Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Posted on 2023-03-09, 18:43

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Just dropped some coin on a bunch of retro destined components and spares at Universal Solder, as they have bogo and btgo deals on sale until midnight. Might have cleared them out of CR2032 holders though, I wanted 10, but snoozed and losed I guess since I knew about this yesterday. Got some bags of …

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Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Posted on 2023-03-09, 15:47

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Nice, I'd have definitely have grabbed that 5500 PCI if I came across it in person.

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Re: What retro activity did you get up to today?

Posted on 2023-03-09, 15:35

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I was so proud that I managed to install a dual boot system with FreeDOS and XP on a small embedded PC from 2012-ish or so (Zotac Zbox ID80, Atom N2700 CPU, 2GB RAM) until I realized that I would never get sound in DOS from it... it has a Realtek AC97 sound chip and the only possible expansion is …

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Re: 3 (+3 more) retro battle stations

Posted on 2023-03-09, 15:28

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

So, i am seeing a reoccurring problem with Mr.BIOS microcodes. This is not a new thing. Been observing it for long time already. Happens on different motherboards with different chipsets and different Mr.BIOS versions. If the system hang during POST, boot to DOS, or at runtime there is a small …

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Re: percentage of old PCs and components that are saved?

Posted on 2023-03-09, 14:48

by

by BitWrangler

in Milliways

in Milliways

There was definite attachment to the notion that the P4 was the best computer there ever was, is, or will be, such that even in the last year there's been computer idiots trying to sell them at ridiculous prices (Not realising they are so out of date rather than trying to front run retro pricing) …

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Re: SD vs CF Stability in 2023

Posted on 2023-03-09, 05:14

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

My biggest problem with CF is the damn things avoid me... no luck getting hold of any, I see them at $$$, most I come across in local area are super fast high spec pro photo ones that they want basically 80% of retail for 10 years on. Though I've got some tiny sizes like 16MB and 32MB, thinking I …

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Re: Market value for popular or rare classic computer hardware

Posted on 2023-03-09, 04:49

by

by BitWrangler

in Milliways

in Milliways

Yah I got a diamond 2100, but can't remember RAM right now. Probably 4MB... kinda lives in a blind spot where it's not quite the thing for anything I'm doing this month, but someday.... maybe I'll stick it one of the 233MMX boxes. edit: I checked it's 4MB

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Re: Amstrad PC1512 overclocking?

Posted on 2023-03-09, 04:46

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

They were willing little machines. A V30 of course was a nice bump. The ones I had kinda spoiled me, in that genuine XTs and low end ATs felt like watching paint dry after the Amstrads. I got mine at junk prices at start of 90s when "Hmm seems this PC thing ain't going away...." to play with, but …

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Re: 3 (+3 more) retro battle stations

Posted on 2023-03-08, 23:56

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Two days of distractions, finally get back to it today, fire up favorite soldering iron, and wait, still not hot, wait, nope... damn, stone frigging cold, things blown out, gah, okay then, next, stupid fat conical tip on this one, struggle through soldering up the Dallas, somehow the bits that …

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Re: What retro activity did you get up to today?

Posted on 2023-03-08, 21:00

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yah, I got that computer vacuum setup converted from a car vacuum, I was messing with, with dollar store flex/crack tube toys for hoses, that works pretty well for getting the rough off, though it looks like a plumbus ordered from wish. It's that packed/caked fine dust that's annoying me right now. …

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Re: Upgrade Cirrus Logic CL-GD5428-80QC-A to 2mb

Posted on 2023-03-08, 18:05

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

Too slow those, he says they're 150ns, but marked for 200, yeuch. They are more for 8 bits or original speed 8088s. You want 80ns or faster

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Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Posted on 2023-03-08, 17:55

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yeah that's probably it, might be that since they sold to compaq later in the 1990s they went with something to please them, fit with Compaq styling, or some externals/white box units were surplus from the Compaq production.

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Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Posted on 2023-03-08, 16:27

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Good deal, not the exciting bits, but the bits that make the exciting bits actually able to do stuff. Funny, just had eyeballs on Etherlink IIs yesterday and wondered if they had a III before they just went to numbering. Double check that top 5.25 faceplate floppy, the eject button is same shape as …

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Re: Upgrade Cirrus Logic CL-GD5428-80QC-A to 2mb

Posted on 2023-03-08, 16:06

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

I doubt it's EDO, no you can't use a 72 Pin SIMM on it. Many computer specs and terms are misleading, but you can actually count the pins in the socket to know how many pins you need on the RAM chips for this. 20.

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Re: ess maestro 2e es1978 wavetable not working in win9x dos window

Posted on 2023-03-08, 05:58

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

You got the environment variables set in an autoexec.dos file? (Basically how you'd have it set in autoexec.bat if booting pure DOS)

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Re: Switchbox Setup questions

Posted on 2023-03-08, 05:53

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Hmmm, that looks like a 2 machines to one USB peripheral switcher. Not sure it's gonna work that way... I'd just plug them both into a powered hub or use a 2 port wall wart.

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Re: percentage of old PCs and components that are saved?

Posted on 2023-03-08, 04:37

by

by BitWrangler

in Milliways

in Milliways

I think we peaked here about 15 years ago with maybe a third of the general populace having "some clue" but it's been on the decline since the iphone. There was definite attachment to the notion that the P4 was the best computer there ever was, is, or will be, such that even in the last year there's …

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Re: percentage of old PCs and components that are saved?

Posted on 2023-03-08, 04:10

by

by BitWrangler

in Milliways

in Milliways

Have you tried recruiting the networks of aunties into this noble cause, instead of all that scheming they usually get up to? ... might take some light bribery, you'll know better what tempts them.

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Re: Help identifying a electronic component

Posted on 2023-03-08, 03:16

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

The leads are a bit thin and whiskery compared to electrolytic caps you might notice. Also there might be some spurious emission and stability benefits to the belt and braces ground plane strap.

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Re: What retro activity did you get up to today?

Posted on 2023-03-07, 23:33

by

by BitWrangler

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yah, the $3 dollarama ones used to be good, but grudgingly picked up a $5 one a few months back and it's chilled up too much on a couple of quick sprays. IDK actually if it's that the straws on recent ones got larger bore, so it's too much volume, not enough velocity.

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