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cbmeeks

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Posts posted by cbmeeks

  1. Posted

    So, which one of you bought the $6200 original Apple II on eBay this week?  I don't have the link in front of me at the moment but could find it.

    Now that's $6200 actual purchase price!

     

    If you're on this forum, I'd be happy to trade you $12 and a kidney for it.  LOL

     

     

  5. Posted

    One pointer I like to give is to please not use the break method if you decide to recap the boards.  I see videos of people breaking SMD caps off all the time and it doesn't help when people like the 8-Bit Guy does it (therefore, encouraging this practice to hundreds of thousands of people).

     

    As you know, those traces are very thin and fragile and ripping off a cap runs the risk of lifting them.  Hell, even if you do it the PROPER way there is still a risk of lifting pads!  So why people yank them off with pliers is beyond me.  Proponents of this method say they've been doing it for years with no trouble.  I call bullshit on that.  They may not notice any trouble, but you can bet money they are stressing the board and the next time there is even a greater chance of lifting pads.  Even if proper methods are practiced.  Just don't do it.  

    Anyway, I'll stop that rant...

     

    I have nearly 100 vintage computers so I can offer some free advice if you like.  I've cleaned and restored many in my day.  Currently, I'm building my "go to" Apple II+ from parts.  After that, I'm going to restore a Franklin Ace and then, possibly, an original Compaq Portable that's in very bad shape.

     

    One thing I find works very well for cleaning motherboards is to literally wash them in the sink (or even dish washer).  Yes, you can actually do that.  However, you have to take some precautions.

     

    One, make sure you remove all batteries (you should do that anyway...chances are they are old and will leak).  Also, remove all socketed chips (but remember where they go!!).  Then, remove anything that could be knocked off in the wash (LED cables, etc.).  I've used a mild detergent in the past but stopped doing that for fear of leaving residue behind.  You might get away with car cleaning solutions but I wouldn't risk it.  The end goal is to remove dust and debris and warm water does that just fine.  If you have a stubborn area, then maybe hand scrub with a little IPA.

     

    After you wash the motherboard, rinse it down thoroughly with DISTILLED water.  Distilled water has had the minerals removed so there is nothing to leave behind when it evaporates.  You don't want those salts and minerals left over to cause corrosion. 

     

    Next, shake off all the water and let it dry for hours.  Preferably a couple days.  Be sure to run a hair dryer over it too.  Especially inside the socket pins and under IC's.  It should be bone dry before you put power to it.

     

    For retrobrighting, I used to be all about that but then started backing away.  I usually ask myself the following questions when deciding to retrobright.

     

    1)  How bad does it need it?  Really?  Is it so ugly that I can't live with it?  Or is it slightly off from factory (which no one probably remembers anyway)?

     

    2)  Is it worth weakening the plastics for a better view?  I believe retrobrighting causes *some* damage over the long run.  Especially to 40 year old, cheap plastic.  Is it worth it?

     

    3)  Can it be painted instead?  If so, are you (I) qualified to properly paint without gunking it up?  Do you realize that painting will forever ruin any resale value and are you OK with that?  Will you be OK with your remaining family selling your stuff off at a much reduced price after you're gone?

     

    As you can see, some of those questions seem silly but I think are valid.  I collect because I love the machines.  But when I'm gone, I'd like my offspring to get as much money as possible for them and sell them to a good home.  When you paint, retrobright and alter these machines, you take some of that away.

     

    So after all that, if you still want to retrobright, I recommend using the submersion method.  I like to completely submerge the plastic in water.  I use the most shallow pan/box I can find.  You can also put some rocks in the box to reduce the amount of water needed and therefore, increase the concentration of H2O2.  Speaking of, I use the cheapo stuff in the brown jugs from Walmart.  They are about $0.88 each so I will pour one or two of those in and mix about.  It doesn't burn or stain your hands, won't blind you if you accidentally get it in your eyes and is much cheaper than the hair bleaching stuff.

     

    Be sure to rotate often, shake about (the water, not your body) and keep it covered in clear wrap.

     

    Finally, I don't recommend the method that is now being encouraged where you literally put the entire computer out in the hot sun for hours or days at a time.  Essentially sun-bleaching it back to white.  Again, 40 year old plastic is fragile and the capacitors inside the case don't like that much heat.  I wished these popular YouTuber's would stop teaching these stupid "quick" methods and encourage people to do it the RIGHT way.  With care, patience and understanding they are restoring history...not making an old computer look good for the sake of a few "likes and subscribes".

     

    As you can see, old computers are my passion.  I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    You know, I actually talked myself into buying the kit about 5 minutes after I asked the question.  😕

     

    However, I have 8 or more Apple II's (and some clones) so kits for all is out of the question.  I will probably just move the new PSU around to whatever A2 I'm working on and maybe rebuild a few just for the fun of it.

     

    Thanks for the suggestion.

     

  8. Posted

    I'm trying to talk myself into buying the Universal PSU Kit for my Apple II+.  I've already sunk some big bucks into this thing so it makes sense to make sure the power supply is solid.  I also like rebuilding things and wonder if I should just recap the original PSU?

     

    From what I understand, it's more than just replacing the electrolytic caps.  I believe I should also replace the mains filtering caps too.

     

    So, what do you suggest?  Buy the kit or complete rebuild?  If I do the rebuild, what all do you recommend I replace?

     

    If the cost is within $20 or so (either way), then I would probably just get the kit.  So while I enjoy rebuilding, if recapping is significantly cheaper, then I would do that.


    Thanks for any suggestions!

  10. Posted

    Here's what I'd like to see, a PEB card (and maybe side-expansion) that combined the following:

     

    1)  True NES controller port (I have a few of these but they are hard to find...).  I much prefer the NES controller to anything.

    2)  Two AY-3-8912 PSG's.

    3)  32 KiB (or maybe 1 MiB SAMS??)

     

    I think that would be a great card to combine with the F18A.  That card could become a standard like the F18A has become.  Imagine those two standards together.

     

     

  11. Posted

    After a LONG delay, I am finally getting back into some TI goodness.  We've recently moved to a new house where I will have more room to do some restorations of computers (I'm looking at you Franklin Ace) and I will finally have a nice permanent spot for my retro computer.

     

    So, on the PEB, are there more modern power supplies that I can put in it?  Something with a super quiet fan or maybe no fan at all?  I posted a while back that my fan is actually pretty quiet but I'm wondering if there is a "near silent" way to run the PEB? 

     

    Regarding the fire hose...is there something that can be done to reduce that behemoth?  If there was a right-angle adapter that would be cool.  I bought a right-angle VGA adapter for my F18a and it makes positioning the TI much easier for a small desk.

     

    Thanks!

  12. Posted

    Have you ever watched a movie, TV show or commercial and noticed a TI-99/4a in the background?  Or, have you ever gone shopping to notice a TI in the office?

    I would love to hear about the time you saw a TI in the wild when you weren't expecting it.

     

    Unfortunately, for me, the closest I've come to seeing TI in the wild was seeing some TI games at my local K-Mart when they mostly stocked C64 and NES games.

  14. Posted · Edited by cbmeeks

    Is there a tutorial or source code available that would show me how to do smooth scrolling using the enhanced features of the F18A?  More specifically, scrolling like in Metroid or Kid Icarus that can be horizontal or vertical but not at the same time.  Something simple.

     

    I'd prefer assembly so that I can learn it too (I'm pretty good at 6502 asm). 

     

    Thanks!

  16. Posted

    As mentioned in another thread, I purchased a new, near-mint CC40 complete in box a few years ago.  I didn't have the money at the time to buy other peripherals for it.  Doesn't seem to be many available.

     

    Anyway, I was wondering what I can do with it?  I don't mind typing in some small BASIC programs for fun.  But I'd like to be able to save them and load them back.  Any ideas on how I can do this?

     

    As a joke, I thought about bringing it to work at my next meeting.  While everyone is tapping away on their tablets, I'd be typing away on my CC40.  🙂   (ironically, the CC40 is more entertaining to me than the tablets)

     

    Have you guys done anything cool with your CC40? 

  17. Posted

    I bought a near-mint CC40 (never used) in box a few years ago.  It's such a beautiful little machine.  However, I don't have any peripherals for it and always wondered what I should do with it.  Typing in these BASIC programs might be fun.  But I wonder how I could save them?

     

     

  18. Posted

    Being a long-time Commodore 64 owner, it's odd for me to see people struggling to adapt to NTSC.  It's usually me trying to adapt to PAL.  😕

     

    Anyway, whatever you got to do, I would recommend it.  The TI is such an underrated platform.  And with all of these new hardware goodies recently, it's only getting better.  I WISHED I would have had the TI I have now back when I was a kid.

     

    You won't be disappointed.  🙂

     

  19. Posted

    I'm not on this thread every day but I thought I would toss in my $0.02.

     

    I'm probably about the only person on here that isn't as excited about the MK2 as I was about the F18A.  The thing that I am MOST excited about the MK2 is the size (same size as DIP40 which opens all kinds of doors to homebrew computers).

     

    I read all of these requests for this and that.  Some seem crazy.  Some seem reasonable.  But I certainly fall into the camp of keeping a TI as close to a TI as possible.  I bring out my 486 when I want VGA.

     

    Now, I do want an MK2.  Especially for my Coleco ADAM and one of my TI's.  My needs are pretty simple.  To me, the perfect VDP is one that has all of the original TI modes, plus a few extras with "NES like" graphics being high-end.  I actually thought the bitmap mode and 100 MHz GPU of the F18a was too much.  GPU could have been the same speed as the TI and I would have been happy.  I also like the artificial limits to keep the spirit of these machines alive.

     

    The only exception is the output.  HDMI is nice but VGA is just as good (for ME).  Especially since many new monitors still support VGA.

     

    In fact, if I had the FPGA skills, I would design a cheap solution that had all of the modes of the TI, 80 columns, 32 sprite scanline fix and VGA out.  And that's it.  No GPU, no bitmap layer, etc.  That would be the "lite version".

     

    The "super version" would be the same as lite but add X/Y scrolling, small GPU and more RAM.

     

    I would never have more than the LITE or Super versions. 

     

    I think the more important thing about the F18a that most people miss is that it's become a standard.  To me, that's more important than feature X or feature Y.

     

    But, that's just me. 

     

     

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    I ordered a VIC-20 from Novia Scotia & eBay one time (about 10 years ago).  The pics and seller said it was in great shape.  When it arrived, 11 keys were broken off.  9 of those keys were in the box.  2 never arrived.

     

    I called the guy out and he said it must have happened during shipping.  Well, maybe.  But two of the keys were gone before you shipped!  So he lied on the condition beforehand.

     

    I got an Atari 800 once that was thrown in a large box with a couple hand fulls of packing peanuts.  Almost every key had fallen off.  Amazingly, I just had to put the keys back on and it was near mint after that.

     

    Another thing that bothers me is when I order vintage IC's and they come wrapped in cling wrap, no ESD protection and in a padded envelope.

     

  21. Posted

    I love it when you get extras like that in an auction.  I once got a Z80 CP/M board inside a IIc that had 512 KiB of RAM the seller didn't know about.

    But that case is awesome.  You totally need to carry it on your next plane flight along with a thick, 80's cellphone.  That would rock.

     

    • Like 1

  24. Posted · Edited by cbmeeks

    Also depends on shipping.  Those monitors are heavy.  But I would say $300 for all of that is fair but on the high-end.  What does a stock IIgs cost?  Maybe $100 - $150?  So throw in keyboard/mouse, monitor, drives and lots of software (many store bought).  So yeah.  It's fair.

  25. Posted

    Do *any* keys type out OK?  Seems odd that reset works but no text.

    How clean is the keyboard?  I could see some keys not working because of cold solder joints or dirty contacts.  But all keys except reset/ctl/apple?  Just seems odd.

     

    Have you tested each key with caps lock and shift key engaged and not engaged?

     

    I don't see any EEPROM chips in there so I assume the ROM is genuine Apple (meaning, no weird foreign ROM that messes with the keyboard).

     

    I would inspect the solder joints on the keys, make sure the keys are clean, clean the contacts, etc.

     

    Do you have a spare keyboard you can swap out to see if it works?

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