More Fun Making It More Fun Making It

Welcome to More Fun Making It

Hi, I’m Lee. I rescue retro computers and consoles from the brink of extinction, armed only with soldering irons, questionable optimism, and occasionally, a helpful swear word or two.

After fully regressing to my teenage years—minus the acne and lie-ins—I’ve thrown myself headfirst into the wonderfully weird world of vintage 8- and 16-bit machines. Expect adventures in repairs, restorations, and ambitious builds, peppered generously with mistakes, triumphs, more mistakes, and the joyous relief when things actually work.

You’ll find all my latest escapades here, including those gloriously frustrating moments that remind me why it really is More Fun Making It.

Welcome

I Spent TOO Much!

I had a mooch around the Bring n Byte sale at Cambridge Centre for Computing History. My aim was to take £50 and see if I could buy something “weird”.
Best laid plans and all that!

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Short Circuit Roadtrip – Visiting a Retro Gallery/Collection/Shop/Museum

What’s the best thing to do on a sunny day at the seaside?
Visit shortcircuit.org.uk of course!
Join me and my pal Thomas as we poke around a vintage computer “Gallery” and chat to the amazing people behind it.
We also had ice creams and a lovely seaside lunch.

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Classic ZX Spectrum Repair – More Broken Than Expected

ZX Spectrum Repair – No Sound, Faulty DRAM, and a Bad Capacitor In this episode of More Fun Fixing It, I take on a ZX Spectrum 48K (Issue 3) with several issues: no sound, corrupted video output, and suspected RAM faults. What’s covered in this video: Investigating and fixing the missing audio Tracing colour issues back to a fault in the video circuitry (TR8) Identifying and replacing a failed ceramic capacitor Swapping out a faulty upper RAM chip at IC17 Running diagnostics to confirm the repair This Spectrum needed a bit of everything—logic probing, component swapping, and some trial and error. But by the end, it’s back up and running with clean video and working sound. This repair is part of the ongoing restoration series on the channel, focusing on bringing vintage systems back to life. If you’ve worked on a similar repair or have a Spectrum with issues, feel free to share your experience in the comments.

This episode is sponsored by the lovely PCBWay!

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ZX Spectrum Issue 3 Repair – Fixing “Mellow Yellow” with Classic DRAM and Colour Circuit Surgery

Join me as I bring a classic ZX Spectrum 48K Issue 3 back to life in this satisfying retro repair session! This vintage machine, nicknamed Mellow Yellow, suffered from display issues caused by a faulty ceramic capacitor near TR8 and a failed DRAM chip at IC17. Watch the full video to see the full diagnosis, repair process, and successful restoration. Perfect for Spectrum fans, retro computing enthusiasts, and anyone who loves seeing 80s tech revived.

This episode is sponsored by the lovely PCBWay!