An Introductions Thread

[Carcenomy]

Since tezza has graciously given us an introductions subforum, I'll start an introductions thread for everyone to join in on

I'm Nick, I'm a computer technician in sleepy Invercargill. I grew up playing with Amiga 500s and since then have always enjoyed playing with the less recognized platforms that have existed. I currently keep a small collection of not-quite-so-rare machines, mostly Amigas but a few Macs and several PCs too.

I'm a firm believer in the art of retrofitting, and enjoy adapting old (and only dead of course) computers into modern machines, ready to continue work. I enjoy gaming and meddling with cars on the side.

[tezza]

I'm Nick, I'm a computer technician in sleepy Invercargill. I grew up playing with Amiga 500s and since then have always enjoyed playing with the less recognized platforms that have existed. I currently keep a small collection of not-quite-so-rare machines, mostly Amigas but a few Macs and several PCs too.

I'm a firm believer in the art of retrofitting, and enjoy adapting old (and only dead of course) computers into modern machines, ready to continue work. I enjoy gaming and meddling with cars on the side.

Welcome Nick,

I checked out your own Gaming forums. Very good! I see there is a retro-gaming section there too.

I've always been intriged in the way that some people have managed to retro-fit modern PC boards into old vintage cases, then run emulators on the boards so that it looks just like the machine is running it's original hardware! Of course, it's hard to get it perfect and keyboards are a difficulty. I saw one page on the web where I guy had done this with an SX-64, keyboard and all. It looked like the real thing except he'd replaced the drive with a DVD player (with the emulator .exe and chock full of c-64 games)

The Amiga 500. I have an external drive for mine that the machine doesn't recognise often. It's like it's not plugged in. Is this a common fault with these machines? If I take the drive apart and re-assemble it often works! I can't see anything loose though.

Any ideas?

[Carcenomy]

Sounds like you might have twitchy CIAs. Not sure where someone can go to get replacements for the A500 these days, I've got three 500s hanging around anyway so my one with dead CIAs will be inheriting a VIA EPIA TC6000E setup. Should run WinUAE like a champion

[lizardb0y]

My name is Andrew. I was a young computer enthusiast in Dunedin in the early 1980s and a member of the Central City Computer Interests Group (CCCIG) until something like 1986.

My first computer was a ZX81 which I'd learned to program by standing around in electronics/computer stores after school, punching in the demo programs from the ZX81 manual. I guess it was like the kids that stand around in stores today playing Xbox, only more educational.

I have a fascination with the whole "microcomputer revolution" and the computers that emerged in the late 70s through to the early 90s. With every manufacturer making completely different hardware with software incompatible with any other platform it's no wonder we had the big "Speccy vs Commodore" flamewars back then . This fascination has lead to a desire to preserve the relics of this colourful and exciting period. A partial list of these systems I have acquired can be found here: http://www.old-computers.com/club/collectors/ordis.asp?c=5001

I'm now living in Wellington.

[tezza]

Hi Andrew,

I did my share of standing around electronic/computer stores back in the day too.

My motivation is much the same as yours. If was an exciting time, there was a lot of innovation and I can now actually own those computers I could never afford back then

Welcome to the forums.

[YetiSeti]

My name is Clinton. My retro computing/gaming collection began a few years ago, quite possibly when a friend gave me a Commodore 128D that was left behind in a closet of a house he had just bought. Found a C64 at the Lower Hutt market, a Force 2 elsewhere, signed up to trademe and it snowballed from there. Can't quite remember if I had the other bits first, nonetheless I blame my friend, and his punishment has since been to have to listen to the lows and highs and whims and whines of my trademe auction escapades.

The collection is quite wide as the dream is to have a Computer & Gaming Museum down here in Dunnos, part retro and part educational, and definately hands on and interactive.

I have tried to cover the technology timeline, so there's even few typewriters, calculators, handheld games of sorts, amongst the game consoles and home computer.

Despite the size of the collection, it has only recently, and only in some aspects surpassed the range and variety of what I have had over the years prior to starting again. If I were to write a more lengthly bio it would be titled "The nostalgic lamentations of an 80s gamer".

[tezza]

Hi Clinton,

Welcome. Sounds like you've got quite a collection now. Do you have a website with pics where this collection is on display?

I've always been interested the C128. Two computers in one. A C64 and a CP/M machine. Did you ever play with the CP/M functionality?

Terry

[YetiSeti]

Hi Clinton,

Welcome. Sounds like you've got quite a collection now. Do you have a website with pics where this collection is on display?

I've always been interested the C128. Two computers in one. A C64 and a CP/M machine. Did you ever play with the CP/M functionality?

Terry

Hi Terry,
sadly everything is just stacked in a room which is becoming increasingly more difficult to navigate in. I do need to do something re displaying. Then I'll be able to stick some pics up on one of my poorly (meaning all) earning monetized domains.

Never did play with CP/M when young, but with the Bondwell 12s & 14, and Spectravideos, I should be. The Bondwell's are for the in-built speech synthesizer, which will be a great educational tool. I haven't got any CP/M based ideas yet in mind.

C128. That'd be three computers in one

[tezza]

Three computers in one? Oh of course, the 128's native mode! I forgot about that one

Although I have photos on the web, my own collection lives mainly in stacked boxes. Now and then (actually frequently) I'll pull a model out to play with it, or carry out some kind of repair/refurbishment.

Right now the focus is on de-yellowing some cases. I've also got a Commodore Pet a friend is helping me repair.

Terry

[arjoll]

Hi, Andrew here - found this via the vintage-computers.com forum, which in turn I found via a link on the vintage-radio.net forum that i am a moderator on!

I have a very small collection - some Sord business machines and my wife's family's old VIC-20. Most need some work - I'm having hassles with Sord M23 floppy drives, a non-functional M68 and have to do a keyboard transplant on the VIC20.

I'd love to get some more classic machines - like my first computer, a ZX81 - but reconciling my long-time geek side with my gorse-in-pockets Chartered Accountant side is a problem and anyway recently I've spent too much money repairing vintage tape recorders - I have three Ferrographs, a Rola 77 and just picked up a Sony TC102; for archiving use I have an Akai GX265D and a Tascam 32 - but that's all off-topic!

[arjoll]

Forgot to mention - for anyone in the BBS scene I was the sysop of "A Place to Stand" - Fido 3:770/630, also on Familynet. Took it down in late 1995 when accounting graduate salary with a new wife and mortgage meant $150 on phone rental and tolls every month wasn't really do-able.

[tezza]

Hiya Andrew,

Welcome to this forum. I toyed with the idea getting a Sord myself. I'm about the limit of my storage space now though.

Yes, drives can be a pain. If you have been following my adventures on the Vintage Computer Forum and my blog you would have noticed I've had to repair a few lately.

Cheers

Tez

[sukie]

hello all , im Nick from Auckland
i have a very small collection of vintage computers , ZX81 - Atari 2600 - and the good old Amiga 500 , but always looking for more , mostly Amigas !!
my main interest in vintage computers is Music , i love the old 8bit sounds and make a lot of music using these sounds , im a fairly new collector and it was good to find these forums ! , im also interested in restoration . ok see you all around

[Gibsaw]

Hi, I'm Devlin and I'm pretty specific to Apple II... but I'm back at the beginning.

Years and years ago I had a pair of 64k IIe's and in a moment of "maturity" I gave them away to some collector (this is circa 1998)

I've now got an American (110v NTSC) Apple IIe enhanced.

Pretty high up my list of "to get" is a PAL International IIe original (i.e. "my old machine") with a pair of disk II's, and a decent GS, but I'm open to suggestion if you have Apple II gear.

... And if you're the person who picked up a pair of Apple IIe's from Waterview, Auckland back around 1998/9, then I'd love them back if you're done with them.

[tezza]

Hi Devlin,

Welcome to the forums and good luck in finding a genuine PAL Apple IIe or GS. I've been amazed at the prices they have been going for lately!