New Zealand Vintage Computer Forums

(also posted on VCF)

Hi,

Right now it’s a good time to plan for the year ahead (you know...those old New Year’s resolutions that you never keep!). I’ve spent some time thinking about projects which I might tackle in 2017. All of them are associated with the maintenance of my collection. I don’t see myself collecting any other model unless they fall into my lap. That said, it would be nice to have working examples of an Amiga 1000, Jupiter Ace, an Altair or IMSAI 8080 but price/gotta-have-it ratio is too high for me. (:

Here’s my list in no particular order of priority...

1 Give all of my computers a health check (fire them up, test stability, keyboards and their peripherals).
2 Fix my unstable Poly 1 (started already...)
3 Re-paint the black metal keyboard facia on both Poly 1s to make them look better (paint is rather bubbly at the moment)
4 Test the Poly disk drive
5 Make a Youtube video on the Poly 1
6 Make up a cable for OSI disk drive and try to get that going with my Challenger 4P
7 Make Youtube video for the Amstrad 128
8 Service/fix my System 80/TRS-80 drives. Some seem to have issues
9 Sell/give away some stuff I don't want, to give myself some room
10 Retrobrite keys on my blue label system 80
11 Link the small photos on my collection web pages to larger equivalents .
12 Get some kind of disk storage solution for the Spectravideo 728 (Like a MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD?)
13 Get some kind of disk storage solution for the Texas Instruments TI 99/41 (NanoPEB?)
14 Have another crack at fixing the 1084S Amiga monitor (no red gun, and no it’s not the connectors on the board) and dispose of it if not successful
15 Go through System 80/TRS 80 duplicate books and throw out or sell
16 Fix two computer cassette recorders/players or dispose of them
17 Have yet ANOTHER go at fixing my Lisa 2 Profile drive (I just can’t let this go!)
18 Try to fix an AWA mono composite monitor, or dispose
19 Add a few more obscure bits of hardware to the System 80 site, like the DP1000 expansion unit.

All that should keep me busy. Number 1 is a task in itself and is likely to throw up other repair projects! It will be interesting to see how much is achieved by the end of the year!

I’d be interested to hear what others plan to do this year regarding the hobby.

After a bit of a hiatus from the hobby, I'm getting back into the swing of fixing up all of my older computers. I've got a lot of them that mostly work, but maybe not as good as they should.
So, here's my list of things to do this year so far!

1. Finish fully restoring my IBM 5155
2. Prioritise what vintage computers to invest time in repairing and what ones to sell off to make some more room
3. Recap and new regulators for all my C64s.
4. Get my own custom C64 PCB printed and make use of modern design where possible. (Similar to the C64 Reloaded)
5. Build a few reliable and stable power supplies into original Commodore power supplies
6. Sort out a box of hundreds of NOS Commodore/MOS ICs
7. Recap, clean, and restore my Amiga 4000 to look and work like it would have in the 90's. (Maybe replace stock PSU with modern ATX built into original PSU case)
8. Be more active on the Classic Computers forum

I'll probably have this all done well before the end of the year, but I can't think of much else to add for now!
Cheers

Started to jot a few tasks down to complete this year and didn't realise the list was that long! Plenty to keep me busy:

1) Apple IIe (NTSC) - replace memory chips assuming the replacement chips turn up from China (lots of postage seems very slow in being processed at the moment).
2) Archimedes A310 - sort out problem with PSU and see if I can get this unit working.
3) Mac items - downsize the collection and reclaim some storage space in the garage.
4) Arcade Cabinet - finish bench top version.
5) Racing Cockpit - finish building and setup in front of 55" TV.
6) ZX81 - install composite out board.
7) ZX Spectrum 48k - get disciple disk interface fully working again. Could be the 360k drive or disks causing the problem.
ZX Spectrum +3 - get working with Multiface 3 and save some games to 3" disks.
9) ZX-Uno - get this up and running.
10) Rasp Pi & HxC - configure to create a universal floppy emulator.
11) BBC Master & Compact - Get up and running with software.
12) Atari 520ST - sort out when they arrive. Picked up 2 lots before Xmas on Ebay UK and coming via YouShop but yet to arrive at the UK end.

Not necessarily in the above order either! Hopefully pick up some more items throughout the year including a Sam Coupe and a System 80 (yeah dreams a free).

Well apart from seriously considering a major downsizing (possibly to Atari only) I have a few on the go projects that need finishing

1 - Atari Falcon. Finishing recasting into the Wizztronics Falcon Rack and install a switch to switch between the Afterburner 040 and 030.

2 - Atari 130XE. Finish installing the VBXE board and new GTIA chip, along with the stereo Pokey board. Ultimate 1MB already installed.

3 - Atari PAK68/3. Finally desolder the 68K chip in a ST and solder in a socket for the CPU. Test (and possibly fix) the two PAK boards I have.

4 - Dragon's. Hook up and test the Dragon disc drive I acquired now that I have a controller cartridge.

5 - Acorn Electron. Swap the case and keyboard from Tezza's faulty one onto mine.

6 - Roland MT32. Get this going with the Falcon. Only powered it up so far and acquired some 6.5mm phono plugs.

@Clym5
Looks like a Commodore focus. I’d be interesting to see the fully restored 5155 though. Yea, C64 PSUs. I’m getting somewhat paranoid about those too. I usually test it with a car bulb left on for about 10 mins, then checking the voltage on the 5v line is still around 5!

@Beaglz
Interesting projects. Re: the Apple IIe. were they 4164s or ones from a platinum?
I haven’t heard of a ZX-uno?

@asci
Is that Dragon controller cartridge from Ian Mavrick? I’m thinking of getting one for my CoCo 1

Tezza this one is from Zaxxon on Sell my Retro http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/dragon-32~~64-floppy-interface%2C-new-10652

Not a bad little unit. I've got as far as making sure it works in my Dragons but have yet to hook the drive up... hmm might do that tonight

Right, not the same one I was thing of. It's the second one down on this list..
http://ianmav.customer.netspace.net.au/trs80/cocos

Yours seems cheaper. I'll be interested to know how you go...

Hey Tezza,

The memory chips for the Apple IIe are an 18 pin 4146C-12 so are slightly different 16 pin variants - still on a learning curve for Apple stuff. I had a PAL version computer which I sold to another member which had the 4146 16 pin memory which he replaced (same symptoms) and worked fine - well it did once he plugged the keyboard in! The one I have is NTSC 1986 international board and the memory bank consists of only 2 chips but managed to track down the identical chips via Ebay.

The ZX-Uno is a new computer for retro computing and come from Spain and is based around an FPGA chip. Cheaper to order direct rather than trying to purchase on Ebay - basically looks like a Rasp Pi with a few differences. All up it was 83 Euros including specific case. It was primarily based to be running as a ZX Spectrum but many people are working on it running most other 8 bit computers. Rather than being an emulator it runs as the original computer system.

http://zxuno.speccy.org/maquina_e.shtml

I also have a Spectrum Vega+ due to be shipped in February.

Cheers,
Beaglz.

Beaglz wrote:The ZX-Uno is a new computer for retro computing and come from Spain and is based around an FPGA chip. Cheaper to order direct rather than trying to purchase on Ebay - basically looks like a Rasp Pi with a few differences. All up it was 83 Euros including specific case. It was primarily based to be running as a ZX Spectrum but many people are working on it running most other 8 bit computers. Rather than being an emulator it runs as the original computer system.

http://zxuno.speccy.org/maquina_e.shtml

I see. Interesting.

Yours seems cheaper. I'll be interested to know how you go...

Right so after spending last night cleaning and testing and cleaning and testing etc etc.. And then this morning cleaning and testing etc

No joy with the drive and my Dragon32. Or a BBC 40/80 drive or a 3.5" 720k drive.

So just before putting everything away again I decided to not be so lazy and try my Dragon 64 with it... And it works perfectly.
So I have no idea why it does not like the Dragon32 (Just gives ?RF Errors on DSKINIT) but it loves the Dragon64.

So anyway Tezza this unit is setup for the Dragon with DragonDos 1.0 1.1C 4.1 and SuperDos 6E. Not sure if it'll work in the Coco with just a Rom change but probably could.

1. Relocate my new SGI Indy from Welly to Chch.
2. Use the Indy as a basis for upgrading the SGI Indigo² to the highest version of Irix it can handle (6.2.23?) - at present I am having issues with getting CD images onto a volume that can be seen by an earlier incarnation of boot CD.
3. Work out some way of rerouting the drier output so it doesn't blow lint all over my collection!
4. Redo the SD card interface / ROM full of BBC software on the Beeb master (and send one to Beags!).
5. Debug my homemade Z80 card and get the Apple //e running CP/M.
6. Work out an effective way to get power to the LEDs on my Mac Plus letter box, and ten convince the good lady wife that it doesn't look tacky at the gate. (The house number is in Chicago with square LED!)
7. Assist with the board tracing for the Super-80 motherboard project, order all the bits and get busy with the iron.
8. Resurrect the Z88 - was kind of going for a bit there, but may have plastic film connector issues.

Hmmm - that may take more than a year.

Sean, those things should keep you busy. Thanks for posting. It's great to see what projects people are going to tackle.

SeanKennedy wrote:6. Work out an effective way to get power to the LEDs on my Mac Plus letter box, and ten convince the good lady wife that it doesn't look tacky at the gate. (The house number is in Chicago with square LED!)

LOL, this sounds great! Upload a photo!

Whoops - Classic not Plus

Excellent

SeanKennedy wrote:Whoops - Classic not Plus

Perhaps find some solar christmas lights and rewire it to work the leds. !

Good luck Ray