Let's talk retro tech
Reject modernity, return to analog
Let's talk retro tech, or anything of the sort! What projects or hobbies are you currently working on? Are you leaning towards a crisp hi-fi sound for your turn-table (yo), or just browsing eBay for old broken tech you know you don't need? Is this submission just a cry for help, because I've found myself browsing old Bose Wave systems from days gone by?
I have a box full of old Gameboy motherboards I need to do something with (the current plan is to gift my close friends their own modded Gameboy, because seriously why can't I hold all these Gameboy motherboards). Then there's my AIWA Walkman that needs a new belt, but I've never cracked one of those open before, so we'll see. Then there's this Gameboy Camera mod that is keeping me up at night.
What about you fine folks? I thought about posting this to ~tech, but I thought ~hobbies was just as relevant, since this isn't exactly leading edge stuff (though it may be in the retro tech space!)
Not really tinkering with anything atm but I recently purchased my very first Sony PSP and PS Vita and have been having a blast. I didn't have a PSP growing up and have wanted one since 2005. Didn't get a PS Vita when it was out either and have wanted one since the NGP leaks in 2011. So, during a meeting I wasn't paying attention to a few months ago, I was browsing Ebay and found a nice looking 1000 with an IPS screen for ~$100 and full sent it. Same with the PS Vita, found a boxed 1000 for ~$120. Got set up with memory cards and purchased a few games.
(Remembers PSP when it first came out)
(Realizes that it now qualifies as retro)
(Cries in old)
Bro, tell me about it. Does that mean we’re retro too?
I think it does :( But I guess retro is in right now so maybe not all is lost!
:(
I recently felt old too when I saw this meme about kids playing their DSes at night and hiding it under the sheets as their parents came by. The comments were all asking wtf is a DS and saying that they'd do this with smartphones. Made me feel ancient haha.
I did this with a Nintendo Virtual Boy as a kid. Ohhh boy was that awkward to hide. At least it didn't produce any bright light!
Damn that hits hard :(
Lol I had one of those lights that plugged into my gameboy color and did the same thing
Niceeee, I used to have a PSP a decade back. I ended up hacking them so that I could download and use ROMs because I was a broke teenager and my parents were opposed to me playing games.
Do you have any games in particular that you're looking forward to playing?
I had a neighbor with a few PSPs a decade ago and we used to play God of War together a lot so I've been playing that mostly. Also enjoying Gran Turismo on the PSP. For the PS Vita, I looked forward to the Uncharted game and it met my expectations. It really feels just like a proper, console quality Uncharted game to me.
Very nice. I really enjoyed Patapon and the Monster Hunters on the PSP.
I never got a Vita, but I would have gotten one to play Persona 4. Ended up playing P4G when they released it on PC.
Ooh yeah, Patapon is one that I've been wanting to try out. Will definitely try it out in the near future.
Just noticed your username. Art Vandelay? That sounds like a made-up name.
Oh it's real pal. I've had a pretty wild career, started as an author, then completely shifted to imports/exports, owned a latex manufacturing company, before getting my JD and settling in Latham, MA as a judge.
Man, to have had a PSP back in the day. That definitely may be next on my list of "shit adult me wants but couldn't afford as a kid." I remember this one strategy game I saw on X-Play, and looking at my DS like I'd backed the wrong horse.
And you got a Vita! I'm jealous, lol. Apparently there's a new hack or something floating around, any word on if you'll mess with that, or just keep it stock?
I plan on messing with both of them. Installing CFW on the PSP took no effort at all but looking at the official online Vita guide is scaring me a bit haha. It's nothing too complex, just gotta click next, next, next but its more of a permanent change unlike the PSP.
There's nothing to regret we hacking a Vita. It's a permanent change, sure, but the amount of homebrew people are regularly developing for it is fantastic. Out of all my handhelds, my Vita is my favorite and the one I use the most. Here's a decent resource for homebrew
Yeah I'm mainly looking forward to using those microSD card adapters by installing CFW haha, just need to commit to it. Thanks for that gba-temp link, I'll dive into homebrew after work!
PSP homebrew scene was so rad back then, still remember I never skipped custom firmwares.
Same it was with the Wii, maybe I'll start modding my Nintendo Switch.
I want to start messing around with my switch.. but I need online to continue to work for Splatoon. I might have to source a cheap lite model for homebrew stuff.
I really want to mod my Switch but unfortunately I have a Mariko unit that's on the latest firmware :(
After messing around with my PSP, I feel a little sad about having missed the homebrew scene back in the day. But I'm glad that I'm able to experience it now.
It was like Christmas when I read on GameFAQs that someone found a buffer overflow exploit in the image viewer, and I could finally jail break mine.
Recently bought both the psp and the vita in order to get a nostalgia hit. Love both of these devices for traveling. Not to mention I love the feel of the PSP and how truly portable it is. I feel like most modern hand holds are not even remotely pocketable.
The PSP and Vita both feel amazing in the hands. I really feel like I missed out on the magic as a kid in the 2000s by having a DS instead of a PSP haha.
My favorite part is the click of the shoulder buttons on the PSP. So satisfying.
The shoulder buttons along with the satisfying sound of the UMD drive opening on my 1000 model are my favorite parts too!
The PSP is my favorite console of all time and I got a retroid pocket 3+ exclusively to play PSP games. Been really enjoying it as it lets you run PPSSPP with most of games at 3x resolution and you can easily load in HD texture and right analog mods.
Really wish I still had my vita though, some of the homebrew ports for it are insane. And I quite like the catalog on it too, lots of cool indies and fighting games
Do you have Muramasa for the Vita? If so, how is it? It's a shame they haven't ported that one to anything else because it looks excellent.
It was for the wii originally! One of my favourites on both platforms though
sold my gameboy Micro 3 years ago, prolly should’ve kept it, it is incredibly rare these days
Oh man that's gotta hurt. The Gameboy Micro has always fascinated me and reminds me of how much of an idiot I was as a kid. I still remember my mom taking me to some store to buy either a Gameboy Micro (the Famicom edition no less) or a DS Lite and I ended up choosing the DS Lite. I really enjoyed the DS growing up but man do I regret not getting the special edition GB Micro.
The Vita is such an amazing console, especially with custom firmware and a SD card converter (so you don't have to use a Sony overpriced memory card). Perfect size to just slip in your pocket or bag!
I have a PSP sitting around too, but haven't tried turning it on in years as I don't have a charger. Still have all my UMDs as well!
I'm absolutely loving the Vita so far! It's compact but has a great library of games (even if it's not the largest). The UI feels smooth and the OLED screen on my 1000 looks gorgeous. I'll definitely be installing some CFW to use microSD cards since I only have an 8gb memory card.
CFW on the Vita makes everything so much better. Overclocking, emulators (N64, SNES, Retroarch, etc.), ports (Half-Life, Doom, etc.), native PSP and PS1 support through Adrenaline (including support for old PSP CFW plugins and homebrew), SD2Vita (some over on r/vitahacks a while ago managed to get up to 2tb on a Vita...) and a lot, lot more. I miss my Vita :(
A lot of emulators work really well with CFW, and the built in support for PS1 games is amazing!
Oh man, I hadn't even thought about running emulators, need to look into that. The PS1 support is phenomenal, threw a few ISOs on my SD card on my PSP and it worked flawlessly so I'm not surprised it's just as good on the Vita.
It's not super old fashioned but I have an old ThinkPad I've been considering corebooting and using as a (mostly) libre machine!
Thank you for introducing me to coreboot! I didn't even know it was a thing.
Coreboot is so cool! If you like that, also have a look into libreboot, it's also an awesome project!
The Coreboot web page describes a corebooted PC as "unbrickable." What's the bricking risk of installing it in the first place?
I can't really give you a good answer, since it depends on the laptop you have. On laptops with serial programmable flash, it's not super risky since you can always reflash it. However, you still need to be careful to install the clip for the programmer in the correct orientation.
Some laptops also let you install coreboot as a bios update, which makes it pretty easy.
Thank you! Certainly merits further investigation--right after I investigate setting up a Friendica instance for family and close friends.
I've never heard of Friendica before—is that like federated Facebook or something?
That's my understanding of it, yes. But that's all I know about it so far.
Neato! Good luck with getting your instance set up!
Thinkpads are so fun to mod. I got a lot of enjoyment out of modding a x230. I put in a x220 korean keyboard and added a screen from a Dell XPS 13 laptop with the help of someone else's hobby project board that steals some PCI lanes to allow for more bandwidth to the monitor. Add a windows 95 skinned linux os and it felt retro AF.
Wow that sounds like a fun setup! Could you link that project board? I have a few ideas that might be fun to try.
(Possibly a tricked out 8 year old Chromebook lol)
Here's the ye' old
x230x330AThe PCB I added was the Ali Express variant but I would suggest finding a different one if possible. The instructions were nonexistent for that board. Having a pre-cut screen case also made this job much easier. If you notice in my photo, the case says x330a. That was a pre-built piece I found on AliExpress.
Edit: If you can find one, Nitrocaster's seems much better.
That is so cool. I love the display conversion. I'll have to keep my eye open on that page, thanks for the links! :)
I've been into retro gaming lately and even though I can emulate on my pc or even set up a raspberry pi for emulation or whatever, I'm tempted to buy a SNES. I never had one as a kid and I've been kind of into SNES games lately, but my wallet would not be very happy with me.
Also, that Gameboy camera mod you posted is amazing. That looks so cool!!
There definitely is something to having the physical hardware in your hands, though I'm not sure what part of my lizard brain is the actual cause, lol. I know that I'm able to emulate any retro game I want, but there's just "something" in putting in the cartridge, pushing the power switch, hearing the "thunk" and watching the screen come on. There's just a certain satisfaction to it. Heh, and I'm just now realizing that I'm rehashing a topic that's been said for decades, with cassettes and vinyl records and such.
Even though I have it on other devices, playing FF1 on the NES, bugs and all, is still somehow a more enjoyable experience for me.
Yeah, there is something there that makes having the real thing more enjoyable. Going off your example of music, I had a few years where I was listening to and buying 100+ digital albums a year (and hitting 300 one year) and eventually I just got burnt out on music. I got into vinyl and it completely revitalized my love of music.
I'm not burnt out on gaming at all, but having the real physical thing can make a difference to our brains, somehow, over just having a digital representation of the exact same thing.
I remember watching a few videos regarding this! It boils down to the old tech generally performing better when paired with the outputs it was designed for.
For example, consider the common example of plugging an SNES console to a modern flat screen LCD with 4K output, and using an RCA to HDMI converter to top everything off. You would assume that it would look and perform better on modern hardware, right? But when you power on the device, the image looks clean but… not as great as you remember. You might also feel like your reflexes are not anywhere near as good as they once were, on a game you spent countless hours playing before. You might chalk it up to just getting old and wearing rose tinted glasses.
However… it’s not your fault! Because on modern hardware, the image IS worse and your reflexes ARE being hindered!
Why? Well when you connect an old console to a new TV, it literally takes the video feed, manipulates a copy of the feed so that it’s compatible with your higher resolutions, applies other changes (depending on the manufacturer) and then FINALLY outputs the picture so you can see it. This process does not take long to occur, in the grand scheme of things, but it does take long enough to cause a delay between the moment you click the button on the controller and the moment you see the character start to jump on the TV. This delay literally causes the system to feel sluggish. If you manage to play the same game in a tube TV, you will definitely notice the gameplay feels snappy and responsive because the delay between the button press and the reaction on screen is much smaller BECAUSE the old TVs just output the video signal directly instead of processing it first. They call this latency!
Not only that, but the games often look better because in modern flat screens, the pixels don’t bleed light over one another. Each pixel looks sharp and stands alone. At first glance you would think that pixels that bleed light into one another would produce a worse image, but here’s the kicker… because the game developers were actually counting on the pixels to bleed into one another, they would exploit this “hardware fault” and use clever pixel arrangements in their graphics to SIMULATE BLENDED COLORS and create visual effects, such as making a waterfall look see-through or a sunset look spectacular. So when you use a super sharp modern display, the pixels no longer “blend” and you end up with a duller looking image, completely missing out on the intended effect!
Not to mention no ghosting artifacts on the old TV’s, better refresh rates etc, original aspect ratios… it’s fascinating stuff!!
It's definitely far less straight forward than most people think, although it should be noted there are means of getting around basically every single one of the issues with modern TVs and retro consoles for what ends up being a great experience. Best bet for retro gear on a modern TV is to get an external analog to digital converter of some sort (Or mod the console for digital output and just use an upscaler) along with one of the more recent TVs that has gaming as a bigger focus with the inclusion of Freesync and higher refresh rates than were ever common even on CRT TVs but by far the most important, a low latency mode for at least some of the inputs that does minimal or even no processing on the image.
With that said, you can still get away with other much cheaper combos if you do your research: I run a PS1 and PS2 through an el cheapo 4k TV with decent results in terms of latency and image quality thanks to a no-name brand converter box I got from eBay, most of those boxes tend to be shite in terms of quality but some of them are decent budget options even from a latency standpoint; if I got an OSSC the biggest benefit would be the less muddy picture and being able to plug my SNES into it as well. (Which is pointless until I get some games or an SDCard reading cart for it)
Oh I hear you! There are absolutely things you can do to make retro perform better on modern displays. I’ve also seen some amazing things being done with certain retro emulators that produce lower latency than what you can achieve with a console and CRT combo!
All I meant with my original comment was that the experience of using an old gaming console on a new-ish television without the aid of upscalers or conversion hardware is a completely different experience than using the same console on an originally intended display. There’s just a look and feel to CRT that is very difficult to reproduce on LCD, more than just latency.
It’s one of those things that happens in other mediums as well! I remember recently that people implored Disney to fix the aspect ratio of the Simpsons on Disney+ because a lot of the visual gags in older episodes were accidentally lost by chopping some of the screen to fit modern aspect ratios! Similar things also happened in some musical albums where streaming services accidentally removed hidden tracks on records, etc where an old format loses something when translated to the new format. I always felt that the old consoles lost a certain something on newer displays, but I always figured it was just nostalgia of not being on an old tube TV, not actual latency or image detail!
I’ve actually considered buying an old CRT just for retro gaming, but then I remember how huge those things actually are and I lose the itch rather quickly!
You can get all kinds of repros on AliExpress for pretty cheap and if you just want to play the games, not collect, that's the way to go.
You can also get an EverDrive, which is damn expensive, but you can play (almost) every SNES game with roms on it.
All that said, the ideal way to play for me is to emulate on one of my handhelds. You can pick up all kinds of Retro Emulation Handhelds (Retroid Pocket 3+, Miyoo Mini Plus, Anbernic 35xx, just to name a couple) for fairly cheap, all of which can emulate up to PS1 perfectly and some, even further, like Dreamcast, GameCube, etc. I love that I can just whip them out of my pocket anywhere in the house and start playing something.
Yeah, I've been considering a Miyoo Mini for a while. I think I might still have a Sega Genesis and N64 at my mom's house, so if I did want to have actual copies of retro consoles and games, I'm already off to a good start, which is why I was thinking of an actual SNES instead of emulation, but you're right that there are so many good emulator machines these days that it's almost silly to buy the real deal unless I specifically want to collect.
There's some boon in that playing with a CRT perfectly replicates the experience and keeps the graphical flourishes intact.
I also got the itch a couple of years ago and picked up a somewhat beat-up SNES and did my best to restore it, it was a fun project. I picked up a few games for it, an FXPack Pro and a CRT, but frankly, I never actually use it. Rarely do I have the time or the patience to sit and game for long periods, so the lack of suspend and save states just kills my interest in using it; not to mention, being tied to a particular spot in the house.
You might be different, but for me, retro emulation just fits into my life better, in spite of the benefits of actual hardware.
That looks like a fun project, to have restored that console! Thanks for sharing!
And yeah, save states are the bomb. I've been playing a few SNES games on my switch and they can enhance so many games.
I maintain SNES is the best gaming console of all time.
Any favorite games? The Donkey Kong Country series (esp 3) gave me and my partner many hours of couch coop enjoyment. ChronoTrigger was a big winner for me too.
Honestly there's never a bad time to reply Super Mario World and all the DKC games.
Once the world got better graphics, the focus was less on gameplay and more on things that look cool.
Now everything is an FPS and honestly, I just missed the fun little side-scrolling platformer.
I have very fond memories of dumping countless hours into Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Mario World, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Zelda LTTP, Turtles in Time…. So many good titles!
Yeah, retro tech!
I love DOS stuff. I have limited space at home, so a decent chunk of my retro tech is "integrated" into my modern / day-to-day tech stuff as can be seen in this somewhat-out-of-date pic of my "home office"
I've written about both of the retro PC builds pictured here and here. But the TL;DR is one is a Pentium MMX 233Mhz, 64MB, Matrox Mystique + 3dfx Voodoo2 and the other is a somewhat more classic 486DX2 66Mhz build.
I do game on these systems, but I also enjoy programming on them using all era-appropriate tools on the systems themselves (as opposed to cross compiling on a modern system and/or using DOSBox as I think many people today would prefer... I've never been a fan of this myself!). A couple years ago I wrote some semi-crappy game in Turbo Pascal. I've been itching to do another real soon.
I also fiddle a very small bit with Amiga stuff, but Amiga's are not something I grew up with, so it's more of a curiosity to me. I was born in '84 so I missed these by a few years (my family's first PC was a DOS/Win3.1 386 system).
Finally, I do some retro gaming and am big into CRTs. I have all my old childhood gaming systems and games still (so happy I was never one to sell off my old games!) and have cleaned them up, done recapping where needed, replaced savegame batteries, modded where needed for RGB video output, etc etc.
Those towers are absolutely beautiful! I think I may have actually bought that exact monitor yesterday... Is that a Dell Trinitron UltraScan? I'm running a Matrox Mystique as well in a system with a Cyrix 486DX2 80MHz. I'm very lucky to have space for a dedicated 90s desk.
I game a little bit on it, but mostly I'm into collecting old "multimedia" software of the time like encyclopedias, cookbooks, educational titles, home and garden stuff, etc. I kind of use that desk as a refuge where I can go read and take notes without distraction and look up high quality, professionally edited information without worrying about future problems like low-effort ad bait and SEO spam.
I was hoping to get a case with a Turbo display but it didn't work out that way, so I ended up doing an Arduino project to make a little interactive one that flips between processor logos for the speed it's at, then after a timeout does the starfield screensaver.
If you ever need another random obscure old tech to dive into, I've been having a lot of fun lately with an old WebTV. There's a group that's reverse-engineered the server side of that service to the point where they're nearly ready to release a faithful reconstruction of it that you can dial into on original hardware (connected to a Raspberry Pi pretending to be phone line). Happy to share a discord invite for that community if anyone sees this and has one of those old boxes kicking around.
Oh my, that 90's desk of yours is absolutely exquisite. Even the chair really speaks to the era (though perhaps a bit older). It reminds me that I gotta try to pick up that same type of form-factor case, as I've been missing the "computer under the monitor" set up. ;-) I like your idea of it being a distraction-free environment, and it sounds like you've been successful at it. I try to treat my retro set up that way too, but since the modern systems are literally within arms reach of it, my mind finds it a ton easier to wander, heh. It'll be a real challenge to try to fit another small desk anywhere in my home, but I really want to attempt it.
None of the CRT VGA monitors which I have are Dell's actually. The ones I have are a Sony CPD-100SX, Sony CPD-210GS (what I currently use), and a Samsung Syncmaster 763MB.
I need to tell you that your custom Arduino turbo-display-alternative is glorious. I feel like there's just a ton of possibilities there once you've figured out how to mount a small Arduino in there. The fact that it has its own screensaver is the cherry on top, lol. I love it!
Interesting about the WebTV stuff. I love that people are doing this. I did not ever have one of those myself. For myself, since Raspberry Pi's have composite video out built-in (or had? at least my Pi 3B+ has one) something I've been thinking about doing is setting it up with one of my bigger CRT TV's with a 90's TV playlist on it. Feels like it might be a fun thing to have anyway!
Ah, it's the Sony CPD-210GS I think I was looking at. Taking a look at other images the button panel is different, but it looked super similar at first glance to my Dell D1025HT with the square lip and power button placement and shape.
That Sony PVM you've got hooked to the Amiga is incredible. I'd love to have one, but I don't think I could live with the price unless I stumble across one at an estate sale where the seller doesn't know or care what it is. Always wanted to try out an Amiga too, but just haven't had the time to dive down that whole rabbit hole yet. About 90% of the stuff at my retro desk is just thrift store and Craigslist finds, and it sort of grows on a "when it happens it happens" basis.
Right now I've got a second computer for that desk ready to build, but have been holding off until a friend visits since they want the whole retro build experience. I'm hoping it will be able to run 98, but the hardware might be a little too hot for that--it would be right on the edge of what might still work. It's possible I just put Windows Me on it just because who the hell builds a Windows Me machine.
If you ever feel the need to replicate the turbo display, I did a whole writeup on it and stuck the code on Github. It's really a cinch to put together and is a whole lot easier than finding a working turbo display (basically impossible) if you ever end up with a case that's missing one.
Oh yeah the PVMs are nice, but truthfully, I think one of the older Commodore monitors that you'd have seen people use with Amiga's back in the day would make me happier. Haha. Though I've read anecdotal reports that they weren't super reliable. Meh. I was a bit lucky in retrospect with the PVMs that I have, as I was able to find them ~8-10 years ago before the prices exploded (what I paid for them at the time was "bad", but compared to today, the prices I paid were "amazing").
That 14" PVM I use with the Amiga (and other stuff) I picked up locally from some older gentleman who ran his own home video production studio back in the 90's / early 2000's. He told me he bought this PVM for use specifically in a recording booth to show lyrics on. Apparently he didn't use it for more than a year before finding some alternative. I guess the PVM was sitting in a box in his basement since that time, so when I got it, it really did look "like new."
Let me just say that I fully support your future Windows Me build. lol. I do remember hating on it just like everyone else did at the time, but in retrospect, I can't help but think that it suffered the same problem that Windows Vista did where people ran it with not-totally-great hardware drivers and other non-ideal configurations. I remember I migrated very quickly to a pirated copy of Windows 2000 Professional back then and was infinitely happier.
Thanks for the link to your write-up on the Arduino Turbo display stuff you did. I've bookmarked it for later reference. Arduino's are one of those things I've always looked at and thought "this is neat, but I have no idea what I'd do with one of these." I see people building things with them but none of those projects ever really seems to catch my interest so I've never had reason to dive in. Your turbo display project feels like that thing to me finally, heh.
Amiga stuff is fun to toy with, but it has such a huge cult following that it's all expensive. Especially so anything to do with Amiga 1200, 2000, 3000, and 4000. I went with an Amiga 600 purely because it is nice and small. And I think they look amazing, and the software compatibility is decent enough for me. I wanted to use it more as a retro-coding station than anything else anyway.
Done Recently:
fixed a turntable that wouldn't spin (still needs a replacement rubber idler but it's not a popular brand so finding one is difficult) and replaced the needle wiring.
replaced integrated controller for Magnavox Odyssey II
replaced belts on CD-i disk opener
refurbed some old O-guage track (still needs testing)
To do:
replace some buttons on an AKIA reciever
diganose and repair old Lionel loco that doesn't run or produce smoke.
fabricate a disk try for a CD-i and eject lever for a CED player via 3D printing. They're a lot more complex than I anticipated so the work is going slowly.
recap stereo console
Not actually doing at the moment, but I've had an itch for a while to pull some of the old stuff out. From gamboys and a PSP, a Dreamcast with tons of games, a turntable I need to figure out what's wrong with, and other projects...
Somewhat related, and you may already be familiar, but if you like retro I'd recommend checking out Technology Connections on YouTube.
Technology Connections is one of my favorite YouTubers. The man can somehow make a 40 minute video on car blinkers interesting, entertaining, and informative.
Technology Connections is one of two channels of which I have watched every single video. (The other being Primitive Technology.)
If you haven’t checked out Cathode Ray Dude, I think he has a similar video-essay vibe as Tech Connections. Maybe not as refined, but he’s a great dude and finds interesting tech to tell stories about.
I have a Core i5-7200u laptop which broke in multiple places, I've been thinking of ways to 3d print it an enclosure where I can run a super low power Plex Server off of it. Currently I use an i3-7100 desktop that doesn't draw too much power, but even so the laptop core would be nearly 1/4 of the power draw. I don't share my Plex so I'm reasonably certain it would be able to handle my library just fine.
It's not exactly "retro" but it's the oldest tech I'm playing with right now - even my record player is newer!
That would be a much better for my use case than what I'm current using...
I have a Core i7-5820k w/ a GTX960 running my PLEX server. It's severely overkill but it was my boyfriend's old computer before he upgraded.
I'm sure that laptop could handle even a couple streams just fine.
Haha, don't get me started on what I was using before I repurposed my old PC for parts - I had my gaming desktop with a 12400F and 6700 XT running it.
Yeah I figure, if I ever want to offer more people or screens streaming ability, it's as simple as turning on hardware encoding even if there's a small loss in quality. QSV is... fine, but I definitely prefer a good software encode while I can swing it.
Not super active at the moment, but I do have a sizable record collection (eclectic, with classical, easy listening, pipe organ, and more, including a couple hundred 78s), as well as an Audio-Technica AT-LP120 turntable, which goes into an 8-port RCA audio-video switch and then to a stereo amplifier with two stereo speaker channels (the other ports are for the TV, radio tuner, CD changer, and a couple aux cords around my living room).
At some point, I'd love to have a cassette deck (have several tapes still) and an 8-track deck.
I have been working on a couple of retro and retroish tech.
I have a Powerbook 170 in gorgeous shape that unfortunately had it's hinge stand offs break, so it's in a ton of pieces. I got someone to 3D print replacement parts that someone had available on Thingiverse about two years ago. I became very busy with college, and had to put it on the back burner. However, I have a few weeks before my summer classes start, so I have been gathering the pieces together.
My 2 part epoxy somehow leaked all over my drawer, so I have to wait a day or two to get more epoxy so I can glue the hinge fix on. The screen is SO much nicer on the 170 compared to my 140.
The less retro part is a pink 2nd gen iPod Mini I have received all the parts for. The hard drive and battery are shot, so I'm going to flash mod it, even though I won't really be using it. I plan on getting the back of it signed by the two members of one of my favorite bands this week, and then I'll seal it with a clear coat.
I am on the lookout for a 1st gen iPod Mini in gold to get signed by the three members of Set It Off as well, but people want stupid money for that color.
Not so much retro but lately I've been 3d printing lightboxes and using led strip lights to light them up. Started with my eldest daughter's name now getting better at it and working my other kids and a few different designs. Hoping to get better to integrate some I/O devices.
I happened to come into possession of an old Model M keyboard. The datestamp on the back reads
28MAY87. This antique is 36 years old, but it is built solid as a rock, and is still going strong. Not one key fails to do its job. I realize that keyboard technology has come a long way, what with base keyboard frames and custom switches and keycaps of various kinds to suit anyone's taste in appearance, sound, travel distance, and feel, but I have a thing for old things, and I'm proud to have and use this every day.I had a Model M keyboard many years ago, and I actually got rid of it. As enjoyable as it was to use, I never did because it would irritate anyone in earshot with how loud it was.
I'll admit that is a factor for some people's situations, but it isn't for me, so I happily clickety clack away. I mute on video calls when I type.
Are iPods considered retro now? Have to be right?
I bought an iPod classes on eBay recently, and put in 1TB of storage, upgraded the battery and put a new faceplate on it. Look great.
I also had a preorder for the Analogue pocket but ended up canceling due to the lack of communication from the company and them just sitting on my money for over a year. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to getting one.
The entire sequence around Analogue Pocket has only made me sure that it isn't for me. It looks so appealing on paper but there are lots of issues throughout the supply chain which prompted me to just make my own handheld with a Rpi.
I was lucky enough to get my Analogue Pocket in the first batch. It's a great little system, but honestly upgrading a GBA SP is probably the way to go. The controls and build quality of the Pocket just feel...cheap.
I'm not sure I would call it "retro", but I live inside Emacs, browse Gopher, daily drive a Thinkpad X230 - which is eleven years old now - have a few older systems hanging around (2007-2010), play GBA on an handheld emulator, and am actually still using a Palm m125.
I am eyeing a lot of older tech - I would love a Mavica FD, if only because of how impractical it would be - but I can't unfortunately justify its price tag to myself (yet!). Still, I would like to get a typewriter one of these days.
I'll be honest, I had never heard of Gopher, but just downloaded Gophie on Linux and love it. I was born in the 90s so when I had my first computer I had missed this era, but always loved CLI driven interfaces.
What do you use the Palm for? I was a HUGE Palm fan. The first apps and games I ever coded were on a black and white Palm Pilot (can't remember the specific model). Later my parents got me a Tungsten E upgrade. Had a foldable keyboard that I'd lay on the back seat of the car and code with OnboardC. Lost the keyboard, but the Tungsten E still works!
I am also a daughter of the nineties, and grew up with the web, but gopher had a resurgence in the last decade, and it is quite active nowadays.
You might see people talk about Gemini, which is another protocol - much more recent - inspired by Gopher, which builds on TLS and a custom, limited line-oriented markup language. For that, you might want to try Lagrange and start from its own capsule.
It is mostly as a reminder of how little computing power is actually needed to achieve a given goal: it is ridiculously constrained - it doesn't even have persistent storage! - and yet still usable after two decades.
I also like how immediately accessible its interface is, especially in the base apps. I especially like its PIM features, and I like the fact that they are completely offline: I use it to log contacts, tasks, manage my timetable, take quicknotes, and play Space Trader. Also, I can use its IR transceiver to mess with the projector in my classroom (I am a teacher, and it is mine to use, but doing so with a 21-years old PDA is objectively cooler than doing so with the remote).
It is just a cool piece of hardware, and despite all its warts it makes me nostalgic for a future that never was.
Woah Gemini is straight up incredible. I LOVE the idea of Gopher with Markdown. Consistent, predictable layouts make these pages easy to navigate and is probably great for accessibility. Letting the client choose the stylesheet that the markdown is rendered with makes things like "Dark mode" and custom fonts so easy. Honestly you've made my day, this is the coolest thing I've seen in ages! I've been increasingly frustrated with how over-complicated and anti-user we've made the internet, so this is super refreshing.
Also, charging up my Palm Pilot, going to give it a shot as a task list. Space Trader was a great game! One of my favorites was Warfare Inc, blew my mind playing a full RTS game (with voice acting I think?) on a handheld.
I've been getting back into photography with a "real" camera. I say "real" in scare quotes because I use digicams and mirrorless cameras instead of film. I know my smartphone takes great photos but I almost always prefer the camera output, no matter if the camera is shittier or better. I've been getting my Micro Four Thirds kit set up and I love how small and portable it is. I know it's supposedly a "dead" system but hey, that means cheaper gear for me.
I currently live abroad in a country where used cameras, lenses etc are SUPER cheap. I'm moving away next month so I'm stocking up on camera equipment ahead of time. I figure that if the hobby doesn't pan out, I'll sell it off on MPB and won't lose money -- in fact, I'll make a small profit because, again, secondhand gear is really cheap here.
Which country?
China
Do you have any recommended places for used lenses/cameras? I went to the photo malls in Shanghai and was never sure if I was getting scammed.
I'm told that the massive Xing Guang photo equipment building in Huangpu is amazing but I've never been, despite it being in my neighborhood. I have done all my camera/lens shopping on the Xianyu 闲鱼 app aka the ebay-esque offshoot of Taobao. You just have to be really careful looking at the photos of the products. Also, in order to cover their backs, the sellers tend to send good photo/video of the product before shipping it. I've never had a bad transaction so far.
Ahh yeah Xing Guang was the place I had checked out. Never tried 閒魚 before, will have to check it out. Person to person used stuff in China is a major hidden gem I think — everyone always seems to avoid secondhand.
Browsing through some listings now, things look very promising. Thanks for the tip! Was previously using the apps in WeChat for used stuff but availability was quite spotty there.
No active retro projects (got some arduino learning/tinkering on the horizon though), but I've got some retro tech here in my office:
TI-99/4a computer: It's kind of useless because I don't have any cartridges for it and while I do have an archive of all of the software available via cassette, I've had very little luck with it. Lots of failures several minutes into reads. I'm even using a TI-branded cassette player to record/play with the origin cables. It's just so time-consuming that I lose interest in playing with it fairly quickly.
Victrola Phonograph: I don't know the exact model off-hand, but I was gifted it by my in-laws, along with quite a few records. My favorite is Bing Crosby's "Don't Fence Me In" and "Pistol Pack'n Mama" with the Andrews Sisters. Admittedly my primary motivation was to acquire more music from the Fallout series, which is where I know those songs from.
Misc. Video Game Consoles: I've got a PS2, GC, X360 (not sure if that's retro yet), a NES, and others somewhere in here. I went all-in on buying retro consoles/games a few years ago, but tbh I don't ever play them. Emulation is considerably easier and close-enough to the real thing. Definitely keeping the Gamecube though because it is my original GC I got in my teens. But even then, it's often easier to run those games on a Wii.
I don't have a lot of retro tech in my possession, but in the past I retrofitted my Gameboy Color with a backlit LCD screen (found through an 8bitguy video, love that dude!).
Future projects I want to do are building a Gameboy emulator in C, and building an NES emulator in C
I think the only retro thing I have is a Gameboy Micro. It was my first ever game console, and I only found it recently after being lost for over a decade. It’s surprisingly sturdy- the battery is still intact, and the buttons are perfectly functional. For such a small little thing, they sure made it invincible.
I bought a few JPN pokemon GBAs since the EN ones are either bootlegs or insanely expensive. I've been trying to hunt for a Minish Cap but no luck so far.
I've been seriously considering buying an old Commodore 64 (and 1541 disk drive) so I can relive some of the days of my youth. I had one back when I was a kid and what I learned during countless hours spent on that little machine eventually propelled me to a CompSci degree and career in software development.
My original C64 is long gone, but it sure would be fun to use one again (I have tried several of the C64 emulators, and as good as they are, it's just not the same as using the real hardware).
I actually have one of those old 1541 disk drives, but no Commodore 64. I'm not sure if it works or not because when I found it there was no power cord. I've also been thinking of getting a C64 for some retro-computing fun.
Take that plunge and get that C64! (If you can reasonably afford it!) This is exactly how I feel with my Gameboy games and my records, there is just something in my weird little lizard brain that craves the physical media.
That's so cool that it helped springboard you into CS! I'm sure there's an enormity of homebrew content you can do with a Commodore these days, though I never owned one myself.
Collecting and repairing VHS players. Laserdisc players. Tape decks etc. Something so much more satisfying about owning media rather than streaming
Oh man, that is awesome! I'm quite jealous of the TV, it reminds me of the one I used to watch Pokemon back at my mamaw's house. Time to check out eBay...
I'm definitely with you on turning it into something for a retro gaming room / setup. You could always gut it and place another monitor inside, maybe with curved plexi glass to simulate the old CRT look. A 1960s Addams Family themed cat bed sure is a hard thing to compete with though. Decisions abound!
PS, your cat is lovely!
If you haven’t already, read up on the dangers of the CRT internals. The capacitors inside hold a lot of energy and touching the emitter on the tube can also be a painful experience. It’s best to some thorough research before opening one up.
That said, it’s funny to read people are still enjoying them. I was so glad when I finally got rid of the last one. The flickering and the high frequency audible static make me very happy I don’t have one anymore. The memories of those times are enough for me.
I bought a used Gameboy Color and started collecting Gameboy games a couple of years ago. The Gameboy Color was great, and I even modded it with an IPS screen.
Then I bought an original Gameboy DMG and found I enjoyed that even more, even in its original form. There's something magical about that green dot matrix display and the weird ghosting it has with high-speed movement.
It also just feels great - oversized, and heavy. Durable.
Unfortunately the original DMG screens tend to go bad, and there are no aftermarket replacements that work exactly the same.
If you have a DMG with an intact screen, hold onto it! The way things are looking, they won't last forever.
Screen rot is real.
I started modding Gameboys a few years ago as well; got a little bored with it and kind of stopped, however. But my friend gave me a totally broken DMG, which I've managed to partially repair so far, but just haven't spent any more time on it. I do think that one has some lines in the screen as well, unfortunately. I should just finish that and replace the screen, given that it's otherwise unusable and sitting in my desk.
I've been debating whether or not to sell all my Gameboys. I love them as artefacts, but that's about the extent of it; I played with them for awhile, but at this point, I think I'd rather emulate GB/GBC/GBA on one of my other systems. My Gameboys, again, tend to just sit in my desk and don't get played, but I feel attached to them after doing all the work to them.
I recently modded a Raspberry Pi into a Gameboy Pocket shell and loaded RetroPie on it. This way I get to enjoy my games but in a better screen and battery.
Parts were all purchased from AliExpress, and TBH I would recommend something like an Anbernic instead if you are not the type to solder thing.
I got a 3D Printer over the winter and my first big project was building a Gameboy Advanced SP SLAB. This project took a fairly decent amount of soldering extremely small wires to an Advanced SP motherboard, and of course I had to upgrade to an IPS screen, new speakers, and all that jazz. Overall it was well worth doing this project because I loved the system as a kid, I liked the form factor of the OG gameboy, and paired with an Everdrive I get so much use out of my little custom SP.
Funny story; So, in order to give the SP the form factor I wanted I had to flip the button board around, and in order to do that I had to get custom button board PCBs made to re-route the buttons to the face of the case. The guy whose designs I uses, Xepher, used to sell the PCBs, but no longer has any in stock. I contacted him. He told me to take his PCB design files and use JCBPCB, a manufacturer out of China, to get the boards made for the project. I was dreading the inevitable cost. It turns out that as a first time buyer, coupled with a coupon code, JBCPCB could make & ship me 5 Gameboy Advanced SP SLAP button PCBs for a total cost of $4.72. Crazy! I only needed one, but five was rhe min, but at that price I didn't care. So, if anyone else is interested in doing that project, get in touch with me and I'll hook you up with the button board.
IDK if this is what you had in mind, but I regularly use a sewing machine that was made in 1975. Probably sewing itself is seen as retro.
Nope, but I sure am glad you posted! That's awesome! I always loved seeing people's dresses or shirts float to the top of /r/all. What sorts of things do you like to sew?
I've been researching taking broken old radios and converting them into bluetooth/airplay speakers. My inspiration is that we have a good bit of antique furniture in our house and I thought it'd be neat to hide some modern tech in plain sight. If anyone has any experience I'd love to hear it.
I don't have too much in the way of retro tech immediately at hand, mainly just a 400Mhz PowerBook G3 and an Apple Extended Keyboard II.
Back at my parents' house there's a fair deal more, some of which was acquired by my family back when it was new… a Mac LC 575, a Performa 6400/200 with Multiple Scan 15" monitor, a 400Mhz indigo iMac DV, and a 1Ghz "Pixar lamp" iMac G4. One of these days I'd like to move some of those to my house but it's a cross-country trip so I'm not sure when it'll happen.
After watching This Does Not Compute's YouTube minidoc on the minidisc I'm a bit tempted to grab a player and a few discs but so far have resisted being sucked down the rabbithole.
I have a couple old arcade boards I need to do something with. I have everything I need for the Ms. Pacman, just need to assemble a cabinet for it.
The other board is Bubble Bobble. I have enough switches and joysticks but still need to source a good screen and artwork for the eventual cabinet.
Recently I was tinkering with an old IBM ThinkPad T42 and I ended up with installing Windows 98 to once again experience one of my favorite operating systems ever. I find it pretty cool that Lenovo still has all Windows 98 drivers on their website so it was a painless install. I use it mostly to launch old games I couldn't run properly on newer OS (eg. NFS: Porsche) and nostalgia trips with software I have used over 20 years ago. In the future I might want to replace its old HDD with IDE2SD but for now it works good enough.
That's really interesting! I wonder if they have the drivers for legacy systems for professional use?
I did a lot of my youthful YA writing on an old IBM Thinkpad that was gifted to me by my uncle, but one day it just stopped working. I ought to see if I can find that thing when I visit my parents this weekend. It was a little suitcase of a computer, but man did I love that thing.
I really enjoy using RPN calculators. I have an HP 32sII that I bought off ebay in 2006. The calculator itself is a joy to use; the feedback of the buttons is amazing and with RPN I can do arithmetic incredibly fast. It's a programmable calculator and back in college I had programmed some physics equations I used regularly. Programming in RPN only able to see one line at a time is...interesting.
I also use RealCalc with RPN setting on my phone for when I'm on the go. At this point, I'm not actually sure I could use a standard calculator without constantly messing up.
Recently got an IBM 3477 working with Linux through this project (https://github.com/inmbolmie/5250_usb_converter) which is pretty rad so far - I've been using it hooked up to my desktop for reading email & writing cover letters. I've also been getting some nice CRTs and setup for gaming & general usage (Currently just 2 VGA monitors, one mid-2000s and one late 90s). The current one I'm leaving on the desk is an LG Studioworks 700s (the mid-2000s model), which works wonderfully so far for playing genesis stuff (either emulated or through a converter box to VGA!), but that's all I've got lately. At SOME point I'd really like to track down a real Amiga to play with, or maybe another hardware terminal (Any of the DEC vt series have been my white whale for a few years now), but I'm pretty happy with my current hoard
I really wish we would see more electronics in retro tech style. It seemed (to me at least) that tech was more approachable and usable back then due to haptics and design choices.
I absolutely love retro PC's and gaming consoles but I just don't have space for it! I have several old computers and consoles in storage and I really want to use them but I just can't put them anywhere and have them hooked up.
The simplicity, reliability and repairability of retro tech is amazing. Our new house came with a surround sound system that's about 15 years old and everything works perfectly (and sounds amazing). I doubt a modern WiFi connected receiver I could buy at Costco would last that long.