Back to school technology

Well, it's that time of year again, the time when I and nearly every other male college student in the world realizes school is about to begin again and starts to panic since his stuff isn't ready to go! Well, kinda. Clothes, books, supplies, all of that stuff stayed pretty much packed in boxes since the beginning of summer, when I moved out of my dorm. So all that stuff is ready to go. But what of my technology toys, I mean tools? All of that stuff got used like crazy during summer, and now it's definitely NOT ready to pick up and move.

So what needs to move and what stays? That's the question, since bringing everything probably won't work. Note the probably- I'm not going to be living in a dorm, but an apartment with 3 other guys. I know the 3 other guys very well, so I'm not worried about stuff getting wrecked by them being careless. I'm more worried about where to store it all.

Thus far I have narrowed it down to a few key things and will bring more as needed. (or not needed, but rather wanted.) My modern HP zv6000 is actually not wanted as such, but needed for various reasons, one of which is the fact that with my current Linux OS I can change MAC address on my machine. This is crucial since my other internet-enabled devices (Lantronix + Apple II) have one fixed MAC address and also don't support anything like Javascript, which is needed to authenticate on the stupid university routers. So I authenticate with the Lantonix's MAC on my HP, then change MAC on my HP to it's own address again, and connect as usual. Of course, can you contact the Tech Dept. and just give them a MAC you need authenticated? No, they "don't have access to that info" and "can't change it directly," even though I know for a fact they regularily go through the list and bump off people the RIAA says are pirating things.

Of course the Tandy 102 comes. I actually need that one for school, but it helps that I actually enjoy using it for things too. And all the accessories come too, printer, cassette drive, etc. If I could find a disk drive that would come too. The Apple II and Lantronix are coming along as a pair to be my online workhorse machine and Linux terminal. And my pristine NES and game collection comes too, because it's in it's original box (makes moving easy!) and I really like having it around. The Atari 2600 and Colecovision are staying with my parents, because I don't use them much. (haven't touched the Atari in 4 years)

And I guess the only other thing I have to bring is my tech tools, but where to put them? I need a toolbox. Off to Harbor Freight today to get one, and into which will go my soldering gear, micro-screwdrivers, helping hand thing, multi-meter... now where am I going to stick my oscilloscope? *sigh* And as I think about it more, I realise that the school probably doesn't want me using any of these things in their buildings. Heck, I'd probably get a citation for using that old of a computer on their networks, even though it's more secure than the piles of garbage they got in the library over there.

Finishing up

Well, the challenge is coming to a close. I think this post should be considered my final post for the challenge, as I will soon be heading off to work. It's a night shift, and by the time I get off work it will be August 1, and the challenge will be over.

Well, this has been my first Retro Challenge, and I think it has been a lot of fun. As is the case with most of the challengers, I think I can say that I shought my challenge was a sucess, even though my actual "accomplishments" weren't very huge. I set the goal to make some programs on the Tandy 102, write a blog, and get my Tandy online, and thus far I accomplished all of em!

Good work to all the contestants this summer! I look forward to the (highly objective of course...) judging and the upcoming Winter Challenge. And of course, I look forward to seeing you all on the Retro BBS sometime soon.

Lastly, since my main hobby seems to be retrocomputing in general, you can expect to see priodic updates on this blog with info about my tinkerings and code.

SDF UNIX Shell

I know I found this a little late to be much use for the challenge, but it's worth a look for anyone who likes using old computers to do stuff. It's called the Super Dimensional Fortress, and they offer UNIX shell access to nearly anyone. All you need to do is TELNET to sdf.lonestar.org and login as "new" and follow the prompts. Your free account lasts 200 days, otherwise you can pay $1 and you get to use it for as long as you're an active member. Or you could just sign on with a different user name every time your old one expires. And it's a true UNIX shell, not just some fake shell like other places have. It runs on FreeBSD. Give it a try.

Retro Challenge

Well, the time has come- I have entered the Retrochallenge '08 contest. The contest runs through the month of July. I have entered my Tandy 102 and pocket computer. I will need to get out my pocket computer and see what model it is or if it even works. I am going to be competing in the programming and hardware categories. I will be making some games and getting my computers online with some custom hardware. And of course, I am in the process of making up a website to host my code. (not that my code is going to need it's own website, it's not going to be big...) You know, so people can download it.

While I'm at it I might also mess with whatever other retro hardware I can get my hands on- time to head to the local thrift store and pick some up!

Stay tuned for more old computer hacking goodness!

PlopBox

Well, as my friends already know, I am also a music freak, in addition to being a computer nerd. However, my taste in music tends to run along the same lines- my favorite type of music is electronic music. Lately I have been listening to some of the so-called "old school" demoscene music, mostly from the '80s and '90s. Of course, if your computer can play those old files that's great, but alot of computers can't without special software. It can also be very hard to track all that music down, given its age. I don't have to worry about either of those problems but, for those who do, there is one place where they do all the work for you- www.Plopbox.net

They have playlists of recommended songs, a rating system, and you can have personalized playlists too. Check them out, and discover some cool new music for free!

Music creation- release the muscial nerd in you

Yes, I am a nerd. Yes, I like music. And I'm a programmer. Mix them together and you get a perfectly understandable desire to make your own music.

But not just any music. I like electronic sounds, especially old-school sounds. So what's a guy to do? I have never been a Commodore owner, and I don't use Windoze. (you didn't get that yet?)

So what kind of music software do I use? Only the best Linux software of course. I use the ever-awesome Audacity to make my samples and Aldrin for the rest. Aldrin is the coolest music making software to hit any machine in a long time. It was originally designed to be a clone of the now-dead Windows based tracker called Buzz, but has evolved into something much much better.

It incorporates some tracker-like interface, but also has a very object oriented and easy to use "machine" interface. It also is extremely efficient. I have yet to push it beyond 6% of my CPU. And it comes with a huge load of plugins and a special library-style direct interface to the FreeSound project for hunting down those special, one of a kind samples you need.

I suggest that any self respecting electronic music buff go out and get himself a copy. If you have ever used ReNoise of Fruity Loops you also have to try Aldrin- once you take the plunge you'll wonder why other programs didn't do the same thing Aldrin does.

Oh, and to prove that Aldrin is not just a useless geek toy, check out the music it's maker made. His name is Paniq. His latest album, Story of Ohm, used Aldrin exclusively. It rocks. Period.

End of Rant.

feeling "brown?" retrocomputing is green!

Well, it's that day of the year again. The one where all the environmentalists come forth to commune with nature and promote measures to stop "global warming." Personally, no offence to anyone out there, I have some problems with the whole global warming thing; but enough of arguing. I do have one thing to say in support of the environmentalists:

What is with throwing away all the electronics?

I will wholeheartedly agree with the environmentalists on this one- why do people throw electronics away? They don't decompose easily, and I'll be the first one to admit that. They also frequently contain chemicals which really should not be placed in the environment. Not that a single computer by itself has enough toxic materials to kill really anything, but if you dump a million of them in one place to rot that's a problem. All electronics contain lead- the solder used to make electrical connections has to have lead in it. Even the ROHS (restriction of hazardous substances) solder has some lead in it. If it didn't have lead it would not work. Also the chips, by the very nature of their construction, contain some hazardous materials. LCD screens and CRT's both contain chemicals which really are not too healthy if you get a big enough dose. And like any machine, the whole unit has lubricants on the moving parts and heat sinc compound is also not a human-friendly food either, so to speak.

Now for the shameless plug- retrocomputing at least partly solves this issue. Why would you throw away a machine which could still be used just because it's old? Seriously. If I didn't like my machines so much I'd paint one of them green and put it on display today. Retrocomputing is recycling of computers- not breaking them down into little pieces to be thrown away or made into Tupperware or something, but actually using them for something good.

So, if all your chic friends are pretty green today and you are feeling "brown," then maybe it's time to realize that by avoiding the throw-your-old-electronics-away mentality you are actually doing the environment a favor.

The reto systems I have

A buddy of mine asked the other day "How many old computer things do you have anyway?"
Well, I guess I forgot to mention that here, so I'll post what I told him.

I currently have, in no particular order:

• Tandy 102 laptop
• Atari 2600
• Colecovision
• NES, restored to mint condition, with boxes etc.
• Several Pentium 1, 486, and 386 systems, in various states of repair
• A Tandy 1100HD laptop, used to work but now in the process of being fixed
• and though it's not a computer, I have a very nice Okidata 182 Turbo, recently refurbished, which I use for all my retro printing needs
  

I also have access to a Tandy PC-2 pocket computer and complete working plotter/cassette interface with all manuals and leather carry case. It belongs to by Dad, who has been loaning it to me indefinitely.

Currently on my retro wish-list is an Apple IIe, with color monitor, double disk drives and an 80 column card (the same system I had in 3rd grade) and also a VT100 or similar vintage DEC data terminal. And although it's not retro equipment I would like to get a universal device server like a Lantronix UDS10 in order to hook my retro machines to the internet.

Cleaning card slots

Well, I promised an article on cleaning card slots, and here it is. To clean a card slot you will need the following things:

Rubbing Alcohol (not the mint stuff, the regular stuff)
Q-Tips
An old toothbrush
Some stuff, white, absorbent paper that won't tear easily (construction paper works pretty good)
(optional) a dental pick

All right, so to begin you should expose the card slot. This varies from machine to machines. In the case of my NES the whole slot can come out of the machine if you take it apart. For my Atari I take out the main motherboard to remove the protective cover to clean it. Also at this time it would be a good idea to protect anything which you do not want rubbing alcohol to get on, such as yourself, furniture, exposed electronics, etc.

1. dip the end of a q-tip into the alcohol and use it to clean off any grime from the outside of the connector. (the housing, not the metal pins inside)
2. use the toothbrush to remove and obvious particles in the card slot (I had one unit that had some grass or something inside, I swept it out with the brush)
3. Fold up the paper so that it's easy to hold and can fit inside the card slot. I make mine into a rectangle shape about an inch wide by 4 inches long. Put a little bit of alcohol on the paper and push the paper in between the pins as though it were a cartridge, and then rub around to remove grime. Repeat as necessary. Be careful not to get the paper too wet. If it's too wet it will tear when you put it into the slot and then you will be stuck pulling tiny pieces of wet paper out of the slot.
4. If any of the pins are bent or if there are still hard-to-get chunks of junk inside the connector, get out the dental pick and gently pry the pins back or use the pick to remove any leftover bits of paper, etc. If you are careful with the paper and you don't have bent pins you won't need the pick at all.
5. Before you use your newly cleaned slot, make sure to clean the things that will be going into the slot. If it's a game cartridge, for example, use a q-tip and alcohol to remove corrosion and dirt off the carts pins. If you don't do this you will just be putting more dirt into your nice clean slot the next time you use it.

Enjoy, your card slot is now nice and clean, ready to go!

The care and feeding of your retro hardware

If you are the owner of a retro computer your machine will thank you for reading this.

Well, as we al know, the bane of retro computing is precisely that the computers are, well, old. And we all know that when equipment gets old it gets broken. It's a sad fact, but it happens. If you are a neophyte to the world of retro computing you need to know how to take care of these machines in order to keep them running. Don't worry, it's not really hard to do the normal maintenance chores these machines require. Also, these tips should work well for other somewhat newer computers which might be considered obsolete but which you might want to take care of and get them running again.

1. Do your homework: If you don't know how to use your machine, or you haven't used it in a long time and you don't remember then it's time to find the manuals. If you have them still, that is. If you don't you can usually find PDF files of all the original documentation online in various places. Also, while you're at it, you should check and see if there are other people who use machines like yours so that if you ever need help you can get some. For my Tandy I visit the Club 100 website, which is filled with programs, info, and helpful people.

2. Look under the hood (carefully): Just like a used car, looking inside will reveal if anything obviously need attention. However if you don't feel comfortable doing this then find a friend who knows what he's doing. In either case, make sure you have yourself grounded before touching the insides of the computer, because static electricity kills computers. Even a static shock you can't see or feel can carry enough charge to kill your machine.

While you have the hood open look for the following obvious things that should be looked into:

• loose parts or screws
• anything obviously broken
• corrosion
• black "scorch" marks around chips or heat sinks
• missing pieces
  

If anything is seriously broken you'll need to find some parts, so that's why you found some friends online to help you right? Also, before you close it back up make sure and dust it out. Yes, dust seems harmless enough but it can clog drive and fans and clings to chips and PCBs and makes them overheat. My first "dead" computer was actually just too dusty to run without overheating. I cleaned out he dust and it magically came back to life!

3. Clean the Computer: This should again be fairly obvious, clean the computer on the outside too. A clean computer is much nicer and more fun to use than a grimy one, and you have less chance of something failing because dirt got inside. Key places to clean are around switches, the keyboard, disk drives (read up before attempting so you don't break anything) and if your computer has batteries, in the battery compartment. (to remove any corrosion) If your computer has a cartridge slot you should clean that out too. I have a special method for that which I will detail in a later post. (it's also useful for old video game systems)

4. Check the components: This one is very important. Make sure that nothing is broken or about to fail. Key culprits are power supplies, worn disk drives, and boards with older electrolytic capacitors. CRT's also sometimes need a tune-up to replace bad capacitors. You can find parts for most older machines without too much trouble, but "cap kits" for CRT's can be hard to find. I would suggest looking in places where arcade machines are repaired, as you can usually find someone who knows what he is doing and can look at your monitor and get you the right kind of replacement capacitors. When looking for parts, eBay is your friend. Alot of seller "gut" old hardware and just sell the parts, which makes your life easy. Finally, if you really care about having your computer in good shape and you can't find parts, don't be afraid to get another one to gut for parts. Usually you can find one in somewhat rougher shape without any accessories cheaply enough to warrant using it for spares.

5. Get the right software: This can make all the difference with retro computing. If you have good software a computer can be very enjoyable. The internet is full of new software for old computers. If you don't believe me just look for yourself. Games are usually very popular choices for old computers. Many old machines can be modified to do some rudimentary online tasks, and usually people develop ways to transfer data between the old computer and new ones. The worst thing you can do to your old computer is never use it once you've fixed it up because it doesn't do anything useful or fun.

Well, you read all the way through my long-winded article! Good for you! Now get off your rear and have some fun with your old computer!

About the Neo...

Well, for those who don't know their linguistics too good, "neo" is Greek for new. Basically the reason I am the Neo Retrotech Nerd is that I am not from the Retro-computing era. My first computer (Apple IIe) was older than I was. My current retro computer (Tandy 102) is older than I am too.

OK, here is what I am coming to- This whole retro technology thing is not nostalgia for me. I am devoted to this stuff because of something else entirely. It comes down to three big things:

1- aesthetics. The retro technology and hardware has an appeal to it. It has character, something from another era. Modern technology is all so much the same; case mods aren't new anymore- everyone has a window and blue lights on his computer now. Laptops all look the same, no innovation there. Cell phones? Don't even get me started, abysmal design, they are all so much alike it's scary. No really, I really don't need another piece of closed-source contract-controlled crap that looks like a piece of candy and poisons my conscience. Seriously, what happened to building your hardware unique? There was only one ZX Spectum. There was only one Atari 2600. There was only one Tandy "Model T. "

2- simplicity. Another gripe of mine- why does everything have to do everything? Seriously Apple (yes, APPLE, I used to love you, not any more!!) why does your newest and greatest iThing have to do everything?!? No, I do not need a device which can check email, browse the web, play music, show maps, get fax, phone, and text messages, take pictures, show pictures, play games, comb my hair, and give me a manicure. Of course, Microsoft, copycats that they are, had to go and do the same thing with their ZUNE. But Microsoft has always led the way in making things more complex than they have to be. Who gave them permission to re-invent the wheel every single time they make a new product? Make a device which does one thing- ONE THING, and make it do it's job well. Atari- the 2600 plays games. Tandy- the 102 does documents. Amiga- their whole series consists of multimedia powerhouses. Newton- it's a notepad. CD player- self explanatory. Remember the rule of complexity- the more complex it is the more likely it is to break. Microsoft would do well to learn this before they make another big mistake like Vista.

3. freedom of information. This is the big one. What good is your technology if it's all locked up? Yeah, those new computers look cool alright, and they can do some cool things. But what if I want to change something? Nope, no source code, not even a GUI configuration for most things. I want to make my own program to work with the hardware? No, you'll need to get around our API, or just use another OS, too bad. I want to find out how something ticks? No way Jose, that's our intellectual property! You dare to suggest looking at how it works!? Seriously folks, does Ford seal their car hoods closed so you can't look at the insides? Do they? I want to know what's going on inside, so if anything breaks I might be able to fix it myself. Besides, no sensible car owner gets a car without a basic understanding of what it's doing. You need to know things like changing the oil, changing tires, changing belts, checking for signs of wear, and other things. My computer gets used more than I would ever use a car, and I put alot of very important things on it- I need to know these things. Linux and the other open source OS's are the closest you can get to this nowadays, but back in the day you got all this and then some up front in the manuals. If you wanted they'd even show you such things as memory mappings, the API, reserved system calls, even, *gasp*, the source for the BIOS and the OS!

So yeah, my passion has nothing to do with nostalgia. It's just that I'm picky, and they don't make 'em like they used to.

It's called a UDS

Alright, it's time to reveal my devious plan- mwahahah! *thunder*

It involves a device called a UDS- which stands for Universal Device Server. And guess what it does? Based on the picture, it has ethernet and serial ports on it. Hmmm, wonder what it could be used for?

The one on the right is a Lantronix UDS10, but there are alot of similar devices around on places like Ebay, which are going pretty cheap these days. And yes, if you have not figured it out yet, this is used for putting old hardware online. Yes, that's right Aunt Virginia, I can in fact read email on my Tandy using one of these beasts. Or Telnet to BBS's. Or surf 'da internets. Though the latter would be hard with the tiny Tandy screen, but it could be done. Expect me to find something crazy amazing to do with one of these very soon.

Time to start the Challenge!

It's time to start the next retro-challenge! Unfortunately my retro-challenge won't be official, because there isn't one going on right now. However, it's the 25th Anniversary of my favorite retro computer, and I think now is a great time to give it some coverage.

It's called the Tandy 102, and it's an upgrade of the very famous and popular TRS-80 Model 100 laptop. I bought mine about a year ago off Ebay, and at the time I paid about $25 for it.

And of course, it's retro- the first Model 100's rolled off the production lines back in March of 1983. My model was introduced in 1986.

The main difference between a Model 100 and the Tandy 102 is mainly cosmetic. The 102 is slightly smaller, thinner, and also more durable. The 102 also has (IMHO) a much nicer keyboard, which is not nearly as noisy as the ones on the Model 100's. The unit only weighs a couple pounds, a mere feather compared with any modern laptop.

The 102 is also built like a tank. I have dropped mine down flights of stairs, spilled boiling liquids on it, exposed it to temperatures of nearly 35 below zero in the depths of the frigid Minnesota winter, and even accidentally squashed it underneath a pile of heavy books and a couple of loaded suitcases. It still works. In fact, the thing not only works, but still looks great too!


The displays on these beasts are very nice. They aren't very big, but they are readable in almost any light, and have an easy adjustment knob which can make them readable from nearly any angle as well. This picture is a close-up of the display, which as you can see is black and white only.

These machines are also the last machines on which Bill Gates actually wrote any operating system code, and it shows. The software boots instantaneously on power up, and I have NEVER had anything crash. Ever. Take that Windows! Of course, the software is also very gracefully simple, and does alot of thing without needing to install a single piece of software. There is an address book, scheduler, text editor, a Telecom software with a simple terminal, and of course, a realtime BASIC interpreter. I use the text editor on a daily basis to take notes for all my classes. If you look closely at the picture above you can see the programs I mentioned on the menu. I have two documents displayed there too, the files that end with the extension ".DO" The file called "TEENY.CO" is my uploading software, which lets me link to a regular computer with a serial port and transfer data back and forth.

The data transfer is critical if you plan on using this machine for more than a few days, because the best the machine can handle is 32Kb of data. (yes, that's KILOBYTES, not megabytes) The data storage is in a battery-backed RAM, which can power itself for roughly a few months without being powered on. Since all you data is in RAM you never have to save- it simply stays put until you move it or delete it. So, if I'm typing away and by batteries die I don't have to worry; all my data is perfectly safe.

Furthermore, this computer is the only one I know of which can run for a full 20 hours off it's batteries. No joke. And it only uses 4 AA's. Of course, for all you green people out there you can use rechargeable batteries which are easy to recycle that way. And of course, you can also use a wall adaptor.

Of course, it also comes with everything else you'd expect from a computer of its era and lineage. It can save to a cassette drive, or an optional Tandy Portable Disk Drive, which also runs off AA batteries. It has a printer port, an RS-232 port, a 'blazingly fast' built-in 300 baud modem, and even an expansion port for a barcode reader. And of course, no laptop would be complete without an awesome leather slipcase.