What is your retro computing most "irrational want?"

[tep392]

1 hour ago, JamesD said:

The VIP is more like the early single board machines like the KIM 1... but with a really limited video added on. 
I'd love to spend some time programming the CPU, but the rest of the hardware is so limited, it's hardly worth messing with.  
It's cool from a historical standpoint though.

I think I'd skip the Altair and go with a modern equivalent.  There's a work alike machine out of Japan with a Z180 (64180?) that looks pretty cool.
 

This clone looks like a good option.

http://altairclone.com/

[ubersaurus]

I recognize the VIP is a limited machine, but I've got a soft spot for RCA gear. Plus there's a fair number of programs and games out there for it (and those prototype programs from the old RCA archives).

[+OLD CS1]

12 hours ago, carlsson said:

Oh, there was an obscure Spanish arcade game in 1982 called Night Mare that is driven by two 1802's (one for main logic and one for sound generation) plus two VDP 9928 chips relabeled EFO 90501. While not being a computer, I suppose it could qualify as an irrational want for an arcade game collector.

 

Okay... I am thoroughly intrigued and must know how this one worked.  I assume it was able to synchronize the video of the two VDPs by piping one through the video input of the other.  But as I understand, that was not a simple task.

[carlsson]

Yeah, the two VDP:s must run somewhat synchronized. I suppose it allows for more sprites on screen or overlay sprites with additional colours, as well as background of course. Somehow I doubt this is the only example of multiple VDP chips, though I haven't looked it up.

[JamesD]

Doesn't the 9928 do video overlay?   
One could overlay it's output over the other.
Then you are just running more sprites on the 2nd vdp.

[The Usotsuki]

Does indeed; you can see it in videos of the game Cliff Hanger.

[+OLD CS1]

Doing a little digging, no, the 9928 does not have a composite overlay like the 9918/A.  It uses this pin for the B-Y component output.  Cliff Hanger uses the 9128 which is similar to the 9928 with the ability to use 8k DRAMs.

[carlsson]

The main board on the Spanish arcade game seems to output RGB + sync, so I suppose some work is done with the video signals. Fabrice mentioned how he once built a dual 9929A card for his Apple II, and mixed the signals. It might not have been commonly done, but also not unheard of.

Edited September 16, 2019 by carlsson

[+x=usr(1536)]

On 8/30/2019 at 2:53 PM, roots.genoa said:

I don't know if you are aware of this, but this game was probably the first 3D game in which you can choose between camera angles. The creator of the game, Mikito Ichikawa (a very nice guy by the way), testified about it during a trial because SEGA wanted to patent troll the whole industry about this feature they thought they invented with Virtua Racing.

 

The idea of who first implemented selectable camera angles in a video game is an interesting one depending on how you define the operation of that selection.

 

Atari's I, Robot from 1983 allowed this, and it was even used as a point multiplier - the more the camera angle caused the playfield to be obscured, the higher the point values of enemies destroyed, etc.

 

 

However, where I, Robot allowed the player to pan up and down freely, Virtua Racing only allowed selecting pre-set fixed camera angles.  I'm not familiar with Star Wars: Attack on the Death Star so won't comment except to say that its camera implementation sounds similar to the one used in Virtua Racing.

[mozartpc27]

Great idea for a thread, enjoying the many responses.  The things I know I want but can’t get and if I could I couldn’t justify the price for run in roughly this order:

 

1. Commodore 65.  Even getting the soon-to-be, I hope, Mega65 will probably be a fight.

 

2.  Commodore Amiga 4000 not T tricked out.  Toyed with buying one once but couldn’t justify the $1700.  Am intrigued by these machines but not truly infatuated the way I am with the Commodore 8 bits.

 

3.  Coleco ADAM Disk Drive.  Most likely totally useless to me (I have an ADAM but putting together ADAM program disks would be a chore) but I do like it and its rarity.  Maybe the most strictly irrational thing on this list.

 

4.  That Atari 1450XL prototype... yeah.  

 

5.  Atari 1200 - Obtainable but what would I do with it if I had it?

 

6.  That TI peripheral that acted as a VCR controller and even I think would have allowed VCR tapes used as storage for TI-99 programs.  Whatever Atari device that acted as a LD controller that I saw at VCF East this year as well.

Edited September 19, 2019 by mozartpc27

[mozartpc27]

On 9/5/2018 at 1:06 AM, Arnuphis said:

..and they are all fairly easy to obtain. If you come to Amiwest in Sacramento this year you can have a Commodore monitor. In fact you can have two!

 

Now a TI-99/8 on the other hand....

I need a source for free or nearly free Commodore monitors.

[+OLD CS1]

18 hours ago, mozartpc27 said:

I need a source for free or nearly free Commodore monitors.

 

What aggravates me so much is about eight years ago I made four Commodore monitors available for shipping costs, only.  NO ONE grabbed them.  I kept the offer open for several months until I could no longer store them and had to send them off to solid waste recycle.  Now I wish I had been able to keep them, if not for myself then to make a few bucks on selling them.

[+save2600]

13 hours ago, OLD CS1 said:

 

What aggravates me so much is about eight years ago I made four Commodore monitors available for shipping costs, only.  NO ONE grabbed them.  I kept the offer open for several months until I could no longer store them and had to send them off to solid waste recycle.  Now I wish I had been able to keep them, if not for myself then to make a few bucks on selling them.

I would have liked to have snagged one or two from you, but you literally can't ship something like that anymore without incurring some damage. 30 years ago, sure. But not with today's carelessness. 

 

A couple of months ago, I gambled and nabbed a 1080 from a guy with its original box for the cost of shipping. Of course UPS dropped it, cracked the case and broke two case mounts... one of which cracked a potentiometer that I had to replace!  

 

Which reminds me, ever try to file a claim using UPS's site? Even after sending pics, etc., it's broken (probably by design so people get frustrated and give up) and doesn't allow you to complete the claim. I need to call them I guess.  sigh

[+OLD CS1]

I have never had to claim against UPS, but FedEx has been pretty good.  I shipped a monitor out to a guy and it showed up with a magnetized screen mask (all sorts of pretty colors.)  Those tend to degause themselves over time, but we were both impatient so I filed a claim.  Got the value of the monitor and they did not want to pick it up.

 

Packing is paramount these days, and I go back to what I said in the TI sub thread about lies.  You simply cannot put 25+ year-old kit in bubble envelopes or shredded newspaper and expect it to not arrive in more pieces than it left.  I have been shipping from a local store which puts heavy items in custom-fit Styrofoam and try though they might, the shippers have not damaged anything.

[cdoty]

The Super Cassette Vision has become my latest obsession.

[AtariLeaf]

My want is pretty pedestrian but I've yet to find one locally and they're too expensive online - an Atari 800

[rpiguy9907]

I always wanted an Apple IIGS with a TranswarpGS card...

 

I wanted to benchmark what a 7-16mhz 65C816 could do against a 68000 processor.

 

I was never terribly excited about the IIGS until I learned this card existed.

Edited February 14, 2020 by rpiguy9907

[Keatah]

A recent want that I want is to build up involved completely gutting a TRS-80 Model II or Model III. And once that's done, put in an i7, a MiSTer, and an R-Pi 4.

 

The nostalgia wave has come and gone for both those models and I wouldn't have any issues with it. The Model II shell is HUGE and would hold all that hardware and more. The Model III slightly less so, but still could hold all of it and then some. For bonus, the Model II disk housing could easily be converted into a storage cabinet for cables and controllers.

 

We do have a working Model II left over from the recent purges and it isn't being used. And not likely ever. It's loud and limited. It's not like there's any games or anything worthwhile either, just stupid CP/M and accounting stuff.

 

Alternatively I thought of mounting a MiSTer and R-Pi into my existing i7 Shuttle XPC rig for the ultimate combo mix. Space it already at a premium in these and that only adds to challenge of can it be done?

[Keatah]

On 2/14/2020 at 2:31 PM, rpiguy9907 said:

I always wanted an Apple IIGS with a TranswarpGS card...

 

I'm afraid to start playing with mine. Might get too excited and put other long-overdue projects on the back burner to explore it.

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Keatah

[rpiguy9907]

On 2/18/2020 at 4:42 PM, Keatah said:

 

I'm afraid to start playing with mine. Might get too excited and put other long-overdue projects on the back burner to explore it.

 

I had a similar project to the Model III on hold as well - I was going to gut a broken Commodore 8032 and put my FPGA Spectrum Uno and my Raspberry Pi emulation SBC in it, but then someone told me the 8032 was more repairable than I had assumed and now I am too guilty to gut it and it is just taking up space.

 

I actually did obtain a TransWarp GS clone from Ultimate Micro, but I was laid off after I received it so I haven't opened it yet. If I stay unemployed long enough I will have to sell it. I prefer original hardware in most cases.

[adamchevy]

It was an Astrocade, but I scratched that itch. Now it’s just an Adam Computer with a Disk Drive so I can play Dragons Lair. After that maybe an IBM model 5150.

[Steven Pendleton]

Complete X68000, including all of the audio expansions.

[marcfrick2112]

Sigh,

Years ago I lost all my classic computers and consoles (and everything else) in a terrible house fire, so I'd have to start over... My irrational wants are..

 

Amiga 4000 Tower with full Toaster 4000 setup... Toaster/Flyer, PAR card, TBC, '060, 128MB RAM.. I miss mine terribly

 

Matel Aquarius with all the peripherals, including a disk drive. And an actual 32k memory cartridge, the original in the ridiculous huge shell (I had one I ordered from Crimac, Inc.)

 

Tandy Model 4P with a giant ultra wide carriage printer and external hard drive... Never had a hard drive back in the day

[+OLD CS1]

27 minutes ago, marcfrick2112 said:

Amiga 4000 Tower with full Toaster 4000 setup... Toaster/Flyer, PAR card, TBC, '060, 128MB RAM.. I miss mine terribly

Dude, you have experienced one of everyone's nightmares.  I am sorry to hear that and glad you made it.  This one is a hen's tooth, and I hope you manage to come across one, again.  I, for one, would not call it irrational!

[JamesD]

9 hours ago, marcfrick2112 said:

Sigh,

Years ago I lost all my classic computers and consoles (and everything else) in a terrible house fire, so I'd have to start over... My irrational wants are..

 

Amiga 4000 Tower with full Toaster 4000 setup... Toaster/Flyer, PAR card, TBC, '060, 128MB RAM.. I miss mine terribly

 

Matel Aquarius with all the peripherals, including a disk drive. And an actual 32k memory cartridge, the original in the ridiculous huge shell (I had one I ordered from Crimac, Inc.)

 

Tandy Model 4P with a giant ultra wide carriage printer and external hard drive... Never had a hard drive back in the day

I had a house fire too.  Lost some of my most expensive machines.
Also lost an Aquarius... if I still had it I'd give you a heck of a deal.  Only had it out of the box twice, and I didn't like it either time. 
The add ons you list are tough to find.