retrocomputing

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Discussions on vintage and retrocomputing

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Exploring how N.E. Thing Enterprises came up with and created Magic Eye pictures in the 90s! Their 3D illusion books, posters, calendars etc were everywhere for years. But did you know they sold a program to generate your own SIRDS images on a PC? Let's dive into the history of stereograms, how Magic Eye dominated, and how to make your own!

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I hope this is allowed here, at least the keyboard and mouse they used for this demo setup were old :)

Saw this at the computex today, and it looked too beautiful not too share. According to the staff there it'll come out this October.

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The biggest issue with my newly upgraded Dolch PAC-62 is the terrible early 90s LCD panel. It's washed out, dim and just looks terrible. Let's fix that by giving this computer a massive screen upgrade.

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This seems like a neat card with zero information about it, let's investigate what it is.

-- Info

Destek 1982 ISA Network Card:

S/N 10058301 00750003-001D

  • Z80A CPU
  • U37 - Intel 8237A-4 HIGH PERFORMANCE >PROGRAMMABLE DMA CONTROLLER
  • SRAM: 2016/6116/9128 - 2048x8 bit Static RAM >(two total, 4K) Mapped into $0000
  • 2732 EPROM for Z80 4K
  • Z80 CTC (Clock / Timer)
  • WD1933B-03 Synchronous Data Link Controller
  • DB15 for network connection

DIP Switches: 9 switch block: 1-9 ON except 5 and 9 (Off) 2 switch block SW2: 1 Off 2 On

Jumper block P2: Pin 1 to 8, Pin 2 - 7 connected

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Posters note: kinda click-baity title, the video is mostly about Apple hardware and when Apple did a deal with Bose for Apple branded speakers and got sued by the Beatles. With a little of SimCity.

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This old double density drives are getting harder to find and expensive, so anytime I run into one that isn't working, I try to fix it. This drive seems to spin but not read anything. Let's diagnose and figure out what's keeping it from working.

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This odd 90s thing is the Datadesk Trackboard. No wait, it's a LittleFingers trackball board? Both are similar yet VERY different! Diving into the rabbit hole of computer history in this LGR episode, plus testing the keyboards on a Windows 9x PC with typing and gaming.

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