User avatar
Bulletdust

Posted Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:42 am

Intric8,

I'm fairly sure I saw a post from you on the Centronian BBS...

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:31 am

You probably did! I love that board. It's just large enough to not get drowned in but have a nice little active community. Particles is my #1, and Centronian is my #2. I'm going to venture out and find a few more this year.

User avatar
Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 7:14 am

I don't tend to jump at these kinds of topics as I'd like to consider myself an artist when it comes to pictures. In that; I have chosen 35mm photography to be my medium of choice for still images. This is where I get my artistic style from, using an old Nikon FM, the best glass lenses ever made, and true analog film where a chemical reaction causes the images you see. I don't "like" taking digital pictures... Thus if I were to respond to a topic like this I'd be forced to use a digital camera and have it not be how I want it seen.

I do however have a few 35mm pics I took awhile ago... Unfortunately at the time I scanned these to digital I was not using a very good scanner... I'm not "happy" with the way these look compared to their originals, but it'll do for now because it takes me forever to take my film in to be developed.

Image

The above is the resting place for my Amiga 500. I don't just have Commodore stuff and space... Is at a premium... It deserves better than that kiddie table... My back deserves better than that kiddie table... But I do assure you, while it may not look safe, the hard drive is perfectly stable and safe where it is at. I need more room...

Image

My Amiga 500 is a bit of a hybrid... The case and many parts inside are of my original Amiga 500 which was bought brand new in 1987 by my father. It was originally an OCS Amiga with a kickstart of 1.2, though my father did have WB 1.3 disks. Due to a desire for NTSC/PAL graphics mode switching; I bought another Amiga as well as another motherboard. I took an ECS PAL motherboard with a kickstart of 1.3 and replaced my motherboard with that. Leaving most everything else using my original hardware (also replaced internal floppy drive). I use my original trap door RAM, my original keyboard (which is why my power LED is red despite having an ECS board), and my original case. Oh so sadly I stored my original Commodore monitor in my shed... When trying to resurrect the Amiga the monitor only showed the smallest bit of information on screen... We're talking like 4 pixels in the center. I immediately junked it and I've never forgiven myself since... I'm sure I could have repaired it now... ugh...

Speaking of monitors, while I do not have the classic original (actually upgraded) Commodore monitor I refuse to use anything but CRTs for systems designed with CRTs in mind. I use a scan doubler to take the 15hz signal the Amiga outputs and put it into 60hz for a late 90's CRT. Using a VGA to RGB adapter (already had for our Commodore monitor) I plug the scan doubler into that and the monitor into the scan doubler. These are devices sold back in the day for anyone wanting to get rid of the terrible flicker in interlace modes. While I do sometimes miss my original monitor, and if I had one, I would probably use it... I have to there are times the picture utterly amazes me using this thing. The later CRTs got rid of so much of the negative aspects of that display, including much of the interlace. While many people had interlace in mind when designing games, I don't consider interlace to be a "desired" quality when it comes to CRTs. They truly do mask some stuff, give off the illusion of more color, and are not "that" noticeable on real monitors... But I find when looking at games on my 1980's TV with interlace and all that stuff and then going over to my Amiga or DOS machines which have newer CRTs; I immediately notice how "clean" everything looks. I feel like I'm getting the 100% true benefits to using a CRT without the negative aspects of them. This is that I'm displaying native resolutions on monitors that have support for oh so many of them. Therefore they look good and right, without the need for terrible upscaling. LCD monitors simply do not support resolutions other than the ONE they shipped with. Using anything else risks stretching and bad upscaling. The colors... Oh so wrong on an LCD... My CRTs retain the original saturated and heavily contrasted colors. While I also use such a newer monitor for my DOS machine, I'd never consider anything else because my DOS CRT and my Amiga CRT are both monitors I used back in the day for my DOS/Windows systems. So I've only ever known DOS/Windows with those upgraded CRTs. Which, by the way, are fully capable of displaying HD resolutions; well into the 6K and beyond range. CRTs... Big, bulky, pulsating florescent tubes... But they are so much better than people give them credit for.

This being said the monitor I have connected to my Amiga is originally from a Gateway PC from 1997, 15 and a half inches. Very nice picture. While I would take a Commodore monitor if given to me; I like this one just fine to not spend stupid amounts of money shipping one to me. I also have the Amiga connected to the very sound system I had for the previously mentioned '97 Gateway. It includes two very nice sounding speakers with many controls as well as a subwoofer.

Image

The above are the innards of my GVP hard drive, minus the hard drive. I has 8mb of fast RAM along with support for SCSI hard drives. I originally got it with an Apple hard drive dated from 1994, with I believe 300 megabytes of space... It took a crap on me not too long ago and I've upgraded it to 4.3 gigs using a newer SCSI drive with a simple pin adapter.

I also have an external floppy drive, an original from Commodore, which I utterly hate because of it's loud and obnoxious noises. I once used an after-market drive which I greatly preferred, but it died.

Image

My 500 itself is decked out quite nicely when it comes to Workbench. Still using (and shall always refuse to upgrade) kickstart 1.3 along with Workbench 1.3 - You'll notice MagicWB style icons, of which I hacked into it. You can't install MagicWB onto Workbench 1.3, it was all a work around. The icons you see were a long and painful effort to find icons that looked good in the default Workbench resolution of 640x200, medium res. Almost all MagicWB icons are made for high res, 640x512 PAL or 640x400 NTSC. I hunted these down, it took me years... I now have icons that look good in both NTSC and PAL mode on the default medium res. I delight in being a power user on Workbench 1.3, it may not impress others, but it impresses the hell out of me, which is all I'm after. While I now have a PAL motherboard I spend an overwhelming (like 95%) amount of my time using NTSC mode for my Amiga.

Love the Amiga, always will... Love finding new ways to get things out of the original hardware.

Image

Alas, while not on the same level of love as the Amiga, I do forever cherish the C64 as well as the VIC-20. This is my setup for both of them. They can be simply swapped over plug for plug. The one not in use goes off somewhere safe. I can't say I've been in a mood for either of them of late, though I have invested heavy time there. I try to keep a balance with my retro stuff but I often get in moods of one system only for awhile... and it's been like two years since I used the C64 and almost a year since I used the VIC-20. But when I'm into them, I'm into them... No amount of disk loading time can stop me... I have a 1541, the drive and C64 have JiffyDOS, though I rarely use it, instead opting for the original fast loading cart my dad used. I have another 1541 connected to my DOS computer for transferring files to C64 disks. The C64 is an NTSC model, I've rarely come into "much" problems with games. Most of the stuff I like is NTSC and I've got a great site I go to with 20 disk images per game, for PAL games there's almost always an NTSC fix to get them working on the machine.

Image

I have a cassette deck, not original... My father never used tapes. He got the disk drive along with the C64 in 1982 brand new. I, however, get a hell of a kick out of those cassettes... They're truly awesome to behold. I have my limits, I don't want any 10 minute + load time tapes... But a lot of the newer C64 titles you can buy on disk or tape, and if it's simple enough I get them on tape for their AWESOME inserts. Above is my copy of Ghostbusters for C64 on tape. In terms of collecting old software I could easily get from the internet; I'm really only after those tapes.

My VIC-20 is in a slightly modified C64 case. Someone found it in the trash, gave it to me... Not only was the case very beat up but I can't say I was ever a fan of the VIC-20's color scheme. I took a spare C64 case and used a saw to make the cartridge slot bigger to fit the VIC-20. I did change all the labeling however, so the VIC-20 does have its VIC-20 labeling, and it looks much better in my eyes.

With my VIC-20 I have a special cartridge known as the MegaCart. It was expensive and took me a good year to receive but it has every single commercial cart ever released for the system on it, as well as many floppy and tape games as well, and includes every option for expanded memory. Very well decked out VIC-20. It's also NTSC, but almost all the VIC-20 stuff was NTSC.

Image

Don't seem to have a shot of just my TV that I have the C64 and VIC-20 (and many other consoles) hooked up to. It is a mid 80's Montgomery Ward CRT at 13 inches. It is the very TV I first played my NES on and graduated to a Sega Genesis. I adore the picture quality.... If it died... I'd have to get the exact same one... I can't express just how awesome this TV makes all kinds of games for all kinds of systems look. The above picture are examples of the picture quality with the Sega Genesis game Sonic The Hedgehog. I have the audio connected to the TV but the volume is usually off in favor of a simple but nice external speaker setup with subwoofer.

Sooo... That's my Commodore set up anyway... I do have an old video where I'm showing off my entire hardware collection (only really glimpsed at the software though) if anyone is more curious. If anyone knows how to use that damn joystick thing for my Amiga you tell me! I've had the thing since I was a kid and it does not seem to work the way I remember it.

So... Was that an okay Commodore rig showing?

User avatar
Bulletdust

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:37 pm

Look at your Amiga, that is beautiful, in the day I would have killed for that setup! I also had a perfectly operational 1084S that I bought from new that I threw down the tip in 2001 when retro computing wasn't as popular and damn am I kicking myself now.

As I think I stated, I still have a 1084S, but I need to track down a replacement flyback transformer for it as the one in my 1084 is dead.

The LCD isn't a perfect solution due to the reasons you mentioned, but in my case it's the only one I'm left with ATM. The other reason I find the LCD handy is because it makes things so much easier when I lug my stuff to the local Amiga users group meetings.

In regards to scaling though, I don't scale games on LCD, I letterbox them and it actually works quite well. I scale the desktop, but in the case of the Amiga's, scaling the desktop looks so sharp and clean I actually prefer it - But that's all personal preference.

It's funny, I've noticed a number of users commenting that their GVP was fitted with an Apple SCSI drive - Perhaps that's what they were fitted with from the factory?

Your workbench looks awesome, I like an OS install that fits with the era of the machine. I see a number of Amiga users running OS3.9 because they think it looks more modern, I think they miss the point that the Amiga isn't modern and that's what makes it so desirable.

Awesome machines Shot97! I'm still scouring Ebay for a pristine Commodore 1702 for my C64, it really needs one.

User avatar
Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 4:45 pm

Image

We had a 1084s at one point but it died in the early 90's. We got a Commodore VGA monitor to replace it. Every bit as good as the 1084s from what I remember, it just only had a VGA connection, no RCAs. I "believe" the model was 1960. That's it with my dad... Despite the flash drowning out the screen I recognize the game he's playing as Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon.

I always figured the Apple hard drive was a replacement considering it was dated as 1994. It was not "really" an Apple hard drive... It was a major hard drive company that made it but Apple must have paid them off to slap the Apple logo bigger than everything else. But I figured the GVP enclosure would have been from the early 90's if not late 80's... That either the original hard drive failed or they wanted one with more space. I have no idea if you could just buy an "Apple" hard drive back then from a store or if it would have been fished out of an actual Apple computer... I was thinking someone took it out of a Mac or GS or something. So light...

Image

That's the Apple drive running with its cover off right there. The data had already been collected from it, that was for show. I'm editing a video on all that crap.

User avatar
Bulletdust

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 4:58 pm

I've read a post where you were talking about recovering all of your data off that SCSI drive as it up and failed on you after 30 years of trusty use! I can't remember if that was on these forums or another forum?

Regarding the 1084S, the particular model I stupidly junked had all the inputs, ranging from composite, chroma, and luminace RCA inputs right through to D-sub RGB. I'm so pissed with myself for throwing that out.

User avatar
Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:07 pm

I write on no other forums other than this one. I mean you might see me around the BBS' but I tend to stick with one forum and don't wander... No, I just can't stand the other Amiga forums... Yeah, I wrote about the beginnings of that here. It didn't really up and fail, I "should" have known. I feel I always should have known when it comes to hard dives failing... They always seem to start sounding "different" a few months before they die... But since everything seems to work fine you just shrug it off. I've been learning a lot about old hard drives, not too hard to fix a lot of them... But I think I had too much "fun" messing around with that drive with the cover off to want to try and repair it.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:16 pm

My 1084s is fabulous - I love it. Lots of switches and dials in the back and front to make everything just right no matter the mode needed. Only downside about mine is the front door got broken off when I received it a while back. Not an easy thing to fix, unfortunately. Kind of hurts the aesthetics I'm going for.

The only weird thing about it I've noticed is that the entire image seems rotated ever so slightly, clockwise, about 1-2 degrees. It's so subtle most would never notice it, but I do sometimes (I used to inspect aircraft, as I was cursed with an eye for detail).

My 1702 is my favorite from a nostalgic standpoint (and the color is simply perfect). Plus being able to use two devices without touching a cable makes my heart sing. I think my speaker may be in need of a replacement at some point later this year, which I've never done on one of these things, but I bet it's a pretty easy swap.

C= monitors are tanks. BITD you could walk into any broadcast video studio and find stacks of them next to professional Sony Trinitrons. The Commodores were always in there to guarantee directors what the colors actually were - they were the most reliable in that department.

User avatar
Bulletdust

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:24 pm

Here's a couple of video's I made regarding my A500, these were made some time ago before I made the enclosure for the ACA500/1232 expansion.

My study layout and machines has also changed quite a lot since then. These days I'm predominantly a Linux user.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_1eu2CQAvo&t=2s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQACn_h81iM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO3YOlWKa0U

Great video Shot97, love that AMD based machine you've got.

User avatar
Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Thu Jan 05, 2017 6:05 pm

I have a strong love/hate relationship with DOS. Almost always prefer playing the Amiga version over DOS, but I did experience DOS quite a bit in the mid 90's. I love that it requires a basic litmus test to even use. Doing the "essentials" in DOS is what helped me be comfortable going in the Amiga Shell and Windows Command Prompt. I'll always love the Amiga above all else; but that PC is in a way a more prized possession. I built it from all sorts of spare parts, I have so much connected to it; including the MT-32... Adore that machine... But at the same time I utterly hate DOS gaming in the 80's because people were making games on that junk when they should have been doing it on the Amiga... ugh...

That machine duel boots to MS-DOS 6.22 with Windows for Workgroups 3.11, or Windows98. So much nerding out has been done to make a million configurations for every possible scenario... As much as I can hate DOS I can't help but love it too. But it could never be the same as an Amiga or C64 or Atari ST (for some people) because there's no one model PC anyone gives a crap about. PCs never had personality... It's all up to the owners to give it their own love so others might like it too.

I remember reading about our 1960 monitor, I guess it was marketed toward the Amiga 4000, so we must have gotten it around '93 or '94 I'm thinking. I guess it had multisynch or something... It could give you the interlace modes without flickering is what I remember. Not that my dad had that much of a need for interlace modes, nor do I. Although I do remember him and me flipping a switch on it for certain games which I believe was so it would better fit the monitor... But I believe that was it's major advantage over the earlier monitors... On the downside it shipped with not the greatest soldering, which is where my eventual failure came into play I imagine. I have vivid memories of both the 1960 as well as the 1084s but for some reason I just like the sleek design of the 1960 more. But I believe the 1084s would probably be the better monitor for me to get if I were to go for another Commodore monitor. Looks good, has extra inputs... Bad flickering with interlace but I don't use that mode often anyway... Built a little tougher.... the 1960 seems to be going for a lot of money these days.. Too much and that's without shipping. Despite those manufacturing issues that are very sought after with the power users using interlace modes.

We had the 1702 as well, only vague memories of that one though. I'm kind of thinking my dad might have not had it for that long before I broke our C64 at the time, giving him an excuse to get the brand new Amiga 500... He was originally using the C64 hooked up to a black and white TV set but we did have the 1702 for a little while... Perhaps he sold it back to the Amiga dealer.





Return to “The Lounge”