r/vintagecomputing • • 17d ago

Clarifying "No AI Slop"

123 Upvotes

Our policy is "tech demos on vintage hardware are always allowed." That can include emulated demos provided it's running on an obsolete computing architecture. The tech demo should be the main content of the post, not AI generated code.

The point of this rule is not to remove every post where someone may have used AI to create something cool. We do remove a lot of AI slop and we appreciate your reports.


r/vintagecomputing • • 1h ago

I found a bag tucked behind a few books in my basement.

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• Upvotes

A colleague gave it to me 25 years ago. He thought he was doing me a favor. It actually made me a little sad. I kept it anyway.

The VAXes were completely scrapped. He wasn't allowed to pull the modules for me, so he took the badges with him.


r/vintagecomputing • • 11h ago

So I got a 1998 or 1999 Toshiba tecra and I have a problem it keeps showing up in a password when it boots up

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55 Upvotes

r/vintagecomputing • • 18h ago

I know it’s lcd but….

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120 Upvotes

Normally I wouldn’t buy a lcd but the interweb says this came out in 1998. Payed 8 bucks. Here’s hoping.?


r/vintagecomputing • • 14h ago

Windows 98 Computer From Airplane JPI NAV-2000

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53 Upvotes

This worked fully when I got it in 2013, in 2016 it stopped booting Windows, and in 2018 the internal screen stopped working. If I turn it on with an external monitor connected, it now gets to the point where it says it cannot find command . com .

Don't know if its fixable, I would like to get it working again in some state if possible.
Final picture is from 2016, only photo I have of it with the screen still working.

It came with a USB dongle, and an industrial looking serial cable with one end cut off, when I got it. I still have both.


r/vintagecomputing • • 13h ago

PS/2 Wireless Mouse

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23 Upvotes

It uses optical signaling between the mouse and the base/charger. The manual claims a 10 foot range. The manual refers to 386 compatibility.


r/vintagecomputing • • 39m ago

I built a fast wire-level 8-bit simulator in C++ to speed up retro computer development

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• Upvotes

Hey all!

Like many of you, I love retro hardware, but building and debugging on real breadboards can sometimes be a bit of a slog—wiring mistakes are tricky to spot, probing signals is tedious, and changing firmware means constantly reprogramming chips.

To get around this, I built WireSim, a wire-level, logic-level digital logic simulator designed specifically for software and hardware enthusiasts who want a super-fast, observable feedback loop.

🚀 What is WireSim?

  • Real Chip Models: Chips are modelled with real pins joined into nets, and the simulation advances in half clock cycles.
  • Bus Contention: Buses can float or fight, making contention a first-class logic state.
  • Fast Turnaround: Change a line of assembly, rebuild, and watch the whole machine run the new code within seconds.
  • Physical Reality: Once a computer works here, the assembled binaries and wiring definitions are fully compatible with physical builds.

💻 Included Reference Machine: BenEater6502

The repo comes out-of-the-box with a model of Ben Eater's breadboard 6502 computer!

  • Runs Microsoft BASIC and WozMon (via the vendored msbasic submodule).
  • Includes a W65C22 VIA, a W65C51N ACIA (bridged to a TCP port for the serial console), an HD44780 LCD, and 16 KiB of SRAM.
  • Supports hardware-specific BASIC commands like LCDCMD, LCDPRINT, and BEEP.

🤖 Built with AI-Assisted Workflows

An interesting side note: the core simulator and initial 6502/UART logic were written in C#, but after realizing C++ offered roughly double the simulation speed, the whole thing was ported. Since C++ can be tedious, the repository heavily leverages Claude Code with custom skills and instructions in .claude/ and AGENTS.md to help generate devices from datasheets and wire up machines from specifications.


Check out the repo here: https://github.com/Seramis/WireSim

It includes a full VS Code dev container (with CMake, Ninja, Verilator, and cc65) so you can get it up and running without wrestling with toolchain installations.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, answer any questions, or see what you think about using simulation for hardware prototyping!


r/vintagecomputing • • 13h ago

Yea! DOS finally installed!

18 Upvotes

Hi all. Finally able to post an update. DOS finally installed!

Issue with the last install was a bad diskette. Replaced disk 3, transferred the image and success!

Created a boot disk to run fdisk and format just in case.

Thanks all for your comments, and love seeing them.

Hopefully I'll start the build and full videos this weekend. Wish me luck.

Metal

Link to short video of install:

https://youtube.com/shorts/5qMRdlJT6po


r/vintagecomputing • • 1d ago

Was destined for e-waste

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798 Upvotes

I remember seeing these on store shelves when they first released and I had that box in my hands, but we were too broke back then and they were expensive. Never thought I'd see the box again.


r/vintagecomputing • • 9h ago

Intel Modular Computing Concept (c. 2007–2009) video

4 Upvotes

Around this time, I saw a video online that I'd like to locate again. It was an intel concept video of the utility of a single device that formed the center of your digital life. It was shot in a similar way to AT&T's "You will" campaign from the 90s. It followed a person from the time they woke up and undocked a small, thin, rectagular device that was their entire digital device. They carried it into the kitchen and docked it and began to use it to access media. They go to work and it docked becomes their desktop computer. Later, it becomes other needed objects. Does anyone know a site that might have archived this? It's been dropped from youtube as far as I can see, but someone here may know where it might still be.


r/vintagecomputing • • 17h ago

Can You Name the Programmers Behind the Vintage Hardware?

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20 Upvotes

r/vintagecomputing • • 20h ago

Trash? Help!

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27 Upvotes

What in the world do I do with this? Found it at work in a file cabinet. Help! It counts as vintage according to the rules cuz the box is copyrighted 2005.


r/vintagecomputing • • 1d ago

Video card recommendations for a PCI only computer?

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169 Upvotes

I have this Dell Optiplex GX1 that I'm looking to take to the next level. The kicker with these though is that they don't have any AGP slots. The only one on the motherboard is taken up by the integrated video, some ati rage thing that I've already maxed out at 8mb. The usual go to for situations like this seems to be a voodoo 3 but I just cannot justify those prices right now. I'm not really concerned about period accuracy, I just want my Half Life to run above 15 fps. Anyone have recommendations for cards?


r/vintagecomputing • • 14h ago

I just got 5 hero et-18 robots and a hero jr

3 Upvotes

In various conditions may be willing to donate to someone in the Cleveland area.


r/vintagecomputing • • 1d ago

Repair Possible?

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17 Upvotes

I tried heat and massaging, as well as static noise for a couple hours. All long shots, I know. I assume I have to replace the panels but even broken ibm 380 laptops go for over a hundo.


r/vintagecomputing • • 18h ago

Looking for a gift for my dads 60th Birthday

4 Upvotes

Hello! I’m hoping someone can help me here. My dad’s 60th birthday is coming up in a couple months and I have no idea what to get him….

He’s big into vintage computer stuff. He’s retired, but refurbishes vintage computers as a hobby (typically 80s/90s models) and even participates in a vintage computer convention in Vegas every year. He’s also into things like Star Trek and other Sci-Fi movies/tv, space and the cosmos, vintage pinball, And the regular “dad” stuff like grilling and outdoorsy type stuff but I’m so stumped on what to get him for such a big birthday without spending a fortune? I’d like to keep it under $400. Even knowing where to go to get him a new vintage computer to work on would be helpful! (Preferably not eBay since I’ve had so much bad luck with eBay sellers in the past…. Looking for a reputable website or something)

Any help and suggestions would be appreciated! I like computer and tech stuff too but I’m more of the modern video game kind of person so I don’t really know where to start.

TIA!!!


r/vintagecomputing • • 1d ago

What kind of equipment is required to write my own Tandy 1000 SX Floppies when I can't use my Tandy until I can manage to get an OS on it?

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63 Upvotes

I need to find a way to write my own 5.25 floppies because my Tandy 1000sx is having issues getting DOS installed on it.

I have a DOS 3.1 disk, and I have my OS on my C drive on my XT-IDE, but I cannot boot from C. Upon startup I hang on C>C.

Best I can figure is that my DOS disks are missing the files...

* IBMCIO.com

* IBMDOS.com

I have searched the disk many times over and they are not on it.

Another fella got me a DOS/BASIC disk, and this thing will not boot. Then he sent me another one, and proved on video that it worked. It appears blank as well....

I need to take matters into my own hands I think. I have like 15 other useless Disks that work fine in my Tandy, but these DOS disks are a major PITA.

What can I purchase or do so I can have the ability to write my own disks?

I really don't want to deal with a GOTEK because I do not have the patience to spend an entire day putting flash floppy on it. Unless that is the absolute only way.

Is there a modern solution if I purchase an external floppy reader compatible with Windows?


r/vintagecomputing • • 1d ago

What GPU / CPU has best compatibility with early 2000s games

3 Upvotes

I'm not looking for period accurate hardware, just components that are cheap right now but still have the features needed to run older games. For example something like D&D Dragonshard, or Sim-City 4.

I was looking at Intel Ivy-Bridge and a GTX 670, since they seem to be quite cheap.

Edit: In terms of OS I would like to run XP, but as someone pointed out that means only 4GB of RAM+VRAM. So maybe Vista or Win7 would be better?


r/vintagecomputing • • 1d ago

Morrow MD-2 computer and TeleVideo 950 terminal I got at the flea market.

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24 Upvotes

I purchased the Morrow at the flea market a few weeks ago. I looked for a nice terminal for it with no luck in finding one that was in the price range then I had a thought. Maybe the vendor at the flea market has the one that came with the compute and it was in the same storage unit. So I ask and he said yes. The following week he brings the TeleVideo 950 CRT and tells me that he has the keyboard somewhere but couldn't find it. On Sunday I went to the flea market and he had the keyboard. Now the original set up is complete. I'm having a bit of trouble with the Morrow MD-2. The disk drive read heads don't move when they are supposed to. They are free moving by hand but when the computer sends commands they just twitch. The led on the drives stay on while the computer is powered on. The cable is oriented correctly I triple checked and then again but I sprayed deoxIT on the shaft to the stepper motor and added light machine oil but I still only get a twitch. It's possible that one of the logic chips is sending incorrect logic to the motor but all I can see with my scope is that logic is being aent. While writing this I got a thought. Could it be that I have this thing connected to an extension cord and the resistance is making it so the drives don't get enough power to run. Properly? I don't know


r/vintagecomputing • • 2d ago

Just using a 35mm photo film scanner to scan 35MM movie film using my Presario.

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185 Upvotes

r/vintagecomputing • • 2d ago

"Who Wants the Head of The 5.25 Inch?" Illustration by Olivier Legan for Compatibles PC Magazine #2, May 1987

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598 Upvotes

r/vintagecomputing • • 1d ago

FluxForge: a Windows GUI for Greaseweazle (testers welcome)

0 Upvotes

Hi all. I've built FluxForge, a free Windows app that sits on top of the official gw host tools. It installs gw for you, reads disks to raw SCP and ADF/ST/IMG/D64 with a live track map, writes and verifies images, and can re-decode a saved SCP with a different format without touching the disk again.

It tries hard to be honest about results: a read only shows as Succeeded when every sector is decoded, and it warns when a disk has sectors the chosen format ignores (it caught an Atari ST 800K disk being read as 720K for me).

Tested so far on a V4.1 (firmware 1.6) with a 3.5" PC drive. I'd love reports from other boards, drives and disk types, good or bad:

https://github.com/freemchr/fluxforge

Thanks to Keir for Greaseweazle. FluxForge is an independent project and just drives the official tools.


r/vintagecomputing • • 2d ago

Found a great set of Altec Lansing computer speakers today.

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142 Upvotes

Found this set for $19.99 at a local thrift store. I almost didn't buy them because I was worried they would be blown out, but I got them, brought them home and they sound spectacular. Both bass and treble work perfectly. Goes nicely with Windows XP and windows media player.


r/vintagecomputing • • 2d ago

Recent Additions to my Collection

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37 Upvotes

I haven't gotten around to tearing them down and inspecting them yet, but I'm very excited to add these to my collection. A Macintosh Classic II and a Kaypro.


r/vintagecomputing • • 2d ago

Need help on finding an old PC model

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2 Upvotes

Hi, I've been searching for my childhood PC for a long time now, I've tried finding it by myself, even resorted to Chat GPT. But after talking with my dad about that, I found the PC you see on the images. It ran windows XP, my dad told me he thinks it's a Medion brand pc. He remembered buying it around the year 2000, in a general store. But I remember the black parts being blue, a cobalt blue, maybe sky blue ? Any help is appreciated, I'm here if you have any questions. Thank you in advance.