Post AIvMsiSrfKmPlCSBpw by rnlf@dosgame.club
(DIR) More posts by rnlf@dosgame.club
(DIR) Post #AItnR8XhQKxEyfrvua by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:06:51Z
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I guess I'm gonna talk a bit about the vintage computers I have accumulated over the years, what I have and haven't (yet) done to them, and maybe some extra info?We'll see what sticks.#retrocomputing
(DIR) Post #AItnRB9hi0Xj57fJQW by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:12:01Z
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This is my Atari 1040STf. It was the first vintage computer I refurbished and modded (reversibly). I did my first experiments in etching my own PCBs for this machine to allow me switching between different TOS ROM versions.It was badly yellowed so this was also my first #RetroBright project. As you can see, the yellow is gone - but so is the grey and not evenly.Big fail on that front. Also the badge got a bit corroded in the process. Should have taken it off.
(DIR) Post #AItnRDg2KlautyoA6K by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:17:20Z
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I didn't get the original floppy drive working, so instead I retrofitted a later PC drive. Had to do some metal work to get the wide eject button working on the new drive. It works almost perfectly, sometimes it jams a bit, but it's mostly fine.You can also see more of the marbling in this photo. Not beautiful and I was very bummed about it at first, but I got used to it now.People suggested dyeing the case with vinyl dye. I may yet do that one day.
(DIR) Post #AItnRG2nX6zQF9TMrA by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:20:16Z
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I have the floppy in a box still and learned a trick or two in the meantime. Totally plan to try getting it working again and putting in back into the machine.The "f" in "STf" actually means it comes with an internal floppy drive instead of needing an external one.So, all in all not a perfect restoration, but not bad for my first project years ago.
(DIR) Post #AItnRRB08x5UlmOZfc by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:41:11Z
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Amstrad CPC464, branded as "Schneider" for the German market. As you can see, apparently Germans don't like colors. I've always envied the colorful keyboard of the original.My CPC actually always worked, but the metal plate holding the keyboard together had started rusting despite being painted.Getting the remaining paint and all the rust off was painful, because there are little plastic guides for the keys molded onto the metal base.#retrocomputing
(DIR) Post #AItnRUIYXJugS4x9MW by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:46:07Z
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It took ages of carefully using the metal brush tool of my Dremel to remove the paint and rust, then I bathed it in white vinegar for a couple hours.I put a few scratches into the plastic parts that way, but they are not visible on the outside of the reassembled machine.I didn't dare painting the metal again, because I thought I'd get paint into the key guides and make the keys stick. I totally expected the metal to rust again, but after more than four years, it's still shiny, as you can see
(DIR) Post #AItnRWuYozVAYWkWsS by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:54:54Z
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The keyboard was also bent, as if something heavy had rested on it for a long time. I was able to get it straightened with some measured application of force.Other than that, the keyboard required only some cleaning, as there was a lot of gunk on the contacts that stopped some keys from working properly.Some light and careful rubbing solved that issue.The case was also slightly out of shape, but the keyboard's sturdy construction forced it back into shape.
(DIR) Post #AItnRZZOw7MInlsAoS by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:56:38Z
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The rest was just cleaning and replacing a couple capacitors, even the tape drive didn't need any more attention besides some grease on the moving parts and cleaning the heads.Luckily, black plastic doesn't yellow, so it only took some cleaning to make it look almost new (with just a few tiny scratches and slightly dull tape drive window).I've always wanted a disk drive interface for the machine, but they are hard to come by and more expensive than the computer itself.
(DIR) Post #AItnRcCp8W56ycKgXQ by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-27T21:58:56Z
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I've been playing with the thought of attempting to make a modern replacement for the drive interface. It's well documented and the BASIC extensions are well explained.Not sure I could pull it off without an actual DDI for reverse engineering, but one day I'll at least give it a shot.
(DIR) Post #AIvMsYUcjwFGplCSBs by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T23:05:54Z
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I'm gonna finish the list of home computers with everything else I have bought with the plan to make a video about. That's also why I haven't even tried booting any of them even a single time - I was waiting to do it in camera and after a quick visual hardware inspection.First, there are two Sinclairs. A ZX-81 and an original Speccy. I have a memory expansion for the former and the keyboard is some aftermarket thing trying to improve on the membrane keyboard.#retrocomputers
(DIR) Post #AIvMsZGTs0WhEBafmi by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T23:13:09Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
I have three more #Commodore machines. A C16, a breadbin C64 and an #Amiga 600.The former owner of the C64 used it to remote control his model trains. The case clearly suffered in his workshop, it's all out of shape and there are scorch marks from a soldering iron.
(DIR) Post #AIvMsa1d2iExaPeKH2 by paradroyd@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-04-29T00:15:27Z
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@rnlf I don't think that those are scorch marks.That's a common thing that you'll see on retro computers and consoles that have been stored with a joystick, mouse, or power cord pressed against them. There's something in the plastic/rubber of flexible cords that causes damage over long periods that looks almost exactly like that. A couple of my retros have marks similar to this.My MC-10 has one right across the center/top from the way the previous owner stored it.#retrocomputing #mc10
(DIR) Post #AIvMseQweWrrG5WbI0 by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T23:14:52Z
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The A600 is a bit of an annoying story. There was one at a thrift store that I wanted, but I found the price a bit steep. So I waited for the price to drop. It never did, indeed it was sold after many months and online prices had risen even more in the meantime. So I paid a lot more for a machine that is in way worse shape.
(DIR) Post #AIvMsiSrfKmPlCSBpw by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T23:21:51Z
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Some more rather well-known stuff. An #Atari 800XE, and a TI-99/4A.Also the only #MSX compatible machine I own, a Sony Hit Bit HB-75P.. There's a spring in a little plastic bag included that I honestly don't know yet, what it is for.#retrocomputing
(DIR) Post #AIvyahd7pHiCDZ5g80 by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-29T07:18:00Z
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@paradroyd Yeah, I've read about this phenomenon, but I think in this case it's actually the soldering iron to blame. The guy had his soldering station right next to the C64 on the shelf and the molten part is very deep but short with lots of molten material around it.
(DIR) Post #AIvyiBOzX66ga62wW8 by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-29T07:19:22Z
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@paradroyd Yeah, I've read about this phenomenon, but I think in this case it's actually the soldering iron to blame. The guy had his soldering station right next to the C64 on the shelf and the molten part is very deep but short with lots of molten material around it.I mean, the dark lines on the top cover could be anything, but the big one on the bottom shell seems kinda clear.
(DIR) Post #AIxJB95FQMXk1urKvg by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T07:21:37Z
1 likes, 2 repeats
Commodore Amiga 500. Despite all the jokes that we at @dosgameclub all hate #Amigas, most of us actually love them. This isn't the only Amiga I own, but the only one I have put any work into.The case only needed a good cleaning, there was hardly any yellowing and clearly not enough to risk another retrobrighting disaster as with the ST though I read afterwards that the grey plastic used in #Ataris and early #Macs is prone to this marbling effect and that beige plastic is less problematic.
(DIR) Post #AIxJBBjjYo7IG3ohJQ by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T07:25:58Z
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What was problematic on this machine was the keyboard, though.Cleaning the contacts didn't help one bit and with some poking around I found several broken traces on its matrix. It's not a PCB but plastic foil with the traces printed onto it. Soldering is not an option on those, as the plastic will melt pretty quickly.Instead I got some conductive silver paint to restore all the broken traces. I didn't expect this fix to stand the test of time, but four years later, it still works flawlessly.
(DIR) Post #AIxJBHUMAtNi66fVB2 by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T07:30:34Z
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Other than that I only did some maintenance - replacing caps, cleaning the disk drive and all that.And I wanted to try newer versions of Amiga Workbench than the version 1.3 I got with it. Newer versions of Workbench need newer versions of the Kickstart ROM though and not all software is compatible with all ROM versions.Going from what I learned while working on the ST, I made a circuit board that allows switching between multiple ROM versions.#retrocomputing
(DIR) Post #AIxJBJzGsvIZqZ9Ddo by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T07:35:03Z
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Instead of installing multiple ROM chips, for physical size reasons, I used only two flash ROMs with four times the necessary capacity, each. Then I wired these ROMs' two highest address lines to a dual DIP switch that I hot-glued into the side expansion slot.Only two of the available ROM slots are in use at the moment, but at least the machine boots both Workbench 1.3 and 3.1 flawlessly.I have an A501 memory expansion for this machine, but when installed, the machine doesn't boot.
(DIR) Post #AIxJBPfHm8sRSJqLK4 by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T07:36:51Z
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I think the issue is a shorted RAM chip so I bought a large batch of compatible chips a while ago. I haven't gotten around to testing them or fixing the memory expansion, but that's a project for the nearer future and I'm looking forward to boosting this thing to a whole whopping megabyte of RAM.#Amiga #retrocomputing
(DIR) Post #AIzY1Ti3lmISjVmVmK by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T15:44:54Z
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Okay, some 8-bit consoles up next.First is a #Sega Master System II. This one I worked on before I knew the benefits of replacing capacitors or any other form of preventive maintenance.So all I ever did to it was a) clean it, b) add composite video and mono audio output and c) ruin the case (somewhat).#retrocomputing
(DIR) Post #AIzY1UQj5i1ey2gBOq by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T15:49:02Z
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The thing with the case is, that I actually drilled two holes in it. I wasn't quite sure if I preferred practical aspects or authenticity back when I started out tinkering with vintage hardware.At first I thought it was a lot better to get the best possible use out of those machines. My views have changed since, and now I am very strict about doing only reversible mods.Anyway, as you can see, I drilled two new holes into the back of the case.
(DIR) Post #AIzY1V6YaBUD3mFabI by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T15:54:25Z
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The idea was to mirror the design of the RF and AC jacks on the other side.My tools were slightly inappropriate so the holes are not perfectly level with respect to each other and the edges of the holes are a bit napped.The jacks aren't perfectly centered in the holes either.All in all a sub-par job.I find solace in the fact that this is the later version of the Master System II that comes with Sonic on the integrated ROM, not Alex Kidd in Miracle World.
(DIR) Post #AIzY1VzrGZippI7knY by rnlf@dosgame.club
2022-04-28T16:04:07Z
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The Master System II with Alex Kidd in Miracle World was the second console I ever had as a kid and not having Alex Kidd in the console was kinda sad.So I had to buy a standalone copy and it turns out because so many Master Systems were sold with Alex Kidd integrated, the standalone version is rather rare and expensive.But I finally got a copy and finished my childhood nemesis game for the first time when I was 30 or so.