Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It's been a while since we did an episode of PC Archeology and I thought this funny old mystery laptop was perfect for us to dig into. Let's tour this machine and dig into what it was used for and how it works.
Altima One
Altima 2 Two
0:00 Intro
1:02 Tour
7:54 First boot and exploration of the drive
26:33 Exploring the manufacturer of this laptop
37:06 Disassembly and teardown
44:57 Data recovery
54:46 Conclusion
-- Links
Altima One review:
muzines.co.uk/articles/altima-one/5337
Altima Two video by RetroSpector78:
youtube.com/watch?v=r2MaRelOGeI
General Adrian's Digital Basement channel:
discord.gg/Nhe8VHqZny
My Github Repo (with ROM dumps and images)
github.com/misterblack1/plexus-p20
Plexus P/20 Brochure:
bitsavers.org/pdf/plexus/brochures/Plexus_P15_P20_Brochure_1985.pdf
Plexus Unix:
bitsavers.org/pdf/plexus/brochures/Plexus_SYS_5.2_Brochure_1985.pdf
MFM emulator:
pdp8online.com/mfm/mfm_old.shtml
Fujitsu Hard Drive Brochure:
archive.org/details/bitsavers_fujitsubro1984_2565589
Omti 5200 Manual:
oldcomputers.dyndns.org/public/pub/roms/omti-5400/omti_5000_series_reference_aug85.pdf
Adrian's Digital Basement Merch store:
my-store-c82bd2-2.creator-spring.com
Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
youtube.com/channel/UCbtwi4wK1YXd9AyV_4UcE6g
Support the channel on Patreon:
patreon.com/adriansdigitalbasement
My GitHub repository:
github.com/misterblack1?tab=repositories
-- Tools
Deoxit D5:
amzn.to/2VvOKy1
store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1602/.f
O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
amzn.to/3a9x54J
Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
amzn.to/2VrT5lW
Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
amzn.to/2ye6xC0
Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
rigolna.com/products/digital-oscilloscopes/1000z
Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
amzn.to/3adRbuy
TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
amzn.to/2wG4tlP
aliexpress.com/item/33000308958.html
TS100 Soldering Iron:
amzn.to/2K36dJ5
ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MINI-Digital-OLED-Programmable-Soldering-Iron-Anti-static-Structure/113382669853
EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
eevblog.com/product/121gw
DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
amzn.to/2RDSDQw
ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DSLogic-Basic-Analyzer-16Ch-100MHz-4Ch-400MHz-Xilinx-Spartan-6-FPGA/202543965672
Magnetic Screw Holder:
amzn.to/3b8LOhG
harborfreight.com/4-inch-magnetic-parts-tray-90566.html
Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-24-28-32-40-pin-IC-Test-Universal-ZIF-Socket-Fs/303206721971
RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
retrotink.com
Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-Micro-Scissor-125mm-PLATO-170-Electronics-Cutter-Side-Cutting-Pliers/163458746184
Heat Sinks:
aliexpress.com/item/32537183709.html
Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
amzn.to/3b8LOOI
--- Instructional videos
My video on damage-free chip removal:
youtube.com/watch?v=XQVjwPsVFd8
--- Music
Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino
It's been a while since we did an episode of PC Archeology and I thought this funny old mystery laptop was perfect for us to dig into. Let's tour this machine and dig into what it was used for and how it works.
Altima One
Altima 2 Two
0:00 Intro
1:02 Tour
7:54 First boot and exploration of the drive
26:33 Exploring the manufacturer of this laptop
37:06 Disassembly and teardown
44:57 Data recovery
54:46 Conclusion
-- Links
Altima One review:
muzines.co.uk/articles/altima-one/5337
Altima Two video by RetroSpector78:
youtube.com/watch?v=r2MaRelOGeI
General Adrian's Digital Basement channel:
discord.gg/Nhe8VHqZny
My Github Repo (with ROM dumps and images)
github.com/misterblack1/plexus-p20
Plexus P/20 Brochure:
bitsavers.org/pdf/plexus/brochures/Plexus_P15_P20_Brochure_1985.pdf
Plexus Unix:
bitsavers.org/pdf/plexus/brochures/Plexus_SYS_5.2_Brochure_1985.pdf
MFM emulator:
pdp8online.com/mfm/mfm_old.shtml
Fujitsu Hard Drive Brochure:
archive.org/details/bitsavers_fujitsubro1984_2565589
Omti 5200 Manual:
oldcomputers.dyndns.org/public/pub/roms/omti-5400/omti_5000_series_reference_aug85.pdf
Adrian's Digital Basement Merch store:
my-store-c82bd2-2.creator-spring.com
Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
youtube.com/channel/UCbtwi4wK1YXd9AyV_4UcE6g
Support the channel on Patreon:
patreon.com/adriansdigitalbasement
My GitHub repository:
github.com/misterblack1?tab=repositories
-- Tools
Deoxit D5:
amzn.to/2VvOKy1
store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1602/.f
O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
amzn.to/3a9x54J
Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
amzn.to/2VrT5lW
Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
amzn.to/2ye6xC0
Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
rigolna.com/products/digital-oscilloscopes/1000z
Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
amzn.to/3adRbuy
TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
amzn.to/2wG4tlP
aliexpress.com/item/33000308958.html
TS100 Soldering Iron:
amzn.to/2K36dJ5
ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MINI-Digital-OLED-Programmable-Soldering-Iron-Anti-static-Structure/113382669853
EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
eevblog.com/product/121gw
DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
amzn.to/2RDSDQw
ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DSLogic-Basic-Analyzer-16Ch-100MHz-4Ch-400MHz-Xilinx-Spartan-6-FPGA/202543965672
Magnetic Screw Holder:
amzn.to/3b8LOhG
harborfreight.com/4-inch-magnetic-parts-tray-90566.html
Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-24-28-32-40-pin-IC-Test-Universal-ZIF-Socket-Fs/303206721971
RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
retrotink.com
Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-Micro-Scissor-125mm-PLATO-170-Electronics-Cutter-Side-Cutting-Pliers/163458746184
Heat Sinks:
aliexpress.com/item/32537183709.html
Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
amzn.to/3b8LOOI
--- Instructional videos
My video on damage-free chip removal:
youtube.com/watch?v=XQVjwPsVFd8
--- Music
Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino
