Capture II Redux

Today I visited Joe M. of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network.  Earlier this year and mentioned at http://retro-link.blogspot.com/2012/03/capture-ii-boards-being-rebuilt.html , he was supposed to have rebuilt Capture II boards, the few remainders from the Jason-Ranheim Company.  He rebuilt one; it worked perfectly, and I was hoping that he'd have more finished in no time.  Well, no time became quite some time.  He ran into indeterminate problems, i.e., though he used the same components, the boards just wouldn't work.

He finally had to bring them to his place of work and use the powerful microscopes there in order to examine those boards.  He found that all of the rest of the boards had microscopic defects in the traces.  Perhaps that is the reason why they were left over from Jason-Ranheim; they were the defective and couldn't be sold.  Joe repaired the traces and got most of the boards working!  He gave me one to show off at future meetings and shows.  Hopefully, he'll release a few more later.

Merry Christmas!
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

Sourcing new ribbons for old printers

There's nothing quite like a document printed from an 8 pin dot matrix printer. The kind that would be connected to an 8 bit computer, and made no attempt at hiding the blocky nature of the characters. We lived in a world of visible pixels, and we were proud to show them. Sometimes, I'd leave the tractor feed sides on the paper just for that added touch of mechanical technology. In these days of dirt cheap, razor sharp inkjet printers, it's fun and whimsical to send correspondence printed off one of these ancient but reliable printers. Problem is, getting replacement ribbon cartridges is becoming increasingly difficult, expensive, if not downright impossible, and re-inking can only go so far.

Dot matrix printers are here to stay, except these days they're marketed as "Impact" printers. Multi-part forms, the kind used in shipping where you have a white, red, and yellow copy, ensures the business need for an impact printer; laser and inkjet can't do multi-part forms. They're just not as common as they once were, so these days, industry makes ribbon cartridges for dozens instead of thousands of different makes.

My first printer ever was an MPS 802 connected to my Commodore 64. When I got a Commodore Amiga system, I sold the MPS 802 to buy an Epson LX-810, as the MPS 802 didn't work with the Amiga. The LX-810 model printer It always occurred to me that the printer ribbon cartridges looked very similar; but, as is the way with printer technology, there are slight differences in the ribbon cartridge design that prohibits interchanging the two.

I recently acquired an MPS 802 printer. It occurred to me that, while there may have been differences in the printer cartridge design, I assumed that the ribbons themselves would be of standard dimensions. It would have been cheap and easy enough for manufacturers to stamp out their own plastic ribbon cartridge cases en masse, but they likely bought the ribbons from a common source, as is typical in manufacturing. I checked. The dimensions of the ribbon in the cartridge of the MPS 802 are pretty much identical to that in the Epson LX-810 cartridge (and probably others).

To test, I took an old Epson LX-810 cartridge that still works but is slightly faded, and removed it from that cartridge. Next, I carefully pried the top off the MPS 802 cartridge, and removed that ribbon. Then I wound the ribbon from the LX-810 cartridge around the spools, snapped the lid back into place, and wound the ribbon back in. The result? Success.

This is good news, because Epson still sells a printer that takes the same ribbon as my old LX-810; it's the LX-300 printer. Ribbons for this printer are available at Staples for a reasonable $13 or so. I think I'll buy a brand new Epson printer cartridge to cannibalize for my MPS 802 now, but I probably should wear latex gloves this time.

World of Commodore 2012

I had the opportunity to attend World of Commodore 2012 in Mississauga, Ontario yesterday. The event took place in a conference room in the Admiral Inn. This is an annual event put on by the Toronto Pet User's Group (TPUG); the oldest user's group in Canada, and the second oldest user's group in the world. There were a variety of exhibits, including demonstrations and products for sale, a freebie table, and an itinerary filled with excellent speakers covering an interesting range of topics from modern hardware developments to the use of Commodore computers in the arts.

I had the opportunity to meet some old friends and make some new ones. It was also a place to rekindle some friendships I believed were long lost. The real pleasure was getting to meet Jeffrey Daniels of Denial in person for the first time the following day. With so many fascinating individuals who attended the event, some from some great distances, it was worthwhile just to be in the same room and talk about our varied interests in retro computing. Ever increasingly, the appeal seems to be about the aesthetics and creative artistic outlet represented by these vintage machines.

There's a trend these days to rekindle some of the great classics on modern hardware, so it was a pleasure to listen to a speaker from Comma 8 studios describe the process and challenges involved in bringing a modern version of M.U.L.E. to modern platforms like iPhone and Android. We got to listen to some possible theme music for the upcoming game, got to see how the characters are now rendered graphically, and got some insight into some of the challenges of creating a multiplayer game on these devices.

Jim Brain of Retro Innovations was present with a table selling his clever devices (I'm a huge fan and user of his uIEC), and announced that he was now able to legally sell JiffyDOS for the Vic 20, Plus/4, and Commodore 16 computers. I made sure to buy the first Vic 20 JiffyDOS chip after his presentation. This, combined with the uIEC and daughterboard, brings these computers into the 21st century; with the uIEC providing a modern SD card alternative to the 1541 disk drive, and JiffyDOS a fast and easy way to work with SD card files and images on the uIEC.

Next, we were treated by a presentation by a speaker from the Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) about a project, HelloAmiga.ca, where the Amiga computer was used in creating works of animated art. The microphone was then turned over to Mark Pellegrino, who treated us to G.I.R.L. This animated short work of art was completed using Deluxe Paint in an emulated Amiga. It was somewhat dark, somewhat disturbing, and yet very funny and entertaining at the same time. It was excellent.

Going along with the creative arts theme, Jeffrey Daniels of Denial presented his work the next day, explaining his philosophy of programming and his reasons for that philosophy. Some of his games are stunningly original, all are very playable. By drawing on subtle concepts of our consciousness, he develops themes that intrigue and draw us in. Some seasoned Commodore users are surprised that Jeffrey doesn't use machine language, as some of his games are so sophisticated they suggest that they might be written that way. I often think that had Jeffrey's games existed at the time the Vic 20 was created, Commodore's original intention of using the Vic's video circuitry in arcade machines may have been realized.

Unfortunately, I arrived too late to catch the first presentation, and had to leave before the final one. However, the event was well worth the $10.00 admission fee, and I decided to sign up as a TPUG member for a year. Besides buying Jim Brain's clever products (a daughtercard for my uIEC, along with JiffyDOS for my Vic and 64), I also scored an MPS 802 in great shape from the freebie table, and Cymbal's Games 20 book 1 for a dollar. Those of you who know me have seen my Youtube video of me opening up a Vic 20 for Christmas, showing off the Vic and this very Cymbal games book. the MPS 802 was the first printer I ever owned, and completes my original Commodore 64 set-up.

More pictures of the event can be found here: World of Commodore 2012 Web Album

If you're reading this and would like to contribute to this blog, perhaps to add details on the speakers I missed or to provide your own perspective, feel free to contact me or Robert to add you as an author.

November 11 SCCAN meeting

Revival Studio's Mayhem on screen

Matt D. concentrates on Avalanche for the VIC-20

Though I had brought the SX-64 with SuperCPU and the AmigaOne XE G4, at the Nov. 11 Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network meeting we concentrated on the new games for the VIC-20, the NTSC versions of Avalanche and Mayhem from Revival Studios.  Fun!  Hopefully, member Matt D. will have a new bit of hardware to use with the VIC-20 for the January SCCAN meeting!

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network

http://www.sccaners.org

C128 VGA adapter development continues

After a long wait, the engineer on the C128 VGA adapter came back with good news. He recalculated resistor values and installed new resistors on the board. Now the 16 colors on the screen are brighter while still maintaining accuracy! This is what the engineer said, "...the color palette [is based] on the description of IBM CGA at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_Graphics_Adapter#Color_palette . My new resistor values should represent this very accurately (with about 0.5% deviation, vs. up to nearly 70% deviation with the original values)."
To see the previous post to this, go to

http://retro-link.blogspot.com/2012/06/testing-continues.html

Light at the end of the tunnel,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug

What's next to my C128DCR

Sometimes next to the C128DCR, sometimes on top of the C128DCR, it's the Master Replica 33-inch Enterprise NCC-1701.  After a long session on the Commodore, I find it nice to engage the NCC-1701 and relax.  :)

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug

September 22 SCCAN meeting

NTSC A1200 with Blizzard '060 and OS 3.9

Dan and Thomas read through Retro Gamer #106

PAL C64C from the Czech Republic

Matt's MCC-216 with the new Spectrum core

Thomas checks ASSIGNS on PAL A1200 with OS 3.9

Thomas' A600 needs tender, loving repair.

Matt (center) buys and trades cartridges.

Yesterday at the meeting of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network, we gathered to talk and play Commodore and Amiga.  We especially discussed the upcoming Sacramento Amiwest Show on Oct.18-21.  I'll be at that show to videotape the presentations.

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network

http://www.sccaners.org

At the August FCUG meeting

Dick E. and Daniel S.

Vincent trying to figure out the Amiga 3000

Roger V. and Louis M.

At the August FCUG meeting, we were graced with a special guest, Daniel Strang, from the Netherlands. As our treasurer, Dick E., said, "It looked like a mini-CommVEx" at the meeting. Here are a few of the photos; more are near the bottom of http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

MSDs galore!

Front

Back

Corroded caps and others from 2 drives

With Ray Carlsen repairing the last two MSD SD-2 drives I had, now I have an embarrassment of too many MSDs! The MSD SD-1 on the far left pictured above has JiffyDOS, as does the MSD SD-2 on the far right. The two center SD-2s have the CLD AutoCopy ROMs plus added memory for the convenient copying of disks without the need of Commodore computer.

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

Commodore P500 revealed

(Photos by Ray Carlsen)

At the July 28-29 CommVEx we exhibited Larry Anderson's Commodore P500, the "Colour PET". Unfortunately, Murphy's Law struck, and the machine would not display anything; its green power LED didn't even come on. On Thursday, August 2, I left the P500 for technician Ray Carlsen to examine and repair. He e-mailed later, writing that the machine worked for him perfectly. He sent me the following pictures. Enjoy!

Writing from the Portland, Oregon area,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

Jack Tramiels - Commodore wine

(Photo by Larry Anderson)

Just in time for CommVEx, on Friday I received 3 bottles of Syrah wine from Baysinger Cellars. Note how the wine bottles are labeled, "Jack Tramiel's", in honor of the late Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore Business Machines. This wine came from a batch which won a silver award at the California State Fair and a silver award at the San Joaquin County Fair. High class!

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

July 28-29 Commodore Vegas Expo v8 -

http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

Commodore in student movies

Final scene from "The Robbery"

C= in the back seat from "Solo te mueres una vez"

Every year in my English Reading class, the students act in amateur movies as a class project. This year, for the first time since the 1980's, Commodore has appeared in the student productions. Above are screenshots from the 2 movies which had Commodore.

Extra points if you can name the game in the first pic,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

July 28-29 Commodore Vegas Expo v8 -

http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

Moving machines and Commodore

Jeri Ellsworth and Trish H. move a pinball machine.

Commodore is behind the machines.

Now this is the best!

Sunday, June 24, Jeri Ellsworth, with the help of Trish and a little bit of help from me, moved many pinball machines and boxes of Commodore items into a 26-foot long U-Haul.

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

July 28-29 Commodore Vegas Expo v8 -

http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

Testing continues on the C128 VGA Adapter

(Photo by JC)

The prototype of this C128 RGB-to-VGA bit of hardware is being put through its paces.

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

July 28-29 Commodore Vegas Expo v8 -

http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

Pics from the May FCUG meeting

The Notable Phantom package with keyboard

The Relax Stress Reduction System

Roger V. (with headband sensors) tries controlling balloons

His mind is one with the Commodore!

Robert Bernardo fiddles with the Relax control box.

Controlling the kaleidoscope by mind control

PET 8296-D keyboard bottom signed by William Shatner

The top of the PET8296-D keyboard

Brad S.'s Micro-KIM (KIM-1 clone) showing a clock

(all photos by Brad S. except the first two)

The May 20 Fresno Commodore User Group meeting was exciting what with Brad S. demonstrating his Micro-KIM from Briel Computers, me showing off the Relax Stress Reduction System (C64 version at $139.95 originally), our looking over various Commodore books, and me playing around with the Notable Phantom music system. For more on the Relax Stress Reduction System, go to

http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue60/185_1_REVIEWS_Relax_Stress_Reduction_System.php

Truly,

Robert Bernardo

Fresno Commodore User Group

http://videocam.net.au/fcug

July 28-29 Commodore Vegas Expo v8 -

http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

Pics from the May SCCAN meeting

Richard G., Tim W., Dan L.

Thomas K. and Robert Bernardo

Amiga the Movie on Youtube

Turbo Chameleon

Commodore and Amiga books

Plus 4 diagnostic cart and plug-in's

Amiga 600 and Plus/4 keyboard similarities?

PAL A600 with OS 2.x

(photos by Matt B.)

On May 12 there was another meeting of the Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network (SCCAN) at the Panera Bread Restaurant in Northridge, California. The meeting went from about 2:30 to 8 that evening. Out of the 100+ photos taken, the above are a choice 8 of them.

Speaking for SCCAN,

Robert Bernardo

Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network

http://www.sccaners.org