What's new Pussycat too?

They were between $22 and $25 dollars each, with shipping, etc. they cost me about $180, so not so cheap, but I bit the bullet as they are still cheaper than others, as you say.

 

They certainly look the part and worth every cent, Matt - the extras like the piped/raised Dreamcast swirl finish etc show the extra quality that the covers ooze. I think it's been one of those outlays we sometimes have to make in order to protect our investments and these beauties need protecting as some of them are rare specimens whilst others are unique.
Well done, fella - the (excellent) results speak for themselves.

 

Back when I had the market stalls and shops I used to buy Atari and Amiga dust covers for about £0.50 each. Price has certainly increased over the years lol. Think I will need to use tea towels over mine instead

 

Have you got that time travel switch fathomed out yet for the unexpanded VIC-20, Al?!

 

Not yet Andy, but I have a friend helping me figure it out. Who?.....

 

You've got me there, Al.

Fiona Bruce meets X Files' Agent Scully?!

(That's the one on the right!)

 

It's Dr Who, the ultimate time traveler

 

Jeez... I wouldn't know, mate.

Stopped watching that around the David Tennant era.

Ooops....!

 

To be fair, that's probably when I stopped as well Andy!

 

I don't remember which actor was the last before the female Doctor Who, but that was the last time I watched. As soon as I heard the new Doctor was a female and the show had gone to the extreme of political correctness I have never bothered to turn in. It was bad enough when The Master was made a female, I put up with that, but I can't abide The Doctor as a female. And it's not even a male chauvinist, 20 or 30 years ago I probably would have excepted it, but just in light of the PC climate and the show in general going too the extreme with being PC and woman activists going way beyond "equal rights" and seeming to want to be actually put above males these days I just refuse to accept it. I probably wouldn't be watching it any more even if The Doctor were still male because of what they have turned the show into, and the attitude that male testosterones becoming an "evil" in main stream society and shows. To me that is the real evil and I refuse to put up with it.

 

Agreed, fella.

500%.

They just tick boxes at the Beeb to keep the wokes, snowflakes and trouser jasper viewers happy.

Anything that used to be good just loses its appeal to folks like us as it is spun, messed with and moulded into something it never was intended to be.

IMHO, the end result just isn't cricket....or Doctor anything anymore.

 

I think that's all part of the reason they have lost so many viewers the last couple of series.

However, say that too loud and your either a dinosaur or a chauvinist!

 

My new laser engraving head arrived yesterday, to turn my 3D printer into a laser engraver. It came with safety glasses to protect the eyes from the laser and 3 sample wood plates I presume to practice engraving.Of course it supposedly can be used with more than wood, including metal, plastic, etc., but we all know about "truth in advertising." so only time and attempts using it on other materials will reveal if the claims are true.

Apparently set-up should be easier than I thought, as I thought I'd have to remove the 3D print head and attach this in it's place, but the guide says it just attaches to the fan cover of print head itself and apparently I may even be able to leave it in place so I can still print or engrave without need of swapping out heads. But of course only trying will reveal if both will still work fine with both attached to the printer. I am supposed to either put a metal or thick wood base on top of the print bed to avoid damage to the print bed itself.

Supposedly I just connect it to the motherboard of my printer (there are several connections to attach different upgrades), download the software (Creality brand software just like I use for the 3D printer already) and I'll get a new front menu to choose between printing and engraving software.

 

Wonderful, Matt.

Yet another great addition to your armoury and toolkit.

You must have one of the most enviable, desirable, incredibly well-kitted out RV mancave retro dens in the whole state?!

 

Possibly, though it's a construction office trailer really, the RV is a storage trailer now. I still need some work benches in there and if I ever get the opportunity I need to repair my oscilloscope, but then...then I'd agree with you. Oh, and I still need a small refrigerator, the one it came with doesn't work. I do have a microwave for heating up the biscuits and gravy or frozen snacks. But I need the fridge to keep them frozen and my drinks cold. I also need a coffee maker and tea kettle too, for my Earl Grey. Right now I use the microwave to heat a cup of water at a time.

 

This is another of the joy's of a bloke's man cave - there's always something else to aim for to make it the creme de la creme of ALL caves/trailers and man boltholes etc.

You WILL get there, Matt - just a few more accessories to lay yer hands on and then you'll be able to retreat into there in a state of semi-permanent bliss and self-sufficiency.

Jammy bugger!

Hey, my garage conversion into a pub has had to be paused for now but it's all system go shortly to get that up and running for the end of summer so watch this space!

 

Yes, a small wet bar may be something else for me to consider. Maybe I can find one that looks like a Dalek (Dailek?-I've seen it spelled both ways) which the top tips open and storage below...or make my own, if I can find the time...

 

Some times bad luck is a precursor to good luck that more than makes up for the bad.
a couple of days ago the 19" wide screen LCD I use with my PC and 800CX in the shop suddenly died on me. Simply a power issue that I'm sure I could fix, but haven't the time now and if I did, too many more important electronic projects to still finish.

So I started looking on the local classified lists online, searching for someone selling CRT VGA monitors, since I plan on returning my Atari's at least to CRT screens anyway. And now I had to go full speed ahead with the hunt. No private individual in a 50 mile radius had any for sale, but I found a shop in Tulsa that apparently specializes in vintage CRT sales, advertising them starting at $10 with an average price of $35.

I have yet to find time to go get me some monitors from that store.

But, while at a tool and machine store buying tools and machines for my business, I noticed there was a thrift store across the parking lot, and I always make time, if they are right there, to check out thrift shops for vintage goodies. This one was very sparse on electronics or anything other male oriented besides used clothing, but they did have a few old LCD monitors on the shelves. Then I saw it among them! A Dell VGA LCD monitor that was 4:3 screen ratio! That means full use of all screen real estate instead of letter-boxing, at least, like a CRT screen. And the price was definitely right for $4.99!

So I have a VGA 4:3 monitor for my TRS-80 Coco 2 now, to use with the SuperSprite FM+ card and it's RGB scart and my RGBtoVGA converter. It will be a dual-screen set-up with the second screen being CRT, but only for composite video output for programs that use NTSC artifact colors, anything else I'll use the VGA monitor, and in the meantime I'll just steer clear of Artifact color programs or use them in B/W on the VGA screen. I have a monitor for my Coco 2 now!

I moved the 19" LCD I had set up with the 1200XL into the shop to use with the 800CX, until I get VGA CRT screens for both Atari's. Though I have done some work on the 1200XL and it might possibly be working, I haven't tested it yet as everything is unhooked (from last winter's repair and repainting of the XL Command Center) and I've been too lazy to crawl under the desk and feed all the wires through the desktop holes and connect everything again. The 800CX on the other hand is all set up.

I left the $4.99 price sticker on as I intended to take a close-up. but forgot too. I will be disassembling this monitor and painting the case/shell the same color as the rest of my Coco 2 system.

I should find time to get to the CRT monitor store in the next week or too...


The vintage Bose Acoustic-Wave radio is back (I was using it in the shop trailer, but I have my Wefax project SW radio in there now which gets FM/AM too so the Bose isn't needed). I just decided to move it directly in front of the monitor, between the two photos I took above and below, since it matches the Coco 2 system and I need decent speakers and directly in front for proper stereo balance and separation, the monitor being tall enough for the screen to be fully visible still. It's for the FM+ part of my SuperSprite FM+ audio/video card. Another bonus being quick access to a cassette player for audio tapes with a decent stereo box to run the audio too as well. I'm going to get some vintage PC speakers, like I have for my 1200XL system for my 800CX. The Bose just goes with the Coco 2 so much better in color and style without need to paint it.

 

Well, I did some Google searching for a Dalek shaped mini/wet bar with no results. There are plenty of globe shaped mini/wet bars, but other than that all are just different style of furniture/carts and a couple portables that look like old-time travel chests/boxes. Not even an R2-D2 droid style mini/wet bar which I find disturbing, I thought that would have been made at least, if not a Dalek version! So I guess I will be forced to make my own when I can find the time. I had a floor standing unit about 4-5 feet tall, or about actual size prop Dalek's in mind to buy, but if I construct my own it will probably be in the 2-3 feet tall range to sit on top of a University dormitory style mini-fridge...I did find R2-D2 and Tardis shaped mini-fridges by the way...

 

I also found dust cover for my Atari 1010. It's a clear, hard-plastic top instead of a floppy material. But I want to keep dust off the top anyway. Side dust takes much, much longer to develop and it won't be collecting in hard to clean seems or crevasses either.

Retronics out of Germany sells them, as well as dust covers for some Atari and other computer brands, but if they have 1050 covers they are not selling them on eBay atm. I really need covers for my 1020 and custom painted Panasonic dot-matrix printer too, I haven't seen modern covers for any printers, just the occasional vintage ones. Same with the Atari 810 and 1050 drives, but the vintage ones are 2-3 times the price and are light and dark brown, not black like the rest of my covers.

So I think I may just have to buy some black vinyl "Pleather" material and make my own just covers for the rest of my 800/1200 system peripherals, and for the Coco 2 and it's peripherals and even my Bally needs them for it's keyboard & pad and recorder. Heck, I even need them for the TV/monitors.

 

As you say, Matt, rather than get mad when things go tits up, get even by allowing fate to equalise the bad luck with some bloody good luck and hey presto - you end up, by the by, chancing upon that smashing little bargain Dell monitor - you lucky fella, you! Hopefully, the other monitor will still be fixable and suddenly, everything looks even rosier in the retro cave - it just gets groovier and groovier in there, ma'an cos Tandy + Bose + Dell = quality combo (once that Dell gets a lick of suitable paint). I can see another paint shop sesh coming on when work allows, Picasso!

 

While in the 'Researching TRS-80 Coco...' thread I mentioned in reply to @Vyper68 that the MOOH was the last item I was getting for any of my vintage micros/consoles for a long while, I have already ordered these items from Retronics in Germany, and of course I'll still be getting my quarterly ABBUC mags and disks. And there may be a few future HB software titles I still get for the Atari's or Coco 2...



Though I do hope I can play this game against the computer, as the chance of getting my brother to play it with me is as likely as the current Atari and the "new" Atari VCS succeeding and putting Atari back on top as the industry leader it once was...downloadable version from AtariMania below.

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-inside_12200.html

 

After spending the last couple of weeks checking stock on the CEX website I managed to pick up two PS3 racing games this weekend. Sega Rally and Ridge Racer 7 - two of my favourite racing franchises. Really looking forward to playing them at some point.

Also won an auction for an Atari 7800 about twenty miles away from me, so will be collecting that tomorrow night. It's one machine that I've really missed since selling my last one (at least I know it went to a very good home with Matt!). SainT who brought out the GD Drives for the Lynx and Jaguar is working on a similar device for the 7800 and hopefully that will be released in the latter part of this year. It's also going to have a built in S-Video out to save modding the 7800 itself.

 

I keep on thinking about a PS3 but as I have it's then rival, the XBOX360 and many of the games came out on both with the 360 being slightly technically superior, it seems a bit silly. I did get the Uncharted set on the PS4 as it was Sony only. Still giving it thought as there's some cracking PS3 only games on it.

Ridge racer I loved but when 5 came out, it felt more generic than RR, put me right off.

As I'm catching up with the thread, a comment about Dr Who.

I used to be a fan, when David Tennant took over it revived the series from the stale kids show it had turned in to but then it got too PC and Matt and Andy say. I have no issue with Jodie Whittaker as an actor, she's got the chops for sure but Russel T Davies is ALWAYS push the PC LGBT side, now I think it's fair to have real life choices in TV but he had to go too far, the Dr as a woman, no probs for me, the Doctor as a gay woman, er hold on a bit, lets not muddy the water too much, the Doctor now having relationships with multiple companions, stop it!!!

It's taken a godly being, a time traveller, a saviour of the universe multi times over and made them in to a glorified trailer trash mum of sort..A person with no clue about themselves....Just stupid..

I'll watch the 60th show just to see Tennant back as the Dr for one or two shows but then, nope..Stopped ages ago..

As for the 7800, good for you Al, I only became console orientated when the PC's were too expensive to keep up with the consoles, never owned other than a Coleco which was a gift, things like the 2600 and the other Atari consoles did nothing for me as Glenn the 5200 man was porting almost all the 5200 stuff to the Atari and the 7800 had a limited range (not saying there's nothing good on it, just that there's not a lot and I've not seen a 'killer app' on it.

But that's me, you have a ball with it al, wish I could be as enthused as you and Matt but there's so much going on around me that is ultra negitive, it's dulled the happy chappy in me a bit. Mind you, if the two lucky dips I won on Sat turn in to anything I'll prove that money can make you happy

Double steak and chips, now that sounds nice

 

So you double dipped then Paul?

I have an xbox 360 as well, but couldn't resist the PS3 after spotting it for £20 in a local Cash Generator! Even after buying 7 games I've shelled out less than £40 in total.

As for the 7800, it has the only home version of Pole Position II which I love. Also Centipede, Galaga and Choplifter are great versions. Some of the latter homebrew stuff is incredibly well done, like the Pac-Man Collection.

Like yourself I started watching Dr Who around the time of David Tennant but it has went far too PC and I'm not sure that's going to change with the next Dr they have lined up. But, I will be watching when Tennant comes back as well.