We've seen excellent restorations, massive rescue operations and the debut of computers that had been in their original boxes for three decades… but what about an act of magic? That's the only way I can think of to describe the project of user Drygol, who decided to accept a friend's challenge and bring back from the depths an Atari 800XL that seems to have been... run over or something like that.
It hurts to admit it, but some computers are destined for the trash. While any system can get a second chance with a more careful selection of software (which requires the user to accept certain compromises), there are times when the failures are so deep that a repair isn't worth attempting.
Lack of official documentation doesn't help either, and even if we're lucky enough to know the exact problem, some components are extremely hard to find. That said, fortunately there are enthusiasts out there who prefer to turn all these obstacles into a personal challenge, and that's exactly what happened with Drygol when he started working on an Atari 800XL.
The Restoration
Drygol is known for having performed an extreme restoration of a ruined Commodore 64, but he didn't stop there; he also did several mods. Now it's the turn of an Atari 800XL "impossible to restore" that he received from a friend.
At first glance, the computer gives the impression of having been run over by a vehicle or crushed with a blunt object. After assessing the overall damage and component corrosion, Drygol started by correcting the curve in the PCB with supports, a constant temperature of 40°C for several days, small holes, and epoxy injections.
He replaced the damaged sockets and components, and some chips ended up in an ultrasonic cleaner, but several memory modules and the CPU needed a direct swap.
With the electronic section sorted, Drygol moved on to the case, but the project isn't finished yet (he has more than 200 images, and it would be crazy for him to post them all). If you want to know how the story ends, below we'll share the link to his official blog. Personally, I would never have gotten this far.
