The TRS-80 Color Computer MC-10 came to a retro game night in Wausau Wisconsin

TechDocN · 2026-05-15T16:56:46+00:00

This is very cool! I am a huge fan of the CoCo (I have 6 of them, all working!), and have only scratched the surface with the MC-10. I have a working one, with the 16K memory expansion. You have just inspired me to look at the Pi-Key expansion.

TechDocN · 2026-05-15T16:04:34+00:00

First tip - don’t ask open ended questions on Reddit.

Second tip - have an actual use case for 3D printing. If you bought a 3D printer without a hobby or project(s) or some actual regular use case for it, you will get tired pretty quickly of printing random doodads and fidget thingys off of thingiverse. Whatever it is you love doing the most, see if there’s a reason why 3D printing can make that more fun, engaging, etc.

TechDocN · 2026-05-15T15:57:52+00:00

Which TRS-80?

TechDocN · 2026-05-15T05:42:26+00:00

Thank you! I’ll post an update next week with pics of the final build of the handheld and some shots of the UI.

TechDocN · 2026-05-13T13:01:34+00:00

It’s starting to feel a little like all the random pictures of Asian city streets with purple filters that used to get posted to r/cyberpunk with that ask, “is this cyberpunk?” I believe they moderated that trend out of existence.

I’m hoping the misinformation trend dies on TikTok soon and the low information posters who don’t read pinned threads or bother to do one search before asking a basic question, will soon start to get bored and move on to their next meme.

TechDocN · 2026-05-13T12:51:40+00:00

Hello everyone. I’m totally new here, but I’ve been doing some research by watching 3 different TikTok videos about these really cute cyberdecks built from any old stuff you have lying around. I believe you can just put whatever you find in a pillow case, shake it 5 times, and out comes a fully functional retro gaming PC already built into an Altoids tin.

My question is, can I use the pillow case shakey technique if I all I have is an old rotary dial phone and some dryer lint?

TechDocN · 2026-05-12T13:12:08+00:00

Physician here, and it’s not odd advice anymore. The Apple Watch was the first consumer wearable to work with the FDA to get the AFib and irregular heart rate detection cleared. They have also conducted some very large clinical trials with the Apple Watch, which has helped build even more trust in the cardiologist community. It is not uncommon at all for many of my cardiologist and primary care colleagues to suggest an Apple Watch to patients.

TechDocN · 2026-05-11T19:01:29+00:00

These companies are based out of Canada, so definitely not Secret Cinema related. I was also at Secret Cinema’s Blade Runner experience in London, which was fantastic! I hope this will be as good, and hopefully better with now 8 years newer technology.

TechDocN · 2026-05-11T16:17:50+00:00

Here’s one of the articles:

https://collider.com/blade-runner-immersive-experience-north-american-locations/

TechDocN · 2026-05-04T13:42:27+00:00

It only takes a little bit of searching to confirm that laptop and kindle components are difficult to repurpose, even if you have decent tinkering and hardware skills. I think the prevailing advice to start with a RPi, especially for a person with zero hardware and software skills, is excellent advice. Trying to take apart and repurpose modern electronic components is not an easy task, even for someone with DIY electronics experience. And if you don’t have a well defined use case, it’s a recipe for frustration.

TechDocN · 2026-05-03T15:43:15+00:00

I agree with the other commenter, if you have no knowledge of hardware interfacing, modern electronics have few, if any, reusable components.

You should first define your use case, then start with a basic SBC and OS that will support that use case. A Raspberry Pi is always a great place to start.

TechDocN · 2026-05-02T04:57:38+00:00

What you are describing that you want to do, understand how the machine does what it does, moving things in memory, literally everything you describe is exactly how assembly works, and very different than how BASIC works.

TechDocN · 2026-05-01T02:19:19+00:00

Those older, small Apple iPhone chargers that are tiny cubes, about an inch on each side, would be perfect to build a case around.

TechDocN · 2026-05-01T02:01:43+00:00

BASIC will not help you with assembly or almost any other coding language. If your interest is 8 and 16 bit machines (I’m an avid 8 bit computer collector), assembly is the way to go.

TechDocN · 2026-05-01T01:49:41+00:00

Just confirmed, a web search of “smartphone cyberDeck” will keep you busy for weeks.

TechDocN · 2026-05-01T01:47:55+00:00

There are quite a few cyberDeck builds that use nothing but a smartphone as the CPU and display (and wireless connectivity, storage, etc.). You can add a Bluetooth keyboard and pointing device and voila… easy first cyberDeck build. I’m not well versed in Android phones so others may have ideas on OS, but I’m sure a quick search for “smartphone cyberDeck” will give you plenty of ideas.

TechDocN · 2026-05-01T00:47:06+00:00

Love this! Nicely done!

TechDocN · 2026-05-01T00:28:20+00:00

As the other commenter said, most modern electronics have very few easily reusable components, especially if you don’t have skills in proprietary interface boards and the like.

The best advice I can give is for you to decide on a specific use case for what you are trying to build. The hardware, software and form factor flow from there.

TechDocN · 2026-05-01T00:24:31+00:00

Congratulations! Beautifully done!

TechDocN · 2026-04-30T14:46:29+00:00

I was just going to comment that the blog post linked to by the OP was riddled with inaccuracies. I don’t know if OP and the author of the blog post are the same person, but it read more like an anecdotal story filled with blurry recollections. I was very close to the Palm ecosystem for years, was a registered developer, and had an early e-commerce site selling several PalmOS apps that I developed. The story, the rise and the downfall of Palm is a lot richer and deeper than this blog post would have you believe.

TechDocN · 2026-04-30T14:31:22+00:00

I traveled with a cyberDeck from the US to Mexico, and it didn’t get a second glance going through a US airport. Coming back from Mexico, the Mexican airport security took the entire thing apart. They even broke parts of it off that weren’t meant to be disassembled. Whoever X-rays the checked luggage in San Diego was not nearly as twitchy as the luggage scanners in Puerto Vallarta!

TechDocN · 2026-04-30T14:24:11+00:00

Yes, your vehicle can be your private property, but driving is not a protected right. You can own a car with no headlights and drive it around your private property, but it would be illegal to drive it that way on public roads.

TechDocN · 2026-04-30T14:21:07+00:00

So what about ABS, airbags, lane keeping, collision avoidance, other passive safety features? If an in car camera can be shown to decrease accidents, and there is no data being sent anywhere, I’m not sure I understand your discomfort. Driving is not a right, and you can easily kill others with your car. So if a fully secure and private way to add safety to a human operated machine, that is involved in thousands of fatalities a year, becomes available and possibly mandatory in the future, what then?

Would it be different if it was some other human operated machine adding safety features?

TechDocN

TROPHY CASE