@robert the vRetro shop has reopened so I’ve ordered a VR177X (it’s a modern reimplementation of the classic 1770/1772 floppy controller ICs)
@jarrod @danielpunkass wait until you hear about James Lovelock reanimating frozen hamsters with surplus WWII radar parts. #DontTryThisAtHome
@dejus I remember trying to judge if a program would be “worth” the effort of typing it it. Anything too short you would assume isn’t a good game, but anything too long and it was too boring to type it in. And latter-day listings seemed to be filled with interminable machine code bytes. Bah!
But now I appreciate it much more. It’s a soothing/rewarding exercise in it’s own right.
Jamograd elevates it to an art form: youtube.com/@WhatHoSn.
@odd beautiful colours!
@odd haha, actually this issue is from 2003/4 I think. I enjoy reading the classic 80s/90s 8-bit magazines though. And BASIC type-ins are fun.
@odd thank you! Yes it’s quite a meditative task. This computer belongs to an old friend so the sentimental value makes it worth taking the time over. (I’m considering what to to about fixing/replacing the gun though! I’ve already used it far more than I thought I would, but my skills with the “old” methods have also improved.)
Sockets - yes readily available. There’s enough room in this computer’s case (ZX Spectrum +) to have a socketed chip and still attach a heat sink if you want, but with the earlier models there’s not enough room. Often repairers will remove the socket.
@odd user error…or caching! (It’s always caching!) Argh! (p.s. that’s a nice shirt!)
@odd yeah it’s really handy, it does a few things my multimeter can’t; and the ZIF socket makes it less fiddly even if you’re just testing resistors etc. This one cost about £20 back in 2020. I’m sure a dedicated ESR/capacitance device would be more accurate but it seems good enough for my needs. Oh and it’s really handy for identifying transistor pinouts!
@odd I’ll need to see what the project entails! (Can a composite video signal carry teletext?) I like the idea of using my TV’s built-in decoder if that’s possible. 🤔
Lots of fantasy and sci-fi of course but plenty of weird and original stuff too. I'm not familiar with Spectrum text-adventures at all, so this is a great guide to the genre.
@dustinbucher thanks! I was delighted with how it turned out.
@odd Hehe. I love it. It was a DIY modification kit. Some tricky soldering, but fun to do.
@odd ☺️ …it’s certainly a highly valued commodity these days, alas thermal printer paper is not a particularly viable alternative. Or so I’m told… 😉
@lmcly The Swindle is beautifully stylish though, I really ought to give it another go!
@lmcly yeah, I don’t generally get on with rouge-likes(?) but Rogue Legacy didn’t really feel like it was judging me for failing… you just jump back in with a different kooky character and try again. Whereas I tried The Swindle and every failure felt like…playing it “wrong”.
@derekpeden thanks! They are truly lovely machines. Trivial to emulate these days, but I’ve had a lot of fun tinkering with the actual hardware. (Moreso than with the duff auld games if I’m honest, though there’s fun to be had there too!)
@MitchWagner indeed! Never happier than when she’s covered in mud! Seems to be a big fan of shaking it everywhere as well, of course.
@robert maybe shoulda oughta not’ve used a magnetic screwdriver there either, bud.
@robert maybe shoulda rewound those first, kiddo.
Hmm. ZX Spectrum not quite fluent in RS232. Mostly gibberish but with just enough lucid moments to make me think we’re on the right track.
@mangochutney thanks! I may have nudged the saturation a wee bit. ;)
@mangochutney I fancy doing some walking between Lochcarron and Achnasheen or maybe heading south along the loch towards Stromeferry. Plockton is a lovely wee place worth a visit too.
@mangochutney you're welcome, I hope you enjoy your trip. Let us know how it goes! 🏴🥃 cheers :)
@mangochutney I love the west coast - (though I drive through it too often without stopping.) Glen Sheil and Glen Carron are so beautiful I need to make time to explore them a bit more. I'm not familiar with the Inner Hebrides, but the beaches and hills out here are stunning (even in October weather!) especially North Uist and Harris.
@mangochutney yeah it was a dog-friendly campsite, so they had lots of kids and other dogs to play with. Close to River Findhorn as well so we took them swimming. 🐶💦