Old Computers

redrumloa said:
I finally went ahead and got a Lo-Tech 8bit ISA IDE adapter and set it up with an IDE to CF adapter. Having a hard drive on this Tandy 1000 HX is night and day over just the built in 720k 3.5 floppy drive!

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1874873492566181

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redrumloa said:
I finally went ahead and got a Lo-Tech 8bit ISA IDE adapter and set it up with an IDE to CF adapter. Having a hard drive on this Tandy 1000 HX is night and day over just the built in 720k 3.5 floppy drive!

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Sweet :D these Tandy machines are still on my wishlist.
 
I just back from a long intrastate trip to pick up an enormous new computer for my collection. It is so huge, I think it literally qualifies a "mini computer" as opposed to a "micro computer". There is very little information left online about these computers. Here's the Wikipedia.

44053696_2441944172500088_313039408628498432_n.jpg 44074955_1892652027454994_1953109036094193664_o.jpg
 
redrumloa said:
I just back from a long intrastate trip to pick up an enormous new computer for my collection. It is so huge, I think it literally qualifies a "mini computer" as opposed to a "micro computer". There is very little information left online about these computers. Here's the Wikipedia.

View attachment 1820 View attachment 1821
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An Apollo? Good Lord, I haven't seen one of those in a long time. I remember I used one before. Just for a little bit, though. Couldn't tell you the model, but it was at UMich Dearborn, somewhere. (a Unix lab in the ELB, maybe?) I think there was probably some assignment on it, just to make people touch it. It was a strange animal, but I don't remember much more than that. I'd blocked that sucker completely from my memory, until I saw that image. By the time I was there in the early 90's, it mostly sat unused while students waited for a Sun or SGI. For a good laugh every so often someone would send an arts student to it to type a paper when the main Windows lab was full. (Needless to say they'd never figure out how to log in, let alone do anything useful.)
 
Speelgoedmannetje said:
I've got a GP2X Wiz since 2010, and it's never beaten on the whole regarding emulation/retrogaming (4:3 aspect ratio, AMOLED, proper controls). It is a pity its abandoned :(
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Oh, I keep meaning to post some pictures, but I picked up a GPD Win2, and it is as awesome as you could hope for. I wanted a tiny PC for another project, but went with the Win2 to get the gamepad and analog sticks for emulation purposes. It's quite a little powerhouse for something barely bigger than a couple cell phones sitting on top of each other. And loading an emulator on it gives the ultimate Commodore 64 or even Amiga Gameboy that I dreamed about since the days of the Gameboy. lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPD_Win_2
 
ilwrath said:
An Apollo? Good Lord, I haven't seen one of those in a long time. I remember I used one before. Just for a little bit, though. Couldn't tell you the model, but it was at UMich Dearborn, somewhere. (a Unix lab in the ELB, maybe?) I think there was probably some assignment on it, just to make people touch it. It was a strange animal, but I don't remember much more than that. I'd blocked that sucker completely from my memory, until I saw that image.
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Information online is very, very, very sparse. I tried hooking this all up and just figured out something was not right. I did more online searching and figured out this is not a single computer. It is parts for 2 different Apollo Domain computers. There was a craigslist listing in central FL that described it as one computer. The gentleman in the Florida retro club assumed it was one computer. He got it and held it for me until I could make a trip to central FL. I assumed it was too. But no, not quite complete parts for 2 different computers. The Apollo Domain 4500 will be the first one I try to get going, as it seems with a custom cable I can use an old school multisync monitor. The other one seems to be either an Apollo Domain 300 or 330.

@all
I won't post much more about this one(s) unless anyone is actually interested. It is going to be quite the adventure to get these computers going. Outside the fact they are 680x0 based, may not be oif interest. Obscure attracts me, to a point. I hate the idea of any computer platform being completely lost down the memory hole.
 
redrumloa said:
Information online is very, very, very sparse. I tried hooking this all up and just figured out something was not right. I did more online searching and figured out this is not a single computer. It is parts for 2 different Apollo Domain computers. There was a craigslist listing in central FL that described it as one computer. The gentleman in the Florida retro club assumed it was one computer. He got it and held it for me until I could make a trip to central FL. I assumed it was too. But no, not quite complete parts for 2 different computers. The Apollo Domain 4500 will be the first one I try to get going, as it seems with a custom cable I can use an old school multisync monitor. The other one seems to be either an Apollo Domain 300 or 330.

@all
I won't post much more about this one(s) unless anyone is actually interested. It is going to be quite the adventure to get these computers going. Outside the fact they are 680x0 based, may not be oif interest. Obscure attracts me, to a point. I hate the idea of any computer platform being completely lost down the memory hole.
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It did look like an odd mix. I was kind of assuming part of it was an external case for drives, or my own memory was suspect. (Which, of course, it is...)

It doesn't look too impossible for finding information. At least some is still online. I assume you found the Jim Rees archive? I think he was probably the one responsible for Apollos ending up around UMich.
https://jim.rees.org/apollo-archive/
 
ilwrath said:
It doesn't look too impossible for finding information. At least some is still online. I assume you found the Jim Rees archive? I think he was probably the one responsible for Apollos ending up around UMich.
https://jim.rees.org/apollo-archive/
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Yes, it is one of the best sites still online. Unfortunately almost all of his external links are dead.

Here's an example. Where am I going to find a pinout for the video card in my DN4500? Apparently this is the video connector and the original cable is 3x BNC connectors for RGB out (sync on red). I need to make an adapter for this connector to VGA and use an old school multisync monitor that accepts sync on red.

os963s.jpg


I probably won't damage a monitor by trying all combinations of the 3, but I'd rather not do that.
 
redrumloa said:
Yes, it is one of the best sites still online. Unfortunately almost all of his external links are dead.

Here's an example. Where am I going to find a pinout for the video card in my DN4500? Apparently this is the video connector and the original cable is 3x BNC connectors for RGB out (sync on red). I need to make an adapter for this connector to VGA and use an old school multisync monitor that accepts sync on red.

os963s.jpg


I probably won't damage a monitor by trying all combinations of the 3, but I'd rather not do that.
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Heh. Sync on RED? Or Sync on Green? Standard MultiSync is usually on Green, I think. That could be an interesting problem if it is on Red.

Yeah, I wouldn't even know what to call that DB with just 3 coax spots, let alone find a pinout for it on Apollo. :D The "fun" of old machines.
 
ilwrath said:
Oh, I keep meaning to post some pictures, but I picked up a GPD Win2, and it is as awesome as you could hope for. I wanted a tiny PC for another project, but went with the Win2 to get the gamepad and analog sticks for emulation purposes. It's quite a little powerhouse for something barely bigger than a couple cell phones sitting on top of each other. And loading an emulator on it gives the ultimate Commodore 64 or even Amiga Gameboy that I dreamed about since the days of the Gameboy. lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPD_Win_2
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Likewise I had a Pandora that broke down a while ago. Crap screen but a fun system to play with. And an incredible good sound quality, which made it my #1 music device when on the move. Though more powerful than the Wiz, it didn't capture retrogaming as well as the Wiz. The small screen size makes 320x240 a nice picture without the need for scanlines/CRT filters. Plus AMOLED, ah that is just the best; like in the 80s montage video best
;)
 
So, I had a spontaneous realisation that I'm unlikely to ever use my old A1200s again and decided to offer them and associated gubbins to a good home, via Amiga.org.

Happily, someone nearby has put their hand up so it won't end up in a skip.
 
Robert said:
So, I had a spontaneous realisation that I'm unlikely to ever use my old A1200s again and decided to offer them and associated gubbins to a good home, via Amiga.org.

Happily, someone nearby has put their hand up so it won't end up in a skip.
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You gave it away free? I hope you know you could have sold it and gotten enough to take a nice vacation.
 
redrumloa said:
You gave it away free?
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Yes, I was offered something for it but I'm just happy it'll get used.

I hope you know you could have sold it and gotten enough to take a nice vacation.
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To someone willing to come and pick it up? I very much doubt that.
 
Robert said:
Yes, I was offered something for it but I'm just happy it'll get used.
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Watch eBay over the coming weeks. I give it a 50/50 shot the guy will just make a quick buck.

Robert said:
To someone willing to come and pick it up? I very much doubt that.
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You haven't been watching retro prices lately. Retro computers have been going bonkers in prices, especially Amiga computers. It would have gone over 1,000 pound easy. How far over is the fickle nature of auction, but maybe far over.
 
BTW, I know people sometimes take my tone as negative, I don't mean it here. I'm just a bit cynical, especially with the Amiga Kommunity. Hopefully it went to someone you somewhat know.

Don't get me wrong, not everything is about money. I am in a local retro club, and there is a heck of a lot of free or near free exchanges. I've been on the receiving end of a couple, and paying it forward where I can. When it is a real club or a real group of friends, I don't look at profit.
 
redrumloa said:
Watch eBay over the coming weeks. I give it a 50/50 shot the guy will just make a quick buck.
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I'd be surprised. Turns out there's still a 25-strong Amiga user group in Glasgow (who knew?) and he said he'll donate to them what he doesn't use himself.


Retro computers have been going bonkers in prices, especially Amiga computers. It would have gone over 1,000 pound easy. How far over is the fickle nature of auction, but maybe far over.
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I sort of knew that but I can't be arsed with eBay these days and I don't really have the time (or need the money enough) to properly package it all up and arrange shipping.
This way I get to avoid all of that and have the added bonus of the warm, fuzzy, "I-did-a-good-deed" feeling that goes with it. :p
 
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