys pop off vertically; clean plungers with 99 % IPA. De-yellow with retro-brite only if you can monitor surface temp.
Lube space-bar stabiliser wire with plastic-safe grease.

PCB Dust & Oxidation

Disconnect PSU; wait 5 min for the +5 V rail to drain.
Blow dust with compressed air, brush gently with anti-static brush.
Re-seat every socketed IC to wipe oxidised contacts.

Power Supply: The “Death Brick”

Commodore 64 Power Supply

Original Commodore linear bricks often drift above 5.5 V DC, frying PLA, DRAM and SID.

Pin	Function	Healthy Range
1 (red)	+5 V DC	4.95 – 5.20 V
2 (white)	GND	0 V
6 (yellow)	9 VAC @ 1 A	9.0 – 11.0 V rms

Measure with a multimeter before every session. Safe replacements: modern switch-mode “C64RMK2”, Ray Carlsen’s CR adapter, or over-voltage-protected DIY bricks.

Capacitor Health

C-64 boards generally fare better than Amigas, but filter cans in the RF modulator and 5 V/12 V regulators dry out. Early long boards: replace the 1000 µF / 16 V +5 V filter, 470 µF / 25 V +12 V, and the two 220 µF caps in the cassette/9 VAC rectifier path. Short board 250469-05 uses SMD tantalums—rarely fail, but the modulator still contains 22 µF / 16 V electrolytics. See Commodore 64 Capacitor Replacement Guide for more detailed replacement information.

Known Failure-Prone ICs

**C-64 Common Chip Failures**
IC	Part #	Typical Symptom	Quick Test / Hint
PLA	906114-01 251064-01	Black screen, random colors, crash on cartridge	Replace with GAL-based PLAnkton or EPROM “PLA20V8”
SID	6581 / 8580	No sound, stuck keys, overheating	Touch pin 28 audio-out—hear hum? Swap with known good SID
VIC-II	6567/6569 / 8565	Black screen, jail-bars, bad color, sparkle pixels	Check 12 V @ pin 13 (long board)
CIA #1 / #2	6526	Dead keyboard / joystick / IEC, time -outs	Swap the two CIAs—fault moves? Easy socket test
DRAM	4164 ×8 or 41464 ×2	Random chars, “OUT OF MEMORY”, intermittent crash	Dead-test cart pinpoints bad bit

📏 Voltage & Clock Test Points

Node	Board Pad / IC Pin	Expected Reading
+5 V DC	6510 pin 40	4.95 – 5.20 V
+12 V DC (long boards)	7812 VR1 out or VIC pin 13	11.8 – 12.3 V
9 VAC	User-port pin 10 vs 12	9–11 V rms (scope shows 50/60 Hz sine)
CPU φ2 clock	6510 pin 2	985 kHz (PAL) / 1.022 MHz (NTSC)
Reset	6510 pin 3	Low ≤ 100 ms then High (+5 V)

Essential Tools

ESD wrist-strap & soft bristle brush
Digital multimeter (check PSU every session)
Solder station + flux & desolder braid (for PLA/SID sockets)
Diagnostic cartridges: C-64 Dead Test 781220 & Diagnostic Rev. 586220
Freeze spray or hot-air pencil for thermal fault hunts

Preventive Maintenance Checklist

Test PSU – verify +5 V & 9 VAC before connecting computer.
Inspect regulators 7805 / 7812 for cracked solder joints; re-flow if dull.
Re-seat chips annually; apply DeoxIT to sockets.
Add heat-sinks to VIC-II, SID, PLA (especially early ceramic packages).
Clean cartridge & expansion edge-connectors with isopropyl + pink eraser.
Replace RF modulator electrolytics if video shows shimmering border.
Ventilation – leave 2 cm clearance above vents; consider modern transparent top-shell or fan for hot climates.

Quick-Fix Flowcharts

No Video / Black Screen

Check PSU rails → OK?
Feel PLA & VIC: burning hot = replace.
Swap PLA → CPU / VIC → both CIAs → ROMs.
Still black? probe φ2 clock & Reset; if missing, suspect 8701 clock generator or bad crystal.

Garbled Characters / Checkerboard

Run Dead Test cart: code flashes DRAM bank; count flashes to identify bad 4164.
If only colors wrong → replace 2114 color RAM.
If only certain glyphs wrong → character ROM (901225-01) socket issue.

No Sound

Confirm volume & cable → check SID pin 27 audio-out with scope; flat-line = dead SID.
Audio present before modulator but silent on TV = RF modulator electrolytic or bad audio-mix resistor.

Keyboard / Joystick Dead

Swap CIAs; if fixed, replace bad 6526.
If row/column missing → inspect keyboard ribbon; repair broken trace with conductive ink.