BitWrangler wrote on 2024-08-22, 20:09:

PcBytes wrote on 2024-08-22, 17:26:

What's left is finding a way to remove that damaged IDE2 plastic and swap in a good blue one.

Frequently you can just pry those up with a sturdy blade and slide them up the pins.

Yeah... the issue is the SMD parts for the 2nd IDE channel are unsettingly close to the edge of the plastic I have to pry.

Just not feeling like doing much today, so I'm relaxing with some coffee and still binge watching my Knight Rider DVD collection. Just about to complete season 2.

Bah, who needs "HD", this looks looks fine to my eyes. 😜

I also admire the cool model and miniature work they did in that show. It may look corny by today's standards, but at the time, it was pretty good. I also noticed a few scenes that looks like they were reused from other sources, like the dam bursting flood scene from Superman, I'm pretty sure they used it in a KR episode. Kinda cool.

Never saw the show (or maybe once but I doubt it). Never watched McGoober or the X-Files either.

oldhighgerman wrote on 2024-08-23, 01:00:

Never saw the show (or maybe once but I doubt it). Never watched McGoober or the X-Files either.

The 80's dominate a bulk of my childhood and early teen life, so these shows live rent free in my old brain. Knight Rider, Air Wolf, A-Team, McGoober (and his duct tape), and many others. Sadly, this is the only show I own on DVD, though I did buy the complete set of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series on DVD as well, now I'm looking at getting The Real Ghostbusters next. I don't want to buy every show I enjoyed from the 80's, just a few of the big ones that I can re-watch from time to time.

Streaming is great, but I miss the days of actually owning what you bought and not losing it at the whim of a studio or service.

Major Jackyl wrote on 2024-08-20, 21:55:

Oh my word. I wasn't up to this, but my brother made this abomination (for shiz and gigglez). I almost died of laughter when I actually looked at it closely. At first glance, nothing unusual, but well, a picture speaks a thousand words, 🤣

Man, your brother must've been sniffing glue logic to come up with a contraption like that!
I absolutely love it!

The 80s ran from my early teens on up. I just didn't care to watch that stuff. It was more about D&D, music, later on Mary Jane, heavy metal, etc. I'd rather sit in my room when home and peruse some crap.

In 1979 I did get my first train set. Take a guess ... me me me ... "Pardon me boy ..." 🤣 🤣 🤣. That's been on obsession not entirely through my life. But most of it. Always had some sort of retarded hobby to occupy my mind. Then there was computers. Oy vay.

Nowadays I can't seem to get enough of Community. Though I own the entire series on DVD, it's always more fun to watch new full episodes when they rotate them on YouTube.

Like I said never saw 20 seconds of the X-Files. But did watch the last episodes of the Fringe.

Incidentally 'McGoober' started out as a spelling correction, McGuber or something. So I just enhanced it 🤣.

Major Jackyl wrote on 2024-08-22, 21:56:

H3nrik V! wrote on 2024-08-21, 04:14:

Major Jackyl wrote on 2024-08-20, 21:55:

Oh my word. I wasn't up to this, but my brother made this abomination (for shiz and gigglez). I almost died of laughter when I actually looked at it closely. At first glance, nothing unusual, but well, a picture speaks a thousand words, 🤣

🤣 great work, but is the slot PCB actually a Slot-A or a Slot-1?

It WAS a Pentium3 550. I WISH I had at least ONE slot A CPU laying about to enjoy looking at, at least. The 754 socket is soldered to the board and now also has a 2x4 power connector on it (We building a spoof system now, 🤣)

Keep updating us with photos, please 🤣

StriderTR wrote on 2024-08-23, 01:28:

The 80's dominate a bulk of my childhood and early teen life, so these shows live rent free in my old brain. Knight Rider, Air Wolf, A-Team, McGoober (and his duct tape), and many others.

The very same batch of TV shows in my childhood as well. To me it was his Swiss Army Knife that stood out and prompted me to buy my first. I bet Victorinox knows it and has a dedicated page on his knives appeared in the show.

A friend of mine in school when we were kids got such a knife because of the show 🤣. But yeah, those shows are all important to me too, lot of time was spent in front of the TV with these coming out of it in the early-mid to late 90s. Once all the old stuff was caught up with (yay soviet occupation) and the TV channels got more money, new and contemporary things started to appear instead.

I've been trying to get my dialup setup working on my IBM PC365. I setup a system to function as the dialup server and can dial into it through an old PBX i picked up. I've got this working with another system but the IBM just doesn't want to play ball (disconnects right after dialing and getting the first ring). Oh-well, time to put the cover back on and maybe play with another one...

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-08-22, 16:29:

I'll second the recommendation for an Amscope microscope. I have the AmScope SM-4NTP and it's been a workhorse. I use it with the binocular eyepieces. Haven't bought a camera and screen for it, and haven't really needed to.

The base is extremely heavy which makes the whole thing rock solid when doing soldering work. The last thing you want is the microscope tipping or moving.

I don't have the budget for a big nice unit like that currently, but I did just manage to snag a used AmScope SE400-Z (10x and 20x) for $105 after shipping and tax, and I found a pair of 5x eye pieces on Aliexpress for $9 shipped. I think $114 out the door is a pretty crazy deal.

I understand I won't have a ton of working space for motherboards and such, but I never really do intricate work on motherboards that would require a microscope. I will run traces to repair battery damage or replace capacitors, but this is generally on very old boards which my eyesight is still sufficient for. I haven't personally come across any boards that were both damaged in a way that would require such precision AND worth putting lots of time into.

For repairing tiny damaged parts on video cards and sound cards though... this will be indispensable. It should also be fine for inspecting boards of just about any size since I can just elevate them a bit if they bump into the base.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2024-08-22, 15:58:

What brand and model? If I can find something comparable I would love to get one for detailed work like this. […]
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Postman5 wrote on 2024-08-22, 15:43:

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2024-08-22, 14:29:

What kind of microscope do you use?

Binocular microscope with a working distance of 150 mm

What brand and model? If I can find something comparable I would love to get one for detailed work like this.

EDIT: Is something like this actually decent? https://www.amazon.com/AmScope-SE400-Z-Profes … n/dp/B005C75IVM

I would prefer to get something better quality used for a lower price of course, but I know nothing about microscopes.

When I was getting into microscopy, people typically warned me against getting a used microscope. Unless you know what to look for, you might get something with problems that aren't obvious. Like the other people here, I bought an Amscope and am happy with the purchase. I got a trinocular compound microscope for a few hundred dollars and it's surprisingly well built.

Parental Advisory: Amiga Content...

Popped open an Amiga box to check it hadn't been taken over by spiders or anything... didn't remember I had an A1020 5.25".... for supposedly being super rare and an Amiga white whale they don't seem to fetch much, I guess because of limited uses. Apparently the A1010 are worth more... despite being kinda klunky for a 3.5 compared to the 3rd party ones. Also seem to have a Microbotics Starboard 2 I never remembered. When I get my dedicated Amiga sprawl space and can mess around with it all, I'll have to get on amibay and see if I can trade the excess for an A500 accelerator or something. Urgh amiga nostalgia 'bout to pile in huge, gotta bail before I'm spending 4 figs on a big box...

So I found another SiS6326 it's an H0 yay, speeeeeeeeed 🤣

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-08-25, 22:13:

So I found another SiS6326 it's an H0 yay, speeeeeeeeed 🤣

I've been sorting my collection ready for a bunch of sales (I will be a pensioner in 5 years, and it'll take me that long to declutter and reorganise!). Found about a dozen 6326 among the several large boxes of graphics cards! Gonna have a fun day out at the refiners on Tuesday with all the useless stuff I have that just not worth my effort to try and sell 😀

debs3759 wrote on 2024-08-25, 22:44:

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-08-25, 22:13:

So I found another SiS6326 it's an H0 yay, speeeeeeeeed 🤣

I've been sorting my collection ready for a bunch of sales (I will be a pensioner in 5 years, and it'll take me that long to declutter and reorganise!). Found about a dozen 6326 among the several large boxes of graphics cards! Gonna have a fun day out at the refiners on Tuesday with all the useless stuff I have that just not worth my effort to try and sell 😀

Why not do what allowed me to get a very nice lot of big-box games back before COVID: Put up a classified ad that says "Free. Anything that's left after [period of time] is going to be thrown away." (The listing I jumped on said one week, I took 'em all, and it wound up including stuff like copies of No One Lives Forever and NOLF 2.)

...that or put up an eBay lot for one penny plus shipping.

It seems a shame to not at least give people a chance to claim them who might see more utility to them than you do.

Found an additional ...

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-03-03, 23:21:

In case anyone was under the impression that I just have to turn around and lay my hand on an awesome piece of hardware, today as part of the investigation into "The Soundcard Situation" I turned around and laid my hand on this... Opti 82C931.. maybe the worst SB clone ever produced according to legend... that's if you discount some versions of the SB16 I guess 🤣 ... can it be alllll that bad? I am getting the feeling it might end up in something anyway as soundcards run away when they see me coming or something.

Is there even an ideal spec to curse with this? 96 card so youdathunk the basics would be getting covered by then, might have to stick it in a Win9x build that doesn't DOS around much.

https://youtu.be/lD_ag67tH3I?si=QR3HKA-1qjDhmfRS

But it is non-identical, just the most no-name, only ID is chip markings and Made in China sticker, 82C931 soundcard that you could imagine.

Stupid question though, are these as bad at Adlib as they are at opl3 type synthesis? .... I haven't done a lot of adlib recently, and back in the day I skipped it, stuck on PC honker for my first few years. So in my mind, basic Adlib is kinda schmaltzy chip tune, not sounding much like real instruments, thus I feel it's simpler and hard to screw up.

If it should be the case that they do well at adlib, then I might stick them in XT or 286 class, since optimum games for those don't tend to need much. Though also thinking of pairing one with the RAP-10 in a better machine, as then I get basic 8 bit and hope I can do GM, MPU401, SC etc on the RAP-10 instead of FM.... which is likely in post 93 or so games.

ssokolow wrote on 2024-08-25, 22:59:

Why not do what allowed me to get a very nice lot of big-box games back before COVID: Put up a classified ad that says "Free. An […]
Show full quote

debs3759 wrote on 2024-08-25, 22:44:

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-08-25, 22:13:

So I found another SiS6326 it's an H0 yay, speeeeeeeeed 🤣

I've been sorting my collection ready for a bunch of sales (I will be a pensioner in 5 years, and it'll take me that long to declutter and reorganise!). Found about a dozen 6326 among the several large boxes of graphics cards! Gonna have a fun day out at the refiners on Tuesday with all the useless stuff I have that just not worth my effort to try and sell 😀

Why not do what allowed me to get a very nice lot of big-box games back before COVID: Put up a classified ad that says "Free. Anything that's left after [period of time] is going to be thrown away." (The listing I jumped on said one week, I took 'em all, and it wound up including stuff like copies of No One Lives Forever and NOLF 2.)

...that or put up an eBay lot for one penny plus shipping.

It seems a shame to not at least give people a chance to claim them who might see more utility to them than you do.

I am considering listing several lots as scrap - they seem to fetch more than scrap value, as some buyers will see cards they want that I don't consider to have much worth. I have no space or energy to list them separately or test hundreds of cards and motherboards. I need to regain some floor space and see my carpets 😀 Keeping some stuff for when I've freed up space to be able to test the more valuable items..

StriderTR wrote on 2024-08-23, 00:39:

Just not feeling like doing much today, so I'm relaxing with some coffee and still binge watching my Knight Rider DVD collection. Just about to complete season 2.

Bah, who needs "HD", this looks looks fine to my eyes. 😜

I also admire the cool model and miniature work they did in that show. It may look corny by today's standards, but at the time, it was pretty good. I also noticed a few scenes that looks like they were reused from other sources, like the dam bursting flood scene from Superman, I'm pretty sure they used it in a KR episode. Kinda cool.

I still mostly buy DVDs. The premium on Blu-rays, even second hand, just isn't justifiable for 90 percent of movies. I have my favorites and a lot of culturally and historically significant films on BluRay, and I plan to get a subset of those on 4k BluRay, but as long as DVDs continue to be $5-6 per film on eBay, they will probably remain my primary format. Especially with the number of films that are either censored or altered on Bluray (looking at YOU, James Cameron, and your AI based detail destroying digital noise reduction on all your films 4K releases)

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-08-26, 00:07:

Found an additional ... […]
Show full quote

Found an additional ...

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-03-03, 23:21:

In case anyone was under the impression that I just have to turn around and lay my hand on an awesome piece of hardware, today as part of the investigation into "The Soundcard Situation" I turned around and laid my hand on this... Opti 82C931.. maybe the worst SB clone ever produced according to legend... that's if you discount some versions of the SB16 I guess 🤣 ... can it be alllll that bad? I am getting the feeling it might end up in something anyway as soundcards run away when they see me coming or something.

Is there even an ideal spec to curse with this? 96 card so youdathunk the basics would be getting covered by then, might have to stick it in a Win9x build that doesn't DOS around much.

https://youtu.be/lD_ag67tH3I?si=QR3HKA-1qjDhmfRS

But it is non-identical, just the most no-name, only ID is chip markings and Made in China sticker, 82C931 soundcard that you could imagine.

Stupid question though, are these as bad at Adlib as they are at opl3 type synthesis? .... I haven't done a lot of adlib recently, and back in the day I skipped it, stuck on PC honker for my first few years. So in my mind, basic Adlib is kinda schmaltzy chip tune, not sounding much like real instruments, thus I feel it's simpler and hard to screw up.

If it should be the case that they do well at adlib, then I might stick them in XT or 286 class, since optimum games for those don't tend to need much. Though also thinking of pairing one with the RAP-10 in a better machine, as then I get basic 8 bit and hope I can do GM, MPU401, SC etc on the RAP-10 instead of FM.... which is likely in post 93 or so games.

Personally I think there are far worse OPL clones than the Opti-FM of the 925/931 chips, I like my 931 cards in the systems I've played with them in. Check out PC sound legacy's video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCljlMWbbzQ
It's not quite the same as real OPL3 and checking out another video comparing the 931 to an SB Pro 2 it does sound like there's a heavy low pass filter on the FM sound, but I find that works pretty nicely for later DOS games with FM with a sufficiently bass heavy speaker setup.
Has anyone checked it out for Adlib capability for comparison though? I haven't yet but this video has and again it sounds quite similar but with some high frequency cutoff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poZT12wb9PA
Adlib can sound impressive with the right composition, dune's adlib soundtrack or pretty much everything Stephan Picq made. Haven't tried the 931 with those, that'd be a good test of their adlib sound...