Most liked posts in thread: What's new Pussycat too?

Its bloody annoying isn't it, utterly demotivating..

My poor daughter has to sit until the 23rd before she can come home because of other flat members..The whole idea was once the lockdown was lifted she could have a visit to China town and a good look around but that's in the bin now and going on the 23rd with the way the crowds are now just isn't safe..

My release date beckons but its a hard old slog..

 

I had just started a new Job as well, only did three days, and then !! My better half is a child minder, seems one of the little ones she has for 90 mins in the morning before taking her to nursery tested positive, got through the 14 days Children turn up, 2 days later another one... Doh, three weeks to the day happened again. it's school and nursery's that seem to be rife with it. will be let out on the 17th, as reduced the number of days of isolation to 10..
It's left my sister pretty busy looking after Mum though, all I can do is telephone her.
at least the end should be insight maybe another 6 months or so to get us all innoculated, and hopefully safer

 

PS, i can't find that little pdf you sent Graham, although I have a DVI to HDMI adaptor I'm as keen to use my RGB monitors rather than LCD, I'm sure your pdf detailed that, any chance of a resend please.

 

Yay, a win for the good guys!

Well done Andy, nice result..

 

Hi Andy, sorry to hear about Bev, lets hope everything goes well for her.

Yes, the Christmas card arrived. Really enjoyed it. Ann thought it different.

Definitely right about the post, some items arriving quickly, others as though they've gone via New Zealand. Bought a CD of eBay and sadly never turned up. The seller gave a refund, so after the New year will go hunting for it again.

Stay safe everyone.

 

Oh hell, so sorry to hear about Bev, that is just awful...What a fecking year.......

 

Oh bloody hell Andy! Sorry to hear about Bev. It’s been a year to forget - send our love to Bev mate.

 

Andy, sorry to hear about Bev, hope she is on the mend soon. Rotten thing to happen anytime, but especially so close to Christmas. Are you sure she didn't trip over an Oric or a breadbin though?

 

Sorry to hear your mum is doing so well and you aren’t so great Graham, and that your friend lost his wife to this dammed disease. I won’t be sorry to see the back of this year, hopefully next year will be better with the vaccine rolled out.
To cheer you up mate have a quick word with Andy later when he has some time spare. We have a surprise for you

 

Totally agree with Graham re this deliberate incubation in schools, when I say deliberate I don't mean it in a conspiracy way, I mean that they know the kids are rampant with it yet keep these schools open, that is deliberate by the fact they know its happening. Its nothing more than a sneeze or three to the kids but the teachers and other workers get to bring it home and to US and older it tends to be a killer and certainly a crippler. Although I have recovered and never felt ill I am now tired at the drop of a hat, I walk to the corner shop and come back and I'm like I've done a 5 mile walk, tired and slightly out of breath. Apart from that I'm fine but Cindy is really finding it hard, she's so tired easily..

No other symptoms, purely whacked out tired...Covid long??

Maybe I'm just getting older and more knackered...

My heart goes out to people who have lost folk to this disaster of a disease, one hopes that one day we can all look back at these times and say "what a year that was" while disease free and feeling fine in a prosperous nation. Sadly that seems a million miles away at the moment...

Perhaps we will also remember it as the year Boris topped himself along with a pile of his mates...So much wasted time and peoples money on stuff that never got used and sat in containers on an industrial estate never mind the mates bungs and the peerages for cash. Utter trash..

Roll on 2021, can't get worse....Can it??

 

Sorry about the rant above, not what here is about, just like many, totally down trodden with this year and this virus, but its been like it for almost every one, should not wallow in self pity and go about trying to help others..

So I hope for a happy new year for all of us (especially those with a broken leg at this time of year) and just lets see the year out with a smile and some joyous times..

 

The vintage Hi-Tek brand AT keyboard finally arrived, stuck in USPS limbo, originally supposed to be delivered by the 11th of December. Anyway, though it does seem to be mechanically close to the 800's Hi-Tek keyboard, the white plungers are smaller and rectangular, not square, like the 800's. I also don't see any leaf-spring contacts inside the plunger, like the 800's Hi-Tek keyboard. I think it might have a membrane inside actually, it feels more like my 1200XL's Mitsumi keyboard. Which is also a good thing, in as much as I have a very nice new, vintage keyboard for my PC, but no serviceable parts for my 800 Hi-Tek. So it's time to take measurements of the 800 keyboard and compare to those given to me from the Oric Atmos's Hi-tek keyboard, of which the plungers and leaf spring contacts at least looks just like the 800's.

Anyway, to my surprise, what I thought was going to be a well-used keyboard in not-so-perfect shape looks like NOS and is in mint condition. It could have been refurbished or just very well cleaned, but they did it right, if so, it's totally clean in-between and under the keys and everywhere.

 

Sounds like a pretty awesome project. The keyboard reminds me of the Memotech MTX computer. Looking forward to seeing this project happen

 

I decided to go for broke with the last of my expendable income and ordered three NOS games, 2 slightly damaged sealed games. But for a small fraction of Mint NOS or even other "good condition" used versions. Continuing to build up my Strategy/RPG/Wargame collection as I can and fine stuff for reasonable prices.

 

Not my sort of games but I'd love to have a library of each machines titles on display, the covers were pretty much always better looking than the games themselves but there were so many just superb boxes from the 2600 era onwards. Some of the Ollie Frey painted stuff on the C64 Thalamus range were just works of art.

All I have to do now is win the lottery twice and buy a big home for it all, I'll do that on Saturday, bit knackered at the moment..

 

Ha ha...You and I are very similar in many ways...The attention span in my case has changed as well and like you, BITD I never collected real games. Saying that I don't collect them now but that is purely based on situation and money.

 

My ENDER3 3D printer arrived today, some assembly required! I just got done checking off that all parts were there, and they are, except I was supposed to get 10 zip-ties and they only included 5! Should I return it?

As well as two spools of PLA filament I ordered separately, thank God, as the sample filament isn't much at all! On the other hand, I had no idea how HUGE the PLA spools I ordered would be! But I got more for my money than I thought!

 

I'm sure I will really enjoy all aspects of all these wargames, once I'm done messing around with some Atari hardware and my 3D printer some more. But I do think I'll take a break this evening and give Decision in the Desert a go.

Of all the battles and campaigns for WWII, the North African front and Montgomery vs. Rommel has always been the most fascinating to me.

 

My UV lamp arrived from Hong Kong yesterday so I spent this morning building my EPROM UV Eraser.
Consists of a metal biscuit tin ( a M&S Shortbread tin... I’m still a Scotsman at heart ) and the UV lamp which cost £7 and Bingo! working EPROM eraser.
Took 20 Mins to wipe my 27c128’s and 256’s and they all showed as clear on my programmer.
Who needs to spend £18 on a el cheapo Eraser

 

This is the UV lamp I bought if you want another project

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353206835382

 

Nice win there Richie, no charges...

 

We takes lifes little mercies with a smile..

 

Almost there @Baz...

 

Talking of ORIC's My cable video cable turned upto day,(Retro Computers one good old Ian)

I've been running it on your power supply Andy ... Oh boy the poor old Oric really fry's to the point when it crashes.
I appreciate that the changes to the Oric Microdrive will see it running much cooler , but think I may knock up a device that sits between your current PSU and the Oric.. it currently getting 15V DC not 9V I'll see if I can get a 9V Switch mode Regulator in the middle or even fit inside the original PSU which would be better.
I'll use a bench PSU for the ORIC for now, but I'll be getting on with the micro drive and the Drive mech swap.