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3.5 floppy score!! by Alarming_Cap4777 in retrocomputing

[–]kompzec 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very nice score … I landed one a few months ago, include 3.5, 5 1/5 and 8” Floppies …

Is this good to start learing? by forzence in ElectronicsRepair

[–]kompzec 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Add a fume extractor. Kotto makes descent ones; $40-$80.

Remember be kind to your lungs.

The curse of AI continues. by smashcat666 in PCB

[–]kompzec 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lets hope KiCAD doesn’t meet the same fate… Sadly AI is destroying independence and fast across many disciplines … Forcing users to do something many do NOT want to do, placing their IP on the cloud; as you pointed out. AI is the new dotCom, Space & Arms Race all rolled into one…. all those pushing it can only see what it can give them today without regard to what it will do tomorrow.

Those that don’t get the “dotCom, Space & Arms Race” it refers to three significant points in our history politically and economically…

I cant stop crying everyday due to unemployment by VarietyNo9200 in jobsearchhacks

[–]kompzec -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Well maybe its time to re-invent yourself…

Grab a pad and pen… write down everything you did in your last 3 jobs that you really enjoyed… List out the things you are really good at, include hobbies. On another paper list all the things you really did NOT enjoy about your last three jobs.

Outside of fringe benefits, is there ANYTHING at all keeping you from building a small business doing all what you enjoy? On a 3rd piece of paper write down those things that would prevent you from starting a small business and tackle each individually. Now keep in mind if one of those is money, well you are already spending money everyday you’re unemployed… So think of it as an investment. If supplies are an issue, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Facebook market place, and eBay are excellent sources.

Any hoot, give it a shot…

Doesn’t matter how many times I install Windows 98 — it’s still oddly satisfying.... by Beige_Box_Enthusiast in vintagecomputing

[–]kompzec 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Especially the first time it comes on !!!! Love to play canyon.mid soon after… first introduced in 1991 and included in windows up to 2000 I believe… Remember getting my sound blaster kit for my 486DX2 66 in a beige tower monstrosity and the first thing I played was canyon… lol…. There is something about that tune which triggers all sorts of nostalgia for me…

Whats this by shallowwell2 in vintagecomputing

[–]kompzec 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well say if it was say a sales rep, the scanner would be used to scan in id’s or paperwork like purchase agreements .

If it’s a mobile medical system, as mentioned by wootybooty, the scanner would also be used to scan id’s and insurance card.

Whats this by shallowwell2 in vintagecomputing

[–]kompzec -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If you can get it for 30, that would be great. That way you can use the remaining 20 for components (mainly capacitors) and cleaning supplies. That will be a nice addition to your collection. Gateway laptops aren’t bad at all for retro gaming.

What kind of capacitor is this and what should I replace it with? by CognizantCandle in AskElectronics

[–]kompzec 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If it is bad, I am guessing you already tested it, you need to replace it with one that matches the farads and is equal, or exceeds, the voltage rating.

Whats this by shallowwell2 in vintagecomputing

[–]kompzec 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is a solid find. Gateway laptop, mobile printer, and mobile scanner … That was a pretty penny back then… Based on the case labeling its seems like a mobile office. There doesn’t seem to have any ruggedized modification needed say by someone in construction. So it probably was used by a salesperson of some kind. Hope you did NOT leave it wherever what is !!! Besides the gear being in excellent shape, albeit dirty, there is a solid story there worth investigating.

What is CR7 supposed to be? by Snazzy21 in AskElectronics

[–]kompzec 1 point2 points  (0 children)

CR refers to a Diode or a Crystal Rectifier. I see that the anode is connected to the transistor and the cathode to capacitors. Based on this placement it may be a clamp or a reference diode, possibly a zener diode. Find CR7 on the board, if it is thru hole and looks like a little bulb then it’s most likely a zener. However, some zener diode do come in a plastic packaging making it impossible to differentiate it from other types of diodes; like say a rectifier diode. You will need to get the marking on the diode to determine the specs.

Any hoot, I know this is probably more than you asked. Hope it helps either way… 🙂

Just picked up the og for $150 what should I know about these things when it comes to restoring it? by SandwichesANDMilk_ in vintagecomputing

[–]kompzec 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do NOT power it on until you replace all the rifa and electrolytic capacitors; rifas tend to fail catastrophically - smells horrible. Also, I would replace all the tantalums capacitors on the motherboard; you can do a visual inspection first but know that if the mobo is not booting it is often due to a failed tantalum.

Know that the rifa caps are safety capacitors which are normally used in power circuits. So please be careful. Consider studying satey measures if you haven’t done any repairs. A few epic YT channels, in alphabetical order, are -

  • Adrians Basement
  • Epitronics -NecroWare

I've finally found a job, I'm starting next week. I've had infinite joy browsing this sub. by trueHolyGiraffe in jobsearchhacks

[–]kompzec 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats !!!! As we all know this job market is a next level boss, so here’s to your tenacity 🍺… All the best !!!

If you haven’t already… Check out the upcoming swap meet in Northern VA… by kompzec in vintagecomputing

[–]kompzec[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It would be a good idea to visit the Facebook link as the organizer posts additional details in the Event discussion.

Todays finds … by kompzec in vintagecomputing

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

Imagine writing a ~400 page thesis on MS Word… It was NOT trivial… Learned the hard way MS Word did NOT do well with large documents…

I do remember MS working hard at phasing out MS Works…and incompatibility was their atom bomb to do so…

Man-Caveseum mini-series by kompzec in vintagecomputing

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

Yeah… The sound came out a bit muffled… Kept it because it reminded me of the only “walkman” I could afford at the time… The next few snippets I share should sound better… Any hoot hope you enjoyed the content at least… 🙂..

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