paulrickards

Artist exploring vintage plotters with modern code. Retrocomputing repair and collecting. Mixes the best of new and old. He/him #plottertwitter refugee #penplotter #c64 🏳️‍🌈

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npub1kzs35cf9c5gj88xh5rc74rzwag262ac8mlweaat7ylxz9ar2afmsugq050

NIP-05 Address

paulrickards_at_mastodon.social@mostr.pub

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nprofile1qqstpgg6vyju2yfrnnt6pu02338w59d9wuralhv774lz0npz734w5acpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qt35fwj

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relay.mostr.pub

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npub1kzs35cf9c5gj88xh5rc74rzwag262ac8mlweaat7ylxz9ar2afmsugq050

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Last Notes

2024-11-17 16:59:05

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Got my Mac SE/30 SCSI chain fully populated with more things! And no termination issues! 😎
Top down, beige Epson Zip 100, Iomega Jaz 1GB, Logitech ScanMan, Apple CD 300i, SyQuest 88MB. Not pictured: internal BlueSCSI v1.
#RetroComputing #VintageApple #VintageMac
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/499/326/087/502/292/original/fdc643619521f61a.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/499/335/814/363/956/original/b913c7f808b8c4e3.jpeg

2024-11-14 20:15:09

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@nprofile…ayph That's funny, I completely didn't connect that might be a defacing 🙃

2024-11-13 15:54:22

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Rate my new Flying Toasters hoodie
#RetroComputing #VintageApple #VintageMac
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/476/447/083/412/734/original/2a07aa2b26070fcb.jpeg

2024-10-01 13:00:21

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@npub1w5s…sjnz Hang on, maybe 10GB did exist in the 1st generation line?
"When first introduced, the iPod 1G only existed in a 5 GB version. The 10 GB version was added on March 30, 2002."
https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/IPod_(1st_generation)

2024-10-01 12:58:41

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@npub1w5s…sjnz Ha! Fair. TBH, it felt high but I didn't verify. Honest eBay sellers! I never had one of the originals. But the original sentiment is still there. That font tho!

2024-10-01 12:53:32

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Also, can we talk about how good Apple Garamond looks on the back of the original iPod? 😍
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/232/257/937/454/892/original/cd80e9138f5004a2.png

2024-10-01 12:47:26

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I forgot about the HP branded iPods.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod%2BHP
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/232/234/946/639/557/original/c3261ee70f2ce00c.jpg

2024-09-30 16:51:15

New blog post: iPod 3G conversion to SD card and a new battery.
I wanted to document my steps for anyone else that wanted to try this. And you don't need a disk image from the iPod as a starting point.
https://biosrhythm.com/?p=2851
#RetroComputing #VintageApple #iPod
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/227/528/644/492/423/original/567fb9f154ea8a36.jpeg

2024-09-08 15:27:44

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Forgot about this little detail of it sleeping.
#RetroComputing #VintageApple #VintageMac
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/102/632/929/232/097/original/e5e48ab9f76bfbf6.mp4

2024-08-28 14:39:33

There’s so much vintage #PenPlotter in my feed today 😍

2024-08-26 21:34:34

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@npub1vd2…hred Coffee for the void

2024-08-26 21:33:25

Can anyone use this HP 51604A inkjet ink? Ordered by mistake. Yours for cost of shipping. The ink is sealed, looks like a k-cup.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/030/458/204/559/566/original/4c5f0ac84cbeaf98.jpeg

2024-08-26 19:04:48

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@npub1hys…rs4m Thanks! I haven't before, but now I'm curious will will give it a try 🙂

2024-08-25 18:52:36

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@npub1z9m…9zmq Very nice! Your workspace is so neat and tidy! Very inspirational.

2024-08-25 18:30:36

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@npub1l9p…zh9l Thanks! Happy you like it :)

2024-08-25 18:30:10

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@npub1dsj…wcs9 Yeah, I've played around with some ideas, in the same way I did with the Atari logo.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/024/077/709/461/717/original/1a0be19be3dc1a36.png

2024-08-24 13:16:21

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@npub1nsq…23w7 That’s great, it’s a keeper! It’s a great trove of material, almost all of it new to me.

2024-08-24 03:02:54

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@npub1dm5…5sqe I wonder if it’s reporting different power requirements through different descriptions to the host? Check it on a desktop and see what the reported power requirements are for each mode?

2024-08-19 17:21:30

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@npub1kyl…9jzs So far that’s exactly what it’s been like— it’s literally a rabbit ear antenna! 😄

2024-08-19 03:35:04

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@npub1c49…wavy Oh wow, confirmation! :-D

2024-08-19 03:29:05

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@npub1l3g…vu48 I'm a super novice at this, so not sure! I think it may be called "APT" or Automatic Picture Transmission?
https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Automatic_Picture_Transmission_(APT)

2024-08-17 20:51:36

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@npub1x75…jm8l At 40Mhz, I noticed some graphic glitches but otherwise seemed ok. I added a heat sink and fan.

2024-08-17 20:34:07

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@npub1kg0…ayrz Wow can’t beat the price! They are big and will take up space but if you’re like me, you’ll figure it out later. 😂 Will this be your first pen plotter?

2024-08-16 02:02:35

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@npub1xna…gk0j Wow amazing is right! 😊 Hope you find the perfect places to display your new artwork ☺️ Happy birthday!! 🎂

2024-08-15 16:02:49

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@npub1wxf…y0wg Yeah it’s an awesome piece of engineering. You can see a video clip of it running here.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd27zdke0Zc

2024-08-15 15:11:54

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@npub1wxf…y0wg Thanks! The HP 7585B holds up to 8 pens in a carousel and automatically stows and picks up pens. I used only cyan, yellow, and magenta inks in this plot.

2024-08-13 13:30:42

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@npub1kyl…9jzs Older machines were so much more practical, it’s true.

2024-08-13 13:19:50

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@npub1jmg…26zh Nice! I got one of these as well for my SE/30 and it feels quicker. Can’t beat the ease of installation. I’m hoping to pick up a SEthernet card so I can use my ColorBoard264 with it.

2024-08-13 03:09:26

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@npub1w9a…04m0 Right! Maybe producing a one off of each awarded record in gold costs a lot? Is it really gold?

2024-08-12 15:07:42

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@npub1hag…npjk Hey thanks for that, I really appreciate it! I put a lot of effort into this series in terms of composition and color choice so it's always great to hear that folks can see it too. 🙂

2024-08-09 03:27:13

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@npub1kae…u0qx If you’re on a Mac, just use Homebrew to install QEMU.
On Raspberry Pi for some reason, the version of QEMU for Raspbian is version 7.

2024-08-09 03:24:20

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@npub1kae…u0qx Kinda straight forward? I lt was really stitching a few guides together and then searching for the rest. I’ll write up something soon.

2024-08-08 21:56:20

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@npub1jne…qvla Check eBay for the Keyspan USA-28X, there's a few for sale.
Then search for ImageWriter II printer cable. It should have 8 pin mini DIN connectors on both ends.

2024-08-06 15:12:25

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@npub1nyx…rtuy Thanks Dave! Happy you like it 🙂 The pen strokes really add a fabric like quality that adds lots of dimension.

2024-08-06 02:35:32

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-verbose
#AppleLisaClone #RetroComputing #VintageApple #VintageMac #AppleLisa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/912/733/784/615/605/original/44221bd7f0aa4271.jpeg

2024-08-06 02:26:04

It has been 0 days since I installed LisaOS on a #AppleLisaClone.
#RetroComputing #VintageApple #VintageMac #AppleLisa
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/912/696/618/573/667/original/6bd66dd5207a2d3a.jpeg

2024-08-05 16:19:00

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@npub185v…4knd Maybe start with a preinstalled hard drive image with all the tools already on it?
https://archive.org/details/mac_MacOS_7.0.1_compilation

2024-08-05 14:01:17

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@npub1ajt…wxzl Very lovely! Cyanotype is such a beautifully slow process. What was your exposure time?

2024-08-04 19:22:03

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@npub1xka…y98z Fantastic work!!

2024-08-04 14:45:58

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Ahh it seems the duplicate shared printers disappear when I take down the WiFi interface and only use Ethernet. I guess CUPS is detecting the shared printers back via second interface?

2024-08-04 13:17:57

When using CUPS on RaspPi, is it normal for printers you’ve added and shared to show up again in the printers list as a shared printer? I want it to ignore its own shared printers in the list.

2024-08-04 00:15:32

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@npub17ge…hgsu For me, it’s a fun novelty and I’m glad I have one. I forgot that it has a daily plot— I wonder if that still works.

2024-08-03 17:21:01

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@npub1lh0…gpu6 Nice Roland! Yeah could be plotting schematics or maybe for plotting resist for etching? Fun!

2024-08-03 15:03:26

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@npub1n54…v89q Yeah, it's here to stay. I give refuge to just about any unusual output device 😄

2024-08-02 20:54:36

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@npub1nas…ckcn Wow I could put my Lisa clone in that 😄

2024-08-01 23:20:35

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@npub198m…kgde Hey thanks! 😊
It me
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/889/323/812/592/702/original/4d0b4380598bb8d9.mp4

2024-08-01 01:22:34

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@npub1qjl…ftxg I’ve found that most GUI apps don’t know how to handle proper single stroke fonts in TTF format. I’m using them directly in Python so the Hershey Futura font is truly single stroke.

2024-08-01 01:12:56

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@npub1y0e…mm9n Yep, same plotter mechanism from Alps. Different control logic.

2024-07-31 23:35:37

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@npub1apn…3mqq Hahaha who do you think put the manual there? 😉 Have fun!

2024-07-31 16:44:59

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@npub1mfq…jcu7 Oh Thanks for catching that— updated!

2024-07-31 16:16:22

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@npub1ude…nc7f It’s super cute. The cassette deck detaches too!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/881/995/424/443/109/original/56e3a1a1669fcb4a.jpeg

2024-07-31 14:29:23

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@npub1xhl…mzlt In my works, the paper does the mixing of the inks which works pretty well for color and value.
I wonder if something like a modified paint mixer you see at the hardware store might work?

2024-07-31 12:53:27

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@npub1xhl…mzlt I use CMYK inks a lot in my generative work. Reproducing a photo is a challenging exercise in programming but is doable.

2024-07-31 12:49:52

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@npub1js3…f3c8 It was introduced in 1983 for the Apple II and III but there are software packages like MacPlot that work with it.

2024-07-30 22:10:36

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@npub1wl8…e7pp Inkscape can write HPGL files.

2024-07-30 22:10:17

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@npub19hc…9pfz Indeed! 😄

2024-07-30 21:25:17

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@npub17ge…hgsu I printed a few adapters from Thingiverse including the Sharpie adapter.

2024-07-30 21:10:49

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@npub1jne…qvla Hahaha Thanks, I’m not done yet! 😄

2024-07-30 21:10:11

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@npub1wl8…e7pp It’s all usually ASCII that you can read and write with a text file.

2024-07-30 20:39:23

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@npub1wl8…e7pp That’s a great memory- thanks for sharing!

2024-07-30 20:19:36

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I forgot to mention I made a video of plotting in sand:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SauJ66dj1QA
#RetroComputing #PenPlotter #GenerativeArt #CreativeCoding #MastoArt #Art #ArtForSale #Artist #ArtForSaleByArtist #PenPlotterArt #PenPlot

2024-07-30 20:07:03

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@npub17ge…hgsu Thanks Andy! ☺️

2024-07-30 19:54:13

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@npub1jsg…lg2p Don’t know of that one— have a model number? I’m plotter curious!

2024-07-30 19:53:17

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@npub1jsg…lg2p Oh, interesting. I’m not familiar with that board, do you have a link to the conversation(s)?

2024-07-30 19:39:34

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@npub1n54…v89q Thanks! Most are yes, unless attributed to others as noted in alt text.

2024-07-30 19:18:16

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@npub1rzp…prt6 I’m not sure to be honest. I’ve never built anything like it before.

2024-07-30 19:14:29

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@npub1rzp…prt6 It is impressive engineering. I’m sure anything can be built now given enough effort, time, money, etc. ☺️

2024-07-30 19:13:11

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@npub1fx0…0s3j Wow that sounds like a fun summer! Did you keep any of your plots?

2024-07-30 16:19:46

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@npub129h…y2hs Haha, I think using inexpensive parts = skimping on quality like noisy motors and solenoids.

2024-07-30 16:18:13

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@npub1c49…wavy I guess technically it was Roland-DG.

2024-07-30 15:57:26

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@npub1hus…mhek I can still relate to the amazement to this day. These machines are quite magical. Great memory, thanks for sharing!

2024-07-30 15:46:06

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@npub1q4w…zz4r It’s probably yellowed a bit. CTO lighting probably adds a shade or two as well.

2024-07-30 15:40:32

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@npub14ua…saes ABP— Always Be Plottin’ 😁

2024-07-30 15:39:57

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@npub1jne…qvla Yeah, great Atari industrial design. All of these plotters are plugged into my modern Mac, either via USB to RS-232 or custom interfaces. The Atari uses a custom Teensy interface for USB to SIO.

2024-07-29 01:14:54

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@npub10al…gn3n Same. While not the same, I shoot the sky with my iPhone in the 30 second long exposure mode on a tripod. The results are stunning for a phone. I can make out the Milky Way.

2024-07-28 18:16:39

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@npub1dsj…wcs9 Ahhh you’re right! 😆

2024-07-28 16:18:13

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@npub1ls2…g28m Yeah! Print Shop was fantastic for that. Set it up and make some banners 😀

2024-07-28 16:06:27

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It’s on my shirt now 🤩
I guess for authenticity I should have printed it with my ImageWriter II.
#RetroComputing #VintageApple #VintageMac
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/864/964/715/071/275/original/810112ebb20a94ca.jpeg

2024-07-28 16:01:37

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@npub1x58…9qac Bummer! I had some issues too that turned out to be my SD card I was using. Lots of counterfeits out there so it took a few tries until I found one that worked.

2024-07-27 14:24:53

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The Sidewinder from Elite on an oscilloscope display!
#RetroComputing #RetroGaming #oscilloscope
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/858/897/553/793/792/original/2c155f36f98a9122.mp4

2024-07-24 13:31:27

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Stop using Twitter.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/841/690/597/258/615/original/0f95f461fbc17597.jpeg

2024-07-23 19:56:59

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@npub12u5…0adv I tried that first and it was really slow so I gave up and put an Ethernet card in it.

2024-07-23 19:53:58

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@npub1ttt…dpyz Yup! It's in the file called "UKIYOE." So cool to find this-- thanks!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/837/551/064/190/343/original/21e3e7e3d9a79ecc.png

2024-07-23 19:43:14

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Ok, I dug a little further. This site claims it to be:
"Vintage Mac Clipart Japanese "Heaven and Earth" Scroll II: Earth. Enzan-Hoshigumi Co Ltd, Tokyo."
https://libguides.twu.ca/lang/japanese
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/837/507/396/630/521/original/6208e51d5913d882.jpg

2024-07-23 16:02:00

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@npub1md6…qacc Wow, such a modestly sized soda and popcorn compared to the huge buckets you get today.

2024-07-22 22:58:51

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@npub16xf…zxfv There’s an app for that: https://osci-render.com

2024-07-22 22:58:10

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@npub1gyk…x8uv I’m not sure. It’s actually a sin wave coming off of certain corners. My guesses are it’s from the program or from my scope.

2024-07-22 22:55:47

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@npub1z9m…p50f Nice! This is my first time using a trackball for an extended period and I like it so far!

2024-07-22 22:53:48

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@npub12u5…0adv I opted for an Ethernet card instead. Unless there’s a way to add both..? 🤔

2024-07-22 20:14:09

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@npub1wl8…e7pp It’s like a weird siren? You can listen to it at that link, there’s a video with the sound (which can also be played into a scope to get the same picture).

2024-07-22 19:57:25

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Rotating cube on a vintage oscilloscope.
This Python script generates a stereo WAV file which I then play the sound left and right channels into the oscilloscope.
https://hackaday.io/project/28833-microhacks/log/87292-oscilloscope-sing-along-rotating-cube
#oscilloscope
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/831/888/660/394/934/original/5135434515729622.mp4

2024-07-22 19:32:26

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@npub1z9m…9zmq Code from this page which generates a stereo WAV file that I feed left and right channels into the scope.
https://hackaday.io/project/28833-microhacks/log/87292-oscilloscope-sing-along-rotating-cube

2024-07-22 19:29:13

Plotting with light on a vintage oscilloscope!
Tangentially related to pen plotters 🙃
#Oscilloscope
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/831/780/832/985/672/original/455aba3307a685bf.jpeg

2024-07-22 18:59:11

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@npub1kyl…9jzs Yes! And it still works, although likely needs to be recapped soon.

2024-07-22 18:30:23

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My Quadra 605 is now the Macintosh Classic/040 🤩
#RetroComputing #VintageApple #VintageMac
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/831/535/362/604/500/original/8aff9cc7d953b892.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/831/535/367/074/114/original/49f2df7f4dc13610.jpeg

2024-07-22 13:54:03

First time using waterslide laser print decals by adding volume control labels to function keys on my AEK II. Works quite well I think.
#RetroComputing
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/830/468/852/901/625/original/54176dc861659bbb.jpeg

2024-07-21 20:53:26

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@npub14km…843f Same!! The latching switch is quite unique feeling.

2024-07-21 11:24:33

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@npub1q2w…ru9q Wasn’t mine, but there’s lots of others that did LEDs and even sound.
https://github.com/mecparts/RetroWiFiModem

2024-07-21 01:09:48

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Wow, the voltages needed for the MultiTech MultiModem 224E power supply:
17.3VAC @ 10.5VA and 27.5VAC @ 5VA.
-____-
Is this some kind of center tapped transformer?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/821/798/732/983/551/original/823a0a3baed38fd6.png

2024-07-20 22:43:08

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There was one Google for sale at the swap meet today. Didn’t get it.
#RetroComputing
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/821/229/079/147/051/original/96eefa002487f290.jpeg