• lifestyle,  retro computing,  vintage

    VCF East 2023 Recap

    April 20, 2023 /

    This past weekend was the Vintage Computer Federation‘s annual VCF East show in New Jersey.

    I was a first timer to VCF and I was fairly impressed by the show that was put on. The exhibits were interesting, and the vendors had good products on sale. For me personally, I really enjoyed the speakers, and the hands-on labs – Glitchwrks XT-IDE board build and Commodore 64 BASIC programming.

    VCF East was held on the InfoAge museum campus which featured early UNIVAC computers, several military artifacts, communications, and electronic warefare exhibits.

    I am already thinking about next year’s trip. In the meantime, I put together a “what I saw” recap video. I hope you enjoy it.

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  • apple //e,  classic mac os,  macintosh,  vintage

    Mac LC III Restoration and Upgrade

    April 8, 2023 /

    As part of this year’s #MARCHintosh event (yes, I’m late, or am I really early for the 2024 event?), I started a project to restore and upgrade a vintage Apple Macintosh LC III. Originally released in 1993 at a starting price of $1,349 for a 4MB/80MB system, this Low Cost Color computer was intended for home users who wanted and inexpensive color Macintosh and at schools who needed a way to leverage their Apple II software library through the use of the optional Apple IIe Card, a $250 add-in expansion peripheral.

    This repair was more work that I originally expected. To get this old Mac back up and running, I needed to replace the 80MB Quantum ProDrive ELS hard disk drive with a BlueSCSI v1 hard disk emulator. Then, I needed to take apart and service the 1.44MB SuperDrive floppy disk drive to remove the old grease. Thankfully, getting the Apple IIe card and Motorola 68882 FPU co-processor working was straight forward.

    Overall, this was a fun project to work on, but there is still more work to do. While restoring this Mac LC III, there was plenty of evidence that I’ll need to address the issue of leaky capacitors to get the internal speaker working normally, perhaps add some more RAM, and wow! is that internal fan loud! It sure would be nice to have a quieter fan in there. However, that will be work for a future video.

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  • apple,  macintosh,  retro computing

    Servicing a Macintosh 12-inch RGB Monitor

    February 26, 2023 /
    Apple Macintosh RGB Monitor, via RecycledGoods.com

    Apple’s Macintosh RGB monitor was intended to be the companion monitor for the company’s Macintosh LC-series of computers.

    Before I could set about working on my Macintosh LC III #MARCHintosh2023 project, I needed to service the monitor that my LC (Low Cost Color Computer – I know, the acronym seems to be missing a few letters) was going to need.

    Come watch the roller coaster ride of will he or won’t he repair this monitor but stay to see if I electrocute myself!

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  • apple,  iphone,  security,  tech tips

    Securing iPhone Control Center

    February 10, 2023 /

    Control Center is a handy way for accessing various settings on your iPhone, including wireless radio control, Apple Pay, and Music playback.

    By toggling a setting on your iPhone, you can restrict access to Control Center with Face ID, limiting casual access to your iPhone’s Apple Pay wallet and controls.

    Step 1: Open the Settings app.

    Step 2: Scroll down and tap on Face ID & Passcode.

    Step 3: Enter your iPhone’s passcode.

    Step 4: Scroll down to Allow Access When Locked section.

    Step 5: Tap on Control Center.

    If you happen to have an iPad or iPad Pro with Face ID, this tip will work for those devices as well.

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  • archive,  linux,  mac os x,  windows

    Archiving CDs and DVDs with .ISO Files

    January 27, 2023 /

    I wanted to start going through my Apple, Palm, and Microsoft CDs and DVDs and convert them to .ISO files for backup and archival purposes. In a way, I wanted to give back to the Internet for being able to download and use floppy disk archives of Apple II, 68k Macintosh, and Newton software.

    This post will outline the steps to create an ISO 9660 archive disc image file.

    I will be using my Mac Studio (M1 Max CPU, macOS Ventura 13.2), an Apple USB SuperDrive with an Apple USB-C to USB adapter, and the Disk Utility program.

    Here is my .ISO image file capture process:

    Step 1: Connect the SuperDrive and insert your disc.

    Step 2: Launch Disk Utility and select the disc from the pane on the left.

        Step 3: In the Save As dialog box, enter a title for your .ISO file, and set Format = DVD/CD master.

        Step 4: Click the Save button.

        Step 5: Open Terminal and then run the following command:

        hdiutil convert /home/username/original.cdr -format UDTO -o /home/username/destination.iso

        where /home/username/original.cdr is the Save As path and filename from Step 3 and where /home/username/destination.iso is the hdiutil .ISO file output path and filename

        Step 6: Rename the file so that .iso is the only filename extension.

        Step 7: Test out your .ISO image by mounting it on another Mac, a Windows PC, or Linux machine.

        Don’t forget to preserve any important information in companion files, such as the full software title, CD keys or serial numbers that are necessary to re-install the software, and version numbers and publication dates. Bonus points are awarded if you go the extra mile and scan the face of the CD/DVD, packing materials, or paperwork that came with the disc.

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      1. macintosh,  retro computing

        Apple Macintosh 12-Inch RGB Display

        January 15, 2023 /
        Better get a Band-Aid because I don’t think a Magic Eraser can buff that out!

        I purchased a Macintosh LC III (1993), the companion Macintosh 12-inch RGB Display (1990), and an ImageWriter II printer (1985). What can I say? The Mac had an Apple IIe Card (1992) installed.

        One of the things that you will inevitably have to deal with when you get into retro computing is tracking down technical information about the equipment to repair and service it.

        As for my monitor, well, as you can see from the picture above, old brittle plastics don’t always hold up to the stress of being shipped around the country. I’m using PAPPP’s blog post to help me take apart and get inside my monitor so I can replace the CRT housing.

        I wanted to share the information that I collected and downloaded. Hopefully, if you are looking for more information about the 12-inch RGB Display that has found its way to you, this will help.

        Apple Macintosh 12-inch RGB Display: Technical Specifications

        Apple Monitors and Mass Storage Service Guide from October 1992

        LowEndMac.com’s Macintosh 12″ RGB Display write up, including a list of compatible Mac models and product details.

        PAPPP’s Rambling – Apple 12″ Macintosh RGB Monitor Recap discusses how to open and replace leaking electrolytic capacitors.

        Console5 Apple 12-inch RGB Display Recap Kit contains all the replacement capacitors necessary to service the display.

        Good luck with your repair! A serviced CRT display is one less CRT display headed for a landfill!

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