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Frobozz
USA

Posted Sat Dec 11, 2021 4:54 pm

Hi, all. I finally found some space and spare cash to start restoring/upgrading my collection of vintage computers, and stumbled across this board, so I thought I'd say, "hello." I'll most likely be bothering all of you with technical questions in the near future.

So, about myself: my first computer was a VIC-20 in 1981 at the age of seven. Later on, my family upgraded to a C128. In high school, I talked my dad into agreeing to go 50/50 with me on an A500, and when the A1200 was announced I started saving up and it became the first computer I paid for completely on my own.

I kept using my A1200 until 1997 while I was in grad school, when I needed to be able to run Word and Photoshop (or a close equivalent) for my thesis work. Pricing things out, it would have cost as much as a Mac to upgrade my Amiga to something approaching the same performance (I only had an '030 board), so I swallowed my pride and bought my first Mac (hey, at least it wasn't Windows!).

I still have both of the Amigas, and found a pristine C128 at a resale shop to replace the long-gone family model. A friend even found a rather beat-up C64 while dumpster-diving a while back. I'm just getting started picking up replacement parts and updated hardware for these things, so my photo contribution is pretty boring. Still, enjoy!
IMG_3124.JPG

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fxgogo
Twickenham , U.K.

Posted Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:55 pm

Now that is an illustrious shelf. Welcome to the forums.

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finrock
Cupertino, California

Posted Sat Dec 11, 2021 7:06 pm

Wow, is that an eMate and an OLPC on that top shelf?

Welcome to the board!

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Frobozz
USA

Posted Sat Dec 11, 2021 7:13 pm

finrock wrote:
Sat Dec 11, 2021 7:06 pm
Wow, is that an eMate and an OLPC on that top shelf?
Good eye! Yeah, the eMate was a find a while ago at a Goodwill computer store, and I got the OLPC new when they did that "buy one, get one" offer back in '08.

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A1-X1000
Toronto, Canada

Posted Sun Dec 12, 2021 6:48 pm

welcome aboard & smart of you to keep your original miggies cause they're worth a pretty penny nowadays :boing: <3

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Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:09 pm

Welcome. Those are some nice machines. And it is nice you kept your Amiga's all these years. I know many of us have sold hardware over the years and wish we wouldn't have.

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Frobozz
USA

Posted Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:15 pm

Thanks for the welcomes, all. Yeah, I'm fairly lucky to have my old machines, especially after checking out what prices are like for used models these days. Looking back on it, I wish I'd kept them in better condition (they've been boxed up in the basement for nearly two decades), but they power up and make all the right noises at least. I managed to snag a scandoubler/flickerfixer for the A1200, and once that's installed I'll be able to find out if its innards are fully functional (the A500 will have to wait a bit). Heh, if only I'd kept a CRT along with the computers!

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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:56 pm

Welcome, Frobozz. First off - love the username. :)

Since it sounds like it has been a while since you were riding those Amigas regularly, the A1200 model is often in need of recapping these days. The A500's (and C64/128), however, generally are safe as-is.

Really nice collection you have going there. Do you have any set up that you actively use or are you currently in organizing/maintenance mode? I started organizing some of my pile this past weekend and after 4 hours I barely made a dent! Granted, it was relaxing and enjoyable but I've a long way to go.

I have 5 stations that are always ready for use (I've collected a lot of CRTs along the way which get regular use, too). The hard part is picking one to pull out of commission to give room for another. I like to try and cycle through all of them at some stage to keep those caps from drying out - even the really stable machines.

But that requires making "tough" decisions.

My current 5 include:
Amiga 1000, with 2mb Rejuvenator + Parceiro. That's easily one of my favorite machines out of the bunch. (Another view.)
C64 "Reloaded" Mk1, with full mechanical keyboard. Also one of my faves. (Hell, they all are but if I was on an island and had to pick...) This one was originally a Mk II, but I changed it to a Mk I a couple of months ago.
C128Dcr simply gorgeous...
Amiga 3000 My 2nd favorite Amiga. I flip flop between it and my A1K constantly. They are both just [insert Italian chef kiss emoji] moi!
Macintosh Quadra 700, with Dual Monitors (one 640x480 m1212 CRT and one LCD 1024x768
I've got pictures of these machines all over this site or on Instagram in some form or fashion, so I linked to them rather than repost pics if you wanted to take a peek. (This is your thread after all!)

So yeah, taking one of those down to bring another out of the stable is an excruciating decision event. One I actually stress over and try not to think about.

Rather than think about it now, though, I need to get back to organizing. :)

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obitus1990
USA

Posted Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:32 pm

Greetings! Great collection...and on a vintage shelf to boot.

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Frobozz
USA

Posted Tue Dec 14, 2021 5:46 pm

intric8 wrote:
Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:56 pm
Do you have any set up that you actively use or are you currently in organizing/maintenance mode?
Right now organizing/maintenance, but will be actively using soon if all goes well. The plan is to get the Amigas back to where they were when they were my primary machines, plus quality-of-life upgrades (Gotek drives and ethernet adapters would be nice). I'm concentrating on the A1200 at the moment, and have a TF1230, IDE2CF adapter, and scandoubler on the way. Recapping makes me very nervous (I have to send it out, and the thought of shipping it back and forth terrifies me), but I know I need to just bite the bullet and get it over with.

As for the C128, I'll probably just get a joystick and floppy emulator and call it good. The C64 will probably need some work, though. There's some corrosion on the audio port, and I need to open it up to see how bad the damage really is. Given I already have the C128, I'm not sure if it's worth investing money on any significant repairs.
intric8 wrote:
Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:56 pm
I've got pictures of these machines all over this site or on Instagram in some form or fashion, so I linked to them rather than repost pics if you wanted to take a peek. (This is your thread after all!)
I envy those setups! They look incredible, and the (mint?) DragonLance calendars are a great touch :D .

I've got some other gear sitting around as well, aside from the eMate and OLPC in the photo. If you don't mind me going off topic:
  • Mac SE with external SCSI drive
  • Semi-working Apple IIe with dual floppies
  • Newton 2000 with external keyboard
  • PowerMac G4 and G5 with SSDs
  • Raspberry Pi running RetroPi
They've all got their individual charms, but none of them compare to my Amigas :) .





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