What's wrong with this Apple IIgs motherboard?

In this video I diagnose, repair and test an Apple IIgs motherboard with a RAM problem. The board also comes with the "not-so-useful" ROM 0, so I make a custom adapter and upgrade it to ROM 01. Thanks to viewer Mike for sending in the IIgs board originally!

0:00 Intro
1:01 Motherboard diagnosis and repair
20:23 Handmade ROM 01 upgrade
35:55 Switching between PAL and NTSC
34:39 Testing some IIgs software
38:41 Outro

--- Video Links

Mail Call where Mike sent in the IIgs motherboard:

Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)

Support the channel on Patreon:

-- Tools

Deoxit D5:

O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)

Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:

Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:

Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:

Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:

TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)

TS100 Soldering Iron:

EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:

DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:

Magnetic Screw Holder:

Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)

RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)

Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)

Heat Sinks:

Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)

--- Links

My GitHub repository:

Commodore Computer Club / Vancouver, WA – Portland, OR – PDX Commodore Users Group

--- Instructional videos

My video on damage-free chip removal:

--- Music

Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino

[superspedboy]

i enjoyed the side mounted camera. you talking to us, made me feel like i was right there with ya!! as always keep up the great work adrian!!

[jasonscherer]

Had to click on this one right away. My first computer growing up with an Apple IIGS and really regret ever telling my parents that it find to get rid of it.

[Neodra]

So happy you got it working and upgraded. I'm glad I sent it to someone who loves it enough to get it working again. Now lets see you tackle the Mac IIci hehe.

[tedthrasher]

I got my Apple IIGS in middle school and used it through my freshman year in college when I bought a Mac IIci. I still have it, including my 4 MB AE RAM and 40 MB Vulcan. My favorite computer of all time and the last computer that I owned where I felt that I could truly understand how it worked.

[smakfu]

I really love watching these videos. I only have vintage (e.g. man cave) room for my vic20, c=64 and Amiga 3000 (which are all original to me; I have some other cool machines, like my sgi indigo and dec microVAX, but they live in storage). I’d love a IIgs, as I always love its sound hardware and incredibly cool late 80’s design aesthetic. Sadly, between the pile of modern hardware and my limited vintage collection, even the svelte gs isn’t going to fit, so I live vicariously through you. These videos are also hugely instructional: despite 39 years (since I was six, with my trusty vic20) of tinkering and working in this industry, I can’t believe how many tricks I’ve picked up from these videos. Hell, I wouldn’t have correctly diagnosed the fault my c=64 developed had it not been for this channel.

[GodMode]

I can sit and watch Adrian’s videos over & over & over & over again. This stuff is my favorite hobby.

[dhirendrapsingh]

Informative. Useful. Calming. Inspiring. Life-changing. Enjoyable. Heart-warming. Other.

[JayVBear]

Before I got my Amiga 500 I wanted an Apple IIgs. Still miss my Amiga. Thanks for this cool and instructive video. You've got me wanting a Commodore 64 again, my brothers kept trying to give me their old ones: a Breadbin, a 64 C And a 128, that they outgrew but I just wasn't interested - stupid me. They were Physics/Math/CompSci majors and are now Physicists.

[Mr_Meowingtons]

i miss my apple IIGS it was lost in a basement flood back in 2006 :(

[SockyNoob]

That diagnostic audio tone shifting up in pitch is hilarious lol. Wasn't expecting it to go up to a comically high pitched sound.

[maniatore]

Lucky guy you are, my first Amiga was a 500 but i loved it, a friend of mine had an Amiga 1200 with a Monitor, and i had just my old TV. But it was a great time. Thank you so much for that video. It brings back some good memories.

[MikesArcadeMonitorRepair]

Great job on the repair! Always like watching you get this stuff back up and going.

[Injectr]

Adrian, I really love the setting and different angles in this video! It takes the video to a whole new professional level of awesome.

You are one of the genuine YouTubers, which makes the retro computer community a whole lot more fun. Thank you very much for that!

Keep on doing what you’re currently doing, because I’m having a blast watching your videos!

Best regards from The Netherlands.

[rileyphillip]

I remember seeing the GS GUI in High School. It was the first time I'd seen a proper GUI. I thought it was amazing! Thanks for the trip down memory land!

[PhobosTK]

5:50 - The "Think Different" approach strikes again.

[jonathancombe]

I'm a bit behind with watching your videos at the moment but this was a nice relaxed video with the side mounted camera and a bit of chat about why you love the Apple II and went on to the Amiga. I like this style, thank you Adrian.

[suluturnip]

Thanks Adrian. I haven’t been getting any alerts about your new videos. I was lucky that you popped up as a recommended follow up to another one. Weird. Also, another great video!

[RetroGamesCollector]

Really enjoyed this video, just got my first GS myself and am exploring what it is capable of. Like you said, it is a strange machine, the Apple IIs last hoorah all whilst Apple themselves were only seemingly concerned with selling Macs.

[LeftoverBeefcake]

It always sucks when chips fail, but when they fail and get scaldingly hot, at least that makes it super easy to diagnose the problem. ;)

[douro]

When I was in school in the mid-90s we had Apple IIgs computers but only one of them had GS/OS software on it. I believe they all had ROM 01 on them as well.