Phoenix Project 02: Post Fire Q&A with RMC

A few weeks after the house fire, Neil from RMC kindly hosted a Q&A at The Cave and read out questions sent in by my Patreon supporters. We covered how I am getting back on my feet, what I lost, what I would collect differently, and some practical fire safety lessons I would like everyone to hear. This video was sponsored by PCBWay.

Getting back to normal

Honestly, the plan is just to push on and keep going. I have replaced my camera with a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K Pro and a Sigma 24-105 lens, plus LED lighting, Boya wireless mics and a Rode shotgun mic. I am working on the dining room table at the rental house, and I want to learn the new workflow properly before you see a big jump in quality.

For tools, I already have a lot back, some of them donated: soldering iron, desoldering station, hot air rework station, flux and a microscope, plus all the little bits like solder wick. The house structure is fine according to an engineer, but all the plaster has to come out and go back in, which will take somewhere between a year and 18 months.

Mark from Mark Fixes Stuff answering Patreon questions with Neil from RMC at The Cave — Answering Patreon questions with Neil at The Cave

What I lost, and what I would collect differently

Projects claimed by the fire include the Amstrad CPC 464 found in the woods, my Spectrum super build and the Dreamcast that Neil and I fitted with HDMI. If I could have saved one machine, it would have been that Dreamcast, because everything else is easier to replace. Original hardware from my youth went too: my 48K Spectrum, probably my C64, and a boxed Game Boy Advance with the Blockbusters price tag still on it.

This time I will not collect as many Spectrums. I had something like 37 and it turned into a rescue centre. Now I have more contacts, I can pass machines on rather than hoard them.

Favourites and a few stories

My all-time favourite system is the PC Engine (with CD-ROM², a multitap and a couple of pads). My grail computer is the SAM Coupe. The most impressive 8-bit game I have played is Castle Excellent on the MSX, and my favourite 8-bit music is the Monty on the Run theme on the 128K Spectrum. The video I am proudest of is not even retro: it is the LCD TV that clicks but will not turn on, because it has saved people money and kept so many TVs out of landfill.

Mark Fixes Stuff talking about his favourite retro systems during the post fire Q&A — PC Engine, SAM Coupe and the one that got away

My biggest mistake was not in a video: I knocked a soldering iron off its stand onto a 48K Spectrum and did not notice for about a minute. It went into a new case with a new membrane. My greatest failure was Neil’s Neo Geo Pocket Color, which I almost had working after a battery leak before it died during rework, and then the fire took it.

Fire safety lessons for retro collectors

We know it was an electrical fire, but not exactly what started it. My suspicion is a cheap phone charger, though I genuinely do not know. My advice:

Make sure your smoke alarms work and change the batteries. Smoke alarms save lives.
Buy branded chargers, and do not leave anything cheap, light or tacky plugged in.
Keep photos or a list of anything valuable, and make sure your home contents cover is high enough.

Mark Fixes Stuff giving fire safety advice for retro collectors during the Q&A with RMC — Smoke alarms, branded chargers and keeping a record

Thank you

I have received so much from the community that I am in a genuinely good position now. You do not need to send anything, but the patience and support mean a great deal. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions, and to Neil for reading them all out.

Read about the fire salvage in restoring a soot damaged Intellivision, or the SAM Coupe floppy drive repair, the grail machine I did eventually get to work on.