#InTheLabDoingStuff
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#InTheLabDoingStuff
An Amiga 3000T mainboard casually sitting on my workbench with a digital microscope pointed at the area where the (now removed) battery used to be.
December 15, 2025 at 10:11 PM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff
A pile of datasettes for the Commodore 64/264 computers. In various states of decay.
May 3, 2026 at 9:21 AM
janbeta.net
Current status: I’m having waaaay too much fun building the new (static) Jan Beta website. Coming soon to a screen near you! #InTheLabDoingStuff
February 3, 2025 at 4:47 PM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff #Commodore64 #Repair #RetroComputing #VintageComputing
My workbench with a C64 short board on it. My multimeter and various other tools are scattered around the PCB. More tools and my oscilloscope are visible in the background.
February 18, 2025 at 2:03 PM
janbeta.net
Sophisticated test environment. #InTheLabDoingStuff #Amiga #A3000T #Turrican #RetroComputing #RetroGaming
An Amiga 3000T board and power supply spread out on my workbench with a mouse and joystick connected, showing the Turrican title screen on the monitor.
March 28, 2026 at 1:29 PM
janbeta.net
Amiga 3000T power supply. Hefty.

#InTheLabDoingStuff #Amiga #Amiga3000T #Restoration #Commodore #VintageComputing #RetroComputing
Amiga 3000T power supply with the casing removed. It’s a very beefy old school switch mode thingy.
March 20, 2026 at 2:25 PM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff
Closeup of an MOS 6510 processor on my workbench. The chip is sitting in a precision IC socket and was (crudely) soldered to the pins on the socket.
December 4, 2024 at 4:45 PM
janbeta.net
Capacitorps. #InTheLabDoingStuff
A little plastic bowl filled with desoldered old capacitors of various sizes and some cotton buds and component lead clippings.
April 6, 2026 at 7:58 PM
janbeta.net
SNEStoration going on. #InTheLabDoingStuff
A yellowed PAL Super Nintendo console on my workbench photographed at an angle. A controller plug is connected to the first port, no cartridge is inserted.
November 13, 2025 at 11:36 AM
janbeta.net
Another "blue screen of life"! #InTheLabDoingStuff #Commodore64 #Repair #RetroComputing #VintageComputing
A Commodore 64 short board on my workbench with the blue BASIC startup screen displayed on the monitor. Several tools and my multimeter are scattered on the desk. A TAC-2 joystick is connected to the C64 PCB.
November 25, 2024 at 7:04 PM
janbeta.net
Recording session in the Beta lab today. #InTheLabDoingStuff
An ALDI Commodore 64 on my workbench with an AKG C1000S microphone on a stand pointing at it. My tools are visible in the background.
March 29, 2025 at 11:56 AM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff
A perfboard populated with some components and an 8-pin DIP socket on a page from a seventies electronics hobbyist magazine with some schematics titled "Ideas for Experimenters".
December 29, 2024 at 5:37 PM
janbeta.net
VIC-20 repair going on in the lab tonight. #InTheLabDoingStuff
A VIC-20CR board on my workbench with the Dead Test from the Penultimate cartridge running on the screen that is connected. My multimeter and several tools and bits are scattered across the desk. Dead Test passed all the tests, it seems!
July 16, 2025 at 6:12 PM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff
A half built DIY joystick on my workbench with the red lower shell and the top black shell separated and the wiring showing.
March 2, 2026 at 5:42 PM
janbeta.net
I soldered some really smol things for the first time in my life! #InTheLabDoingStuff #RGBtoHDMI #Amiga #SMD
A purple RGBtoHDMI PCB in my hand with super small surface mount components that I soldered myself. My regular soldering iron (that I used) is visible in the background in its stand.
January 17, 2025 at 5:06 PM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff
Tape mechanism from a Commodore 1531 datasette on my workbench with some cleaning tools scattered around it. The same tape mechanism after initial cleaning, happily loading the game Fire Ant from tape.
May 3, 2026 at 1:55 PM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff
The backside of my ZD-915 desoldering station on my workbench. The fan opening is drilled out and the perforated original part is laying on the desk in a pile of metal shavings from the operation.
January 3, 2025 at 7:29 PM
janbeta.net
Another #Commodore64 board appeared on the workbench. Quite a few obvious faults (apart from the missing chips). I’ll see what I can do. 😅 #InTheLabDoingStuff
Commodore 64 Board on my workbench. It has some of the main ICs missing and several things look like previous repair attempts have been made.
May 4, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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Did some Amiga 600 updates and upgrades today and made it run more stable again (I hope). #InTheLabDoingStuff
My Amiga 600 on the workbench with an external Gotek connected. Amiga workbench screen running the Amiga OS 3.2 installer in the process of installing the German locale disk.
August 21, 2025 at 8:21 PM
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#InTheLabDoingStuff #Commodore16 #SoManyBrokenChips #RetroComputing #VintageComputing #Repair
4 ICs on my workbench photographed at an angle. The chips are (from top to bottom) a C16 PLA, a C16 KERNAL ROM, an 8501R1 processor and an 8360R2 TED chip from a Commodore 16.
March 12, 2025 at 2:03 PM
janbeta.net
I‘m going to build an open source joystick today. Pretty excited about this project, the website for it is here: www.osa-stick.com #InTheLabDoingStuff #RetroGaming #OSAStick
Parts for the Open Source Arcade Stick spread out on my workbench. The case parts are 3d printed, there are some buttons and microswitches, a PCB for auto fire and various small bits and pieces.
April 21, 2025 at 10:29 AM
janbeta.net
The #Amiga3000T restoration continues. Successfully pulled the 68882 FPU and cleaned up the corrosion underneath. Still some traces to fix and vias to bridge but I have high hopes that it’s going to boot at some point. #InTheLabDoingStuff
Closeup photo of an Amiga 3000T mainboard. The 68882 coprocessor is removed and there are some areas where the solder mask and corrosion have been removed.
February 2, 2026 at 5:40 PM
janbeta.net
Recapped and readjusted the #NAD7020e today. Meditation Beta style. #InTheLabDoingStuff
A NAD 7020e receiver with the case removed on my workbench. Several tools and a pile of old capacitors are scattered across the desk. My multimeter is connected to some test points on the circuit board and showing the idling current.
September 4, 2025 at 7:10 PM
janbeta.net
#InTheLabDoingStuff
2 Nintendo Super Famicom controllers taken apart and the mechanical parts spread out on a towel for drying after washing them in soapy water. The Mitsumi circuit boards from the two controllers on my workbench, cleaned with alcohol and contact cleaner. Q-tips, tissues, IPA and contact cleaner are sitting next to the PCBs.
November 25, 2025 at 9:41 PM
janbeta.net
Fixed the pump in my desolder station. Thankfully nothing major. Video coming soon! #InTheLabDoingStuff
My ZD-915 desoldering station with the lid open and my multimeter connected to the pump motor contacts on my workbench. A C64 PCB is visible in the background and several tools are scattered around (as usual).
March 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM