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TRS-80 Model 100 Capacitor Replacement

Hello!

This was a spontaneous project that worked out well and quickly in between other projects. I've been meaning to repair this Model 100 for years now and had never got around to it. I had ordered parts for it along with caps for repairing an IBM 5154, well the IBM ended up needing another round of parts so while that order was shipping I figured I could take a crack at this.

This ended up not being totally perfect at the end but I'm still pretty happy with the ...

86Box - An Introduction to PC Emulation

Hello!

This was supposed to be a quick and simple video I recorded at home over a couple of days after some delays on my other projects but it completely spiraled out of control with many small issues and took up the entirety of the time from the last video until now.

This video is an attempt to be a comprehensive introduction to using 86Box along with some of my own personal experiences with it as I've been using it and PCem for the last two years for different pr...

Video Rendering Server Rebuild (Now With Game Streaming!)

Hello!

There were a lot of requests to make a video out of upgrading my server with the new motherboard I was sent. Since I wanted to get that done sooner than later, here we are!

If you missed the recent mail video, I was sent a new motherboard for my server that would give me much more flexibility with and possibly some performance improvements. It's also been a few years since I've done a video about my server setup. So I figured I could go over some changes I've made to it ...

CRT Damage and Replacement - Wyse WY-520 Terminal

Hello!

This is all over the place in some ways. I made this more about the journey than the destination this time because of the unique opportunity available. I was sent a VT100 compatible terminal, that's CRT was broken in shipping. This gave me the chance to take a look at all the parts of a CRT up close in ways I hadn't before. And I don't want to spoil it, but the video still has a positive ending.

Video Link: ...

Supporter Update: March 2024

Hello!

I wanted to do a supporter update while working on some things (literally in this case) and give you some info on what's coming up soon. For the first time in a while I actually have a clear plan ahead for the next several videos which hasn't happened in so long it feels really weird hah!

Video Link: https://youtu.be/bZN7tj8UfVk

MailCall 0x0F: Mail from viewers like you!

Hello!

I had a plan for this week's video...but it had a plan to defeat me. So I decided to take this chance to record the next mail video! There were a lot of things sent in that I'm really grateful for that are going to be really awesome to use in the future!

Mail videos are pretty straight forward so I don't have much else to talk about with it. I am really looking forward to putting into work some of the things I was sent though, I should have some daily improvements with so...

Roland MT-200 Pt2: Ultimate Desktop MIDI

Hello!

This video was recorded nearly three years ago, but I had family stuff to take care of last week and my plans for a simple video this week...weren't as simple as I had hoped. So I decided to try and finish an old video project and after two days of editing...I've decided to just delete it because that subject deserves better. So I looked back into my archives and I still had this project instead which I've been keeping around for the perfect time where I could edit but not film....

Digital Decay Of 2000's PC Game DRM

Hello!

This one was a really fast turnaround for me after I first started this one on Saturday. I wanted to help support the cause of Ross Scott's https://www.stopkillinggames.com/ and making videos to draw attention is the best way I can do that. So I figured I could look at how many of my physical PC games might be impacted by servers shutting down. It was a lot, much more than I expected. So this vide...

The First Optical Mouse - Mouse Systems PC Mouse

Hello!

This video is one I've been planning in the back of my head for a while now and I needed something to buy me a little more time with my ongoing GBA project. After some more success in researching it I was finally ready to tackle my Mouse Systems PC Mouse with an IBM XT PC! I've been holding off on attempting to use a mouse at all with one of my 8088 systems until I could get one that was just right for it, and I don't think this could fit the bill any better! Not to spo...

Visual 200 Terminal Refurb - Part 1

Hello,

So this video was originally going to be a test edit and put up on the second channel but I've decided to "promote" it to the main channel to give me some more time on a bigger project.

This is the last terminal I got with the S-100 hardware I bought a while ago that I haven't got back into running shape. It is another pre-VT-100 machine but unlike the TRS-80 DT-1 it has it's own code set which makes it more unique. But it needed some obvious work before I tried it out a...

Suppporter March 2024

Hello,

I wanted to talk somewhat about what's been going on with me and how I'm getting back into my video production routine.

As far as the next video, I'm going to edit some footage of working on the Visual 200 Terminal I've been refurbishing on stream but I ran into a last minute problem that's going to leave this as a Pt 1 until I can order some more parts for it, again. This will also give me more time on the E-Reader video which is going to be very technical and will benef...

No video next week

I am having a family medical emergency happening right now and I will not be able to make any progress on anything for the next week.

Archival Floppy Disk Preservation and Use

Hello!

This is a big video, I've been working to this one really since I got the S-100 computers in 2022 but it really kicked up a gear when I get the HP Series 200 machine and had to deal with the TD0 files the HP Museum had for it. Floppy disks vary in how they hold data for different systems, but only to a point. When it comes down to it, there are some common rules you can rely on that makes it easy to work with them if you come at it from the right perspective. This video is all a...

2024-02 Supporter Update

Hello!

I wanted to do an update on stuff in the background and on some of what I've had going on recently.

Mentioned links:
Live YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@techtangentslive
iRiver Support Archive: https://archive.org/details/iriver.jp-support

Video Link: 2024-02-16 14:11:27 +0000 UTC View Post

Kaypro 4 Up and Running

Hello!

In this one I'm taking a look at a Kaypro IV I recently got! I was really interested in getting it up and running because it's probably the most "normal" CP/M computer I have now. Making the computer work was mostly uneventful, but getting software onto these systems is always a chore. I thought I would go into more detail on how you do that and some of the pitfalls of different programs on computers like this. CP/M is a fascinating environment, but it is far from straightforwar...

I was Wrong - Xerox Memorywriter 645S Works!

Hello...again.

So I got enough comments and discussion about the drives and belts on the Xerox that I decided to look into them one more time and try just swapping out the drives. The results were...surprising to say the least.

This is a somewhat annoying situation to be in with the last video now but oh well. I strongly felt before that if the drives could read, they could write. So I didn't want to spend time on what I thought wasn't likely to be an issue and I didn't investig...

Xerox 645S Fully Repaired, But Still Not Done

Hello!

I really didn't want to get behind on videos after missing a release recently and pushed to get this one done quick enough to get back on schedule. This project is the reason for that delay though and I think you'll see why as it goes on. The IBM Wheelwriter I showed in the update delay video was a rush attempt at doing the same thing but it had it's own issues. The Xerox saga isn't over yet, but I felt it was best to call it here and finish the video b...

An Apple /// That "Just Works?"

Hello,
This video became ready sooner than I expected because I was able to start working with someone to get help editing! So this video was mostly edited by Jimi! I'm quite happy with how it turned out, with my workflow I still have to give it a final pass myself before it's done but I'm hoping this could be the start of a new process for increasing production and making much better use of my time!

Now this video is actually about an Apple /// I picked up recently. I actually fou...

Supporter Update: 2024-01-11

Hello! Progress on the next video hasn't been amazing. I covered most of this in the video but have some more succinct thoughts that I didn't express well off the cuff.

I've basically not had internet at home for the last week due to issues on my ISP's side and my intended project I've been working towards for months of fully refurbishing the Xerox Memorywriter 645S fell on its face at the last possible step. The video wasn't completely about that particular device and more a...

MailCall 0x0E: Mail from viewers like you!

Hello!
It's time for a mail video! It's been a long time since I have done one of these since I refocused how I'm making videos on the channel. But a closeout video at the end of the year opening everything felt like the perfect way to do this.

I'm hoping to get a supporter update video recorded this weekend because I have some other things I want to go over but if not I should be able to get it done around mid next week.

Video Link: 2023-12-29 22:59:24 +0000 UTC View Post

Archival Grade Flatbed Book Scanner - Avision FB6080E

Hello!

This video was a bit spontaneous and I've been planning on trying to take it a little easier this month  after the last few videos ended up being monsters. This was supposed to be an off the cuff video but I ended up doing so much research that it just made sense to end up scripting a proper video out of it. So this is a sort of review/exploration of a new scanner I bought recently for archiving things. It is a standard flatbed scanner but with a unique design to be able fi...

LD-Decode - LaserDisc Conversion Tools

Hello! This is the followup to the last video on preserving Laserdiscs and covers how to work with the capture files. I'm extra glad I ended up splitting up this video topic because this one is really technically dense and I don't think the majority of people who may have been interested in the last one will necessarily want to know everything I cover in this one. But I don't think there have been any videos that go over the compete process like this as a step by step guide like I wanted to h...

Domesday Duplicator - Ultimate LaserDisc Preservation

Hello!

This video kind of snuck up on me. I got a Domesday Duplicator and it was very interesting but very complicated. And as I was testing it I realized I was kind of "stuck" on it because I needed to keep all of my raw rips until I finished the video. So this one forced its way to the front of the line. Then as I was writing the script I realized that this was going to be kind of too much to cover all at once and needed to split it up. So this is just part one of th...

New LCD for Old TRS-80 Pocket Computer

Hello! This video didn't end up being the easy slam dunk I thought it would be but at least I was able to get it done a little early. In this one I go through the process of replacing an LCD panel in a TRS-80 Pocket Computer using a brand new part! It tickles me to think that this is possible and I'm really impressed with the end results of it!

The computer itself though is unbelievably confusing to get working with the batteries being a massive pain that caused multiple d...

A Rambly Supporter Update - 2023-10-24

Hello! It's been a little while since I've done one of these videos and I wanted to get one out sooner after finishing the 3.5in floppy video to kind of talk about that whole process. That video got so much bigger than I planned and had a bunch of different mini-projects the lead up to it. I also wanted to go over what will be involved in making the video about the Jonos which isn't very straightforward and I'm going to need a bit more time for.

Video Link: 2023-10-25 16:10:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Origins of the 3.5in Floppy Disk

This is another instance of this not being the video I set out to make. This was going to be a lame repair video about the 9121. But I thought "huh, it's be pretty cool to tease the video as being about the first 3.5in floppy drive in the US" because I assumed that the Sony SMC-70 was first but only in Japan. None of that turned out to be correct after just a little bit of research, but I wasn't really sure and kept unraveling threads...and now here we are on wha...

1997 Computer Programmable Talk With Me Barbie

Why? Well, there are a few reasons this video has come into existence. I was recently given this Talk With Me Barbie doll that is designed to interface with 90s computers and be reprogrammed to say different things. So it was already tangentially related to things I normally cover. Then there is the obvious cultural relevance to the recent movie. And in the background I've been working on a much bigger project that I'm really excited about and needed a simpler video ...

Gold Standard Plotter - HP 7475A

Hello again! This one took a bit more at the end than I expected to get done but here it is, a video on the HP 7475A I got a while back in the big HP lot! This was a while in the making to get it repaired, twice, and figure out some ways to really show it off the best I can. This is one of those things that you really either have a need or dont, so synthesizing demos takes some work.

But the tone of this video really changed when I decided to take an extra day to do some research and ...

Bonus Video: Dot Matrix Ribbon Quick Refurb Hack

I'm still working on the next proper video, but I got it all filmed and went to record this months printout only to find the ribbon in the printer I was going to use was completely dry and I didn't have a replacement.

So for giggles, I tried dabbing a little isopropanol on the ribbon as it was printing and was able to tease some life out of it. So, I figured if a little is good, a lot must be better! This was a more successful than expected attempt at quickly breathing some life into a...

2023-09-17: Supporter Update - Improving Time Management

Hello, I've been working on a bunch of background stuff again and I'm finally starting to reap some of the rewards of my new server setup with how it can help be organize and plan projects! This is s look at some of that as well as a few other things like continued research on the 501c3 potential, rethinking repair videos, and some second guessing on how to use the camera controller I've been working with recently.

Something else I forgot to note for this video that I forgot to cover, ...