In November 2021, I posted a short video on Twitter of my Roland DXY 1150 pen plotter drawing a generative wobbly circle design on top of a 5.25″ floppy disk. A few people responded that they would buy one of the floppies. This got me thinking about the medium of a floppy disk that I was using.
Author Archives: paulrickards
Datavue 25 Lunchbox PC Power Supply Repair
(This was originally a Twitter thread from May 7, 2019.)
May 7, 2019
New addition: Datavue 25 portable lunchbox PC. Keyboard stows on front, two 3.5 floppy drives, 13 pounds.
Hayes Chronograph Display Repair
(This was originally a Twitter thread from January 24, 2022.)
January 24, 2022
Many of you know that I have an affinity for the Hayes Chronograph. I have several of them, I made a WiFi controller to set the time automatically, and I’ve repaired several of them. Here’s another page in the repair chapter.
Zenith ZL-1 MinisPort Laptop repairs
(This was originally a Twitter thread from June 14, 2020.)
June 14, 2020
Say “Hello, World” to my new Zenith ZL-1 MinisPort laptop from 1989 with an 8088 running 8Mhz, 1MB RAM, and a backlit LCD display. Weighs just under 6 pounds.
Modding a Timex Sinclair 2068 to a Switchable ZX Spectrum ROM
(This was originally a Twitter thread from December 2, 2014)
Did you know the American Timex Sinclair 2068 is largely a clone of the popular ZX Spectrum from England? Well, the hardware is but the ROM is different enough to keep ZX Spectrum titles from working. Which is a bummer because there are hundreds of titles for the ZX Spectrum and only a handful for the Timex Sinclair 2068.
However, it is possible to replace the ROM in a TS2068 so it’s more compatible with ZX titles, making a “ZX2068.” And you can make it switchable so you can go back to the stock ROM. And no drilling holes for a switch! Sound interesting? Read on!
Commodore SX-64 Repair and Refurbishment
(This was originally posted to Twitter on February 3, 2015.)
February 3, 2015
Today, I’m going to tackle this new-to-me Commodore SX-64 computer. I bought it cheaply from a seller that said it wasn’t working. It has a few faults that we’ll take a look, including the keyboard which has a few unresponsive keys.
Atari 1040 STf upgrade and repair
(Originally a Twitter thread started June 12, 2022)
June 12, 2022
Today I’m revisiting my #Atari 1040 STf that I got last year from @benjedwards. I’d like to fix the floppy drive (doesn’t seem to read or format disks), upgrade TOS, and fix the two broken keys on the keyboard.
Installing an Ethernet card and video card and other upgrades for a Mac SE/30.
(The following was a Twitter thread on March 10, 2021 for #MARCHintosh.)
But there’s only one slot, you say? It’s all a matter of using a clever part to adapt a pass-through.
Another Visit to The Computer Museum at System Source in Baltimore MD.
On July 10, 2021, I visited the Computer Museum at System Source in Baltimore MD as part of the Vintage Computer Federation (VCF) Repair Workshop. I also visited the museum in 2020.
Warning: Image heavy page ahead!
A Visit to The Computer Museum at System Source, Baltimore, MD
On Feb 15, 2020, I visited the Computer Museum at System Source in Baltimore, MD as part of a VCF Federation Repair Workshop weekend. The museum there is mind blowing. Want to see some pictures?
Warning: Image heavy page ahead!
