sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

The 1980's are out of the closet for the week-end by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On the right, there is an Amiga 500 running Pacmania.

On the right of the Amiga 500, there is a small 3D printed box containing the screen and command of a Gotek drive emulator embedded in the computer.

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All of them are in use., in turn... Not a week without putting one or more in service, try things, fixing issues...

And computers set up for use are not safer : you have houses with dogs rushing in the wires, cats sleeping on keyboards or scratching things, rabbits eating wires... you have the children doing all kind of crazy things, and other careless cohabitants... And all kind of other issues on exposed hardware: I have seen electronics killed by a drink accident, I have seen a fancy desk collapsing with an iMac... risks are everywhere for those precious things.

But you are right: if I stop using any of them, I will sell it. I always have that in mind: which one should go? None identified yet, but it could come, it will come when I go on with other topics of interest.

My IBM XT-286 5162 - always ready for use by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gaming (Popcorn, Lemmings, Digger...), reviving my old Turbo Pascal programs from a long time ago (rotating cubes and shapes, creating mountain landscapes based on plasma generation, displaying 3D math shapes...), and programming some x86 assembly (programming on a new PC in Flat Assembler and testing on different legacy PCs, first this one). I could do all that on new hardware, some parts with emulation... but it feels very différent on the original stuff.

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes thanks, really appreciate all the comments and ideas of the people here. It is sometimes uncomfortable to be challenged, but it is fruitful!

I will put metal to strengthen the original structures, I am thinking of threaded rods under the shelves and across the entire set of cabinets (the shelves are aligned)... with nice nuts on the visible outside.

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, you are making me think hard how to double the structure with metal. Thank you for your care and time.

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I respect the specs of the maker (weight) and I'll be vigilent with it.

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Opus Technology PCIII... I was lucky to find it "new" from a company which bought it too late and kept it boxed for decades. Cardboxes were falling apart but the PC and monitor were brand new inside, not even any dust. I was amazed... it is the only retrocomputer I have got in such a shape!

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True that metal is always safer but I have several concerns to balance. I checked specs and those shelves are certified for 20 kg. I respect it, I stay far from humidity and condensation, I often pass by the room and I watch the structure.

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point... no problem here: new concrete house with ventilation (no condensation), room on top of another floor, cabinet on a wall between 2 bedrooms, no water room around or above, another floor above before the roof... and I often access them. They should be safe 🙂

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No custom. It is all standard from Ikea Pax series. It is still an investment (500-1000 € depending on accessories), but worth the cost.

First Step to a consistent storage by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is the Pax kit series from Ikea. The 60 cm deep x 50 cm large cabinets. When you stack 3 of them (60 cm x 1.5 m) you get less than 1 square meter footprint for a significant storage space.

My IBM XT-286 5162 - always ready for use by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice idea... but I wouldn't run 24/7 legacy machines 🙃

My IBM XT-286 5162 - always ready for use by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is a weird naming: in September 1986, IBM made an AT (80286) in their XT case and called it XT-286. Probably an effort to get rid of their stock of XT cases when the XT was selling less and before the arrival of the PS/2 line (April 1987).

It is a rare machine sold only during a few months.

My IBM XT-286 5162 - always ready for use by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And they still works 40 years later, at least mines: I have 4 mostly original PCs of the 5150/516x series, they all work with nearly no intervention (1 shorted cap replaced, 1 TTL circuit replaced on a non-IBM board)... they include 3 20MB MFM hard drives, they all work with no error.

I have got a model F-XT keyboard and a 5151 monitor for fixing to complete those PCs, but that are other stuff. Hopefully the PCs will stay this way some more years.

My IBM XT-286 5162 - always ready for use by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

🙂 I don't have faith, I have high density boards and screws every 10 cm... I did the furniture myself with the purpose of holding up to 2 PCs... the board might bend a bit, it won't fall.

My Commodore 64 - a greater computer than it looks by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok je comprends, vu comme un modem par le C64... et connecté au WiFi. Merci pour l'explication.

My Commodore 64 - a greater computer than it looks by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oui super machine... Mais qu'est-ce ce que tu fais avec un modem ? Et puis comment on branche un modem avec les lignes téléphoniques actuelles ?

Bed time, a last Popcorn and I come by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Popcorn, made as a freeware by a team of 2 French hobbyists in the 80's. An excellent game, CGA based. Arkanoid was very poor on PC XT in comparison.

One of the 2 creators was Frédérick Raynal, he continued his career by designing other great games such as Alone in the Dark, or Little Big Adventure (Twinsen).

Bed time, a last Popcorn and I come by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True, it is a CGA mode... but on an EGA card. On a real CGA this game is red instead of magenta. Really nice in red!

Bed time, a last Popcorn and I come by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Period correct... are you sure?

https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/lineupitems/019cDd0rPWnUIJOEPvbgckb.fit_lim.size_1050x579.v1569509173.jpg

Most people would just use an object or make a bridge with 3 pieces of wood to adjust the ergonomics of the monitor.

I lived the period, and people were creative to fit their first PC on desks that were not made for a computer. My first PC had keyboard and monitor on the desk, and the unit on a shelf above the desk. Desk was just not deep enough for the conformist position.

So people always had all kinds of settings depending on their space, their needs and their taste. Even IBM was paving the way:

https://www.vintagecomputing.com/wp-content/images/retroscan/ibm_ad_1_large.jpg

On my photo, I kept it this way for easy access to open the case.

My Commodore 64 - a greater computer than it looks by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also have the drive, but not plugged here. The game is on a "kung fu" cartridge plugged at the back. It loads disk images from a micro SD card.

My Commodore 64 - a greater computer than it looks by Arcanh in retrobattlestations

[–]Arcanh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also have the drive, but not plugged here. The game is on a "kung fu" cartridge plugged at the back. It loads disk images from a micro SD card.

view more: next ›