Nostr notes by Games That I Missed

If you're at #PAXEast today (Thursday) and see a large, ...

2026-03-26T15:25:11Z

If you're at #PAXEast today (Thursday) and see a large, middle-aged man dressed this garishly, it's me. Say hello, if you like!

I have so many Professor Layton games to get through, still.

2025-11-28T13:25:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…zezy
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I have so many Professor Layton games to get through, still.

I once rented a place that came with a microwave oven. The WiFi ...

2025-10-14T19:56:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…ashq
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I once rented a place that came with a microwave oven. The WiFi (a WRT54G running DD-WRT, so normally solid as a rock) would drop out immediately if the microwave was in use, and return nearly instantly as soon as it finished. It was predictable and repeatable. Whatever shielding it had was worthless.

I recently bought the new book "Overscan" from Nantucket ...

2025-08-25T13:29:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…6dgw
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I recently bought the new book "Overscan" from Nantucket Lit ( Nantucket Lit (npub1jvf…8etj) / https://nantucketebooks.com/ ), and it was delivered as an .epub and an Apple II floppy image. Maybe they'd have information about formatting for older computers and floppy distribution.

We have two snapping turtles, big but not that big, in the ...

2025-06-09T21:28:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…atpy
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We have two snapping turtles, big but not *that* big, in the waters near our home. They're like something out of the kids' books of prehistoric life.

Also, the hatchlings are impossibly cute.

Lastly, the power supply label. Mac people, should I be ...

2025-05-26T02:55:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…pfr2
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Lastly, the power supply label. Mac people, should I be concerned? I haven't tried to power on the system yet -- the seller assured me it works, but I wanted to inspect it first.

For an ATX power supply, I know how to short the green wire pin to ground to start it up so that I can check voltages. Is there something similar I can do with this?

This does not appear to be 64 MB of RAM. Nice. Along those lines, ...

2025-05-26T02:52:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…wzad
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This does not appear to be 64 MB of RAM. Nice.

Along those lines, that isn't a 10 GB hard drive, either. And a 7200 RPM Barracuda, no less.

I can't say I feel a lot of nostalgia for ATi Rage 128 cards, ...

2025-05-26T02:48:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…7thf
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I can't say I feel a lot of nostalgia for ATi Rage 128 cards, but I'm not figuring on focusing too much on games with this system.

First thing was to yank the PRAM battery. It hadn't leaked at ...

2025-05-26T02:46:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…gph9
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First thing was to yank the PRAM battery. It hadn't leaked at all, but it is *dead*, a perfect 0.0 V on my multimeter. Where does one get a replacement for these nowadays, anyway? Is it a terrible idea to use a coin cell with an adapter?

It opens up with no trouble at all. The design of these cases was ...

2025-05-26T02:40:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…9kpd
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It opens up with no trouble at all. The design of these cases was amazing. One button to release the latches, the side folds down and everything is accessible. Cable routing was so clean.

I saw the inside of computer before I bought it, so I knew it looked good. A few small dust bunnies and a general dusty coating, but nothing bad I could see.

The case is in very nice shape. I'm handling it gently, ...

2025-05-26T02:37:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…yyyg
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The case is in very nice shape. I'm handling it gently, convinced that the plastic handles on this aren't to be trusted to bear any weight, but it all seems very solid and not brittle at all.

Also inside the box are these 5 sampler discs. I assume by now ...

2025-05-26T02:30:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…6cvg
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Also inside the box are these 5 sampler discs. I assume by now that everything like this has been uploaded to archive.org, but I will check.

Tag on the inside of the box, confirming the original specs. ...

2025-05-26T02:26:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…7ger
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Tag on the inside of the box, confirming the original specs.

A week ago ...

2025-05-26T02:22:45Z

A week ago (https://mastodon.social/@GamesMissed/114530343518610810), I failed to resist the temptation to bring home a lovely Power Macintosh G4 tower. Today, with the rains over and some quiet time, I finally took it back out of its box to give the insides a better inspection and blow out the dust bunnies.

(My brain is rebelling against tagging this with "Retrocomputing." The G3 desktop from my relative didn't have that effect, but this absolutely does. Interesting.)

#Macintosh #PowerPC

Ok, I found the Apple System Profiler (bear with me, please). It ...

2025-05-19T21:34:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…smk4
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Ok, I found the Apple System Profiler (bear with me, please). It has all that additional RAM beyond its original 64 MB, but this says the CPU is in fact the 300 MHz PowerPC G3. Unless that's just being read from a system file?

I remember using a friend's 233 MHz original iMac, it felt much slower and worse than this.

This thing is definitely not stock. I'm not familiar with ...

2025-05-19T21:26:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…95vv
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This thing is definitely not stock. I'm not familiar with Macs of this era -- I mean, at all -- but I was already pretty sure that this wasn't the original CPU.

Also, this thing is snappy! It's much, much faster than I was expecting.

To anyone reading this: is there a program I can run on this computer that can get me the system information? I'd love to see what this processor is. Without taking off the heat sink, I mean.

The first adapter didn't seem to be working (see the attached ...

2025-05-19T21:20:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…82kw
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The first adapter didn't seem to be working (see the attached picture) no matter what DIP setting I tried, but the second proved much better. It's running!

And I don't have a keyboard or mouse attached, so I had no way to shut it down gracefully so I can plug those in. I pulled the power cable from the back, plugged in the ADB input devices that were delivered with the computer, and started it up again.

The OS complained about being shut down improperly, but the system check came out fine.

At this point, I figured it was looking good enough to risk ...

2025-05-19T21:15:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…hjg6
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At this point, I figured it was looking good enough to risk powering it on. Plugged it in, hit the power button on the front, and immediately got the startup "BONG" through the case speaker. Nice. Now, I just needed to try out one of those Mac-to-VGA adapters I bought at the #MITFlea yesterday, paired with the AOC flat panel monitor I picked up off the curb earlier this month.

Oh, and I took out the battery and tested it. 3.642 V! It's ...

2025-05-19T21:13:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…mrhm
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Oh, and I took out the battery and tested it. 3.642 V! It's still good! I can't imagine when this was last used, it can't have been within the past decade, maybe not two?

This was the sole piece of metal rattling around at the bottom of ...

2025-05-19T21:11:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…jvyg
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This was the sole piece of metal rattling around at the bottom of the case. I can't tell what it's from, but I've stashed it in the sandwich bag in case.

A close-up of that hard drive. I can read some of this? "Sept ...

2025-05-19T21:04:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…3y6e
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A close-up of that hard drive. I can read some of this? "Sept 05 Found 9 GB Win95 FAT32" Clearly not the original drive.

But aside from the plastics problem, this is surprisingly clean ...

2025-05-19T21:02:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…3rak
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But aside from the plastics problem, this is surprisingly clean inside! Yes, there are a few dust bunnies, but I was expecting much, much worse.

Also loose inside the case was this plastic bag containing ...

2025-05-19T21:00:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…z9wu
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Also loose inside the case was this plastic bag containing plastic bits that had broken off before I got in here. Clearly, the relative had been at this at some point in the intervening 27 years.

This would be much more fun to work with if I weren't worried ...

2025-05-19T20:58:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…68g9
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This would be much more fun to work with if I weren't worried that anything not made of metal was about to crack off in a stiff breeze.

I was worried about leaked batteries and/or capacitors, but that ...

2025-05-19T20:57:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…636n
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I was worried about leaked batteries and/or capacitors, but that was until I picked up the computer to carry it outside to blow out the dust. With the sound of rattling inside the case, now I was worried about broken plastic.

The interior plastics are more brittle than dried spaghetti. Seriously, this is awful. Some of these were loose in the case already. The panel to cover the expansion slots just cracked off when I flopped it open and let it rest under its own weight.

In what is practically blinding speed for me, I have already ...

2025-05-19T20:52:04Z

In what is practically blinding speed for me, I have already started poking at the Power Macintosh G3 desktop that was delivered by relatives over Mother's Day weekend (https://mastodon.social/@GamesMissed/114492147791660882).

It's this lovely example of beige right here. Note the correct Apple case badge in the upper right corner of the front bezel (even my kids, who were born well into this century, feel strongly about this).

#Retrocomputing #PowerPC #Apple

Also delivered were two wide-format dot matrix tractor feed ...

2025-05-12T01:02:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…gsy5
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Also delivered were two wide-format dot matrix tractor feed printers!

These things are in rough shape: the foam padding is crumbling to dust, there's metal plating flaking off the rods, and they're just generally full of dust and debris and undoubtedly spider eggs. My relative insists that they work, though. When pressed, they explained that they worked perfectly thirty or forty years ago.

[Edit: forgot to add the pictures.]

#Retrocomputing #DotMatrix

Relatives who showed up today delivered unannounced devices! This ...

2025-05-12T00:58:52Z

Relatives who showed up today delivered unannounced devices!

This #PowerMacintosh G3 desktop looks, from the outside, to be in good shape. It even came with a keyboard and two mice, and the "getting started" box. No idea where the optical drive went, though.

Update: there's a DVD drive! It's just pitch black and recessed far back into the case.

I'm not going to even connect a power lead until I open it up and check the motherboard. Fingers crossed.

#Retrocomputing #Macintosh #PowerPC

I got around to watching the recording last night. It was a fun ...

2025-04-11T16:21:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…el9l
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I got around to watching the recording last night. It was a fun watch. I have an idea of something very silly that I want to make in HyperCard on my IIgs, so any more education in that regard is fun.

A white screen might mean that it's detecting a cartridge but ...

2025-02-08T20:15:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…696q
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A white screen might mean that it's detecting a cartridge but not reading it properly. It might be as simple as cleaning oxide off the pins?

This looks as if Chrysler had an inkling of what BMW was making ...

2025-01-30T03:19:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…yx4c
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This looks as if Chrysler had an inkling of what BMW was making with the Hire films (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hire , if you're not familiar) and thought they could match it.

When you've had the time to break out your soldering iron ...

2025-01-08T13:26:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…w42s
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When you've had the time to break out your soldering iron again, would you report back on whether Neithernet works with the IIgs?

Excellent! Mine says hello. ...

2024-12-22T14:20:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…rewr
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Excellent! Mine says hello.

I hadn't looked at the Goodwill auction site in at least a ...

2024-12-20T20:16:03Z

I hadn't looked at the Goodwill auction site in at least a month. I realized I'd never specified "for parts" as a search term, and used that in the game console category. This was my mistake

Anyone near Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania want 260 kg of game systems in need of some work? https://shopgoodwill.com/item/217482877 Current bid is 1 USD per kg.

#Retrogaming #Repair #Pennsylvania

My kid is trying Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA version) before ...

2024-12-19T00:27:20Z

My kid is trying Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA version) before bedtime. They're loving being able to try out the four different characters for every stage, I'm remembering how much fun it is, and especially how good the music is.

#NES #Mario #Retrogaming

My roomate and I played Planescape: Torment at the same time, ...

2024-12-15T03:12:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…dmpd
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My roomate and I played Planescape: Torment at the same time, shuttling discs across the hall between our rooms. We both loved it, but it sticks with me is that we played it *very* differently - we both had the same main character, of course, but we made very different choices in party members and factions. The game handled it all without breaking or softlocking; all of those choices had been accounted for by the developers. We both beat the game, but had such different experiences.

Clubhouse Games is massive, there is an astonishing amount of ...

2024-12-11T20:57:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…2mv8
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Clubhouse Games is *massive*, there is an astonishing amount of content and it was so cheap for what you get.

Download Play was awesome, and continued into the 3DS era as well. I was saddened to here that it doesn't exist on the Switch.

Me and friends got a lot of use out of single-cartridge play, especially Mario Kart DS.

When I got my #IIgs earlier this year, one of my goals was trying ...

2024-12-01T03:21:50Z

When I got my #IIgs earlier this year, one of my goals was trying out #HyperCard. I've only ever heard of it before, never had any exposure to it. Life is busy, but after 6 months I finally got around to running the software.

This is cool. I want to see what I can do with this.

#Retrocomputing

It handles 240p Composite input as well! Be right back, just ...

2024-11-30T23:51:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…ts47
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It handles 240p Composite input as well!

Be right back, just going to run through World 1-1 ...

#Retrogaming #Mario #NES

This monitor has a Composite Video input port on the back. Going ...

2024-11-30T23:42:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…waw3
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This monitor has a Composite Video input port on the back. Going to try something here ...

Aaaaand we have 15 kHz VGA support! ...

2024-11-30T23:33:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…yvv7
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Aaaaand we have 15 kHz VGA support!

Powers up just fine and starts looking for an input ... ...

2024-11-30T23:30:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…987s
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Powers up just fine and starts looking for an input ...

So, this afternoon, a kindly neighbor left out on their fron step ...

2024-11-30T23:24:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…88x6
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So, this afternoon, a kindly neighbor left out on their fron step a Dell U2410f, manufactured in 2009.

This thing has *all* the ports.

#SidewalkTreasure

And, since my 23-inch Dell monitor is now dedicated to my IIgs, I ...

2024-11-30T23:21:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…k2pv
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And, since my 23-inch Dell monitor is now dedicated to my IIgs, I have the merest sliver of a technicality with which to argue that I don't have a backup monitor.

Everyone needs a backup monitor, right?

Once again, someone on the town swap list offered a high-end, ...

2024-11-30T23:19:32Z

Once again, someone on the town swap list offered a high-end, albeit older, Dell LCD monitor for free. I don't care for Dell computers, but Dell has long made good office monitors with, importantly, undocumented support for 15 kHz VGA.

I've been using a Dell U2312HM with my #AppleIIgs for the past six months, via a IIgs-to-VGA adapter. So I don't need a new display. But the lure of free stuff can be strong.

This past year, I've found myself discussing this exact ...

2024-11-18T16:39:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…qp8n
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This past year, I've found myself discussing this exact phenomenon with other retro-* enthusiasts and sellers at 2nd-hand shops, flea markets, and swap meets. All of us are tired of "eBay pricing," and I don't even look there for parts most of the time. It feels too much like a grift.

#Nintendo gets a lot of ire these days, and deservedly (I feel ...

2024-11-16T15:19:37Z

#Nintendo gets a lot of ire these days, and deservedly (I feel their treatment of emulators is two-faced, for instance). But, I want to give them credit for doing some things right.

This is a photo I took this week, it's me downloading World of Goo from the Wii Shop Channel onto my Wii U. The official shop servers are still up and don't hesitate to let me re-download my purchase 16 years after I gave them my money. That's real customer service, and I'm pleased about it.

#Retrogaming

I've never even seen a Magnavox Odyssey 2, but Goodwill has ...

2024-11-04T18:23:25Z

I've never even *seen* a Magnavox Odyssey 2, but Goodwill has five cartridges for the system up for auction right now:

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/214424354

Looks to be ending at about 23:30 UTC today (2024-11-04).

#Retrogaming #MagnavoxOdyssey

I see that someone designed a replacement gear and was selling ...

2024-10-28T21:07:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…zttz
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I see that someone designed a replacement gear and was selling good units via Shapeways. Well, that option doesn't exist anymore. I see a number of sellers on eBay offering 3D-printed replacements, and MacEffects has a 3-pack (https://maceffects.com/products/3-pack-apple-auto-inject-floppy-gears-tune-o-gear). Does anyone have a specific vendor they can recommend?

I'm really new at this, and even I knew to expect this. More ...

2024-10-28T21:02:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…8upj
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I'm really new at this, and even I knew to expect this.

More teeth broke off as I pulled it off the post, even though I was trying to be gentle.

I'm expecting that the problem lies in the ejection motor ...

2024-10-28T20:56:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…2a92
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I'm expecting that the problem lies in the ejection motor assembly.

There's a thin layer of dark, caked-on dust covering much of ...

2024-10-28T20:54:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…3skw
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There's a thin layer of dark, caked-on dust covering much of the inside of this, but it's honestly not bad. Most of the lubricant grease has thickened, but it's not crusty and solid.

The drive intake mechanisms and the manual eject lever both work fine and feel "good," they're not gummed up.

I read up on the common problems with these drives before I ...

2024-10-28T20:50:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…jkf8
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I read up on the common problems with these drives before I bought the IIgs. I am pretty sure where this is going.

Time to tear it down.

I have a 3.5-inch drive! It reads, it writes. It just doesn't ...

2024-10-28T20:46:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…v2dw
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I have a 3.5-inch drive! It reads, it writes.

It just doesn't eject.

For my Apple IIgs, I usually use a FloppyEmu ...

2024-10-28T20:42:48Z

For my Apple IIgs, I usually use a FloppyEmu (https://www.bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu/). It works, and it works well. But, it has the limitation that it can't emulate different drive types simultaneously. It can give me SmartPort hard drives, and it can give me 3.5-inch drives and 5.25-inch drives, but it can't do more than one at a time. And some software, such as PrintShop, will give an error message if there's no 3.5-inch drive connected to the computer.

#AppleIIgs #Retrocomputing #Floppy

Kid has now quit out of the level creator without first saving ...

2024-10-24T23:48:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…n73j
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Kid has now quit out of the level creator without first saving their creation, and it is now the End Times.

#Retrogaming #Parenting

Kid has discovered ChuChu Rocket. (The Game Boy Advance port, ...

2024-10-24T23:08:42Z

Kid has discovered ChuChu Rocket.

(The Game Boy Advance port, playing on the Wii U, not the Dreamcast original.)

#Retrogaming

For anyone who finds this useful: A Hitachi CP-X253 projector ...

2024-10-23T17:25:44Z

For anyone who finds this useful:

A Hitachi CP-X253 projector will happily take 15 KHz VGA input.

#Retrocomputing #Retrogaming

My kid decided that picking up passengers was superfluous, and it ...

2024-10-19T03:24:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…qxqy
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My kid decided that picking up passengers was superfluous, and it was more fun to just race through Crazy Taxi and crash into everything. Thank goodness for the 10-minute option.

#Retrogaming #CrazyTaxi #Kirby

I should probably just get my entire #Gamecube library onto the ...

2024-10-19T03:17:37Z

I should probably just get my entire #Gamecube library onto the #WiiU, so that the games are getting played more. But this is a good start!

#Retrogaming #ShareYourGames #Nintendo

I'm being responsible and making backups. #Retrogaming #Wii ...

2024-10-17T21:27:55Z

I'm being responsible and making backups.

#Retrogaming #Wii

On a tangentially related upside, as I went to look for thermal ...

2024-10-16T16:40:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…hq2k
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On a tangentially related upside, as I went to look for thermal compound for the heat sink, I also found a selection of my Gamecube discs in a mislabeled box in the closet. I haven't played some of these in ages, going to get them on the Wii U later.

#Gamecube #WiiU #ShareYourGames #Retrogaming

(In all fairness, more time was spent looking for the blasted ...

2024-10-16T16:33:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…fp5j
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(In all fairness, more time was spent looking for the blasted heat shrink tubing than anything else. Poor organization bites me again.)

It's all put back together now. I'm posting this thread ...

2024-10-16T16:32:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…drd9
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It's all put back together now. I'm posting this thread from the IIgs, even. This took much more of my morning than I'd originally intended, but I'm glad it's done, at least.

I blew out all the dust and wiped down the inside of the steel ...

2024-10-16T16:30:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…gcsj
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I blew out all the dust and wiped down the inside of the steel case. I hadn't expected, before I opened the power supply, that there was a heat sink screwed to the power supply wall (to the left of the fan mount location, if looking at the power supply with the DC output area to your right). It had some thermal grease at the point where the heat sink contacted the plate, so I cleaned the old stuff off and applied new thermal paste before reassembling the 3D puzzle that is the power supply case.

The only way to non-destructively remove the fan from the power ...

2024-10-16T16:22:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…386r
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The only way to non-destructively remove the fan from the power supply was to disassemble the power supply. I try not to break things if I don't need to, so first I had to get the PSU open.

I will admit, I hadn't done that back when I got this IIgs in the spring. I was so happy to have a working Apple IIgs, I did the unwise thing and left the power supply a black box to poke at another day.

Today was that day, and I couldn't leave the insides as dust-caked as this.

Speaking of which, prying the old, noisy fan off the power supply ...

2024-10-16T16:16:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…tw25
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Speaking of which, prying the old, noisy fan off the power supply was much more of an ordeal than I had anticipated.

Finished and all put together. The new 12V fan is certainly still ...

2024-10-16T16:03:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…sxke
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Finished and all put together. The new 12V fan is certainly still audible, but the noise has reduced from "difficult to listen to music"-level to proper background noise.

Also, be smarter than me, don't zip-tie your new fan to your ...

2024-10-16T15:37:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…5lns
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Also, be smarter than me, don't zip-tie your new fan to your power supply *before* checking whether the included lead is too short and making the necessary correction.

#AppleIIgs #Retrocomputing

Or I could just complain about it publicly to the world, that ...

2024-10-16T15:26:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…29xa
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Or I could just complain about it publicly to the world, that seems to have solved it, too.

I am fairly certain that I'm going to find my heat shrink ...

2024-10-16T15:18:40Z

I am fairly certain that I'm going to find my heat shrink tubing about ten seconds after I finish soldering these wires together and just grumpily wrap the joint in electrical tape.

#Repair

A while back I went to jailbreak a Nintendo Wii with a failing ...

2024-10-14T17:41:13Z

A while back I went to jailbreak a Nintendo Wii with a failing disc drive for friends, and ended up just fixing the disc drive (removing a lot of shattered plastic debris did the trick).

But, they'd also love to have a handful of the older Virtual Console titles. They'd pay for them without hesitation, if they could. But, that's no longer an option, so it's time to jailbreak as I had originally intended.

https://wii.hacks.guide

#Wii #Retrogaming #Jailbreaking #HoistTheJollyRoger #Aaarr

I played the demo. Just as I was pleasantly surprised by the ...

2024-10-04T14:36:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…7hst
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I played the demo. Just as I was pleasantly surprised by the pinball/Metroidvania mashup of Yoku's Island Express, I had a lot of fun trying out Pinball Spire's mashup of pinball and classic Castlevania.

Over the weekend, I recapped the Game Gear (this one: ...

2024-09-30T15:07:36Z

Over the weekend, I recapped the Game Gear (this one: https://mastodon.social/@GamesMissed/113148767580029764). It was working, but sound could be wonky, and it was sometimes shutting off with no warning (not low battery).

I noted in the thread from two weeks ago that there was no sign of capacitor disaster.

Yeah, about that.

Andy Garber: Ascii Art (npub1sgr…huhj) and 狐 (npub17a9…wpq2) , thanks for urging me to get the recapping done ASAP. This was hiding underneath the 820 µF and 100 µF capacitors on the power board.

#GameGear #Retrogaming #Repair

On Goodwill right now, there's an auction for a selection of ...

2024-09-20T23:08:21Z

On Goodwill right now, there's an auction for a selection of Star Wars items from the past 30 or so years ...

including "X-Wing" on 3.5-inch floppies, in the original box with the printed manual.

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/210223298

It has only a little over 2 hours left as I type this, and no one has bid.

#Retrogaming #Retrocomputing #StarWars #FloppyDisk

I'll be recapping the Game Gear as a precaution. The ...

2024-09-19T22:44:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…ty5g
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I'll be recapping the Game Gear as a precaution. The capacitor kit from Console5 (https://console5.com/store/) arrived with today's mail.

If you're not familiar with them, they put together cap kits and replacement components to refurbish and/or upgrade a number of consoles and computers. They also maintain their own wiki with component values and spec sheets and diagrams for old systems. Great customer service, too.

They also throw in an Atomic Fireball or similar with every shipment.

I was just mentioning finding something good on Goodwill's ...

2024-09-19T02:14:57Z

I was just mentioning finding something good on Goodwill's site, and I popped over there (this is never wise) to see that there's an Apple IIgs RGB Monitor up for auction right now. It powers on, but it does have some scratches and dings:

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/210435107

I'm not going to bid on this one, but I thought it might interest the community.

#AppleIIgs #Retrocomputing

I tested my #SidewalkTreasure finds from yesterday ...

2024-09-17T17:25:02Z

I tested my #SidewalkTreasure finds from yesterday (https://mastodon.social/@GamesMissed/113148767580029764), and Pocket #Bomberman has one of the friendliest pause screens I've ever seen. I should learn how to cross-stitch, just to recreate this art as something to hang on the wall.

#Retrogaming #PixelArt #GameBoyColor

I printed up a quick replacement battery cover to cover the ...

2024-09-17T17:16:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…t4fm
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I printed up a quick replacement battery cover to cover the left-side compartment. It fits very well, and the latching mechanism feels to be robust.

If anyone needs replacement battery covers for a Game Gear, this is what I used: https://www.printables.com/model/537618-sega-game-gear-battery-covers

Following a comment left by a previous person, I printed this vertically on-edge, with organic supports.

#Retrogaming #3Dprinting #GameGear

I opened up the Game Gear to check the version, and the condition ...

2024-09-16T22:36:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…6zlq
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I opened up the Game Gear to check the version, and the condition in general. I have a VA1 board, and it's looking very clean inside. No sign of capacitor disaster.

The lens on the Game Gear has some ground-in dirt, and the ...

2024-09-16T19:04:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…l0ya
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The lens on the Game Gear has some ground-in dirt, and the left-side battery cover is missing, but the fact that it's a working Game Gear that was sitting in a box on the sidewalk is amazing.

I have zero knowledge of these. Is there anything dire I need to do first, like remove/replace an internal battery?

#Sega #Retrogaming #GameGear

WORKING SIDEWALK TREASURE! ...

2024-09-16T19:00:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…xcae
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WORKING SIDEWALK TREASURE!

Holy crow, Sidewalk Treasure! #SidewalkTreasure ...

2024-09-16T18:59:37Z

Holy crow, Sidewalk Treasure!

#SidewalkTreasure

Also, a relative noticed that there's an option in the system ...

2024-09-14T01:54:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…c6u4
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Also, a relative noticed that there's an option in the system preferences to allocate a RAM disk and a RAM cache. I have an 8 MB card in the RAM expansion slot, so I didn't see any harm in testing out what a 1 MB RAM cache would do.

It *feels* like it made the desktop a little more responsive, but that may be my imagination. Does anyone have any additional information on it? I'm not turning up anything useful with a quick search.

#Retrocomputing

I never used this version of WordPerfect -- I was typing out my ...

2024-09-14T01:46:18Z

I never used this version of WordPerfect -- I was typing out my school papers on WordPerfect 4.11 for MS-DOS. This is a good deal prettier.

#Retrocomputing #AppleIIgs #IIgs #AppleII

A brief aside: since I last visited, they'd replaced the ...

2024-08-24T18:42:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…vt5p
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A brief aside: since I last visited, they'd replaced the right monitor in this 6-player X-Men arcade cabinet. The previous one had worked, but it was much dimmer than the left-side screen. Now they've installed a matching pair.

I don't spend as much time on these older tables (they feel ...

2024-08-24T18:40:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…trlr
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I don't spend as much time on these older tables (they feel too slow to me), but I love the graphics.

I returned yesterday to the Electromagnetic Pinball Museum in ...

2024-08-24T18:38:32Z

I returned yesterday to the Electromagnetic Pinball Museum in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA (https://www.electromagneticpinballmuseum.com/). A lot of things had been moved around, and the first thing the proprietors did when we walked in (aside from greeting us) was to give us a quick tour so we knew what tables had arrived since our last visit, and where they were.

This is such a great museum.

A brief thread of some photos from the visit:

#Pinball #Retrogaming #RhodeIsland

Cat notices that it's being photographed, but is too sleepy ...

2024-08-24T11:17:02Z

Cat notices that it's being photographed, but is too sleepy to show more than token offense.

#Caturday

A relative of mine has come across a box of 2 dozen unused, blank ...

2024-08-07T01:38:14Z

A relative of mine has come across a box of 2 dozen unused, blank cassette tapes. Is this something that might be useful for some of you running older hardware? This is in the Boston, Massachusetts area.

If more information about the tapes would be helpful, I can inquire.

#NewEnglandVintageComputing #Cassette #Retrocomputing #Boston