Nostr notes by Gammitin (Ben) 💾

IBM OS/2 Warp 4 ...

2026-08-29T20:58:04Z

IBM OS/2 Warp 4

Amstrad PPC640 [1987] CPU: NEC V30 8 Mhz CPU MEM: 640k RAM ...

2026-08-18T05:00:09Z

Amstrad PPC640 [1987]
CPU: NEC V30 8 Mhz CPU
MEM: 640k RAM ('all you'll ever need')
STORAGE: Dual 720kb DD Floppy Drives

Apricot PC Xi (1984) ...

2026-08-18T00:00:23Z

Apricot PC Xi (1984)

Countless hours of fun in the 90's! ...

2026-08-17T12:00:45Z

Countless hours of fun in the 90's!

CTX 19" Sony FD Trinitron CRT - Sun Microsystems - Sun Ultra ...

2026-08-14T20:58:36Z

CTX 19" Sony FD Trinitron CRT
-
Sun Microsystems - Sun Ultra 1 Enterprise
-
Solaris 8 (SunOS 5.8) UNIX

I made an Eclipse collage of photos I took using a floppy disk as ...

2026-08-12T18:59:00Z

I made an Eclipse collage of photos I took using a floppy disk as a filter 💾 ☀️🌙
(until the clouds came over 😊)

I'm compiling the Mesa 21.3.9 Amber branch to build legacy ...

2026-07-31T18:07:06Z

I'm compiling the Mesa 21.3.9 Amber branch to build legacy classic DRI drivers (r200_dri.so) for the ATI Radeon R200 in this iBook G4. Modern Linux might have dropped classic DRI support, but custom builds save the day. Goodbye llvmpipe, hello hardware acceleration! 🛠️🐧💻

Today marks 20 years since Intel's Core 2 Duo launched, ...

2026-07-27T22:40:42Z

Today marks 20 years since Intel's Core 2 Duo launched, here's a MacBook2,1 powered by the same CPU, back when Apple was making the switch over.

German battery maker Varta files insolvency applications. ...

2026-07-24T21:57:14Z

German battery maker Varta files insolvency applications.
https://www.reuters.com/business/german-battery-maker-varta-files-insolvency-applications-2026-07-24/

Getting closer to escaping the Matrix each and every day. 😂 ...

2026-07-24T21:38:17Z

Getting closer to escaping the Matrix each and every day. 😂

A relative found an Acer Aspire ES 11 netbook, used a handful of ...

2026-07-22T19:15:33Z

A relative found an Acer Aspire ES 11 netbook, used a handful of times, underpowered so they put it in a pouch and forgot about it. They asked me if I'd like it 'to play with' 😂
It's a cute little thing, has all the stickers etc.
1st thing was to upgrade the RAM from 2GB to 8GB

I'm wondering if the floppy drive controller is setup wrong ...

2026-07-21T18:14:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…pg59
_________________________

I'm wondering if the floppy drive controller is setup wrong with all the jumpers, that I have no idea what they're for

All good, well, not all good as the floppy controller doesn't ...

2026-07-21T17:56:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…tqrd
_________________________

All good, well, not all good as the floppy controller doesn't seem to be working. 🤔

Cleaned the RAM slots and tweaked the extended settings and all ...

2026-07-21T17:55:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…xzp6
_________________________

Cleaned the RAM slots and tweaked the extended settings and all seems great now, it's seeing the full 1mb RAM.

Forgot to say, I tested for shorts on the connector and also ...

2026-07-21T17:13:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…gwkx
_________________________

Forgot to say, I tested for shorts on the connector and also voltage continuity on the ISA slots before testing.

Happy Dance 🪇 ...

2026-07-21T17:11:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…plqp
_________________________

*Happy Dance* 🪇

I've replaced them with low ESR electrolytics, less scary! ...

2026-07-21T17:07:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…f0t9
_________________________

I've replaced them with low ESR electrolytics, less scary! 😂

The blue ones ain't too shabby, but took all 6 out. ...

2026-07-21T17:04:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…k0qn
_________________________

The blue ones ain't too shabby, but took all 6 out.

I've removed all the decoupling caps, well what was left of ...

2026-07-21T17:03:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…8jdp
_________________________

I've removed all the decoupling caps, well what was left of them anyway.

Big Badda Boom 💥 ...

2026-07-21T17:02:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…un2z
_________________________

Big Badda Boom 💥

Let's see if I can get this non-working 286 motherboard ...

2026-07-21T16:50:37Z

Let's see if I can get this non-working 286 motherboard going. I can't find any info about it, so if you know any links etc. let me know.
It's marked: "QUANSAN/TRAD", has a 16Mhz AMD 286.

Nostr event nevent1qqs0m84c8vq6sq0z76k5mspzkz3gzuzd5sfg5nqe03pajvw396ewc7gzypx8h5dzcpym2x82m848tx2ugd5e0ekrug26qvyxvud23mhynrzqg3wk7cl

2026-07-21T16:38:16Z

💥

It runs on a 67.3920 MHz master crystal oscillator. Very ...

2026-07-12T21:47:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…6227
_________________________

It runs on a 67.3920 MHz master crystal oscillator. Very high-bandwidth for 1985, compared to the standard 14 MHz clock found on standard IBM CGA cards.

It has a modular two-board layout. The main ISA baseboard handles ...

2026-07-12T21:46:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…mrmz
_________________________

It has a modular two-board layout. The main ISA baseboard handles the timing and bus interface, and the daughterboard holds the 128 KB of VRAM needed for the portrait canvas.

Off-the-shelf silicon couldn't handle a high-resolution ...

2026-07-12T21:46:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…hxat
_________________________

Off-the-shelf silicon couldn't handle a
high-resolution portrait monitor. They built their own processing engine out of raw logic gates and PALS.

I've a lot of funky old video cards, but this one tops them ...

2026-07-12T21:43:47Z

I've a lot of funky old video cards, but this one tops them all.
This is the MDS Genius VHR-400 from 1985, an absolute powerhouse from 1985, made completely from discrete logic as off the shelf parts were running less than 25% of the speed.
This card is to drive my Portrait CRT

Today I picked up this curio: CPT / Micro Display Systems ...

2026-07-09T19:39:54Z

Today I picked up this curio:
CPT / Micro Display Systems "The Genius" Portrait Monitor and Genius ISA Graphics Card, with printed manual, drivers and software.
I love usual tech and this fits the bill! 😍

I'm picking up this cool, curious Portrait CRT tomorrow, it ...

2026-07-08T20:16:59Z

I'm picking up this cool, curious Portrait CRT tomorrow, it should be fun to check out!

Amstrad PPC640 [1987] CPU: NEC V30 8 Mhz CPU MEM: 640k RAM ...

2026-07-03T04:14:05Z

Amstrad PPC640 [1987]
CPU: NEC V30 8 Mhz CPU
MEM: 640k RAM ('all you'll ever need')
STORAGE: Dual 720kb DD Floppy Drives

Here's a short clip, using hot air to melt the case glue and ...

2026-06-19T17:39:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…z7f2
_________________________

Here's a short clip, using hot air to melt the case glue and filler material:

Decoding the text Dallas DS12C887 Real-Time Clock chip. Date ...

2026-06-19T17:36:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…unzc
_________________________

Decoding the text Dallas DS12C887 Real-Time Clock chip.
Date Code: 0151 = Made in week 51 of 2001 (December)
Lot/Rev: A2 / 304775
Origin: Philippines
Nearly 25 years old and completely dead.

I'm planning on doing a full YT video on this subject and ...

2026-06-19T17:33:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…5qje
_________________________

I'm planning on doing a full YT video on this subject and have a good amount of footage that needs editing. But instead of Dremeling it, I shall be removing the case with hot air.
Dallas DS12C887:

Ok, that's done. Now for the dead Dallas timekeeper. ...

2026-06-19T17:30:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…nrxf
_________________________

Ok, that's done.
Now for the dead Dallas timekeeper.

Yep, they're bad! ...

2026-06-19T17:27:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…5ugl
_________________________

Yep, they're bad!

Nostr event nevent1qqswc75dx4d9lasdgmsh8nhdvccsm3fzvgrjk58uy8fucg62lqp59jszypx8h5dzcpym2x82m848tx2ugd5e0ekrug26qvyxvud23mhynrzqglnrl4s

2026-06-19T17:24:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…u7l0
_________________________

Yoink!

Before I do any further testing there's a few things to ...

2026-06-19T17:23:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…37vq
_________________________

Before I do any further testing there's a few things to address, one being these out of spec aged Caps, these two are bad:

Well that theory paid off! Side by side comparison, the right ...

2026-06-19T17:17:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…57lw
_________________________

Well that theory paid off!
Side by side comparison, the right side is my board's bios - BITROT confirmed!

Peeled back the sticker to identify the chip: ...

2026-06-19T17:14:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…9p0k
_________________________

Peeled back the sticker to identify the chip:

So, the SBC repair continues...... I decided to dump the bios and ...

2026-06-19T17:13:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…5cl3
_________________________

So, the SBC repair continues......
I decided to dump the bios and compare it against a working one, the post codes are bizarre, so the first place to look I suppose.

I was concerned about the voltages, maybe aged components had ...

2026-06-17T19:51:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…25j8
_________________________

I was concerned about the voltages, maybe aged components had sent the wrong voltage to the CPU, but no it's bang on what it should be!
So that's good.
I'll sort that Dallas chip and the two large caps first I think.

I only put in 8mb RAM, so in haste I didn't take any photos, ...

2026-06-17T18:44:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…t244
_________________________

I only put in 8mb RAM, so in haste I didn't take any photos, switched it off to add 64mb ram.
Then.......
It's decided to not post anymore 😔

So I tried the external power connector, it powered on but no ...

2026-06-17T18:42:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…787f
_________________________

So I tried the external power connector, it powered on but no post, I honestly think after looking at the datasheet my power cables aren't beefy enough, the 5v needs nearly 5 amps.
So I've stuck a riser in a random motherboard without a CPU, got it to post.
Booted BeOS off a CF.

I've cleaned it up a bit, must have been in a dirty ...

2026-06-17T18:38:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…u047
_________________________

I've cleaned it up a bit, must have been in a dirty industrial environment.
Very satisfying cleaning up the CPU, nice and shiny now.
Intel Pentium 233 MMX

Having a mess with this Socket 7 SBC: ICP ROCKY-518HV from ...

2026-06-17T18:03:24Z

Having a mess with this Socket 7 SBC:
ICP ROCKY-518HV from [@uhf_satcom](https://mastodon.radio/@uhf_satcom ) 🙏

IBM ThinkPad 550 BJ (1993) - Included an integrated Bubble Jet ...

2026-06-17T11:01:33Z

IBM ThinkPad 550 BJ (1993) - Included an integrated Bubble Jet printer!

IBM ThinkPad 390E (1999) running Debian Linux ...

2026-06-17T08:01:23Z

IBM ThinkPad 390E (1999) running Debian Linux

Winamp + Milkdrop = Perfection! ...

2026-06-15T11:38:15Z

Winamp + Milkdrop = Perfection!

This was the fan circuit dual MOSFET, you can see the crack: ...

2026-06-06T21:58:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…sy84
_________________________

This was the fan circuit dual MOSFET, you can see the crack:

I don't have the patience to split this into two or three ...

2026-06-06T21:48:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…mpkr
_________________________

I don't have the patience to split this into two or three messages, so here's my post from my RHD Discord channel. It explains my hours of fault finding and what the issue is:

FIC PA-2013 Super Socket 7 motherboard, one of the all time best ...

2026-06-06T21:25:07Z

FIC PA-2013 Super Socket 7 motherboard, one of the all time best SS7's.
From UHF Satcom 🙏
Unfortunately this one is dead, I spent hours fault finding on it to figure out what was going on.
The first thing I noticed is, the CPU fan header is dead, it powers on, but no fan action.

bare metal my dude, bare metal and it flies!

2026-06-06T18:32:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…gx0h
_________________________

bare metal my dude, bare metal and it flies!

Feeling refreshed after my online break. ☺️ Messing about ...

2026-06-06T14:27:02Z

Feeling refreshed after my online break. ☺️
Messing about with modern hardware and Windows 98SE.
Intel i5, 8GB RAM, Nvidia Geforce 7900GS, Soundblaster PCI 128 and SSD.
It's a 3D beast!

Acorn A4000 / ARM250 CPU / 4MB RAM / Cumana CD-ROM / RiscOS 3.11 ...

2026-05-14T23:51:29Z

Acorn A4000 / ARM250 CPU / 4MB RAM / Cumana CD-ROM / RiscOS 3.11 [1992]

It has a genuine Yamaha YMF262-M OPL3 a.k.a. OPL3 chip. 🤩 ...

2026-05-01T18:17:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…tf6e
_________________________

It has a genuine Yamaha YMF262-M OPL3 a.k.a. OPL3 chip. 🤩

Picked this up as 'dead' Spares/Repairs (we shall see): ...

2026-05-01T18:10:33Z

Picked this up as 'dead' Spares/Repairs (we shall see):
Aztech Multimedia Pro 16

Sneaky peak of the absolute beast of a 386 I'm going to be ...

2026-04-18T22:04:59Z

Sneaky peak of the absolute beast of a 386 I'm going to be building, many many thanks to uhf_satcom (x.com) for the motherboard and CPU and other bits! 🙏🙏🙏
I've managed to get it running on 16MB of RAM, but I've ordered 16 more, can't even imagine a 386 with 32MB of RAM, but soon.... 😍

My best Friday nights three decades ago, still exactly the same ...

2026-04-10T23:35:50Z

My best Friday nights three decades ago, still exactly the same now, what a Frickin' game man 😍

I'm insanely excited about this! 🤗 1Ghz AMD Athlon Slot A ...

2026-04-10T19:33:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…5u80
_________________________

I'm insanely excited about this! 🤗
1Ghz AMD Athlon Slot A ✅

Hold onto your Pants! ...

2026-04-10T19:29:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…zc25
_________________________

Hold onto your Pants!

A 26 year dream of mine may just about to be realised! [[[[- 1Ghz ...

2026-04-10T19:26:02Z

A 26 year dream of mine may just about to be realised!
[[[[- 1Ghz Slot A Athlon -]]]] 🤞
I had this board delivered, new old stock and it's factory sealed, it has that pristine electronics smell.
Gigabyte GA-7IXE Rev 1.1

Pentium II 266Mhz 160MB RAM 10GB HDD + Modern Linux 😍 ...

2026-04-09T19:43:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…g430
_________________________

Pentium II 266Mhz
160MB RAM
10GB HDD
+
Modern Linux 😍

So, I've shorted the fuse out and guess what? ...

2026-04-09T19:23:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…7vum
_________________________

So, I've shorted the fuse out and guess what?

F1 is an SMD fuse and guess what, no connectivity, so the fuse ...

2026-04-09T19:02:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…qlw6
_________________________

F1 is an SMD fuse and guess what, no connectivity, so the fuse has blown at some point.

So unknown if the backlight is broken, but either way the ...

2026-04-09T19:00:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…veq9
_________________________

So unknown if the backlight is broken, but either way the inverter is not doing anything either.
The screen does work, just no light, so it's not visible.

So, zero voltage on the output stage to the CCFL-Backlight. ...

2026-04-09T18:56:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…9535
_________________________

So, zero voltage on the output stage to the CCFL-Backlight.

So, the screen doesn't work, but it does seem to post ok and ...

2026-04-09T18:29:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…pkcc
_________________________

So, the screen doesn't work, but it does seem to post ok and works on an external monitor.

It's quite THICC ...

2026-04-09T18:12:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…9ae0
_________________________

It's quite THICC

Another eWaste rescue, saved from the Gold recovery fiends and ...

2026-04-09T18:08:34Z

Another eWaste rescue, saved from the Gold recovery fiends and given a chance to live another day.🤞
IBM ThinkPad 770E (1997)

IBM ThinkPad T42 (2004) running MX Linux 😘🐧 ...

2026-04-05T20:20:32Z

IBM ThinkPad T42 (2004) running MX Linux 😘🐧

Sometimes I'm totally blown away with how nice people in the ...

2026-04-02T21:11:58Z

Sometimes I'm totally blown away with how nice people in the retro computer community can be. Honestly I'm speechless!
I've been after a 1Ghz Slot A Athlon for 20 years and then I'm gifted one by one of the kindest people ever
Thank you so much vswitchzero (Mike) (npub18zp…8pd8) I'm over the moon 😊

Yassss I got the DNS working! So happy, that's the last piece ...

2026-04-02T20:29:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…c05n
_________________________

Yassss I got the DNS working!
So happy, that's the last piece of the puzzle sorted!

It's now talking to the outside world, I've also ...

2026-04-01T22:29:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…uemc
_________________________

It's now talking to the outside world, I've also installed a web browser.
Here's theoldnet.com but I've not managed to get the DNS working yet, I had to enter the I.P address.

What I love about these kind of projects is the learning process. ...

2026-04-01T22:12:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…cfva
_________________________

What I love about these kind of projects is the learning process. I've now managed to get the network working on my lan. I was trying to copy some software packages over and they all didn't extract properly.
I realised the built in FTP client is default in ASCII mode, not binary. 😂

So, to get the network card to work I've had to swap it ...

2026-04-01T22:07:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…cnqq
_________________________

So, to get the network card to work I've had to swap it around with the video card as I had IRQ issues. It's now initialising.
Also I had to use my 10/100 switch as it only seems to like a 10mb connection.

The IDE to SD card was quite slow, so I've dd'd a backup ...

2026-04-01T22:00:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…j32p
_________________________

The IDE to SD card was quite slow, so I've dd'd a backup image of it and written it to an SSD, it's about 5x+ faster now, really impressed with the boot speed and general usability.

Sound is also now working! ...

2026-04-01T21:53:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…7r7a
_________________________

Sound is also now working!

The Video is fully working, check this screensaver out, I think ...

2026-04-01T21:45:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…0v6y
_________________________

The Video is fully working, check this screensaver out, I think I've seen it somewhere before 🤔

So, as I've had to do numerous installs to get the video ...

2026-04-01T21:35:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…l5xj
_________________________

So, as I've had to do numerous installs to get the video working, I ended up making a VMWare machine.
I mounted an SD card as a physical IDE drive in the virtual machine and did the install that way.
Also a great way to get files on is to add packages to an ISO and mount it.

The hardware: - Pentium 3 - 800Mhz (Coppermine) - 512MB RAM - Ati ...

2026-04-01T21:05:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…2qrw
_________________________

The hardware:
- Pentium 3 - 800Mhz (Coppermine)
- 512MB RAM
- Ati Rage XL 8MB Video
- Creative Soundblaster PCI 128
- Intel Pro 100 Network Card
- SSD
The goal:
- High Res Colour Video
- Sound
- Full Networking
- Fast Booting and Usability

I've always wanted a machine to run NeXSTEP natively, the ...

2026-04-01T20:45:51Z

I've always wanted a machine to run NeXSTEP natively, the chances of me ever getting a real Next Computer are very slim.
So, I've been researching hardware for an Intel based build and today I got to about 99% completion of the testing.
I'm more than pleased! 😍👇

too busy cooking at the moment 😂

2026-03-31T18:12:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…fzu9
_________________________

too busy cooking at the moment 😂

Giving Windows Me a whirl on this Pentium 3, let's see if ...

2026-03-31T17:37:00Z

Giving Windows Me a whirl on this Pentium 3, let's see if it's as unstable as I remember 🤔

If anyone in the I.T field in the UK has any corporate laptops ...

2026-03-30T21:39:38Z

If anyone in the I.T field in the UK has any corporate laptops being discarded because of Windows 11 requirements please either give me a shout to help them get to FreeITStafford or reach to https://www.freeitstafford.org/
A UK non-profit volunteer team fighting e-waste and digital poverty by giving them back to the community.
Link: https://www.freeitstafford.org/

Nice Saturday Retro Mission! I just installed modern Linux: ...

2026-03-28T23:17:06Z

Nice Saturday Retro Mission!
I just installed modern Linux: Debian 14 "Forky" (kernel compiled yesterday), from the ground up on an:
Apple iBook G4/1.33 14" 1.25GB RAM (2004).
Wow, this is really fast and cool 😎

Xorg configured and lightdm display manager working 👍 ...

2026-03-28T22:48:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…dqke
_________________________

Xorg configured and lightdm display manager working 👍

Nostr event nevent1qqsdq83gn6xxtdqrrkrdgns9nkz3njef2v2msmg6ka9g4vyns703l5gzypx8h5dzcpym2x82m848tx2ugd5e0ekrug26qvyxvud23mhynrzqg7psjyq

2026-03-28T22:08:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…3pmf
_________________________

[[[ENHANCE]]]

Obligatory Fastfetch: ...

2026-03-28T22:06:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…vgax
_________________________

Obligatory Fastfetch:

No WiFi yet, but I've got that covered for now! ...

2026-03-28T21:59:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…dla5
_________________________

No WiFi yet, but I've got that covered for now!

Nostr event nevent1qqsv7zajaj3qv8ez0gupesuv8t9wp0eu3emncxn964wl4h8p2lp5zjqzypx8h5dzcpym2x82m848tx2ugd5e0ekrug26qvyxvud23mhynrzqg9mxqmw

2026-03-28T21:56:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…qajs
_________________________

Debian Forky (codename for 14), up and running. Now I'm ...

2026-03-28T21:56:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…ztk8
_________________________

Debian Forky (codename for 14), up and running.
Now I'm getting everything installed, no sudo etc.

I'm trying Debian 12 PowerPC, wish me luck, not sure how this ...

2026-03-28T21:03:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…03v2
_________________________

I'm trying Debian 12 PowerPC, wish me luck, not sure how this is going to go....

Well, I've got to try to get Linux going haven't I, it ...

2026-03-28T20:53:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…ela6
_________________________

Well, I've got to try to get Linux going haven't I, it would be rude not to.

Having a spontaneous #MARCHintosh day today, not sure how that ...

2026-03-28T20:47:51Z

Having a spontaneous #MARCHintosh day today, not sure how that happened.
I got this FireWire DVD-RW a while back, that I never really tested, I thought it was worth cracking out to try.

Windows XP Nickelodeon Theme ...

2026-03-27T21:38:51Z

Windows XP Nickelodeon Theme

ASRock E35LM1 Mini-ITX running Windows 98SE, with a PCIe to ...

2026-03-26T21:22:53Z

ASRock E35LM1 Mini-ITX running Windows 98SE, with a PCIe to 32-bit PCI adapter and an Nvidia Geforce FX 5500.
It likes Quake 2!
Sometimes I wonder: why am I like this!? 🤔

Pentium III + Windows 98 + Quake II ...

2026-03-25T20:04:49Z

Pentium III
+
Windows 98
+
Quake II

Thursday evening Windows 98 install on a Pentium II, my kind of ...

2026-03-19T20:23:29Z

Thursday evening Windows 98 install on a Pentium II, my kind of Zen 🧘‍♂️😊

Descent 2 is now 30 years old! It's definitely up there as ...

2026-03-14T11:04:41Z

Descent 2 is now 30 years old!
It's definitely up there as one of my all-time favourite games!

25Mhz 286 😍 ...

2026-03-07T21:14:04Z

25Mhz 286 😍

Apricot PC Xi (1984) ...

2026-02-28T20:35:29Z

Apricot PC Xi (1984)

Nostr notes by Gammitin (Ben) 💾

IBM OS/2 Warp 4 ...

Amstrad PPC640 [1987] CPU: NEC V30 8 Mhz CPU MEM: 640k RAM ...

Apricot PC Xi (1984) ...

Countless hours of fun in the 90's! ...

CTX 19" Sony FD Trinitron CRT - Sun Microsystems - Sun Ultra ...

I made an Eclipse collage of photos I took using a floppy disk as ...

I'm compiling the Mesa 21.3.9 Amber branch to build legacy ...

Today marks 20 years since Intel's Core 2 Duo launched, ...

German battery maker Varta files insolvency applications. ...

Getting closer to escaping the Matrix each and every day. 😂 ...

A relative found an Acer Aspire ES 11 netbook, used a handful of ...

I'm wondering if the floppy drive controller is setup wrong ...

All good, well, not all good as the floppy controller doesn't ...

Cleaned the RAM slots and tweaked the extended settings and all ...

Forgot to say, I tested for shorts on the connector and also ...

*Happy Dance* 🪇 ...

I've replaced them with low ESR electrolytics, less scary! ...

The blue ones ain't too shabby, but took all 6 out. ...

I've removed all the decoupling caps, well what was left of ...

Big Badda Boom 💥 ...

Let's see if I can get this non-working 286 motherboard ...

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It runs on a 67.3920 MHz master crystal oscillator. Very ...

It has a modular two-board layout. The main ISA baseboard handles ...

Off-the-shelf silicon couldn't handle a high-resolution ...

I've a lot of funky old video cards, but this one tops them ...

Today I picked up this curio: CPT / Micro Display Systems ...

I'm picking up this cool, curious Portrait CRT tomorrow, it ...

Amstrad PPC640 [1987] CPU: NEC V30 8 Mhz CPU MEM: 640k RAM ...

Here's a short clip, using hot air to melt the case glue and ...

Decoding the text Dallas DS12C887 Real-Time Clock chip. Date ...

I'm planning on doing a full YT video on this subject and ...

Ok, that's done. Now for the dead Dallas timekeeper. ...

Yep, they're bad! ...

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Before I do any further testing there's a few things to ...

Well that theory paid off! Side by side comparison, the right ...

Peeled back the sticker to identify the chip: ...

So, the SBC repair continues...... I decided to dump the bios and ...

I was concerned about the voltages, maybe aged components had ...

I only put in 8mb RAM, so in haste I didn't take any photos, ...

So I tried the external power connector, it powered on but no ...

I've cleaned it up a bit, must have been in a dirty ...

Having a mess with this Socket 7 SBC: ICP ROCKY-518HV from ...

IBM ThinkPad 550 BJ (1993) - Included an integrated Bubble Jet ...

IBM ThinkPad 390E (1999) running Debian Linux ...

Winamp + Milkdrop = Perfection! ...

This was the fan circuit dual MOSFET, you can see the crack: ...

I don't have the patience to split this into two or three ...

FIC PA-2013 Super Socket 7 motherboard, one of the all time best ...

bare metal my dude, bare metal and it flies!

Feeling refreshed after my online break. ☺️ Messing about ...

Acorn A4000 / ARM250 CPU / 4MB RAM / Cumana CD-ROM / RiscOS 3.11 ...

It has a genuine Yamaha YMF262-M OPL3 a.k.a. OPL3 chip. 🤩 ...

Picked this up as 'dead' Spares/Repairs (we shall see): ...

Sneaky peak of the absolute beast of a 386 I'm going to be ...

My best Friday nights three decades ago, still exactly the same ...

I'm insanely excited about this! 🤗 1Ghz AMD Athlon Slot A ...

Hold onto your Pants! ...

A 26 year dream of mine may just about to be realised! [[[[- 1Ghz ...

Pentium II 266Mhz 160MB RAM 10GB HDD + Modern Linux 😍 ...

So, I've shorted the fuse out and guess what? ...

F1 is an SMD fuse and guess what, no connectivity, so the fuse ...

So unknown if the backlight is broken, but either way the ...

So, zero voltage on the output stage to the CCFL-Backlight. ...

So, the screen doesn't work, but it does seem to post ok and ...

It's quite THICC ...

Another eWaste rescue, saved from the Gold recovery fiends and ...

IBM ThinkPad T42 (2004) running MX Linux 😘🐧 ...

Sometimes I'm totally blown away with how nice people in the ...

Yassss I got the DNS working! So happy, that's the last piece ...

It's now talking to the outside world, I've also ...

What I love about these kind of projects is the learning process. ...

So, to get the network card to work I've had to swap it ...

The IDE to SD card was quite slow, so I've dd'd a backup ...

Sound is also now working! ...

The Video is fully working, check this screensaver out, I think ...

So, as I've had to do numerous installs to get the video ...

The hardware: - Pentium 3 - 800Mhz (Coppermine) - 512MB RAM - Ati ...

Happy Dance 🪇 ...