Atari 600XL: Rotten machine renovated, step-by-step

This machine was one half of a lot of two Atari XLs bought for £20 each and was in a deplorable state before the owner sent the computer to me for renovation and upgrades. It arrived here after some cleaning but was still severely corroded and discoloured. In this video, I attempt to document in detail the restoration work required to make the 600XL look 'nearly new'.

00:00 Introduction
01:27 What needs doing
05:08 Retr0Brite methods
07:50 Testing
08:22 Disassembly and inspection
12:42 Badge removal
14:37 Removing the Perspex panel
16:00 Removing the cartridge pylon
16:30 Cleaning the case
18:44 Retr0Briting
25:12 The de-yellowed casing
27:51 Case completed
28:04 The new case badge
29:38 Repairs to the console key insert
30:32 Repairing the aluminum trim
34:28 Polishing the perspex panel
36:08 The console keys
38:55 Cartridge flaps
41:13 Fixing corrosion on the PBI connector
42:40 The aluminium parts after lacquering
43:42 Reassembly
45:05 Preparing and fitting the new badge
46:45 Additional work and 64K upgrade
48:44 The keyboard
49:24 The completed machine and summary
52:00 Conclusion and beauty shots

Soldering and test equipment:

Equipment and software used for video production:

● Final Cut Pro
● Apple Motion
● 15" mid-2015 Apple Retina MacBook Pro

#atari
#600XL

[LFOSyncToo]

Very nice restoration and a very comprehensive video

[adamv]

Beautiful. A 600XL was my first Atari when I was a kid and will always have a place in my heart. And my collection.

[Mr.Kim.T]

That’s one to save. Great work. You transformed Sir Les into Dame Edna 👍

[donschuy]

Impressive restoration work! Thanks for sharing.

[bitoxic]

Fantastic refurbished job! I agree with you, those minor inperfections give the machine character and more authentic look. It has come a long way from what it looked like was buried in mud! 🙂👍

[slinrob]

Bonjour de FRANCE

Moi j'ai eu un Atari 800 XL, je l'ai adoré, vrai concurrent du Commodore 64

[gamedoutgamer]

Great job, FJC! Elma Sniddle would appreciate the return of her 600XL.

[Atamigaputer]

Great work Jon, as you show, much more to a restoration than the electrics side, and the processes for that are just as complex

[lsvemir]

800XL is my first and I still have it...and working...😊

[bitdigital]

600 Looking Good! Thanks so much for doing this in-depth resto vid. I always wondered if you used the salon crème or just straight up peroxide. Im here taking notes and your vid made me a little more confident to go ahead and take care of my yellowed STE. Thanks again!

[Doug_in_NC]

Really nice job! It’s very interesting to see the physical restoration process beyond the usual retr0brite that you see a lot on YouTube.

[markwrightrf]

Big isn't always better ;-) Sad loss of library music. Great vid all the same.

[Doug_in_NC]

For those pieces of Aluminum trim, you can buy brushed aluminum foil tape that looks pretty good. The problem is that it works out expensive when you have to buy a 3m roll of it for just a couple of little rectangles.

[WattTheTech]

600XL was my first Atari Computer.... loved it then went to the 130XE. Maybe one day I might try and get hold of a 600XL and this video will be useful . Nice the final results are fantastic. Wish I still live in the UK I would be sending one to you :) Agreed I wished I kept mine but I also think its the best looking one of them all

[MoparStephen]

Quite an extensive project there. Really looks nice now.

[VeryWarmBear]

Tarn-X will clean the corrosion off the fingers and not remove any of the metal, rinse with distilled water., Works on corroded IC pins also

[rivards]

Hydrogen Peroxide is not really toxic. It's commonly used as a mouthwash and wound disinfectant.

[salvi_blend]

Does anyone know where I can buy all the cables online?