Task: Play Centipede on a Commodore VIC-20 Needed: VIC-20, Centipede cartridge, disk, ROM, or Penultimate 2/3 Cartridge Time: 5-10 minutes or more Introduction I grew up with Atari home computers and received the Centipede cartridge one year for Christmas. I loved playing this game and am pretty good at it
Read postChange the Workbench 3.2 Title Text on Your Amiga Computer (5 mins)
Task: Change the Workbench 3.2 Title Text on Your Amiga Computer Needed: Amiga Computer or Emulator Running AmigaOS 3.2.3 Time: 5 minutes Introduction I have previously posted about AmigaOS version 3.2 that brings new features to the legacy Amiga Kickstart and Workbench OS. One of these new features is the
Read postErase a 40-Pin AM27C400 Programmable EPROM With Ultraviolet Light for Upgrading the ROMs of Retro Computers Such as the Amiga 600 and 1200 (30-60 mins)
Task: Erase a 40-Pin AM27C400 Programmable EPROM With Ultraviolet Light Needed: AM27C400 EPROM, UV light source, TL866 universal programmer Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I have previously posted about burning 40-pin AM27C400 EPROM chips for upgrading the ROM of an Amiga 1200. Unfortunately, several of my EPROMs were not fully blank
Read postBoot Tandy’s DeskMate 3 to Provide a Desktop GUI for Your DOS PC with an x86 CPU (15-30 mins)
Task: Boot Tandy’s DeskMate 3 to Provide a Desktop GUI for Your DOS PC Needed: Retro PC with an 8086, 286, or 386 CPU, DeskMate 3 Disks or Disk Images Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The Tandy 1000 personal computer (PC) successfully competed with IBM for several reasons including the failure
Read postAdd USB Joystick Support to Your Retro PC via the PicoMEM Card in the 8-Bit ISA Slot (15-30 mins)
Task: Add USB Joystick Support to Your Retro PC Needed: PicoMEM 2 Card, Compatible USB Joystick Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I recently installed a modern PicoMEM 2 card in the 8-bit ISA slot of my IBM PS/2 Model 30 that expands the machine in several important ways including modern joystick support via a USB-A
Read postAdd an Emulated AdLib Sound Card to Your Retro PC via a PicoMEM 2 Card in the 8-Bit ISA Slot (15-30 mins)
Task: Add an Emulated AdLib Sound Card to Your Retro PC Needed: PC with an 8-Bit ISA Slot (e.g. IBM XT/AT/PS2) and a PicoMEM 2 Card Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The AdLib Music Synthesizer Card was one of the first sound cards to make IBM PC-compatible games feel truly musical.
Read postAdd Modern Storage, Networking, Audio, and Peripheral Support to Your Vintage PC With the Raspberry Pi Pico-Based 8-Bit ISA PicoMEM 2 Card (30-60 mins)
Task: Add Modern Storage, Networking, Audio, and Peripheral Support to Your Vintage PC With the PicoMEM 2 Card Needed: PicoMEM 2 card, micro-SD card, Vintage PC with an 8-Bit ISA Slot Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction There have been a variety of modern solutions for upgrading the RAM of your vintage PC,
Read postPurchase a ViewSonic VA1655 16-Inch 1080p Portable LED Monitor for Displaying Upscaled Retro Computer Video (10-15 mins)
Task: Purchase a ViewSonic VA1655 16-Inch 1080p Portable LED Monitor Needed: Web Browser Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction I recently posted about my efforts to get an IBM PS/2 Model 30 with MCGA graphics displaying in HDMI. This required adding an ISA VGA card with upscaling using an OSSC. I noted
Read postDisplay Video from an IBM PS/2 Model 30 in HDMI by Installing an ISA VGA Card and Upscaling with an OSSC (30-60 mins)
Task: Display Video from an IBM PS/2 Model 30 in HDMI Needed: ISA VGA Card and OSSC or Similar Upscaler Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I recently purchased a nice IBM PS/2 Model 30 that was released in 1987 as the first in this line of computers. The original PS/2 came
Read postLaunch and Try the AmiDesk Web Emulator for Amiga Workbench 1.3 (5-10 mins)
Task: Try the AmiDesk Web Emulator for Amiga Workbench 1.3 Needed: Web Browser Time: 5-10 minutes Introduction There are several good Amiga software emulators including WinUAE and AmiBerry. I heard about the AmiDesk web emulator from Amiga Bill and decided to give it a try. This is a fun project
Read postPurchase and Install a 1MB Chip RAM Expansion Board for Your Amiga 600 (15-30 mins)
Task: Purchase and Install a 1MB Chip Ram Expansion Board for Your Amiga 600 Needed: Amiga 600, 1MB Chip Ram Board Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I recently purchased an Amiga 600 and upgraded with a PiStorm CPU accelerator. While the PiStorm adds a ton of fast RAM, it does not
Read postPurchase and Install a PiStorm to Provide CPU Emulation, Extra Fast RAM, and a Virtual Hard Drive for Your Amiga 600 (30-60 mins)
Task: Purchase and Install a PiStorm for Your Amiga 600 Needed: Amiga 600, Amiga 600 PiStorm, Compatible Raspberry Pi, MicroSD Card, Philips and Hex Screwdrivers Time: 30-60 minutes or longer Introduction I recently purchased an Amiga 600 computer and immediately ordered a PiStorm device to expand its capabilities. I have
Read postPurchase an Amiga 600 16-Bit Computer (30-60 mins)
Task: Purchase a 16-Bit Amiga 600 Computer Needed: Web Browser Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I have previously posted about purchasing Amiga 500 and 1200 computers. These are accessible and essential Amiga computers for any retro computer collection. The Amiga 500 came out in 1987 and featured a 16-bit 68000 CPU
Read postPurchase an IBM PS/2 Model 30 with an 8086 CPU (30-60 mins)
Task: Purchase an IBM PS/2 Model 30 with an 8086 CPU Needed: Web Browser or Local Source Time: 30-60 minutes online or several hours for local sourcing Introduction Introduced in 1987, the IBM PS/2 Model 30 marked the beginning of a new era in personal computing for IBM. Powered by
Read postLearn How to Scroll a Playfield in Amiga AMOS Professional BASIC (30-60 mins)
Task: Learn How to Scroll a Playfield in Amiga AMOS Professional BASIC Needed: AMOS Professional BASIC, Amiga Computer or Emulator Time: 30-60 Minutes Introduction I have previously posted about drawing and moving a sprite on the screen. This project is to draw and scroll a playfield which is quite easy
Read postTransfer Files to Your Amiga 600 or 1200 Using a Compact Flash to PCMCIA Card Adapter (15-30 mins)
Task: Transfer Files to Your Amiga 600 or 1200 Using a Compact Flash to PCMCIA Card Adapter Needed: Amiga 6oo or 1200, CF to PCMCIA Adapter, CF Card or SD to CF Adapter Time: 15 to 30 Minutes Introduction The Amiga 600 and 1200 featured a PCMCIA (aka PC Card)
Read postLearn About and Edit the Amiga Workbench Startup Sequence Script (15-30 mins)
Task: Learn About and Edit the Amiga Workbench Startup Sequence Script Needed: Amiga Computer or Emulator Running Workbench Time: 15-30 Minutes Introduction If you are new to the Amiga, one of the most powerful features of the system is its startup initialization process used when booting the Workbench desktop GUI
Read postLearn About Random Number Generation on the Amiga Using AMOS BASIC (15-30 mins)
Task: Learn About Random Number Generation Needed: Amiga Computer or Emulator and Amos BASIC Time: 15-30 Minutes Introduction Like all platforms of the time, AMOS BASIC for the Amiga uses a pseudo random number generator to generate the random numbers used in games and other software. While not completely random,
Read postBoot the CP/M Operating System on You Apple II Computer Using a Microsoft SoftCard (15-30 mins)
Task: Boot the CP/M Operating System on You Apple II Computer Using a Microsoft SoftCard Needed: Microsoft SoftCard, Apple II, CP/M Software Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The Control Program/Monitor (CP/M) operating system was developed by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc. in the 1970s for 8088 and Z-80 CPUs. It was widely used
Read postBoot the CP/M Operating System on Your Apple II Using an Appli-Card Emulator Running on a a2Pico Device (15-30 mins)
Task: Boot the CP/M Operating System on Your Apple II Needed: a2Pico Card, floppy drive emulator, Apple II Computer Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I never got a chance to try the CP/M operating system on computers with Z-80 processors back in the 1980s. As a result, I have a strong
Read postPurchase an A2Pico Card for Emulating Multiple Devices on Your Apple II Computer (30-60 mins)
Task: Purchase an A2Pico Card for the Apple II Needed: A2Pico card, Apple II computer Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction One of the joys of owning an Apple II computer is experimenting with the many varieties of cards that expand the functionality of the system. These can include cards for adding
Read postPurchase a BOOTI Hard Disk Emulator for Accessing Multiple Files from Your Apple II Computer (30-60 mins)
Task: Purchase a BOOTI Hard Disk Emulator Needed: BOOTI device, Apple II computer Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction The BOOTI card is a storage device for the Apple II that provides solid-state disk access using an SD card or USB device. It installs in an expansion slot and presents itself as
Read postCase Studies in Retro Computing Repair #18: Replacing a Broken Power Switch on a Commodore 64
Introduction I picked up a Commodore 64 at a Vintage Computer Festival that the seller disclosed had a broken power switch that would not move. I was able to get it at a significant discount hoping that was all that was wrong with it. Fortunately, it was! Case Study Replacement
Read postCase Studies in Retro Computing Repair #17: Replace a Broken Power Supply in an Apple II Computer
Introduction I recently posted about purchasing an Apple IIe computer. Shortly after this the RIFA capacitor in the power supply unit (PSU) of my Apple IIe Platinum computer blew in spectacular fashion with load crackles and lots of smelly smoke. I had the computer one for an hour doing a
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