Category Archives: vintage

Retro tech – magnetic logic

Jeri Ellsworth is facinated by retro computing technology. In her latest endeavor she’s researched the principles behind magnetic core logic, a technology used to store data in the pre-transistor days. We’d have appreciated a close up of the device under test as well as the oscilloscope screen, but an interesting presentation nevertheless. For more information […]

Free Commodore ezine for retro enthusiasts

For all you Commodore retro enthusiasts, there’s an online mag for you. Known as CommodoreFree, its a free to download magazine dedicated to Commodore Computers and is available in text, HTML and PDF formats, as well as including Commodore 64 D64 disk images. This ezine covers covering programming, gaming, hardware and Commodore related meetings. Its […]

Takeoff on vintage HP printer hack displays stock prices

This HP Printer Display Hack by Chris Miller is a simple background application that periodically checks the current price of a selected stock and sends it to the display of HP (and compatible) laser printers. It is a takeoff on the 1990s hack that used HP Job control language to change the text on the […]

DIY 6502 computer using block transfer engine

Andre Fachat has written a post on his 6502.org blog detailing his DIY 6502 computer build. “I have built a DIY 6502 computer, which is mostly TTL logic only except for 65xx chips and ROMs, but the most TTL-ish part is the blitter: A block transfer engine that DMAs memory area from one location to […]

Tech doc: Microwave Filters, Impedance-Matching Networks, and Coupling Structures

Drone writes to inform us about the release of a major tech document from the early days of microwave development. The seminal 1963 1,096 page tome on microwave filters by Matthaei, Jones, and Young, “Microwave Filters, Impedance-Matching Networks, and Coupling Structures” has been released to the public via the U.S. Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). […]

ATARI POKEY player using DP QFP proto board

Markus Gritsch has built a dedicated ATARI POKEY chiptunes player using a DP QFP proto boards. “I successfully compiled the ASAP (Another Slight Atari Player) library for a PIC32MX795F512H. ASAP emulates a 6502 CPU and the famous POKEY sound chip used for example in the ATARI 400/800 and XL/XE 8-bit computers. To say it with […]

Parallax Propeller retro pocket mini computer

Jeff Ledger wrote informing us of a retro-style computer based on the Parallax Propeller described in this Instructable. It utilizes the Pocket Mini Computer Kit from GadgetGangster. This board is based on the Propeller chip and includes VGA, audio and PS/2 keyboard ports as well as a microSD card slot and Wii controller port. The […]

O’Reilly webcast: Applying Old Video Game Performance Techniques to Modern Web-based Games

O’Reilly is offering a free webcast relating vintage video gaming techniques to today’s web-based games. “Back in the day, game developers were in a similar position to where web-based game developers using HTML5 Canvas are today; Graphics rendering methods were slow and they had to come up with very clever techniques to squeeze every single […]

Homebrew electronic tubes

Ante Vukorepa draws our attention to this video of Claude Paillard, a French radio amateur (F2FO), making his own tubes (also known as thermionic valves) from scratch. “The video depicts the whole process, from winding the filament through making the glassware, assembly and vacuuming, to testing. Pretty awesome!” For more information on Claude’s activities as […]

Online vintage tech library

tubebooks.org – Vintage info from the age of vacuum tubes tubebooks.org  Vintage info from the days of vacuum tubes Kelvin informs us of an online stash of vintage engineering docs at tubebooks.org. He especially recommends you check out the technical books section/link. Tubebooks is “a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other […]

28C3: The Atari 2600 video computer system ultimate talk

Here’s something for retro video game enthusiasts. This talk by Sven Oliver (‘SvOlli’) Moll from the recent 28C3 conference in Berlin covers the history, the hardware and how to write programs for the Atari 2600 gaming console. The Atari 2600 Video Computer System (VCS for short) was one of the first popular gaming consoles back […]

PROP-6502 Propeller laptop

Dennis Ferron developed this Parallax Propeller Laptop with a 6502 co-processor and 64K of static RAM as his entry to a Parallax Propeller design contest. He observed that hardware prototyping has evolved from building-block hardware (TTL) to programmable hardware (PLA’s and FPGA’s). He believes that the Propeller chip represents the next revolution: 100% software-based virtual […]

Mac floppy emu prototype

Steve at Big Mess o’ Wires has resumed work on his Macintosh floppy drive emulator project. Previously he had developed the project on a breadboard using an Altera EPM7128S CPLD and an Atmel ATMEGA32u4 microcontroller. Now he has assembled it on a project board and updated some of his components. He writes: The firmware has […]

6502 microprocessor documentary in the works

“THE 6502” is a documentary series by Jason Scott about the MOS Technology 6502 chip, the circumstances that lead to it and the experiences of assembly language programming. Funded in 2011, the project is expected to go for several years of production, interviewing dozens of figures related to this subject. Those familiar with machine language, […]

Dot-dash-diss: The gentleman hacker’s 1903 lulz

Fans of tech history may want to read Dot-dash-diss: The gentleman hacker’s 1903 lulz. This article appears on the NewScientist website and reveals that wireless hacking dates back to the time of Marconi! Any you thought you were onto something new with a walkie talkie on the frequency of the drive-thru order window…

Digi-Comp II: vintage mechanical computing device

Digi-Comp was a fully functional binary digital mechanical computer, which sparked many future engineers’ imagination in the early 1960’s. The crew at Evil Mad Science recently revived the game with a larger than life version displayed at several Maker Faires. It uses billiard balls on a 4′ x 8′ deck to simulate electrical pulses moving […]

Parallax laser range finder / Game Boy printer hack

Joe Grand, developer of the Parallax Laser Range Finder (LRF) presents this hack interfacing the LRF with a vintage Game Boy printer. The project uses the LRF’s onboard camera, along with a few circuit and firmware mods, to allow the user to take snapshots and have them printed by the Game Boy. Complete source files […]

Tweephone analog Twitter client

UP Digital Bureau and Unteleported tech agency present the Tweephone, an analog Twitter client. In the world of short messaging this is about as retro as you can get. Remove the phone from the switchhook, use the rotary dial to enter your message (with the appropriate number of dial rotations to get the letter you […]