Hello my Rose-Tinted friends! Welcome to The Retro Shack where we look back at the golden age of computing and where I dive into retro computers (and some 'new' ones!) Some of these machines I've lived with and know well, some I've never owned before, and some that I never even knew existed.
I hope you enjoy your visit - drop me a line in the comments and please subscribe if you like my content.
Follow the shack on twitter: twitter.com/The_Retro_Shack
P.S. If you have any donations, please email [email protected] with details - and my thanks in advance!
Пікірлер
The NC100 is still quite useful. I'd say the Z88 is far better in lots of ways, but the NC100 had industry standard ports, which made it far easier to use.
It was much much better than the shite Amstrad built when they bought Sinclair , a few years later .. they basically killed off the 8 bit generation overnight
Thank you sir great work
it didnt fail, the CEO fail to care about the Company. i own the Commodore / Amiga SX 64, Commodore Vic 20, 64, 128D, Amiga 500, 600, 1200. Amiga Cd 32. the only two machine i wanted as kid was the Amiga 2000 and 4000, wouldnt afford those as a kid:( .9:38 i remember they said could connect a keyboard and mouse it back the day. 11:17 they did release in america, computer store in phoenix, Arizona. i got mine brand new at the computer , they didnt sale due to the other consoles in store. only computer i didnt get new was the Commodore SX-64, brought it use from radio shack. 13:22 Yeah, man i playeedd the crap on out of Gloom that was one of my favorite games, right there with Fallout, Xcom, 40, 000 Space Hulk , The last Ninja, Battletech. An we cant forgett the game Defender of the crown
Old transformer-based power supplies like that one usually have a considerably higher voltage unloaded than when there's a load on it; if you measure its voltage while it's powering the computer you'll find that it's much closer to 9 V. Switching the external PSU to a better regulated one will make no difference to the operation; as you show the external power is regulated onboard to 5 V by a 7805 voltage regulator. Giving it a slightly lower voltage on the external port (down to about 7.5 V or perhaps even 7 V) will reduce the heat output of the internal regulator slightly, but with that big a heatsink I don't think you'll see any difference in longevity of the device.
I was a poor kid and my money came from mowing lawns , shoveling snow etc. I had Saved up for an atari SCSI adapter, found a case and power supply, bought a hard drive from a scrapped system at the university. 5 1/4 " full height 10 meg. So I ordered the adapter. I waited and waited and never got my package. I called them, and sent them letters, finally i talked to a nice man who sent me one no charge as I hadn't gotten it. I ran a BBS on that drive. TWO AND A HALF DECADES LATER... I'm an IT guy working a contract at a place that sold money orders. I found my Atari SCSI from ICD my name on it, in a cabinet, so I have two now. They must have mailed it to the address on the money order instead of my address. Thank you nice person at ICD all those years ago.
Great shot mate, I have a +2 and just got a hold of a Currah microspeach to play about with.
I was 8 in 1987 when I got Dungeon Master and spent the next two years trying to get to grips with it. Never could. I think I was simply too young. Also it crashed a lot!!
Incidentally, in my copy there were no navigational arrows on the screen. A bug? I remember paying a ridiculous amount of attention and time looking at that first bit of green slime, convinced it was going to do something.
the best memories of my childhood, I was 9 years old in 1985 when it came into my hands as a gift from my father, I still remember when he arrived with the box, I had had a bad school year and my old man arrived with the gift of a lifetime, From that moment until today I am active in video games. It marked my life ✌
About that "classic 1541 drive sound". After a thorough clean and lube, my 1541's were so quiet that it was hard to tell if it was working unless you looked at the drive activity light. That sound is a result of improper lubrication of the drive head rails(looking at you, Commodore) They could have been very quiet from the factory except of course during the head rattle(which can be turned off). Meanwhile, I am blown away with this machine. May have to get a junked 64 just for the case and get one of these if for nothing more than to play "Driller" without losing my mind. Thank you for posting this.
does anyone know if you can get PDF of those games and programmes you used toi be able to get in magazines ? there was nothing like spending hour after hour of inputting the bode to find out you had a pile of crap of a game , i want to relive my youth 😁😁 i couldn't afford eight quid for a proper space invaders but found a version in the mags so was happy AND i copied it for a couple of other guys at school so made three quid plus tape cost or provide your own tape TDK only
I remember getting one of these with the light gun as part of the James Bond pack and my own 14" TV for Christmas. Anyone else used to get Your sinclair with the tapes with them?😂😂😂😂😂
Hiya The Retro Shack, I'm not an electronics guy but interesting to watch and thanks for the walk down the Sinclair memory lane. Watched your QL project (Parts 1 and 2, Part 3 ?) initially, as I bought one in 1986. My work commitments etc. meant it was hardly used and my work at that time used Tandy TRS-80's, which I guess with 5.25" disk drives were more industrial friendly. I am now looking to part with the original boxed QL (and thermal printer), but won't be rude and post my details here. Thanks for an interesting afternoon and best wishes going forward. 🙏. Spike
I wonder if the rust RF modulator is a feature? Mine look the same
:D cool
I'm a proud owner of the A500 mini from retro games , the reason I purchased this was simply for the easy plug and play option as I'm not a big gamer so I just wanted something that was easy to use as and when. I however didn't pay the full price for one as I have a family member that works for GAME in the UK and receives discount off goods so that was another reason for my purchase. I did download the firmware update and also the Aminimiga software for this, played a few games on it like Monkey Island, Wings and Populous But really just wanted to revisit the demo scene that I grew up with. Since my purchase back in 2022 on release how many times have I set it up and played it? Honestly only a handful of times just like the PS1 classic which I also own but it's there to play if I decide to take it out of its box again, if not it can simply gain value and become a collectors piece. That's my take on this and a great video from yourself 👍🇬🇧
Mr Sinclair was only defending his business 😅. You can port a sinclair game to MSX. This is not hard. There are a lot of games. But you cant port MSX games to Sinclair. Period. Im owner of a complete set of MSX2+ (1.1 with MOD) working !! Hope you make more videos !!
It was outside the golden price point Game Consoles Guide Console Launch Prices BY PEER SCHNEIDER, NULL, EVERETTEM, +236 MORE UPDATEDAPR 15, 2018 1977: Atari 2600 - $199 1982: ColecoVision - $175 1982: Atari 5200 - $269 1985: Nintendo Entertainment System - $199 1986: Atari 7800 - $139 1986: Sega Master System - $199 1989: TurboGrafx-16 - $199 1989: Sega Genesis - $189 1990: SNK NeoGeo - $649 1991: Super Nintendo - $199 1991: Philips CD-i - $699 1993: 3DO - $699 1993: Atari Jaguar - $249 1995: Sega Saturn - $399 1995: PlayStation - $299 1996: Nintendo 64 - $199 1999: Sega Dreamcast - $199 2000: PlayStation 2 - $299 2001: Nintendo GameCube - $199 2001: Xbox - $299 2005: Xbox 360 - $299 / $399 2006: PlayStation 3 - $499 / $599 2006: Nintendo Wii - $249 2012: Nintendo Wii U - $299 / $349 2013: Playstation 4 - $399 2013: Xbox One - $499 2017: Nintendo Switch: $299 The cd32 was £400 in 1993 the playstation arrived a year later 100 £ cheaper and far more powerful the amiga 500 sold more at £499 in 1987 the amiga was outdated if it was forwarded in 87 the market might have been alot different. We would have seen Atari launch a similar device
My friends house burnt down from a spectrum 48k that overheated back in the early 1990s.
have you ever worked in radio? because you've got one of the all time great radio voices.
80's tech: "Dirty... I'll wash it in the sink." 20xx tech: "Does not work... I might be holding it wrong or maybe my breath was too moist."
CPU, RAM, graphics - all done by Raspberry Pi. Is Amiga anything more than a keyboard for the Pi in this setup?
For some odd reason I feelt slightly depressed when watching the section where you clean and put back together, because the 80s game music playing in the background reminds me of a much simpler time when hearing such music meant fun.
had the grey 128k; with the built in tape player loved that machine 😁😁
JPP CODE
i got one in my loft from when i was a kid still works as far as i know, also a 48k my dad never throws anything away
Oh yeah pop that cap
Always entertaining. I have mixed feelings about doing a wholesale recap of old electronics. One part of me says replace because the caps are old, another part says don’t screw with something that’s working.
I had one of these. Swapped it later for a +2A
The toastrack is an under rated beauty. A gorgeous little swansong to the days of Sinclair-run Sinclair.
What is the music from, when you are cleaning the parts? 8:04 I recognise it from somewhere but I can't put my finger on it. Nice vid mate.
Same, took me ages... Sayaka's Digital Attic ;)
@@charlesdorval394 I think she has just used it from somewhere. I think it may be an old game.
Was it just me that cringed at the reassembly when using a powered screwdriver without backing out the screws as to avoid cutting new threads in the 40-year-old plastic? I spotted at least once screw crossthreading/cutting new threads.
Same. I am not that type who thinks that things can only be done only one specific way, but since these battery powered screwdrivers appeared, everybody uses them like it was the world's largest problem to screw in a few screws by hand - especially into our beloved old and fragile computer cases...
I still have my spectrum with tape player, joystick and about 40 games
I had one of these from new because I was told the graphics and sound were better on the 128, yes I didn't have it long
I genuinely don't understand why these is this fascination with replacing linear regulators with switchmode ones. You can end up with noise on the board from the switching and the power saving is pointless, you aren't going to be running this machine more than a few hours here and there. It isn't going to be on constantly. Why replace when the OG works well.
Or at least supplement the switching supply with a beefy cap to at least lessen the high frequency noise.
I gotta say, your new intro and logo has grown on me.
What’s the point of using an eraser on the edge connector then to rub greasy mitts on it. 😂
Not many know the hippopotamus oath! I love it.
Invest in an ESD dissipative mat.
These are always so satisfying! Esp a new keyboard membrane
Does the new voltage chopper maybe require an extra cap?
Your theme tune (Sorry, Adrian) is on a loop when I go to bed. It's soothing, jazz-funky and helps me get to sleep. EDIT: I should add that it's never the content that makes me feel sleepy.. Investronica.. siesta.. toast rack... AY zzzz.. woken up now for innuendo watch between you and Mark Fixes Stuff 🙂
I’m not videographist, they all deserve the same level of respect.
Recapping & modifying vintage computers that don't need it is getting to be a pet hate.
I actually agree but I'd probably recap a sinclair toast rack 128 as a matter of course if one came to me for repair (unlikely these days as I don't do that anymore), they have a tendency to be unreliable. Not in every case but definitely more than enough for me to just say "f*ck it, ill do the whole thing" to save myself a headache later.
But... I toast, therefore I am! 🍞😋👍
You don't need to put a space at sys54301 Is by the way with more commands on the c64 I often see that people put space is not necessary :-) What also works is sys54333 with the sidkick Pico Is a nice project kudos to the designers !! 😊
My childhood computer. Will turn 40 years in 2025 (mine was the Spanish). Great video!
the music is SOOOO LOUD! An went on FOREVER! The 8-bit noise was making want to destroy things to make it stop
So sad you don't have volume control 😢
Z80 CPU have only just been discontinued.
Always better to replace old caps most are way out of spec.
trum