Thanks to my friend Andry for the donation of this DataRecorder.

Laser Slim Line Computer DataRecorder (Model DR-15).

Gallery:

Thanks to my friend Andry for the donation of this computer.

The laser 500 is identical to the previous version, the laser 350. The only differences are in the memory configuration (64 KB instead of 16 KB), the keyboard (77 keys instead of 49) and extended graphics modes.

Technical features:

• Production: 1985
• CPU  NEC D780c (Z80A compatible) at 3.7 MHz
• RAM: 64 KB, expandible to 128 KB
• ROM: 32 KB
• Text modes: 40 x 24 in 16 colors and 80 x 24 in 2 colors.
• Graphic modes: 160 x 96 a 16 col., 160 x 192 a 2 col., 320 x 192 a 2 col., 160 x 192 a 16 col., 320 x 192 a 2 col., 640 x 192 a 2 col.
• Sound: 1 voce, 6 octave (Beeper)
• I/O ports: Tape-recorder (600 bauds), Composite Monitor out, RF Port, Memory expansion port.
• Power supply: 9v 500mA (Positive Centre)

Gallery:

Thanks to my friend Andry for the donation of those two cartridges for Commodore 64/128.

Cartridges:

• KCS Cartridge for C64.
• Captain Miki II (Clone?) for C64.

Gallery:

Thanks to my friend Andry for the donation of a few Software on tape.

Thomson MO5/TO7/TO9:

• Histoire de France (M.P.S.)
• Pays du Monde (Infogrames)

Vtech Laser 310:

• DemostrationsBand (Vtech)

Dragon 32:

• Backgammon (Oasis Software)
• Invader Cube (Oasis Software)

Sharp MZ-700:

• Anthill Raider (Solo Software)
• Flipper 700 (Tecnomec)
• Advoka.
• Head Driver.
• Egg Bas.
• Account Management.
• Address Data.

Timex Sinclair 1000:

• Backgammon.

Radio Shack TRS-80:

• Some tapes of not original software.

Thanks to my friend Andry for donation a few things for Atari

Here the list:

• Modem Supra Corporation 300 AT
• Berliner Cilinder Video Digitizer Atari 520 ST
• Composite Video Switcher (Color/Mono)
• A unknown Interface with 3 x Potentiometers+ 2 x DIN IN/OUT + Cartridge Expansion Port (they have used the cartridge case of the Commodore 64 but the connector is Atari).
• A unknown Harddisk Interface for Atari.
• Two unknown cables with Floppy Drive Connections.

Gallery:

Thanks to my friend Andry for donation some games cartridges.

Titles:

Radofin 1292/1392 – Acetronic MPU 1000 – Prinztronic Microprocessor – Audiosonic PP 1292

• Horse Racing (3012 HR) – Boxed
• Prizefight (3014 PF) – Boxed
• Air/Sea Attack (3005 AT) – Boxed
• Shooting Gallery (3006 SG) – Boxed
• Tank/Plane Battle (3004 TP) – Boxed
• Pro Sport 60 (3001 PS) – Boxed
• Circus (3013 CI) – Boxed

Palladium

• Tele-Bowling (Wipeout) – Tele-Cassette 606 – Boxed
• 10 Ball-Spiele – Tele-Cassette 610 – Boxed

Home Arcade – Leonardo GIG – Hanimex HMG2650 – Arcadia 2001

• Breakaway (#17) – Boxed
• Cat Trax (#24) – Boxed
• Grand SlamTennis – Loose

I don’t want to make yet another boring review of the Nintendo Classic Mini, there are many on the net.

I will just say that is made very well, the 30 games included are emulated very well and seem bug free at least i have not found anyone.

The games selection menu is done very well, fast and intuitive.

The appearance is what impressed me, very beautiful and solid.

I have nothing else to say.

Gallery:

source: nintendo

A nice donation from a friend. Texas Instruments Extensa 460 a laptop of the 90s

Gallery:

Apple Computer 1, also known later as the Apple I, or Apple-1, was released by the Apple Computer Company (now Apple Inc.) in 1976. It was designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak. Wozniak’s friend Steve Jobs had the idea of selling the computer.

The Apple I was Apple’s first product, and to finance its creation, Jobs sold his only means of transportation, a VW Microbus, and Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator for $500. It was demonstrated in July 1976 at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Apple 1 (Mimeo / Mike Willegal Clone) Assembled for a friend of mine; Paolo Cognetti.

Many thanks for the Technical & Moral support to: Piero Todorovich and Alessandro Polito.
I also thank for some electronic components: Gabriele Molesto Zaverio of Museo Dell’informatica Funzionante, Piero Todorovich.

I had several problems with this Apple 1 clone, i very briefly describe the problems below and i attach some photos of the assembling stages.

• 1 – No video image, all voltages are ok.
• 1 + MPS3704 Transistor failure replaced with a 2N3704 pinout not compatible.

• 2 – Garbage screen during boot.
• 2 + Replaced 2 of 7 Shift Register 2504V

• 3 – Keyboard inputs not working, the WOZ monitor is freezed and shows an “@ \” but the “\” does not wrap.
• 3 + Replaced a 27k resistor half broken, probably during transport the capacitor has crushed the resistor.

• 4 – The keyboard does not respond correctly, typing A they print @, typing 1 they print 0 … and so on …
• 4 + Keyboard adapter from Apple II/+ to Apple 1 in short circuit. A wire is skewered in a pin of a Socket.

• 5 – The computer does not respond correctly, but it seems to work. The WOZ monitor responds to commands but does not write to memory and print random locations.
• 5 + Replaced a 7410 which had a pin always at high level.

• 6 – The keyboard has several problems, some switches are completly dead.
• 6 + Replaced switches.

Photos of the assembling stages:

123►

Video:

The Japanese Commodore 64 was introduced in the 1983.

The Hardware somewhat different (and incompatible) Kernal and BASIC to accomodate Japanese katakana characters, 46 total (plus punctuation, diacritics, etc.); many graphic characters replaced in the Char ROM with the new Japanese characters.

Breadbox case and original brown keycaps; SHIFT-LOCK replaced with C= LOCK for the purpose of getting at the katakana; modified keycaps to show the new characters with the colour keys no longer present and the remaining graphic characters significantly rearranged.

Machine started up in English but different colour scheme and only 36863 bytes free; see screenshot. Both Markus and On the Edge remember the original screen as black on pink, but the screenshot and corresponding ROM definitely aren’t.

Graphics and Sound Identical to the breadbox 64.

Gallery:

Directly from the collection of a dear friend “Andrea Pierdomenico” the Commodore 64 with the wrong key.

The factory was wrong to print the “8″ key but only the upper label and not the front label. I did not find any articles on the net that talks about this keyboard, the only one in the world?

Gallery:

I have sacrificed a Floppy Disk Drive Commodore VIC 1541 to give a new look to a Floppy Disk Drive Commodore 2031 (IEEE-488).

It ‘s not been an easy job, but i’d say the result is very good.

Gallery:

Sakhr Computers was a Kuwaiti company (Al Alamiah co.) that was selling MSX computers imported from Japan in all of the Arab world. These MSX were localized and rebranded for some Arabic markets.

The AX-370 is the Sanyo WAVY PHC-70FD MSX2+ computer localised by Al Alamiah with more RAM (128kB instead of 64kB). This machine has an Arabic QWERTY keyboard.

The Rensha controller (autofire), the Pause key and the X-BASIC (or Turbo-Basic) have been removed, the MSX2+ bios roms have been replaced by MSX2 roms, but there’s still the MSX2+ videochip, the Yamaha V9958. It means that software using in language machine the MSX2+ features, especially SCREEN 10 to 12 and the horizontal scrolling, can be runned on this MSX2 computer.

This machine comes with version 2.03 of Arabic firmware, present on all Sakhr/Al Alamiah computers. The firmware can be skipped by pressing CTRL key while booting and until you come on the MSX-BASIC screen. By doing that, the machine will be in International mode and the Arabic characters will not be available.

However, from MSX-BASIC, you can fully enable the Arabic mode with CALL ARABIC, _ ARABIC, CALL ARABON or _ ARABON. It is also possible to keep the Arabic BASIC active without the other Arabic features by entering first CALL ARABIC or _ ARABIC, then CALL ARABOFF or _ ARABOFF.

This firmware adds Arabic characters, new MSX-BASIC commands (see Arabic BASIC) and 4 applications. You can choose them in the menu with the keys 1 to 4.

By comparison with version 2.02, a new application has been added, it’s Sakhr BASIC or how to use BASIC directly in Arabic language. Other options are Word Processor with choice between English or Arabic Word Processor, the Arabic version of The Painter, a graphic tool in screen 5 (the original version can be found in the Yamaha YIS-805) and the Calendar.

If you press key 5 when you are in the menu, you will go to MSX-BASIC. Going back to the menu is possible with CALL MENU or _ MENU. From MSX-BASIC, the Word Processor can be launched with CALL SWP or _ SWP, Sakhr Basic with CALL SBASIC or _ SBASIC, The Painter with CALL PAINT or _ PAINT, the Calendar with CALL CALENDAR or _ CALENDAR.

If you are in International mode, only CALL SWP or _SWP can be used, you will directly go to the English (or French) Word Processor. It’s not recommended to use the other commands without first enabling the Arabic mode.

Gallery:

Gallery of Cleaning and Testing:

source: msx.org

A friend of mine left me some ZX Spectrum clones produced in the 90′s in Czechoslovakia and Russia.

As you can see from the photos i have tried to find the right pinout of the RGB video and audio output.

Thanks again Andrea Pierdomenico.

Gallery: