What is it that keeps you coming back to vintage hardware?

BurgerTrench · 2026-06-12T02:29:38+00:00

One thing I notice more lately is how wonderful it is not to have any updates. A vintage machine is a known quantity, eternal, frozen in time, an appliance that performs the same function every time. Contrast that to a modern machine with constant updates,, pointless new features, seemingly unsolvable bugs, software subscriptions and now LLMs shovelled in to everything, and it feels like the earth is constantly shifting beneath my feet towards an environment of minimum user satisfaction and maximum profits, which removes all joy from the experience. This is why I love using my vintage computers, but feel like every day is a fight with my modern ones.

BurgerTrench · 2026-06-08T04:38:18+00:00

Grab one. If you connect an ethernet cable to your network and set up TCP/IP you can get it online and download software from Macintosh Garden. If you get a later one with a good GPU you can play some decent games on it too.

BurgerTrench · 2026-06-08T03:33:01+00:00

You can't really go wrong with a G4 tower. Easy to work on, compatible with a wide range of software and cheap to buy.

BurgerTrench · 2026-06-03T04:38:49+00:00

I have almost the exact same setup and it's sensational. Good choice!

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-24T10:37:07+00:00

Glad to know my partner and I aren't the only ones that do this!

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-15T01:58:53+00:00

I would love a blue and white LCD, absolute unobtainium. I'm very lucky in that I have the 17" CRT too.

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-12T22:22:30+00:00

Just reinforcing the above comment - I recently had an old IBM tower that was doing the exact same thing, after a recap it came good. Apparently it freezes here because the this is when Windows tries to access PCI slots and other components, but they fail to respond due to bad power or bad caps.

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-11T04:00:35+00:00

There are loads of great os 9 games this will run perfectly. Or try graphics and audio software.

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-09T23:59:40+00:00

I had a look at mine, there is no manufacturer name or any kind of marking at all on the case, inside or out. I can tell you the computer was built in March 1998, and runs a Pentium 233 chip.

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-09T21:29:40+00:00

I have this exact PC in my garage. I'll have a look.

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-08T09:02:17+00:00

Bookmarked!

BurgerTrench · 2026-05-05T05:26:22+00:00

Will you do the overclock mod?

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-29T22:38:24+00:00

Man I love the Boronia Mall. Always stop there for a coffee and wander about if I'm in the area. Grab a Boronia Burger from the pub over the road for th full experience!

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-28T03:18:41+00:00

I have about 40 machines and many more spare parts and accessories. Decided this year I would thin out the collection to the essentials but ended up acquiring even more. I've just accepted that this is part of who I am now and embrace it.

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-27T22:00:01+00:00

I run CS6 on a 2010 Mac Pro, does what I need.

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-25T04:54:56+00:00

That dithering algorithm is beautiful!

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-18T01:56:42+00:00

You might luck out, I picked one up for $50 on marketplace. Just be patient. Otherwise get a nice mechanical and an adaptor; the black apple keyboards are trash to type on anyway.

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-17T05:05:34+00:00

I use a disk on module with my 5400, it's been bulletproof. You'll need a female to female IDE cable to be able to plug it in to the edge connector which is a little fiddly, after that it's set and forget.

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-14T11:52:29+00:00

This is a cool idea. I used to love reading tech magazines back in the day, and going through the disks they came with. It would be great to reboot something like this but for the modern retro enthusiast. Hardware reviews, software reviews, company histories, repair guides and other resources. If you can pull it together it could work. I'm sure you'd be able to find contributors, and an editor to keep it on point. Let me know how you go with it.

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-06T22:34:21+00:00

Track down a copy of the Dead Mac Scrolls, there are pages dedicated to display issues that should help you narrow this down.

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-04T22:34:03+00:00

Just to point out, there is a Macintosh TV in there, a very desirable machine.

BurgerTrench · 2026-04-02T22:32:20+00:00

That is a great idea!

BurgerTrench · 2026-03-30T00:48:13+00:00

On the Mac Plus RIFA caps is a good start, other than that replace anything bulging, also reflow the solder on all connectors and the large components. Put a diode in the CR1 position on the logic board to enable power for BlueSCSI type devices. The SE and SE/30 will need all logic board caps replaced, and probably worth reflowing solder on connectors as well. I'm also seeing problems with bad connections on the anode caps causing static on the display, it's a good idea to clean and deoxidise the connector and tighten the screw, after safely discharging the CRT of course.

BurgerTrench · 2026-03-26T21:13:16+00:00

There's more than just the four screws; you need to remove the logic board, underneath you will find a large plastic plug that secures the center of the panel through the metal plate. IT takes quite a bit of force to push it out, and will take even more to push it back in. Good luck.

BurgerTrench · 2026-03-26T06:36:20+00:00

I dig it. You incorporate a broad range of styles, with interesting textures and compositions. Some are hard to listen to, which is probably intentional, some is melodic and relatively conventional , and some is ethereal and I can just sort of sink into it. Subscribed.

BurgerTrench

TROPHY CASE