Acorn Electron Part 2: Deep cleaning and colour composite modification OzRetrocomp 2020-07-30 | In the second part of my Acorn Electron video series, the Elk and I go to the kitchen for a deep clean. Whilst the case and keycaps cleaned up beautifully, it wasn't without incident.The modification to convert the Elk's composite video output from monochrome to colour was considerably less eventful, and it also appears as though whatever it is I did seems to have brought the colour back into the RF output. Result!Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance) "Crema Cafe" by Strehlow, GlimlipCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/9add7467"Inside" by Miscél Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/44f1a4f9"Let Girls Play Soccer" by Sleepy FishCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/10ec395b#retrocomputing #acorn #electron
GrumpyOZRetro Ep#007 - Johann from TheBasement OzRetrocomp 2024-05-23 | We catch up with Johann from TheBasement, an emerging YouTuber from Tasmania who does vintage... audio, as well as computers. He's rescued and restored many items from e-waste and thrift stores over the years, and he shares some of the secrets to his success.As it’s been while since the previous episode, there’s a bumper ARC event report. Just ignore the fact it’s about 2 months late. Don't forget you can hit us up at grumpyozretro.com if you've got something to say, as well as the comments feed on this episode over on the OzRetrocomp YouTube channel. Thanks for listening and stay retro. Craig & Tony –Johann’s pluggablesTheBasement YouTube channelyoutube.com/@TheBasementChannelInstagraminstagram.com/its_the_basementTwittertwitter.com/TheBasement___Facebookfacebook.com/itsthebasementNews ItemsARC Swap Meet - 29th June 2024 facebook.com/events/7390323550694022024 Canberra Vintage Computer Exhibition: VCF Down Under - 29th June 2024facebook.com/events/693500242752070vcfed.org/vcf-down-underAdelaide Retro Computing GroupNeed to be a member:Facebook Main Page: facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908eBayGI Joe for the C64 (archived link)https://archive.is/fwrSMYouTube Underdogs/CreamOSG - Old Style Gameryoutube.com/@oldstylegaming8 Retro Refixyoutube.com/@8BitRetroReFixRon's Computer Videosyoutube.com/@RonsCompVidsDave's Vintage Apple Techyoutube.com/@DavidStahlOLDHAPPyMACsThe GrumpTony's grump is about scammers in the retro community. This grump came as the result of allegations levelled against a colourful character in the US retro scene earlier this year. Slightly old news, but these videos are still worth watching due to grifters being an ongoing problem in hobbyist communities worldwide.Ron's Computer Videos and Dave's Vintage Apple Tech explain more:youtube.com/watch?v=sANdqXvi8A0youtube.com/watch?v=hRkPCjVhM8cyoutube.com/watch?v=ynlyh685e5Yyoutube.com/watch?v=POr4EfiURWs
GrumpyOZRetro Ep#006 - Chris Arneil (National Film & Sound Archive) OzRetrocomp 2024-02-08 | Chris Arneil is an archivist with the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, specialising in Australian computer software. Craig recently caught up him to discuss his work, along with his own experiences with gaming.This episode features our very first interstate field report, courtesy of Marc Falconer from Brisbane Amiga Retro (thanks Marc!), along with a belated update from ARC. BTW the delay with this episode is all Tony's fault. He just bought a house that needs recapping and retrobriting. This will affect the release schedule of future episodes, so the next episode will be here when it's ready. Don't forget you can hit us up at grumpyozretro.com if you've got something to say, as well as the comments feed on this episode over on the OzRetrocomp YouTube channel.Thanks for listening and stay retro.Craig & Tony--News ItemsPerth Amiga User GroupCutting back to maybe one or two shows a yearYouTube: youtube.com/@PerthAmigaUserGroupFacebook: facebook.com/groups/616480162050289Amiga Retro BrisbaneFacebook: facebook.com/groups/374406126639853Website: amigaretro.com/Tec1-G launch at the Australian Computer Museum Society in Sydney. It was live streamed and the video is available on the Australian Computer MuseumYT page youtube.com/@australiancomputermuseum … only 280 odd subs, so it’s an underdog. Well worth checking out.Adelaide Retro Computing GroupNeed to be a member:Facebook Main Page: facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908486 Lineup - Aust Vintage FB Group - facebook.com/groups/625813064749410/?multi_permalinks=1317081965622513YouTube Underdogs Least Significant Byteyoutube.com/@lsbyte?si=z2diFQpeikV_GMhxBBC Dude. Seems like he likes the master. Alexander the OKyoutube.com/@Alexander-the-okBig Red Arrow Clubyoutube.com/@BigRedArrowClub/videos
GrumpyOzRetro Ep#005 5 November 2023 - Martin Crockett (SA Country Club BBS) *LANGUAGE WARNING* OzRetrocomp 2023-11-05 | Local Adelaide(ish) BBS legend Martin Crockett stops by for a chat. We discuss everything from the old days of SA Country Club BBS, along with other projects both past and present... including his Apple I clone built almost entirely from period-correct parts. We bring retro user groups from Brisbane and Perth into the fold with details of their upcoming events, along with RoseTintedSpectrum's very special charity stream coming up on 11-12 November.If you've been waiting for a proper grump, you won't be disappointed with this episode. Pro tip: don't listen to this ep when the kids are within earshot. Don't forget you can hit us up at grumpyozretro.com if you've got something to say, as well as the comments feed on this episode over on the OzRetrocomp YouTube channel.Thanks for listening and stay retro.Craig & Tony--News ItemsRoseTintedSpectrum's 24 Hours of Dizzytwitter.com/jbrcmdr/status/1718177406299542007youtube.com/watch?v=PkruC36S9aEtiltify.com/@rosetintedspectrum/24-hours-of-dizzyPerth Amiga User GroupYouTube: youtube.com/@PerthAmigaUserGroupFacebook: facebook.com/groups/616480162050289Amiga Retro BrisbaneFacebook: facebook.com/groups/374406126639853Website: amigaretro.com/Adelaide Retro Computing GroupNeed to be a member:Facebook Main Page: facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908Behringer Gray Meanie: behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0EL8November theme - Console nightYouTube Underdogs Refer to RoseTintedSpectrum's guest list on the Dizzy streamYouTube Cream youtube.com/@powerofvintage9442Power of Vintage - Atari Dude..Falcons, TT’s, Megas.. :)Other stuffThis Week in RetroYouTube: youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetroReddit: reddit.com/r/thisweekinretroOr wherever you get your podcasts"Random Access: Who is a real vintage computer person?"youtu.be/mI_Dp9VtTY8Thanks to Andrew Dunda for the thumbnail photo
GrumpyOZRetro Ep#004 29 September 2023 - Chris (005 AGIMA) OzRetrocomp 2023-09-29 | One of our favourite British-Australian YouTubers, Chris from 005 AGIMA and This Week in Retro, drops in for a chinwag. We had a lot of fun, and Chris has plenty to talk about.Craig's Man Pad Saga continues, we weigh in on the big news surrounding Atari's latest acquisition, and thanks to a keen listener we spend some time contemplating one of the most contentious issues in retro today.Don't forget you can hit us up at grumpyozretro.com if you've got something to say, as well as the comments feed on this episode over on the OzRetrocomp YouTube channel.BTW thanks to Andrew D for the photo of Craig's Sh!tTandy in the thumbnail.Thanks for listening and stay retro.Craig & Tony--Chris's Pluggables005 AGIMAYouTube: youtube.com/@005AGIMAThis Week in RetroYouTube: youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetroReddit: reddit.com/r/thisweekinretroOr wherever you get your podcastsPerth Amiga User GroupYouTube: youtube.com/@PerthAmigaUserGroupFacebook: facebook.com/groups/616480162050289News ItemsAmiga Game SelectorFacebook: facebook.com/groups/1144009169831106ISA with HDMI - Toms Hardwaretomshardware.com/news/enthusiast-grafts-hdmi-port-onto-isa-graphics-cardMore Fun Making It fundraiser for The Befriending Scheme12 hour marathon stream (16 September 2023)Part 1: youtube.com/watch?v=PfF5H2jWBfQPart 2: youtube.com/watch?v=zr8qxaAqtzsJustGiving page:justgiving.com/page/morefunmakingitLee Smith's Workshop - ZX Mechtrumleesmithsworkshop.co.uk/collections/3d-printed-retro-computer-casesAdelaide Retro Computing GroupNeed to be a member:Facebook Main Page: facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908October theme - First computer or consoleYouTube Underdogs Josip Retro Bitsyoutube.com/@JosipRetroBitskoz_techyoutube.com/@koztechYouTube Cream TheHobbyLounge - The Retro Gamer Quiz - August 20th 2023 @ 8PM GMTyoutube.com/watch?v=0OVfz5LCTVITech Time Traveller - Mindset IIyoutube.com/watch?v=rBuM4z-k9g0
GrumpyOZRetro Ep#003 25 August 2023 - Randall Crook OzRetrocomp 2023-08-25 | In this episode, we catch up with Randall Crook, a vintage computing enthusiast whose interest in the hobby was born from his love of electronics. He has one of the more interesting collections we’ve heard about, and he’s a brilliant storyteller.Randall's website: sites.google.com/view/randalls-jump-page/homeThere's the usual guff and grump, including Tony’s near-theft experience involving an abandoned computer in a garage, and Craig scoring the vintage computer bargain of 2023 (so far).Don't forget you can hit us up at grumpyozretro.com if you've got something to say, as well as the comments feed on this episode over on the OzRetrocomp YouTube channel.Thanks for listening and stay retro.Craig & Tony--News ItemsJan Beta Review - Foenix FNX1591 floppy driveyoutu.be/e3ReLIuXocwOfficial Foenix FNX1591 websitec256foenix.com/accessories/?v=6cc98ba2045fAgon Console 8heber.co.uk/agon-console8thebyteattic.com/p/agon.htmlChaos Engine - Atari 800 - Indie Retro News - indieretronews.com/2023/08/trax-chaos-engine-inspiration-for-atari.htmlMore Fun Making It charity live streamyoutube.com/watch?v=BL33HEweNUkSaturday 16 Sepember 202311:00 British Summer Time18:00 Australian Western Standard Time19:30 Australian Central Standard Time20:00 Australian Eastern Standard TimeeBay ItemsAD&D Heroes Of The Lance 3.5” Amiga Clamshell Game (SSI/ECP, 1988) [pot plants not included]https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/314730818208Decibells India Sinclair ZX Spectrum+https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/266367804713Adelaide Retro Computing GroupNeed to be a member:Facebook Main Page: facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908September Theme - #SepTandy and #ShitTemberYouTube Underdogs Lee Smith’s Workshop youtube.com/@leesmithsworkshopGouldFish on Gamesyoutube.com/@GouldFishOnGames.YouTube Cream Tony359 - Archimedes Restoration - youtube.com/watch?v=B1qhe-5bf-URandom Links MentionedMr Lurch’s Things - Aussie Oddity: Micro Byte HC120Part 1 youtube.com/watch?v=sRPRCdpxCf4Part 2 youtube.com/watch?v=RVL8YrbW_U8VICE article about the NABU PCvice.com/en/article/ak3k34/2200-forgotten-vintage-computers-are-being-liberated-from-a-barn-in-massachusetts
GrumpyOZRetro Ep#002 31 July 2023 - Daniel from Adelaide Retro Computing Group (ARC) OzRetrocomp 2023-07-31 | *** LANGUAGE WARNING***In this episode, we catch up with Daniel. He's one of the resident fix-it guys at Adelaide Retro Computing group. Daniel stopped by to share some war stories about his more memorable repairs, as well as what drives him as an active participant in the local vintage computing community.There's the usual guff and grump, along with some constructive feedback from a future guest. Speaking of which, don't forget you can hit us up at grumpyozretro.com if you've got something to say, as well as the comments feed below.Thanks for listening and stay retro. Craig & Tony--NewsIBM 4131 (4341)alamy.com/terrassa-spain-march-19-2019-monitor-and-keyboard-of-1979-ibm-4341-system-in-the-national-museum-of-science-and-technology-of-catalonia-image243440867.htmlAustralian Computing Museum Societyhttps://acms.org.auAdrian's BBC Master 128 seriesyoutube.com/watch?v=MS_KFcSZaLsyoutube.com/watch?v=jSvSkaxkZDQyoutube.com/watch?v=2SgleturodsOpening 8 Months of Vintage Tech Oddities & LGR Mail! youtu.be/-zezLB3sVW0?t=851eBay: Stupidly Priced Aussie Sh!tAmiga 1000 (Phoenix) https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/266109352476DEC AlphaStation 255 300MHz… $29,995!!! https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/374688137823PDP-11https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/256155056483Adelaide Retro Computing Group (ARC)Need to be a member:Facebook Main Page:facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908Red Star OSen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Star_OSYT Underdogs & CreamThe Clueless Engineeryoutube.com/@Brfff/The Basementyoutube.com/c/TheBasementChannelctrl-alt-rees Atari Museum Revival Websiteyoutu.be/3AuWbeHfVQY1UP ARCADE Brisbane | Still Standing BONUS #1youtu.be/s-LWAVSXjeAStill Standing - Adelaide Based Arcade & Pinball Docotubitv.com/movies/712180
GrumpyOZRetro Ep#001 24 June 2023 - Mr. Lurch OzRetrocomp 2023-06-24 | In the first official episode of GrumpyOzRetro we catch up with Aussie retro YouTuber, Jase a.k.a. Mr. Lurch, and talk about everything from YouTube milestones to the 2023 Canberra Vintage Computer Expo.This month's back-and-forth between Craig and Tony includes a post mortem on the ill-fated Amiga Global Alliance Kickstarter, along with a bunch of other stuff.We now have a website at grumpyozretro.com - here you can find links to the show, links to our socials, and a contact form.GrumpyOzRetro is now available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods.SHOW NOTESAmiga Global Alliance Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/amigaglobalalliance/announcing-a-brand-new-aga-for-2023-amiga-global-allianceMr Run and Jump - Actually shitty footage of the VCS versiontechpowerup.com/310103/atari-releases-a-new-game-for-vcs-after-33-years?ampUpdate on VCS Game -atari.com/products/mr-run-and-jump-2600-limited-editionPenultimate+2 Cartridge from Tynemouth Software and The Future Was 8-Bit - new cart for the Vic20 that does absolutely everything (note it’s due to be released at the end of June)http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2023/06/penultimate-plus-2-cartridge.htmlBudding Authors…vintageisthenewold.com/announcing-the-2023-writing-contest-vintage-is-the-new-old-the-contest-for-the-rest-of-usThe Third Wish by George Broussard:timeextension.com/news/2023/06/3d-realmsapogee-co-founder-releases-free-adventure-game-the-third-wishHyundai excels at playing DOOMhackaday.com/2023/06/11/hyundai-is-doomed-porting-the-1993-classic-to-a-hyundai-head-uniteBay ItemsSilicon Graphics SGI Tezro - Very Rare Piece of Computing History - No OS $3750 BINhttps://www.ebay.com.au/itm/256110460002Yeno SC3000H - French market Sega SC-3000H. BNIB. $1300.https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/195490514384Commodore Plus/4 BNIB $800https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/295759617757Commodore 116 Boxed starting bid $700 or $1100 BINhttps://www.ebay.com.au/itm/295769482722Sega TeraDrive model 3 - circa 1991 ** SOLD FOR $1,009 **https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/225613862430Adelaide Retro Computing GroupNeed to be a member:Facebook Main Page: facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908C64 Demo: Next Level by Performers ! 3 June 2023! #1 at X23!: youtu.be/CxkTwJoAzBERetrobattlestations - Subreddit: Retro Battlestations (reddit.com)YouTube Underdogs More Fun Making It: youtube.com/@MoreFunMakingIt005 AGIMA: youtube.com/@005AGIMAYouTube Cream BastichB 64K - YouTubeyoutu.be/v8rhq5YKJPg - Arcades the Universal Language.Hands on Gaming podcast - Hands On Gaming on Apple Podcasts Extra special thanks to Jaseyoutube.com/mrlurchsthingsThanks for listening.We will get grumpier as the time goes on.CheersTony & Craig
Whats In The Box? 5: A white whale, thats whats in there. OzRetrocomp 2023-06-06 | Mr. Lurch gave me a very generous channel donation of a machine I've been after for many years, and I livestreamed the unboxing. May contain traces of swearing and/or commercial failure. Note this edit is rough as guts, and the sound levels are all over the place. I was overexcited.
GrumpyOZRetro Ep#000 3 June 2023 - Wangin It OzRetrocomp 2023-06-06 | RSS feed link for audio-only version: https://anchor.fm/s/e3365284/podcast/rssAlso available on Spotify - more platforms coming soon--Beta testing a new Australian vintage computing and retrogaming podcast hosted by Craig and Tony. If all goes to plan, regular monthly episodes should drop on your favourite podcast service on or around 1 July 2023.Feedback encouraged. We don't have any socials set up for the GrumpyOZRetro pod yet, so either dump it in the comments section or hit Tony up via his socials:Twitter - twitter.com/ozretrocompMastodon - https://oldbytes.space/@ozretrocomp Craig can be contacted via the Adelaide Retro Computing Group on Facebookfacebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingor via email: supercruiser5000 at gmail dot comShow notes:News ItemsHand386 video from Action Retro. Iyoutube.com/watch?v=Eiutn-P7HVQ Update - Hand386 - Slight Hiccup - twitter.com/ActionRetro1/status/1664095880297820162Note: Book8088 and Hand386 showing as no longer available on AliExpressWindows XP activation algorithm cracked - it’s now possible to activate XP offline theregister.com/2023/05/26/windows_xp_activation_keygenLego Pac-Man. gamingretro.co.uk/new-lego-pac-man-arcade-set-unveiled/amp“I Adore My 64” Kickstarter preview released iadoremy64film.com eBay ItemsRare Black Apple Macintosh Performa 5400/180 Directors Edition TV/Video Power PC https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/204352074255WANG Professional Computer 8086 🔥HOT PRICE🔥 Vintage 1980s - plus CRT!https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/225578162881Wang Classic PC / APC 1980s Working With Software Loaded Plus Disks and Manualshttps://www.ebay.com.au/itm/275468312900Adelaide Retro Computing GroupNeed to be a member:Facebook Main Page: facebook.com/adelaideretrocomputingChat/Buy/Swap/etc: facebook.com/groups/2772719296287908Finn McCoolers Epsilon World ACA 500+ and Perth Amiga Users Group: epsilonsworld.comYouTube Underdogs RoseTintedSpectrum youtube.com/@RoseTintedSpectrumWhatHoSnorkersyoutube.com/@WhatHoSnorkersYouTube Cream RIPscript. youtu.be/uyEj4Rm8mzEChris Edwards Resto Minimig: youtube.com/watch?v=b70DRS7GkDQ&t=1364sRandom Links MentionedWang 2226: cnvintage.org/assets/files/2016-12-25/14:27:520-image026.jpegThanks to all for listening.We will get grumpier as the time goes on.CheersTony & Craig
AWA Amstrad CPC 464: Crusty keyboard, cursed cassette drive, minging monitor OzRetrocomp 2023-03-24 | This is an Australian market Amstrad CPC 464. As you may be aware, the CPC 464 was Amstrad's first shot at the burgeoning personal computer market of the 1980s. Back then, the Amstrad brand was ubiquitous in the UK but completely unknown elsewhere in the world. Lord Sugar - back when he still identified as Alan Sugar - knew about the importance of brand recognition in a crowded marketplace. This led to Amstrad finding success in the computer business outside the UK via a number of local partnerships; most notably in Germany via Schneider, and in Australia via AWA. Though unlike Schneider, AWA stopped short of a full rebadge. But the startup message in ROM, proudly declaring that one is using an Awa (sic.) 64K Microcomputer, makes me wonder how close us Aussies were to seeing AWA CPC 464s in the shops instead of Amstrad CPC 464s...The AWA story is worthy of its own documentary. Back in the day, AWA made everything from civilian avionics to missile guidance systems to traffic light controllers. AWA radios were a common sight in Aussie households for most of the 20th century, which makes sense given that AWA introduced radio to Australia in the first place. Oddly enough, AWA's Computer Services division, formed in the 1970s, is all that remains of this former industrial and technological powerhouse.To be honest, this video would have been released about a month earlier had I not been sucked into reading old articles and other things about the stuff AWA used to get up to back in the day. But I digress.I found this CPC 464 on Gumtree, from a seller located around 1.5 hours from my home. This was the seller's first computer, which he had kept since he was a child. Well, apparently it was the family's computer... but as was often the case back then, the family computer ended up being used almost exclusively by one of the younger members of said family.This particular example was very dusty, and also appeared to have been stored in less than ideal conditions for some of its life. A typical story for some of even the most loved of '80s computing survivors. Yet underneath the decades of debris, I saw an honest CPC 464 that'd probably scrub up OK. Was I correct in my initial assessment of this CPC? Watch this video and decide for yourself. Please note this video isn't so much a repair video as a story video. Nothing for soddering fans in this one I'm afraid.Links:Amstrad/AWA-Thorn Computersyoutube.com/watch?v=Uk3V0jRBYVMContents:0:00 Intro0:45 What's an AWA? (a very brief history lesson)1:35 Monitor inspection and pre-cleaning2:30 System unit inspection and first cleaning6:35 Keyboard and cleaning10:52 Keyboard and chill and more cleaning (fast-moving images)14:00 Keyboard (mostly) clean14:30 Tape drive fail and yet more cleaning18:30 Monitor... did I mention cleaning?19:53 Blow me (headphone warning)21:41 The end result23:24 Conclusion and outroMusic from Chillhop Music, used under license (in order of appearance):"Friction" by Philanthrope, Nokiaa"Over you" by El Train, Paal Singh"Dreaming" by Misha, Jussi Halme, El Train, goodie bag "Yellowblue" by Yasper, sonofmark"Carefree" by Drips ZacheerCopyright Chillhop Music - chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred
Long Term Australian Vintage Computer Market: December 2022 #C64 #Amiga #zxspectrum OzRetrocomp 2022-12-12 | By popular demand (and by that I mean This Week in Retro promoting my Australian Vintage Computing Market Report videos from 2020 and 2021).Due to real life getting in the way, data collection went sideways during the latter half of 2021 into 2022. I'm now back on track with some of the more commonly found systems on the Australian market, mainly C64s and Amigas.I believe there's enough data to come up with something that's mostly meaningful. This is despite a smaller sample size and the gap between the last 2021 data point (May 2021) and this data point being 18 months, rather than the 12 month window traditionally used for year-on-year comparisons. One thing that stuck out at me is how much of a following the ZX Spectrum seems to have gathered down here over the last couple of years. It turns out that of all the computers that aren't C64s or Amigas, the Speccy is one of the few machines where my data collection has been reliable and consistent. It could be unconscious bias on my part, but it's the data I have and it's quite revealing. This channel is still largely on hiatus. Almost all my vintage hardware and lab stuff is in storage, and I don't have the time or space to fix stuff right now. That being said, I have a few scripts kicking around for videos that don't involve repairs or restos. A couple of these may see the light of day in the first half of 2023, but no promises. If you're looking for more market action, ChinnyVision has a couple of videos where he pokes around eBay UK and gives his opinion about what's on offer. These are on the ChinnyVision 2 channel. Thanks again for your support, with special thanks to the TWiR guys along with Chinny, Chris from 005 AGIMA and Ron from Ron's Computer Videos who allowed use their footage to help me complete this video. Links:005 AGIMA - EP-168: Paper Boy on the 48k ZX Spectrumyoutube.com/watch?v=w_RMemSOGx8Ron's Computer Videos - Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 2022 - Friday Night Vendor / Exhibit Previewyoutube.com/watch?v=8swbznasXwgChinnyVision 2 - Further Ebay Retro Computer Adventuresyoutube.com/watch?v=6CJNSWSaFuwNote: Chinny is keen to get to 1k subscribers so he can turn off monetisation (hint hint)Eye Of The Beholder Comes to C64/C128 - This Week In Retro 101youtube.com/watch?v=oOs-3L9bEJEChapters:0:00 Disclaimer0:35 Intro 1:38 Commodore 64 3:35 Amiga 500 4:25 Amiga 600/1200 6:10 ZX Spectrum 8:09 Final thoughts and creditsMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance):C Y G N - Time to Chill chll.to/bf8e4f69Poldoore - Warmer Days chll.to/690c3265Nymano, Suuna - Moving on chll.to/1d9a5abb
Channel Update July 2022: Its the 503rd Subscriber Extravaganza!! (plus channel sitrep) OzRetrocomp 2022-07-15 | I figured I'd better acknowledge the 500 subscriber milestone. Thanks for subscribing, all 503 of you (as at the time of uploading). It's genuinely humbling to see that people are interested enough in this content that they'd willingly sign up to have more of it pumped into their YouTube feed as and when new videos become available.I'm still not in a position to make videos of the same quality (!) or quantity as my 2020 and 2021 output. In the meantime, I'm contemplating other ways to keep the retro fires burning.BTW I'm pleasantly surprised at how cromulent Kdenlive is for video editing. It'll do the job on modest hardware, as long as you have realistic expectations. Don't try feeding it 4K video files if you're running it on a Raspberry Pi 4; that sort of thing.
Random Access: S Game (from the archives) OzRetrocomp 2022-06-23 | Whilst clearing out a few bits and pieces, I found this. Originally submitted to Neil from RMC for one of his live streams during the height of the pandemic (around mid-2020). That's a whole story in and of itself... Neil put on a stream every day for about a month to help keep everyone's spirits up whilst we were all cooped up and locked down. I have no idea how he did it. Thanks, Neil. As for the video itself... well, it's not great but it's marginal enough to escape being consigned to the digital dustbin. For now.Not sure when regular video service will resume. Probably not until DOScember 2022 at the earliest. Thanks for watching/reading.
#DOScember: Will it run? FORCOM M396F AMD 386SX/33 motherboard covered in battery sharts OzRetrocomp 2021-12-27 | About a year ago, I found a little 386SX motherboard in a pile of forgotten '90s PC hardware buried deep in the bowels of my garage. A quick Google after making (and uploading) this video suggests this is a FORCOM M396F. The most interesting part is that it has an AMD 386SX/33 CPU. This is an artifact from the very start of the Intel vs AMD war, which has since raged for the last three decades and counting.Shortly after this board was found, I performed a Vartaectomy. Sadly, some of its venom has already escaped, causing some minor damage.To my surprise, this old thing actually still works, even with its telltale green scars as a reminder of its near death experience. I don't have the time to do a full fix on it right now, but I did I want to find a couple of items from that same dusty parts bin from whence this came. Namely a video card and a disk/IO controller card.As expected, typical early '90s incompatibilities ensue.Will there be any DOS in this alleged DOScember video?Fun fact: This video was edited in Avidemux, and my goal was to make something quick and dirty before the end of #DOScember2021.EDIT: Looks like Phil from Phil's Computer Lab posted about this board on vogons.org! Thanks for the instruction manual, Phil! vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=37501Phil's video about the M396F is much better than this one as well. youtube.com/watch?v=sor9XK3MbRI
Whats In The Box? 4: My first channel donation! OzRetrocomp 2021-10-08 | There are milestones that every vintage computing YouTuber has to look forward to: the first dislike, the first commenter to completely miss the point of one's video, the first shoutout from another vintage computing YouTuber... and the first channel donation.This one is an absolute doozy. Popular Aussie vintage computing YouTuber and all round top bloke, Mr Lurch, just donated something to this little old channel. He dropped a hint in a recent video, but I completely missed it.Thanks, Jase. You dead set legend. Link to Mr Lurch's video:youtube.com/watch?v=tlYk6QEjxxg
Acorn BBC Micro: MMBExplorer - working with MMC and SD card storage the easy way OzRetrocomp 2021-09-27 | These days, many vintage computers have at least one modern solid state storage option available.One of the earliest such systems was conceived for the BBC Micro in the mid '00s by Martin Mather. This consisted of an MMC interface plugged into the user port, along with an enhanced disk filing system (DFS) with MMC support known as MMFS. Both the MMC interface and MMFS continued to be developed by several members of the Stardot forum, leading to a number of enhancements over Martin's original MMC interface design, including SD card compatible interfaces, such as the TurboSPI. To make an MMFS-compatible MMC or SD card, it needs only one file: BEEB.MMB There are several programs available to work with BEEB.MMB however these were written for Windows XP, and can be problematic under Windows 10, not to mention MacOS and Linux...In 2020, a couple of dudes set about to make an all-new program allowing Windows, Mac and Linux users to work with their BEEB.MMB file on a modern computer: MMBExplorer.In my opinion, MMBExplorer is highly intuitive and very simple to use. It's an ideal way to load freshly downloaded BBC Micro .ssd disk image files onto your Beeb, as well as a great way to work with individual files between the two machines.Thanks to Mr Lurch for letting me use a bit of his footage near the start of this video.Index:0:00 Introduction1:08 Opening BEEB.MMB1:42 What do the disk icons mean?2:19 Introduction to Disk contents window2:33 Slot menu4:31 Disk menu6:04 Right clicking disk images 6:47 Right clicking disk contents8:27 Outro and acknowledgementsLinks:Mr Lurch's Things - Quick Look: BBC Micro upgradesyoutube.com/watch?v=Dl1t8ZLnOSAMMBExplorer GitHub pagegithub.com/robcfg/retrotools/tree/master/mmbexplorerMartin Mather's original MMC Beeb interfaceweb.archive.org/web/20171002181904/swhs.home.xs4all.nl/bbc/mmbeeb
Acorn BBC Micro: Introduction to MMFS for TurboSPI (and other MMC or SD card interface) users OzRetrocomp 2021-09-27 | If you're already au fait with how MMFS (and Acorn DFS) works, I'll save you 10 minutes by saying up front that this video is not for you.If you're a complete noob with Beebs, or you've never used MMFS before, this video might be slightly more useful.Whilst not strictly a prerequisite, I recommend watching the video where I demonstrate how MMBExplorer is used to work with MMFS-compatible disk images from Windows, MacOS and Linux computers: youtu.be/8-7B5SKFK8QMMFS (which AFAIK is short for "Martin Mather File System") is a disk filing system (DFS) upgrade for BBC Model B, Model B+ and Master computers. In addition to the commands offered in Acorn DFS 2.x, MMFS offers a range of extra commands for manipulating disk images on an SD card via a compatible adapter connected to the user port, known as DUTILS.In this case, I'm using Steve Picton's TurboSPI SD card adapter, as fitted to my BBC Master 128. Other brands of SD card adapter are available.Index (mainly MMFS commands):0:00 Introduction0:59 *HELP DUTILS (help for DUTILS suite of commands)1:29 *DDRIVE (view virtual drives)1:47 *CAT (catalogue of files on current disk viz. equivalent to DOS DIR or *nix ls -l)2:14 *DRIVE (change working drive number)2:38 *DCAT (catalogue of all disk images contained on SD card)4:11 *DIN (insert disk name or number of disk image from SD card)5:04 *DBOOT (boots a bootable disk image)5:38 *DFREE (shows number of free disk image slots available)6:07 *DOP N (shows first available free disk image slot)6:35 *FORM (DFS disk formatting command; I suggest using DOP R for disk images instead)7:09 *DOP K (unformat a disk image)7:45 *DOP R (quick format a disk image)8:24 *DRECAT (rebuilds disk table)8:40 *TITLE (changes name of disk)9:55 *DABOUT (author information)10:11 OutroLinks:MMFS Github pagegithub.com/hoglet67/MMFSList of MMFS commandsgithub.com/hoglet67/MMFS/wiki/Command-ReferenceAcorn Disc Filing System (DFS) user guidehttp://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/Manuals/Acorn_DiscSystemUGI2.pdfSteve Picton's TurboSPI kit with MMFS and CD-ROM of software, documentation and accessories: ebay.co.uk/itm/324102672576?hash=item4b760650c0:g:LxAAAOSwL7lea8P-AUSTRALIAN VIEWERS: Melbourne Console Reproductions now sells an SD card storage device for the BBC Micro. Includes MMFS ROM. I've not tried it yet, so I can't give an opinion. Just be aware that it's an option... I *did* say other brands of SD card reader are available. 😃http://melbourneconsolerepros.com/product_info.php?products_id=158Elementum by 0xC0DEstardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=20872YouTube: youtube.com/c/0xC0DETwitter: twitter.com/0xC0DE6502
Sir Clive Sinclair (1940-2021): A tribute from Down Under OzRetrocomp 2021-09-17 | Of all the pioneers of home computing through the 1970s and 1980s, few were as influential as Sir Clive Sinclair.Long before Jack Tramiel coined his famous "computers for the masses, not the classes" quote, Clive's ultra-low cost computers brought home computing to millions. Not just in the UK and Europe, but in places as far flung as Australia and New Zealand. Sinclair even achieved some success in the USA via Timex.The ZX80 and ZX81 were big sellers down here, as I touched on in a recent video. The ZX Spectrum... not so much. I have my thoughts as to why the Speccy failed to gain as much traction in Australia as its predecessors, but it's a bit complicated. I may share these thoughts and hypotheses in detail at a later date.Whilst Sir Clive is revered in his home country, he's almost completely unknown in places such as the USA and Australia. Given the impact Sinclair had in democratising home computers around the world, this is deeply disappointing.Now that he's no longer with us, hopefully he will be remembered as one of the true computing greats of the 20th Century.Vale Sir Clive.
Acorn BBC Master 128: TurboSPI install (with bonus 6522 VIA chip fail) + colour composite mod OzRetrocomp 2021-09-09 | It's only taken me about six months, but I've finally managed to install this TurboSPI in my Acorn BBC Master 128. I thought this was going to be simple "let's plug this in and see it work" type video, but it turns out it wasn't. Thankfully, the excellent instructions included with the TurboSPI included a short troubleshooting program that pointed to the problem straight away. Whilst it was a relatively straightforward fix involving the replacement of a major IC (6522 VIA located at IC6), getting the old chip out and socketing the new chip wasn't so straightforward. Bear in mind that I waited until I could buy myself a desoldering station before continuing, and removing this defective 6522 was my first attempt at using said desoldering station. I've since refined my technique and discovered a few life hacks to make my desoldering and resoldering activities mildly less infuriating.I also figured I'd do a colour composite mod while I was at it. I'd like to revisit this as some point, as it would be nice to have a composite output that I can switch between colour and monochrome. I'm in no rush, though... I'm just stoked that I've been able to get what was a poorly Master 128 back into good working order once more.--BTW you can tell this took me about six months because the picture quality of the first part is much better than the second part. This is thanks to my old laptop crapping out. It had dedicated graphics on it and was therefore able to handle me shooting 4K and scaling it down to 1080p in post. Now that I need to shoot in 1080p so that my current laptop won't keep dropping its guts during the editing process, the quality just isn't the same. Enjoy the fuzz and weird artifacting (especially against darker backgrounds) from around 9 minutes onwards, along with the slightly wonky sound. Links:TurboSPI kit with MMFS ROM, microSD card and support CD(Compatible with Acorn BBC Micro Model B, Model B+ and Master 128)ebay.co.uk/itm/324102672576?hash=item4b760650c0:g:LxAAAOSwL7lea8P-Music from Chillhop Music, used under licenceIn order of appearance:"Vitamin D" by fantompowerCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/a89b70a4
Sinclair ZX81: ZX2020 composite video mod, DCDC converter upgrade and more OzRetrocomp 2021-08-16 | **NOTE: There are a LOT of links in this description; I recommend visiting all of the websites and subscribing to all the channels****ANOTHER NOTE: All prices shown were correct as of July 2021, but may have changed by the time you watch this video**--To celebrate the Sinclair ZX81's 40th birthday in 2021, I thought I'd take mine from being a barely working ornamental piece to something that I can actually use.Before getting stuck into the work, I took the opportunity to do some research into how the ZX81 was received Down Under. What I found suggested that the ZX81 was embraced with as much gusto by hobbyists in Australia as it was in other parts of the world, and that the ZX81 was widely available everywhere from major retailers to small computer specialists, as well via mail order as per Sinclair's earlier computers.In this video, I apply the following upgrades to my ZX81:* Replacement of 7805 DCDC converter with a modern switching equivalent* Installation of the ZX2020 composite mod* Installation of heatsinks on the CPU and ULA* Replacement of keyboard membrane (with bonus stuff-up)There are a few other things I'd like to do in the future to get this ZX81 to the point where I'm 100% happy with it, such as improving the cassette interface's reliability and an internal RAM upgrade, but those can wait.I started making this video about two months ago, and was originally going to release in two parts. However, just as I was finishing off the first part, RMC released a *much* better video about a newer version of the ZX2020. To be honest, I wish I'd seen it prior to starting my ZX81 upgrades, as I would have avoided the keyboard stuff-up mentioned above. A huge thanks to Neil and Mark for letting me use a bit of their footage, along with Dubious Engineering for use of theirs. Thanks also to Terry, retrohax.net and L Break Into Program for their assistance.Links:ZX2020 composite mod (RF modulator replacement)zxrenew.co.uk/ZX81-Composite-Modulator-replacement-p364473489ZX81 replacement keyboard membranezxrenew.co.uk/Sinclair-ZX81-Membrane-p102352920RMC - Restoring and Exploring a 1981 Sinclair ZX81youtube.com/watch?v=xyluEM0N6TYDubious Engineering - DuB-EnG: CLIVE SINCLAIR's FIRST HOME MICROCOMPUTER KIT - Science of Cambridge MK14 ZX80 ZX81 VINTAGEyoutube.com/watch?v=fbdBRbExEBMTerry's YouTube channelyoutube.com/user/tezzaNZ/videosTerry's ZX81 composite mod classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2016-01-03-composite-video-for-zx81.htmbtw the rest of Terry's website, classic-computers.org.nz, is brilliant.L Break Into Program's YouTube channelyoutube.com/breakintoprogramZX81 ULA pinout diagramhttp://www.breakintoprogram.co.uk/computers/zx81/hardware/ulabreakintoprogram.co.uk is an excellent Sinclair resource, especially for aspiring programmershttp://retrohax.net is another great website featuring many vintage computers, along with an online storeContents:0:00 Intro and viewer advisory0:33 The ZX81 in Australia2:50 Introducing my ZX814:01 The problem with RF modulators5:28 The ZX2020 composite mod6:06 What's a back porch?6:46 More about the ZX20207:04 Opening the ZX8110:16 A brief tour of my ZX81's innards11:05 7805 DCDC converter upgrade 13:06 ZX2020 installation 15:03 Will it work?15:56 Fitting heatsinks16:39 How not to remove a ZX81 membrane keyboard17:48 How to replace a ZX81 membrane keyboard21:07 Future plans and outroMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance):"Libélula" by Juan RiosCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/38bd55a0"Leña" by Juan Rios, Ian EwingCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/f973a2e7"Caravan" by goosetaf, The Field Tapes, MakzoCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/ed065f3
Amiga A1200: Fixing a faulty floppy drive the easy way OzRetrocomp 2021-07-15 | One of the most common failure points on an Amiga is its floppy drive. I've experienced this twice; firstly with my A600 over 20 years ago, and more recently with my A1200.There are a number of mods out there to make certain PC-compatible HD floppy drives into Amiga-compatible DD floppy drives, but to be honest I wasn't sure how any of the drives I had on hand would respond to a mod like this.Instead, I chose to buy an adapter that I spotted on one of Adrian Black's Midweek Mini Mail Call videos a while back. It looked simple, which I find relatable.The only downside is that these are produced in limited quantities by a one-man operation, so these are not always available. That said, it's worth waiting for if you want to replace your broken Amiga floppy drive with another mechanical floppy drive the easy way.I don't have a 3D printer handy to print up a floppy drive button that's able to clip securely onto the replacement drive, so I had to take the button from my A600's long dead floppy drive and attach it to the replacement drive with epoxy.As I didn't want to waste perfectly good surplus epoxy, I took the opportunity to install some of Hey Birt's A1200 case savers as preventative maintenance.Note that I didn't go into much detail about how to install this mod; Adrian did a much better job of this than I ever could. This video is more about raising awareness of this mod and showing just how simple yet effective it is to use.Thanks to Adrian for allowing me to borrow a snippet from MMMC#27.Links:Adrian's Digital Basement MMMC#27 featuring Amiga floppy drive adapteryoutube.com/watch?v=KCOtz2EWD_8&t=46seBay listing for Amiga floppy drive adapterhttps://www.ebay.com.au/itm/333509649554Note: The seller (Andreas) does not currently ship directly to Australia. Amiga A1200 case saverssoigeneris.com/amiga-1200-case-saver-kitContents:0:00 Intro1:02 Andreas' amazing Amiga adapter (w/ added alliteration)1:30 Sticking things together2:21 Preventative maintenance (A1200 case savers)3:22 The mod is fitted5:00 Booting from floppy5:22 "Is that noise normal?" Yes. Yes it is.6:24 Reading from floppy after booting6:45 Copying from floppy to CF card7:02 Conclusion and outroMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance)"railway pulse" by mommy, Sleepy FishCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/22e98763
Random Access: Who is a real vintage computer person? OzRetrocomp 2021-06-30 | I don't usually make reaction or commentary videos, but a series of tweets from a fellow vintage computing enthusiast provoked enough thought for me to get the (new to me) microphone out and record a response.The tweets, posted by Neil (@hyrulian): "Sometimes I feel like I'm not a real "vintage computer person" on Twitter. All I've done is buy vintage Macs and PCs, assemble them, make very minor repairs, install upgrades, and play with them, and that's it.I don't have a large collection. I've never brought a battery explosion or barn find computer back to life. I don't have a single item that's relatively rare or valuable. I don't have the talent to hack up new software or hardware. And I'm too boring to make engaging videos.Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy collecting, fixing, and playing with these machines, but sometimes I just feel like I'm not doing enough to call myself a vintage computer geek. (On the plus side, at least I haven't managed to destroy one due to incompetence.)"Spoiler alert: Neil is a real vintage computer person in my book. If he isn't, then neither am I. I may have also snuck in a channel update, as most of this video is set to footage of me doing work on my ZX81.Original tweet:twitter.com/hyrulian/status/1409565966644568064
Commodore 64G: First look and (very) simple fix OzRetrocomp 2021-06-23 | So... I accidentally bought a Commodore 64 on eBay. Not just any old C64, but a C64G. If I were in Germany, this wouldn't be a big deal. The 64G was a German domestic market variant of the Commodore 64 that sold alongside the 64C. The G has the classic Breadbin form factor, but with later 64C cost reductions. At least, that's how the 64G is reported to roll...As to how a 64G ended up in Australia? I have no idea, as I bought this from a seller in Sydney. Whether the seller imported it himself, or he bought it from someone else who brought it in from Germany is anyone's guess. For what it's worth, it was sold with an Australian-market black C64 PSU; vented, screwed together and epoxy-free. I should probably try refurbishing it at some point just to see if can be done.Links:Jan Beta's Aldi 64 video:youtube.com/watch?v=R0S61L3Vy_0OzPLA from Melbourne Console Reproductions:http://melbourneconsolerepros.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_32&products_id=142I bought my Versa64 cart from a dude named Gavin:https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/114747265137?hash=item1ab7785071:g:Yn8AAOSwVdlgdqraContents:0:00 Introduction: WTF is a 64G? 3:52 "For parts or repair only"5:43 A mildly interesting discovery7:44 Replacing the character ROM7:59 More chip swapping goodness11:41 Running diagnostics with the Versa64 cart12:49 Another RF shield bites the dust13:29 Another mildly interesting discovery13:51 Conclusion and outroMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance)"Let Girls Play Soccer" by Sleepy Fish Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/10ec395b
Random Access: Schrödingers C64 Silver Label? OzRetrocomp 2021-06-12 | This video is one for Commodore fans. I talk about board revisions and stuff without stopping to explain what it all means.Why did I make this video? Well, something has been bugging me about my C64 Silver Label for a while. It was made in West Germany and came with its original box with a Silver Label on it. But little things, such as the colour of the function keys and the 8-pin DIN video output make me wonder if this is an impostor. It's one of those dumb ideas I've had in the back of my head for ages, but it was a series of tweets from Twitch streamer Lord Arse that got me thinking. When does a C64 Breadbin stop being a Silver Label and start being a Rainbow Label?BTW if you want a bit of fun, take a shot every time I say "Silver Label". Actually, maybe don't do that.Thanks to Lord Arse for his assistance.Twitter: @lord_arseTwitch: http://twitch.tv/lordarse
Acorn BBC Master 128: 4 ROMs 1 Beeb OzRetrocomp 2021-06-09 | One of the key differences between the BBC Master and earlier Beebs was its ROMs. Not only was BBC BASIC contained within the same ROM as Acorn's MOS (Machine Operating System) on the Master (as opposed to MOS and BBC BASIC being on two separate ROM chips on earlier models), but Acorn also offered a choice of two versions of MOS to prospective Master buyers: MOS 3.2 and MOS 3.5. A few years back, RetroClinic in the UK started making a 4-in-1 Multi ROM system for the Master. Not only does this offer both versions of MOS originally available for the Master, it includes ROMs from the Model B and Model B+ 128.Installing the Multi ROM is easy. Thanks to a happy little accident on Acorn's behalf, only a very minor (and reversible) case mod is required.If you're interested in fitting a Multi ROM to your Master, RetroClinic can be found at http://www.retroclinic.com. Please not this is not a review (paid or otherwise) and that I that I bought this Multi ROM kit with my own money.Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance) "Evening Stroll" by xander., Blue Wednesday Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/bae1b444
Acorn BBC Master 128: CMOS Battery Pack Fail OzRetrocomp 2021-05-06 | This particular BBC Master 128 is one of the Beebs that I picked up in a joblot from the UK in 2020. As with most of the machines in this haul, there was something wrong with it. In this case, that something wrong happened to be that classic "This is not a language" error that afflicts BBC Master 128s with a dead CMOS battery.The original lithium battery packs have been out of production for decades. Happily, a conversion from the original rechargeable lithium CMOS battery to a non-rechargeable alkaline battery pack is simple. It's even simpler when a previous owner has beaten one to it.This isn't a how-to guide on how to make a replacement battery pack or reconfigure a CMOS after it's been dormant for years. There's a much better guide to all that stuff: http://lionels.orpheusweb.co.uk/CompNyb/TechStuff/8-Bit/Master128/128BatConfig.html No, this is just me up late one night with the intention of somehow getting this Beeb Beebing again.Chapters0:00 Intro0:57 BBC Master 128 CMOS battery failure symptoms1:32 BBC Master 128 CMOS reset2:49 BBC Master 128 CMOS reconfiguration4:02 Know your BBC Master battery packs4:57 A discovery is made5:50 Cleaning the old battery pack9:10 Reinstalling the fresh new old battery pack9:29 Did it work?10:04 Outro and creditsMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance)"Spiritual Mind" by C Y G NCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/1329d6ef
Coles Supermarkets Apples For Schools Promotion Commercial 1992 OzRetrocomp 2021-04-25 | In the early 1990s, Australian supermarket chain Coles ran a promotion called "Apples For Schools". During this campaign, shoppers would receive a pink docket (or, for non Australians, a pink receipt) every time they shopped at Coles. Shoppers were then encouraged to donate these pink dockets to to their local schools.Schools were able to trade these dockets into Coles in exchange for Apple computers.I don't remember the exact dollar values required for a school to qualify for a computer, but I vaguely recall that there were a couple of tiers: Apple IIe and Macintosh Classic. This commercial was recorded off-air in 1992, which was the second year that Coles ran this promotion. In this ad, Coles claims to have given over 5,000 computers away during the previous year's promotion.I was at high school at the time. Given that we already had a classroom full of 286s and another one full of BBC Micros, our school really didn't make a big deal out of this promotion. As I recall, our school received a total of zero Apples as a result of this campaign. A somewhat obscure bit of Australian computing history that might otherwise be completely lost to the mists of time. If I find enough supporting info to make a short video about Coles Apples For Schools going into details such as how many thousands of dollars parents needed to spend for their kids' school to receive an Apple IIe, I will.
Amiga A1200: Introduction and Hard Membrane Keyboard Upgrade OzRetrocomp 2021-04-22 | It's time to formally introduce the second of my Amigas, the A1200. This video was made over the course of a few months, and not all the fixes and improvements made have been shown on camera. The first part of this video shows my initial testing shortly after receiving this A1200 as part of a joblot from the UK, purchased in mid-2020. This test gave me a bit of a scare with regards to the floppy drive, and also suggested that the keyboard membrane was marginal. Issues with floppy drives and keyboards are not unexpected, as these are both common failure points on Amigas of this vintage. A little more testing suggested that the floppy drive was working OK, but the keyboard probably wasn't. This wasn't enough to delay the required recapping, so off it went to Australia's Mac and Amiga recapping guru, Bruce from Branchus Creations (recapamac.com.au). Along with the recapping, Bruce suggested a mod to help prolong the life of my A1200's composite video output.In the meantime, I was all set to replace the worn soft membrane with another soft membrane when it came to my attention that a hard membrane option was now available. Given that soft membranes eventually fail, I thought I'd spend a little extra on the hard membrane, due to my belief that a hard membrane may have better durability and a longer service life.This video shows my attempt to fit the hard membrane, and some of the minor challenges that presented themselves along the way.As for the membrane itself, it works very well. I may be imagining things, but it seems as though the keys have a slightly more positive feel with the hard membrane fitted versus the previous soft membrane (as well as the new soft keyboard membrane fitted to my A600 a few months back... sorry, I didn't think it was interesting enough to make a video out of the A600 membrane).In terms of longevity, if I'm still here in 30 years, I'll let you know if the hard keyboard membrane fitted in 2021 is still working.Chapters00:00 Intro and first assessment01:11 Problematic floppy drive?02:09 Yeah, nah... it's just a buggered Workbench disk02:27 Will a games disk load?03:00 Yes it will03:34 I have my first doubts about the keyboard04:20 Recapping and CXA2075M composite video mod04:43 Workbench, Hard Drive (CF), Fast RAM and RTC (show and tell only)05:43 Old soft keyboard membrane is coming out06:37 New hard keyboard membrane is going in11:41 Will it work?12:24 Final thoughts and outro*(*) Trigger warning: close-up of dirty hands as a result of servicing my car earlier in the day. In hindsight, I probably should've either worn gloves during the service or made this video prior to getting under the car. Even if I don't mention it, once it's seen it can't be unseen. Sorry.Featured YouTube channels: Branchus Creationsyoutube.com/c/BranchusCreationsMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance) "Lax Incense" by Mama Aiuto, DaphnéCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/ad90fbc0
Long Term Australian Vintage Computer Market Observations: March 2020 - March 2021 OzRetrocomp 2021-04-07 | When I started this channel just over 12 months ago, it turned out that one of my early experiments accidentally created a monster by way of the Australian Retrocomputing Market Reports. This is all the fault of fellow Aussie retro YouTuber, billbaud. I'm not going to lie; those were way more involved to put together than they appear. I'm also not sure if video is necessarily the best media to use for the dissemination of this information. As such, I put the reports on indefinite hiatus.Since then, I've had a few people ask me about future reports. I find this simultaneously flattering and scary, especially when said queries come from much larger YouTubers that I follow and deeply respect. What finally spurred me into action was seeing a video from Crazy Tech Reviews, where he spent some time trying to make sense of the current vintage computer market in the USA, citing my reports for his examples. Flattery level: Rising.So here it is. The long awaited (sort of) return the Australian Retrocomputing Market Report. Only this time, I have just over a year's worth of data to play with. As such, it's possible to make some estimates as to how much average vintage computer prices have grown in Australia over the past 12 months. An unexpected by-product of this data is the inferred reliability analysis of several machines, calculated by way of comparing the quantities of a specific machine sold on a "parts and repair only" basis in comparison to said machine's entire sample size. Whilst not perfect, the ratio of working to non-working machines may give a bit of a clue as to which machines age more gracefully than others.I've also sprinkled in a few opinions and ideas on how to start or build a vintage hardware collection in 2021; probably aimed more at newer collectors, but these might give seasoned collectors pause to think and downvote (and argue about in the comments).On that note, please me know what you think of the report. I'm flying a bit blind as to how to best analyse the data I've recorded, but if this form of analysis is at least good enough for a bit of harmless confirmation bias, so be it. Special thanks to billbaud, Jase and Mark for their assistance.Chapters00:00 Intro and disclaimer00:55 Why am I doing this?02:01 Methodology (such as it is)02:23 More disclaimers03:03 Commodore 6405:13 Amiga 50006:06 Atari ST07:07 Amiga vs ST07:37 Sinclair ZX Spectrum08:42 Dick Smith VZ09:15 Microbee09:52 Outro and yet more disclaimersLinksbillbaud - "Top 10 Collectible Retro Computers"youtube.com/watch?v=Hjo3V6cnv_ACrazy Tech Reviews - "Why Are Vintage Computers And Electronics Getting So Expensive?"youtube.com/watch?v=zAjPXDxn2R4TheRetroChannel - "Commodore 64C with a strange mod - restoration Part 2"youtube.com/watch?v=nQpCopq8Rv4Mr Lurch's Things - "ZX Spectrum + Upgrade Kit"youtube.com/watch?v=318Vgh4iTUUMusic"Along the Yarra" by Stan ForebeeCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/66899b66 "Lonely Waves" by C Y G NCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/ff556ce9"Meadow" by iamalex, azula, DayleCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/d76086d2"Point in Space and Time" by Flawed MangoesCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/cb284a22
Channel Update February 2021: Acorn stuff, Amiga stuff and stuff-related stuff. OzRetrocomp 2021-02-24 | Just a quick update as to where things are at with the channel. Brief updates with regard to the state of my Amigas, as well as a quick recap on a recent Acorn-related video. This was originally part of my Acorn BBC Master 128 *TERMINAL and GNU/Linux video, but that video got a bit too long.Acorn - A World In Pixelsidesine.com/products/acorn-a-world-in-pixels
Acorn BBC Master 128: Connecting to the internet using *TERMINAL and GNU/Linux OzRetrocomp 2021-02-23 | This was originally meant to be a very short video, constituting my entry into this year's r/retrobattlestations BBS Week contest. However, I was having just too much fun noodling about with GNU/Linux and the BBC Master 128's built-in terminal emulator that things kinda escalated...Bear in mind that I've already shot a bunch of footage formally introducing this Master 128 into my collection, along with making a few repairs and mods to get it to this point; only it's not yet been edited down. Whilst this machine reliably fires up and works really well as a dumb terminal, it still needs more work before I can call it done. But this will take a while...Please note that this video doesn't go into specifics in how to make a BBC to PC serial cable, nor does it go into the details of how to turn an old laptop into a GNU/Linux machine to act as a bridge between a 1980s micro and current year internet. However, if anyone wants to see such a video, I'll see what I can do. Chapters0:00 Intro0:34 BBC serial port quirks 1:10 Let bodging commence1:54 An old dog with GNU tricks2:43 *TERMINAL (Master Series built-in terminal emulator)3:51 More GNU tricks5:43 NA NO 6:47 Will it ping?7:10 I Can Gopher That9:00 Web 1.0 with Lynx10:17 Telnet into the RetroBattlestations BBS10:47 OutroLinks: Making a PC to BBC Serial Cablehttp://www.cowsarenotpurple.co.uk/bbccomputer/serialcable.htmlMaster Series Reference Manuals (and other BBC Micro-related manuals)http://www.8bs.com/othrdnld/manuals/essentialsmaster.shtmlMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance)"Peaches" by Philanthrope, The Field TapesCopyright Chillhop Music- chll.to/56453dc2#retrocomputing #bbcmicro #GNUlinux
Random Access: Chuckie Egg on the Acorn Electron (4K video test) OzRetrocomp 2021-01-31 | B-roll footage shot in 4K for my Acorn Electron series of 2020. Mainly a test to see how 4K video works with YouTube. Regular episodes/content is still being made in 1080p, mainly due to my editing rig's hardware constraints. #retrocomputing #acorn #electron
Book Review - Acorn: A World In Pixels OzRetrocomp 2021-01-26 | I'm not much of a reader. It's not that I don't read; rather I'm too busy doing one thing or another to actually sit down and take the time. That said, I enjoy books on an aesthetic and cultural level; so much so that I have a whole shelf full of the damn things.When "Acorn: A World In Pixels" was announced in September 2020, I had to pre-order it. With my own money. Not just because I like having nice books around me, but because it'd be a bad look if I - Mr. Antipodean Acorn Fanboy - didn't purchase what promised to be the Acorn Gaming Bible. That promise was not only met, but exceeded. 470+ pages of Acorn history, containing interviews with dozens of coders, publishers, artists, musicians, Acorn fans and more. If you buy only one book about Acorn Computers, this is the one to buy.The last time I critiqued a book was in high school, and even then I didn't take it all too seriously. Suffice to say that this probably isn't the most insightful or comprehensive review of Acorn: A World In Pixels. I just hope it gives potential buyers a bit of a glimpse into how nice this book is. Acorn: A World In Pixels is now available to order from http://idesine.com and Amazon.Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence (in order of appearance)"Oceania" by chromonicciCopyright Chillhop Music- chll.to/9052ab94#retrocomputing #acorn #electron #bbcmicro
Random Access: Introducing the COVIC-20! OzRetrocomp 2021-01-15 | I've been slowly but surely getting through the joblots I bought from the UK in the middle of last year; one of which included a very yellowed and dirty Commodore VIC-20.It looks so sick that I've christened it the COVIC-20 (see what I did there?). I get the gloves on and start poking around this very sorry looking old machine. Will it fire up?Whilst I've been away from the 'Tubes, I've noticed this channel has clocked up over 100 subscribers. Thanks! I can't promise regular content during 2021, but I'll see what I can do.May contain off-topic rambling.
Random Access: eBay vintage computer packing tutorial OzRetrocomp 2020-10-02 | Given how many horror stories I've heard about poorly packed vintage computers being damaged in transit, along with the number of overpriced "untested" machines out there that aren't so much "untested" as "completely and utterly rooted", I thought I'd share a good news story.Whilst I'm not ready for a full reveal of this machine, I can confirm that (a) the seller was very honest with his listing, (b) I bought this for a very fair price and (c) despite being sold on a parts or repair basis, this machine actually works!Kudos to the seller in question. I'd buy from him again without hesitation.
Channel Update September 2020: Future videos, unpopular opinions and more BBC than P*rnhub OzRetrocomp 2020-09-29 | It's been a few weeks since I last uploaded a video. A pretty major real world project has kept me away from making vids. What little time I've had to play around with vintage computers has been taken up by sorting out a pile of (new to me) 8-bit Acorns, working out which ones need what.Most (if not all) will make an appearance on camera at some point, as they all need work ranging from 'not much' to 'probably above my pay grade'.This video also announces the end of the monthly Australian Retrocomputing Market Report. I'm still collecting data, but the monthly video format doesn't seem all that efficient with regards to publishing said data.Skip to 6:36 if you just want to know why there's not been an Australian Retrocomputing Market Report in the last month, and what future videos might look like.BTW thanks for subscribing. I'm humbled that 70+ people out there have decided that my content is worth subscribing to.00:00 Intro00:23 BBC Micro Power supply recap (of sorts)01:34 I bought 6 BBC Micros and a Master 12802:10 Unpopular opinion part un02:51 Obligatory #SepTandy clickbait03:19 Somewhat vague future video plans03:38 Mysterious new acquisition (hint: not an Acorn)04:00 The future of Aussie retrocomputing market data distribution05:33 Unpopular opinion part deux06:36 tl;dr: All of the above07:07 I love youse all07:43 Spoiler alert08:04 Until next time...
Acorn Electron Part 3: Keyboard fix, play testing and Aussie buyers guide OzRetrocomp 2020-09-04 | My work on the Acorn Electron is just about done. The keyboard is now fully operational, and I fixed what I broke in Part 2. I put the machine away for about a week, and then brought it back out again for play testing (note: play testing game footage is taken directly from the Elk's composite output via a cheap-ass 2861 USB capture device). As there's only about 3 minutes of actual fixing going on, I pad this episode out with my thoughts on the Elk and retrocomputing in general. I'm not going to lie: I bought this Elk as a cheap way to get back into the Acorn 8-bit stuff from my high school days, back when we had BBC Micros at school. When I managed to get my hands on a BBC Master 128 for a reasonable price after I bought my Elk (but before I received it, because 'Rona), I had every intention of cleaning this Elk and selling it on... but it's just too damn charismatic. Perhaps the Elk was one of the things that pushed Acorn to the brink of extinction in the mid '80s; though I'd argue that Acorn's ill-fated push into the US market was just as damaging. The thing is that the Elk was set an incredibly high bar by its bigger brother; the fact it gives off such a strong mini-Beeb vibe is something I did not expect. For Aussies keen to get their hands on one of these bad boys, I've prepared a brief buyers guide should you wish to import one from the UK. Yes, I know a couple of Elks were on eBay AU in August (which is the reason for the hasty re-edit of the buyers guide video... you'll know it when you hear it). Still, the local market can go for months (years?) without any in sight. The Brits have hot and cold running Elks 24/7, which means a wider selection of machines across a range of price points.I'd go as far as to say that if you're looking to dabble in a bit of retro 8-bit goodness and you want something that's a bit exotic (by Aussie standards) yet not a complete orphan - and you don't want to sell a kidney to buy one - it doesn't get much better than the Elk; at least in my opinion. After all, even the smallest Acorn has the potential to grow into a mighty oak tree...Chapters00:00 Intro and recap (no, not that kind of recap)01:04 Case fix01:25 Keyboard fix06:06 Reassembly and random retrocomputing thoughts07:46 Play testing and demo09:03 Aussie Electron Buyers' Guide11:46 Final thoughtsA few Electron links:Chris' Acorns (manuals and info) http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.ukCJE Micros (parts and accessories)http://cjemicros.co.uk(The last authorised Acorn dealer in the world!)youtube.com/watch?v=DThEox39Ok0 Stardot forums (support) stardot.org.uk/forumsInternet Archive (software, vintage magazines, documentation and more)archive.org/search.php?query=acorn%20electronThere are plenty of others out there too; leave your favourites in the comments.Featured YouTube channels:005 AGIMA youtube.com/c/005AGIMAleesmiths workshop youtube.com/channel/UCqbB4F6Fq9Gi7LJmiHxbeYg0xCODE youtube.com/channel/UCWZ3ggR_Mt-fH1ZMdN9-CowMusic from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance)"Daylight" by AiguilleCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/1c8616d8"Last Night" by Philanthrope, goosetaf, Anbuu, Lead MajorCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/6213c119"Pick Me Up" by Aso, Middle School, AviinoCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/76b61473"Paraglider" by Kendall Miles, H E R BCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/a487f096
Whats In The Box? 3: Amiga Disk Edition OzRetrocomp 2020-08-27 | Just thought I'd go through and have a look at all my Amiga disks, almost all of which were made during my period of using the A600 as a daily driver. I have no idea if any of these disks work; I'll be returning to the A600 at some point in the near future, now that it's been recapped. I'm expecting it to be what us Aussies would refer to as "suck it and see". That is to say I'm not sure what to expect, but I won't know until I try it ... which is why I saved this particular file as "Suck my disks.mp4". Given the positive response to the last half-arsed video I uploaded, I thought I'd try it again to keep things moving along whilst I put the finishing touches on my next proper video (the final part of my Acorn Electron series).Amiga 600 recapping video:youtube.com/watch?v=rYmdDtZTF0A(yes, this is my actual A600 being recapped here!)
Random Access: Failed livestream, random unboxing and my hot take on the ZX Spectrum Next OzRetrocomp 2020-08-17 | I had plans to make a video about the ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 Kickstarter, but I was struggling with how to pitch it. As such, I thought I'd livestream my thoughts whilst cleaning my joblot Amiga 1200. In the process of setting up the angle from which I was going to talk about the Next (i.e. the market angle, and how I ended up making market videos in the first place), the postie knocked on the door.Then the livestream completely turned to poop. The resolution sucks, the bitrate sucks and the less said about the frame rate the better.I had planned on burying this video because it really is pretty poor, but I figured a couple of you might find it vaguely interesting. That, and the final part of my Electron series (for now at least) has been delayed a little bit due to a couple of unforeseen things that I feel are worth putting into the final video. I think I'll go back to my regularly scheduled scripted and produced stuff from now on.Chapters:0:00 Intro and why I started making Retrocomputing market videos0:59 The postman knocks2:11 My hot take on the ZX Spectrum Next Kickstarter2:55 My hot take on the ZX Spectrum Next Issue 1 market5:20 Microeconomics 01100101 with Prof. Oz7:20 The unboxing continues8:54 Livestream fail9:19 Meanwhile, back on topic... (ZX Spectrum Next)10:00 The big reveal11:56 What's Wong with this Beeb?14:56 I'll stop crapping on in a secZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 Kickstarterkickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectrum-next-issue-2Khan Academy - Microeconomicskhanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/microeconomics
Australian Retrocomputing Market Report July 2020: Back on the Spectrum OzRetrocomp 2020-08-06 | This is the OzRetrocomp Australian Retrocomputing Market Report for July 2020, based on data collated from actual sales on ebay.com.au.C64 sales volumes were slightly higher, with 19 basic units changing hands in July compared with 17 units in June. Prices are firm, apparently driven by a number of high quality examples changing hands during the month ... although there was one highly desirable C64 variant that smashed its way into four figures...Amiga 500s were scarce on the Australian market, with just three units changing hands. An additional two A500 bundles were sold, where each machine was packaged with a monitor. Due to the reporting methodology, these sales have been excluded from the report. I'm monitoring the situation (no pun intended), and it may get to a point where monitors need to be somehow accounted for in the reporting.A relatively limited selection of 68k Macs may have contributed to the humble Mac Plus becoming considerably more sought after than usual, particularly in the latter half of July. The iMac G3 market appears to be split down the middle: incomplete and non-working machines selling for cheap, and complete machines with high asking prices that didn't move at all during July.The Dick Smith VZ market appears to have suffered some shrinkage. Just one machine has been offered over the past two months. With over 200,000 units sold, the VZ series is not exactly a rare machine ... so it's a little baffling as to why the VZ market has ground to a near standstill after a solid few months of healthy transaction volumes. The Tandy TRS-80 CoCo turned 40 on 31 July 2020. To celebrate, there was a barrage of CoCo Model 2s and Model 3s on the market. With a range of specs, conditions and price points on offer, opportunities to jump on the CoCo train abounded during July. Finally, after a few months off, Sinclair has made a triumphant return to the Australian Retrocomputing Market Report. Two 48k Speccys sold in July: a scrubber in need of some TLC, and a boxed unit in very nice condition. That said, the biggest selling Sinclair on the market in July was the ZX Spectrum Next. The world's newest retrocomputer, the Next is 100% compatible with the original ZX Spectrum, yet packs a whole load of modern tech such as wifi and a real time clock. Kickstarter campaigns can be high risk endeavours... but with added risk comes added reward. Chapters0:00 Disclaimer0:40 Intro1:22 Commodore 642:23 Amiga2:45 Classic Mac3:56 Microbee4:27 Apple II family5:04 Tandy TRS-80 CoCo5:28 Dick Smith VZ200/VZ3005:55 Atari ST6:20 Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K/Next/ZX81 Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance) "Vinho Verde" by Clap CottonCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/24460bff"Hibiscus" by G Mills, Felty Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/85d694ea"Oceania" by chromonicciCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/9052ab94#retrocomputing #ebay #c64 #zxspectrum
Australian Retrocomputing Market Report Special: Weird Units July 2020 OzRetrocomp 2020-07-26 | This is a special OzRetrocomp Australian Retrocomputing Market Report for July 2020, based on data collated from actual sales on ebay.com.au.The proper July report should be ready sometime during the first week of August, but - as promised at the end of the June report - I'm sharing notes made about some of the oddities that have sold on the Australian market over the last few months. Weird units, as it were.Chapters:0:00 Disclaimer 0:35 Intro1:17 IBM PCjr (sold 24 May 2020)1:50 Apple Lisa (sold 27 June 2020)2:17 Dick Smith System 80 (sold 1 July 2020)3:03 Another Dick Smith System 80 (sold 10 July 2020)3:33 Ohio Scientific 600 Superboard II Revision B (sold 2 July 2020) Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance)"Dreamer" by AsoCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/f01f6c6f #retrocomputing #australia #8bit
Acorn Electron Part 1: A brief Antipodean history and a crusty keyboard fail. OzRetrocomp 2020-07-16 | This first video in a series where I take a used (and apparently slightly abused) Elk and give it a little bit of love, as well as sharing a bit of Acorn's lesser-known history in Australia.The Electron first went on sale down here in 1984. Acorn's Australian distributor, Barson Computers, engineered a novel way to try and find a niche in an increasing crowded microcomputer market. It's difficult to say how successful this was, but the fact I have never seen an Electron for sale in Australia may give some clues.The Elk appeared to be moderately successful in New Zealand, with examples regularly appearing for sale on websites such as Trade Me ... which is where this one came from.Despite working fine during its last outing, the Elk's keyboard matrix decided to fail just a little bit. See if you can figure out which keys went AWOL just by looking at the thumbnail of this video. Whilst cleaning the keyboard, I mention some of the other things I'll be doing with this Elk in order to restore it to good working condition. Happily, the case is in very nice condition (albeit a little grubby)... most of the work this Elk needs is internal. Chapters0:00 Introduction1:12 The Elk in the Antipodes1:50 My first impressions2:02 Cost reduction compared with the BBC Micro3:43 Testing the keyboard5:20 Opening the Elk7:18 Composite mod introduction (note: mod will be shown in a future episode)8:05 Cleaning the keyboard PCB9:53 Reflowing dodgy keyboard connector joints10:38 Contact cleaner into keyboard switches Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance) "Where We Met" by XanderCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/d2b8f37b"Fuzz" by Miscél Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/505d9712"Let Girls Play Soccer" by Sleepy FishCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/10ec395b#retrocomputing #acorn #electron
OzRetrocomp presents Whats In The Box? 2: Big Joblot OzRetrocomp 2020-07-14 | A few weeks back, I bid on (and won) a joblot of retrocomputing and retrogaming stuff from the UK. The main attraction is an Amiga A1200, but there's a whole bunch of other neat things in here as well.Interestingly, though perhaps not surprisingly, I was able to get this joblot from the UK to Australia for less than the price of an A1200 down here. Sure, this particular A1200 is a little untidy ... but once cleaned up and recapped, it'll be worth it.This is a quick and dirty video. I'll be back to my usual formal self next time.BTW the audio has some artifacting in it. This appears to be a bug in the video editing software I'm using. I'll be trying a workaround in future videos. In the meantime, I've sent a polite message to the authors letting them know of this tiny issue.#retrocomputing #retrogaming #amiga
Australian Retrocomputing Market Report June 2020: A $5 Microbee and one of the worlds oldest Macs OzRetrocomp 2020-07-06 | This is the OzRetrocomp Australian Retrocomputing Market Report for June 2020, based on data collated from actual sales on ebay.com.au.C64 sales volumes were steady, with 17 basic units changing hands in June compared with 17 units in May. These sales were pretty even between breadbins and 64Cs, which makes a change from the somewhat 64C-heavy market witnessed over prior months.Amiga 500s came back to the market in strong numbers, with prices remaining firm. Somewhat unusually, two A1200s hit the market in June - both of which attracting strong money into the four figure range.Reasonably priced 68k Macs are still finding ready buyers; iMac G3s not so much. In all flavours of classic Mac, the rare and interesting units are still in demand judging by a couple of the prices set during June.Yet again, the Microbee market never ceases to amaze. The sole 'Bee to sell in June was sold for a whopping $5. Buy It Now and sold within minutes, obviously. TBH I'm torn between being pissed off that I missed out on landing this 'Bee to have fun with on this channel, and feeling sorry for the poor bugger that let it go for a song; they clearly had no idea what they were sitting on. June saw a few oddball machines changing hands, with some of the real weird units running into early July. Sometime between now and the July market report, I'm hoping to look at some of the weird units and rare bears that have sold via eBay.com.au over the past couple of months. Be sure to subscribe and hit the bell icon to ensure that you don't miss it. . Chapters:0:00 Disclaimer 0:35 Intro1:23 Commodore 642:23 Amiga2:48 Vintage Mac3:46 Microbee4:24 Apple II family5:03 Tandy TRS-80 CoCo5:16 Dick Smith VZ200/VZ3005:33 Atari ST5:51 Acorn BBC Micro6:11 Outro / Credits Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance)"Calm" by ødyssee, Florent Garcia Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/06e7065c"Lagoons" by Strehlow, Chris Mazuera Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/eec90379"Central Coast" by Ian Ewing, Strehlow Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/2f0e12b #retrocomputing #australia #8bit
Bodge City Limits: Talking to an Acorn Electron with a homemade cassette lead and a smartphone OzRetrocomp 2020-06-25 | Useful links:TapDancer Android app link:paleotronic.com/software/tapdancerAcorn Electron software archive:stairwaytohell.com Note that STH closed in 2010, but is still online as an archiveStarDot forum:stardot.org.uk/forumsA very active (and friendly) online community, and a great place to start one's 8-bit Acorn journey--Old computers often have the weirdest looking cassette ports on them, which leaves some folks thinking that making their old machine talk to anything is an impossible task. Not so. If you have a spare 3.5mm aux cable lying around and can manage to hold a soldering iron without hurting yourself, there's a good chance you can make a perfectly serviceable cassette lead. To be honest, I didn't expect this to work anywhere nearly as well as it did. Between the experimentation with a different camera (and camera angles), along with the overall jankiness of the lead itself, I expected this to be a fail ... but it wasn't, so here's the video. Even the editing is a bit rougher than usual. The point is that almost anyone who is interested in retro technology can (and should) tinker when they get the chance.Oh yeah ... I now have an Acorn Electron. More Elk (and Acorn) content is in the works. You might want to subscribe and click the bell icon if you're an Elkaholic. Or even if you're not.Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance)"Flee" by Hanz, MiscélCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/bb3a8f1c"Let Girls Play Soccer" by Sleepy FishCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/10ec395b #retrocomputing #acorn #electron
Australian Retrocomputing Market Report May 2020: Now with more Macs and Amigas! OzRetrocomp 2020-06-15 | This is the OzRetrocomp Australian Retrocomputing Market Report for May 2020, based on data collated from actual sales on ebay.com.au.The C64 market appears to have strengthened in both volume and prices since April, with breadbins showing particularly strong results. As a result of further market observations, reporting on Amiga and Classic Mac sales has been tweaked. I take a look at all Amigas sold during the month, as well as all Mac 68k machines. Another recurring theme with Macs is the volume of working Macs sold without accessories such as keyboard, mouse and/or - in the case of pizza box Macs - monitor. As such, working Macs are now classified as "complete" or "incomplete", with "parts" Macs being units that are properly stuffed.As well as most of the usual suspects in the long term market report, I'll check in on the Microbee to see if the market was still as hot in May as it was in April. The last ZX Spectrum on Aussie eBay sold in late February 2020, meaning that the Speccy is absent from this month's report ... which has made room for the BBC Micro. With three Beebs changing hands across April and May, it's time that the other great British 8-bit micro got some love.Due to the redesign of Amiga and Mac reporting getting a bit more complex than I expected, I ran out of time to write about some of the oddball machines that sold during May. I'm actually considering separating the rare bears and other weird units into their own report. Maybe not monthly, though. Let me know if you think that's a good idea.Music from Chillhop Music, used under licence(in order of appearance)"Always Here" by SwuMCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/8494803e"Cozy Fire" by XanderCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/2569cacd"Ever Forward" by dryhopeCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/b657593b
Funky Old Amiga: An A600 in need of some TLC OzRetrocomp 2020-05-20 | As many Amiga fans will tell you, the A600 is notorious for leaky capacitors. In this video I share one weird trick to get your A600 recapped the easy way.Before getting to this, it seemed like a good idea to investigate where and how I've stored this A600 for the past few years. There's a recurring theme relating to many of the items stored alongside this funky old Amiga. See if you can spot it.4:45 The Argentinian Amiga Floppy Drive HackLink: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=309446:01 Recap your A600 the easy way using this one weird trick!Music:"Your Call" by Kevin MacLeodLink: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5018-your-callLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0"Let Girls Play Soccer" by Sleepy FishCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/10ec395b #amiga #a600 #recapping
Australian Retrocomputing Market Report April 2020: C64 Sales Volume Slide, Microbee Prices Rising OzRetrocomp 2020-05-07 | This is the first Australian Retrocomputing Market Report for April 2020, based on data collated from actual sales on ebay.com.au.Opening with a roundup of five of the most popular retrocomputers on eBay Australia in April, we find that the Commodore 64 market fell by over 50% in turnover compared with March. Whilst not mentioned on the video, it is worth noting that average sold prices of both Breadboards and 64Cs is down from March 2020 figures (Breadboards were down by around $100 ... oof). We then take a look at the longer term markets, where certain models are consistently traded, though on significantly lower volumes than the five most popular machines. One long term market to watch is that of the Aussie-made Microbee. In April, prices ranged from low $400s to high $600s for base units without so much as a power supply. Given that Microbees were changing hands for as little as $200 at the start of the year, this is worth considering if you're in the market to buy or sell a 'Bee.Finally, we'll look at three of the more interesting machines that sold during April, being examples of:- the world's first portable colour computer- an Intel-powered JDM oddball, and- a clone (but not what you think).This is an all-new format. Please let me know what you think. If you think it sucks, please tell me so I don't bother making any more of these. Cheers.Disclaimer:Information in this video should not be relied upon as a formal valuation for any of the featured computers, and no responsibility is taken for how the viewer may use or misuse this information. Whilst every effort has been made to confirm the accuracy and validity of source data used in the compilation of this report, there may be errors and/or omissions. This video may also contain my honest personal opinion.Prices quoted in this video are based on sold listings on ebay.com.au for a specified period, are in Australian dollars, and may be indicative of the Australian retrocomputing market at the time of publishing.Music (in order of appearance):"Pacific" by Philanthrope, No SpiritCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/bf054411"Snacks Pt. 1" by Philanthrope, Louk, No Spirit, Kyle McEvoy Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/7ecbb356"Winter Winter" by Sleepy FishCopyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/ae8aae64#retrocomputing #c64 #microbee
Happy 38th birthday, ZX Spectrum! OzRetrocomp 2020-04-23 | Just a small birthday party for my Speccy on its 38th birthday (23 April 2020). Please note that all attendees live in the same household, therefore social distancing protocols have not been breached. #zxspectrum #retrocomputing #8bit #australia
