SIG surrounding hardware for [non-Atari] 8-Bit home computers, both new and vintage. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:54:28 +0000 Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:54:28 +0000 Atari Owners' Club https://atari-owner.com/club/forums/sig-8-bit-hardware.37/ Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:19:18 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/dragon-32-disk-controller-cartridge.355/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/dragon-32-disk-controller-cartridge.355/ invalid@example.com (Vyper68) Vyper68 Now have a Gotek compatible disk drive...



]]> 19 Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:32:29 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/uk-electronic-technicians-wanted.798/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/uk-electronic-technicians-wanted.798/ invalid@example.com (AlexDrito) AlexDrito
in October 2025, I launched a new column in RMW magazine dedicated to electronic repair technicians who, in the world of retrocomputing, are essential figures allowing us all to use the original hardware of our systems. These are interviews consisting of 20 questions about their work in this era of nostalgia and hardware innovations that expand and make our old 8/16-bit machines usable again.

So far, I have identified three Italian technicians who are passionately...

UK electronic technicians wanted]]> 6 Tue, 30 Sep 2025 22:15:25 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/the-future-was-black-and-white.791/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/the-future-was-black-and-white.791/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr


You'll be horrified to hear more is to follow when we get back from our walk as I must load up some original games and show you how clear the output now is....

THANKS TO RICH!

Cheers, mate - cheers, lads.]]> 13 Sun, 11 May 2025 22:43:54 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/zx81-clear-project-progressing.788/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/zx81-clear-project-progressing.788/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr
You may/may not know, that Rich is currently working superhumanly well on sorting out THREE poor output / shabby RF displaying ZX81s (whilst also sorting out a poorly Oric-1 - that's fixed now - just needed some Rich TLC and a service).

The whole caboodle was posted out to him late last week and he's already whizzing through it all upgrading this, adding that and turning em from candidates for the scrap pile to working wonders fit to go on another 20-30 years.

Many many thanks,...

ZX81 CLEAR PROJECT...progressing]]> 1 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 11:31:02 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/spectrum-scramble-sorted.784/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/spectrum-scramble-sorted.784/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr
Yep, when you get this kinda thang scrambling your vision on booting up yer 48k rubber keyed little Sinclair ZX Spectroid, you know you've got issues...



What the issues were wasn't immediately apparent as it looked like it could be bad RAM/ULA etc but in actual fact the little sod wasn't booting properly with an original PSU... I'd never come across this...

Spectrum Scramble Sorted]]> 6 Wed, 05 Mar 2025 13:26:14 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/eproric-an-oric-tale.786/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/eproric-an-oric-tale.786/ invalid@example.com (Vyper68) Vyper68
EprOric an Oric Tale]]> 7 Mon, 20 Jan 2025 23:59:20 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/als-atari-retro-corner.738/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/als-atari-retro-corner.738/ invalid@example.com (nysavant) nysavant

On a bit of a whim last week I decided to try and replicate a 'proper' retro Atari corner complete and today it started coming together.

I managed to pick up a desk for the price of a packet of biscuits (bloody hard work carrying it down three flights of stairs though) and have started populating it with some Atari goodness. It's mainly dedicated to my 800XL and the various XL peripherals but I decided to put the ST on the pull out keyboard shelf and think...

AL'S ATARI RETRO CORNER]]> 39 Sun, 05 Jan 2025 12:14:06 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/alternatives-to-tape-loading-but-why-we-find-it-hard-to-say-goodbye.770/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/alternatives-to-tape-loading-but-why-we-find-it-hard-to-say-goodbye.770/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr
Just a quick link to a chap I'm finding interesting watching right now - Simon at Retro Computing Reboot.

He won't be everyone's cuppa tea but in this clip he shows you 3 rock solid digital alternatives to old school tape loading on the Speccy and Beeb computers (and naturally you could adapt these to virtually any 8bit micros - just the edge connector specific one you couldn't) and I for one wasn't aware of the very cheap bluetooth alternative and how snug you can fit it inside...

Alternatives to tape loading...but why we find it hard to say goodbye]]> 9 Wed, 27 Nov 2024 23:03:01 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/commodore-c16-repair.750/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/commodore-c16-repair.750/ invalid@example.com (Vyper68) Vyper68 Wouldn't you know it the C16 was DOA. First powered it on to find it totally dead, had a look and the inline fuse had blown so that's not promising. Had a spare so that went in and...
Black screen of death. Rats...
So I have a new TED chip coming in the next day or two, but researching this computer seems to point to the 8501 CPU in more cases whereas I thought the TED was the main failure.
There is a guy over in Europe who makes a 6502 CPU replacement so I have that lined up as...

Commodore C16 Repair]]> 66 Wed, 09 Oct 2024 09:37:27 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/oric-cumana-reborn.757/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/oric-cumana-reborn.757/ invalid@example.com (Vyper68) Vyper68 @Klyde . So here is a bit of a small rundown on the device and it's history.
So as you probably know the Oric-1 never got a disk drive, it wasn't released until the Atmos came out. The Microdisk was in the same colour scheme as the Atmos. It used the same 3" disks as the Amstrad CPC and the Spectrum +3 which given the age of them hold up pretty well as they are a rigid plastic case...

Oric Cumana Reborn]]> 10 Tue, 06 Aug 2024 19:29:46 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/manus-amazing-marvellous-micros.746/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/manus-amazing-marvellous-micros.746/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr WHAT? BAZ HAS AT LONG LAST POSTED THE MISSING IN ACTION MANU's MICROs thread?
I bet some of you will go and have a long lie down - or perhaps reach for some whisky, french wine or even birthday cake as it's been nearly a year since me and Bev visited Manu and Isabelle and you've probably given up waiting for this old cobblers.

I just hope the wait has been worthwhile as I take you down into his "underground" storage area where all his treasures are located - and I...

MANU's aMAZING MARVELLOUS MICROs]]> 30 Thu, 01 Aug 2024 18:04:19 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/need-help-getting-a-oric-cumana-reborn.743/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/need-help-getting-a-oric-cumana-reborn.743/ invalid@example.com (Vyper68) Vyper68 9 Sat, 29 Jun 2024 11:43:59 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/something-for-the-weekend.737/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/something-for-the-weekend.737/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr
What's Baz serving up on the rotary microwave dish plate for you this WEEKEND?

Well, why not tune in and see - guaranteed thrills, spills and bloopers built-in.

The video director has since been summarily executed by next door's cat.

I thankew...

]]> Sun, 16 Jun 2024 10:14:24 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/computer-lurve.736/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/computer-lurve.736/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr


Enjoy - musik by those synth masters Kraftwerk]]> 3 Wed, 15 Nov 2023 20:06:41 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/what-we-got-here.694/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/what-we-got-here.694/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr
First thing I noticed was the immaculate case and keyboard BUT I'M NOT SHOWING YOU THAT ANGLE!

It also had a stuck power button so I thought I'd take it apart and get some electrical contact cleaner on it to try and free it and it's moving better now... but before I try and power it up and test it, what do we have here?

View attachment 3129

View attachment 3130

View attachment 3131
Power...

WHAT WE GOT HERE?]]> 35 Sun, 12 Nov 2023 11:35:49 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/lets-shed-some-agon-light-on-the-fastest-8-bit-computer-ever.698/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/lets-shed-some-agon-light-on-the-fastest-8-bit-computer-ever.698/ invalid@example.com (AlexDrito) AlexDrito


It was fun watching it and when I saw that this cool board computer features a port (from 6502 to Z80) of the BBC Basic, I instinctively thought about the implementation of...

Let's shed some "Agon Light" on the fastest 8-bit computer ever!]]> 6 Mon, 23 Oct 2023 22:12:04 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/rocknoric-will-never-die.697/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/rocknoric-will-never-die.697/ invalid@example.com (AlexDrito) AlexDrito
Here is an example from Italy: Mr. Micro broadcasting from his Vintage Vault, featuring the Oric-1 in all its magnificence!
For non-native Italian speakers, YouTube offers an automatic translation service in...

Rock'n'Oric will never die!]]> 1 Sat, 09 Sep 2023 17:41:17 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/for-those-of-you-about-to-go-forth.690/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/for-those-of-you-about-to-go-forth.690/ invalid@example.com (Andy Barr) Andy Barr
However, they decided to release something a little different in terms of the onboard language and so the JUPITER ACE came out and... slowly died a quiet death.

Mind, they pop up on Feebay for some...

For those of you about to go FORTH]]> 10 Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:14:59 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/ray-carlsen-c64-128-wizard.677/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/ray-carlsen-c64-128-wizard.677/ invalid@example.com (Vyper68) Vyper68 He makes them with the option to also power your 1541-II disk drives as well and I’m looking forward to getting this in the next month or so. It would be good to reduce the number of power bricks when I’m using my C128.]]> 5 Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:08:09 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/vic-20-users.659/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/vic-20-users.659/ invalid@example.com (Vyper68) Vyper68 32 Sun, 18 Dec 2022 16:36:53 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/you-know-its-time-to-move-on-when.660/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/you-know-its-time-to-move-on-when.660/ invalid@example.com (M.D.Baker) M.D.Baker

This actually reminds me of my Bally Arcade and it's calculator keypad and the keyboard upgrade I gave it, though that's a mechanical keyboard at least. And it was sold as a console with a keypad as a "bonus." Though it was intended to be upgradable to full computer all along, it just turned out to be vaporware.

(concerning the picture below) I mean,...

You know it's time to move on when...]]> 1 Fri, 14 Oct 2022 18:47:17 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/researching-the-trs-80-coco-1-2-3-repairs-upgrades-and-differences-between-them.578/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/researching-the-trs-80-coco-1-2-3-repairs-upgrades-and-differences-between-them.578/ invalid@example.com (M.D.Baker) M.D.Baker
But I do prefer the larger Coco 1 case, just like I prefer the...

Researching the TRS-80 Coco 1/2/3 repairs & upgrades and differences between them.]]> 57 Mon, 15 Aug 2022 02:32:56 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/what-is-your-worst-i-didnt-think-this-out-purchase.655/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/what-is-your-worst-i-didnt-think-this-out-purchase.655/ invalid@example.com (Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine) Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine
So I buy the thing, it arrives, it has all the adverts etc they sent out with it, and I was over the moon as all the paperwork and more was there, really made it feel like I'd just got it for the first time (yeah I know, silly old bugger)....

What is your worst "I didn't think this out" purchase..]]> 6 Fri, 24 Jun 2022 02:20:51 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/to-be-timeless-or-not-to-be-timeless.654/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/to-be-timeless-or-not-to-be-timeless.654/ invalid@example.com (M.D.Baker) M.D.Baker
Then there are those electronic contraptions that seemed like "the wave of the future" at the time, but when you see them now, you know the exact era they are from and they look strange and out of place unless surrounded by...

To be timeless or not to be timeless?]]> 6 Thu, 26 May 2022 21:58:06 +0000 https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/bally-arcade-montgomery-ward-edition-full-restore.72/ https://atari-owner.com/club/threads/bally-arcade-montgomery-ward-edition-full-restore.72/ invalid@example.com (M.D.Baker) M.D.Baker @Timothy Kline posted in this sub-forum on the Speccy+ 3, I'm not ready to try running cameras at the same time as attempting to work on a restoration. So it's still, still shots and step-by-step instructions in text, etc. from me, you spoiled bloody bastards!

This month's installment (term used only as to cover my ass if I don't get back 'round to it for a while) is disassembly...

Bally Arcade (Montgomery-Ward edition) full restore]]> 119