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Back in the 80s there were quite a few thermal printers around at the bottom of the market, using fax machine tech to make low cost dot matrix printers with graphics capabilities. I recently got a couple of rs232 terminal typewriters going, and want to look for one of the 8 pin dot matrix...

I know this is different for everyone, but when you got your first PC, what motivated you to learn how to use it? And was it autodidactic, or were you already trained in information technology? For me, it was the future - the only part of the future I could touch and be involved with. I could...

This is what the Internet looked like before the Internet existed.

So I get a nice computer arrive, good price, two 360K disk drives installed... Nice ! I'm looking forward to this even if the computer is broken and can't be repaired. Then it arrives and I look. It's like somene wrapped it in plain thin card and a single layer of bubble wrap... As I peel it...

Just wondering what different people do to move files around with old PCs... Without USB, it's kind of difficult and laplink won't talk to any modern machines. I've been using a ZIP drive, with a parallel port interface, and floppies to load the guest application, but what are the best ways to...

So, getting new floppies is possible, but expensive, meanwhile I see quite a few used ones pop up, many of which testing suggests are of reasonable quality still, and will work in drives when reformatted. The problem is old labels... I hate using old labels, even when they are blank. What is...

Hi, I was just wondering who else here degauses their old floppy disks to address coercivity issues with the media? It's pretty clear some disks have been exposed to magnetic force and heat at times, that I'm guessing has occasionally exceeded the curie level, and the disks can't be reformatted...

A friend told me of a small corner shop nearby today that still sold old computer parts. Given the last of the salvage places disappeared over a decade ago ( nearly 2 decades ago ) I was sceptical, but asked if he went by again, to find me a nice 5.25" drive. So he stopped responding to my SMS...

OK, here's an unusual question... Can large files be broken up into smaller sparse files on different disks, and then be rejoined by simply PIP'ing them back together? I am guessing the behaviour given PIP will just overwrite a file is that it respects the extent number and mask and will just...

Hi All, Does anyone know of any SSDD CoPwr (8088 Coprocessor) disk images exist anywhere? The Kaypro II has Single Sided disk drives and won't take the Double Sided images. Kind Regards David

So there's this weird thing the government(s) do in Australia. They send someone around prior to clean-up day cutting the power cables and any other cables they can find on any old computers or electrical items you might be discarding... And that's how I got my latest machine... One of the...

Saw it on evilbay... Couldn't find anything else on it and was curious, There's an interface shim under the z80 and a side board to the left.

Hi All, Just wondering about the group's thoughts on self-modifying code on CP/M systems. Some people regard this as contentious while others see it as a valuable way to save space and extend the system. In this context, I'm talking about either modifying the instruction itself, or modifying...

Hi All, I was just wondering if there was a convention within CP/M for leaving data behind for the next program to use? For example, if a program exits, but wants to leave data for the next program to use ( if it uses the data ) is there a common place to store vectors for such information if...

Hi All, I know this is a bit of a weird request, but does anyone happen to have an oscilloscope and a functioning Matrox ALT512 with 4 intensities in 256x192 mode and is able to tell me what the signal levels are? The manual itself is excellent and contains all the timing and voltage...

The type you sometimes see installed instead of dipswitches... they have a DIP package, with 8 cross-links that you break with a small tool or screwdriver to make something akin to a permanently set dip switch... Often seen in address selection logic of old cards. Something similar to a...

My resolution this year - to stop impulse buying so much cool stuff when it pops up without so much as a thought. Instead, this year I'm going to think carefully about it, and then impulse buy it regardless.

I don't mean based on the screen length, or anything like that - I mean what did most other software default to for these file? 8 data bytes? 16? 32? What was "normal" for most assemblers and the likes of the time that put out HEX format files?

15KHz capable LCD panels... Seems very hit and miss, and I've seen a LOT of "confirmed" models that are just faked, I suspect put there by people who had a few and thought maybe it would help them sell at a higher price. Are there any in manufacture today or is it all hit and miss with the...

Hi all, I think I posted in the wrong forum section previously. I'm repairing a Powermate Portable SX and the Plasma screen stopped working. Is anyone able to measure the voltages from the ground terminal near the Plasma power plug in the ISA slot bay and tell me what they are? There are...