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  1. C

    Finally, my first Tomy Tutor assembly language program after 41 years

    Klaus' RAM/ROM cartridge finally got me off my butt to do it. I think it's time to implement something practical with the Tutor, which was my first computer and I still have the actual computer that was my first, and this is part of laying the groundwork...
  2. C

    If you've ever wondered about the Tandy PC-5/PC-6 Pocket Computer "assembler" ...

    It turns out it's not something Casio came up with on their own: it's actually CAP-X/COMP-X, which ultimately originated with the Japanese government Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Here's some history, a reimplementation in Perl with enhancements, and even (what I think is) the...
  3. C

    Reverse-engineering the Web-@nywhere Watch

    That's a portable, right? The Web-@nywhere Watch was a primitive smartwatch ca. 2000-1 that purported to surf the web on the 59x16 LCD on your wrist -- if you'd downloaded data to its 93K buffer beforehand which was entirely fetched from the manufacturer's server which had been down since at...
  4. C

    California WTB: TL866II-Plus (not T48, not T56)

    This is *for* a vintage project, though. I use Linux on a non-x86 platform, so running the Xgecu software under Wine isn't really an option. David Griffith's minipro has experimental support for the T48 which I'm told is incomplete, and all the Chinese dropshippers I've dealt with so far claim...
  5. C

    Creating "symbiotic" applications between Macs and the Apple Network Server

    The Apple Network Server's implementation of AIX had a secret weapon, and that was a full Unix-side implementation of AppleTalk, Apple events and the Program-to-Program Communications Toolbox (PPC Toolbox). Apple published demonstration applications where Mac clients could offload their...
  6. C

    Adding a serial LCD screen to the KIM-1

    With a serial bitbanger routine, you can set up something like a Matrix Orbital LK204-25 and still keep the 20mA current loop interface free. It can be run off the existing power supply and just a couple RRIOT lines. https://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2023/10/what-kim-1-really-needs-is-lcd-screen.html
  7. C

    Teaching Apple Cyberdog new tricks

    I managed to locate an unopened copy of the Cyberdog Programmer's Kit book, including the full CD-ROM with Cyberdog 1.0 and the Cyberdog SDK. It really works and builds real Cyberdog/OpenDoc parts. There were also a number of interesting videos and documents on the disk, so here they are...
  8. C

    The spawn of AtariLab and the Universal Laboratory Interface

    This is about AtariLab, but running it on a Commodore 64 with the Hayden software - along with its lesser known descendant, the Universal Lab Interface. Getting the temperature probe recalibrated was a pain. Warning: contains math and abuse of electronics...
  9. C

    MacLynx beta 5, now with UTF-8 and more native controls

    MacLynx is an update to the original 1997 MacLynx that provides a native Lynx text browser port on A/UX 3.x, System 7.x and higher, with Mac quality-of-life improvements and support for TLS 1.3 through Crypto Ancienne (either self-hosted or on another system). Changes in this release: -...
  10. C

    Can you identify the Set Top Box Bunch?

    I know we have some Apple alums and staff here, and it turns out the Interactive TV Box/Set Top Box has nine images of its creators in ROM. So far five have been identified. Anyone else recognize the rest? (NB: I added the STB Bunch as a joke. The images were just stored as small JPEGs...
  11. C

    A potato livecam using the ComputerEyes digitizer and the C128 VDC chip

    If you can't display live-ish slow-scan digitized video on the VIC-II because it interferes, then ... put the VDC into low resolution 320x200 and use that. And then make the capture process nearly 25% faster. https://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2023/07/making-potato-webcam-with-commodore-128.html
  12. C

    Hacking the Brother GeoBook's GlobeHopper web browser

    I landed both a PN-9000GR and an NB-60. With a little external help and a bit of hacking in a hex editor, the GlobeHopper browser provided for the NB-60 will surf modern HTTPS sites. Mostly. That said, I kind of like the CGA screen on the PN ...
  13. C

    Alpha Micro Eagle 200 on eBay

    Not my auction, but always want to see people preserving AM hardware, and Eagles are good systems. The E200 is a downgraded E300 (my long-running E300 runs http://ampm.floodgap.com/ ). It powers on but looks like someone pulled the hard disk, and instead of regular serial ports it has RJ-21...
  14. C

    The KIM-1 that sounds like Stephen Hawking

    I carefully avoided the section of bad RAM my unit appears to have and wrote a 9600 baud bitbanged serial transmission routine to send words to a DECtalk Express. Now your KIM-1 can talk. https://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-kim-1-that-sounds-like-stephen.html
  15. C

    Odd KIM-1 fault from $280 to $29f

    Was programming my briefcase KIM-1 last night when the program suddenly went awry. After trying to eliminate other causes, it turns out that the memory range from $280 to $29f suddenly had its upper six bits get stuck at zero. It's only this range, however. $0080, $0180 and $0380 are normal, as...
  16. C

    Of Sun Ray laptops, MIPS and getting root on them

    Can you really get root on a Sun Ray? Well, it's complicated. Includes the Sun Ray 2N, Sun's official SunRay laptop, and the Accutech Gobi derived from it. https://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2023/04/of-sun-ray-laptops-mips-and-getting.html
  17. C

    If you ever wondered how The Newsroom's Wire Service worked ...

    Creating a 2023 newspaper with 1985 The Newsroom (and then printing it). https://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2023/03/printing-real-headline-news-on.html
  18. C

    The Incredible KIMplement 0.3

    The Incredible KIMplement is a KIM-1 emulator that runs on the Commodore 64. This release not only increases emulator speed by 10-15% through an "instruction fusion" scheme, but also lets you redirect the KIM-1's TTY to the C64's user port, giving your virtual KIM a real serial connection...
  19. C

    Dick Smith VZ200

    Managed to import a VZ200 (Dick Smith rebadge of the VTech VZ200, a/k/a Laser 200 and various other names) to the USA so that I finally have an Australian computer in my collection, much to my wife's delight. First order of business will be to convert the composite output, but my PAL TV->VGA...
  20. C

    SAIC Galaxy 1100

    Managed to land a third SAIC Galaxy 1100, the MIL-SPEC portable workstation version of the HP 9000/712 Gecko. This one has a "civilian" installation of HP-UX 10.10 which complements the US Navy TAC-4 overlay on my other unit. This brings the total number I know of to five (three here, two...
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