Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

The funny thing is that I do, in fact, own an Amiga 500. (The upper computer in FRT_Fun's post.)

I do not have a Kaypro, an Osborne, or any other suitcase PC.


Six as a young lad:





Geek trivia: Arthur C. Clarke wrote the novel 2010 on a Kaypro II.

FRT_Fun

iTrader: (19)

I can verify Joe does, in fact, own one.




He is busy hacking the gibson in that picture lolol

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Kay Pro? I didnt know you tuned Hondas.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Funny thing is that I never had a chance to use a CP/M machine of any kind. Grew up around the VIC-20, the C64 and the Apple II, but the first machine I actually owned was an 8086 running DOS 2.11.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

I had a ti-99.

i like munch man and tombstone city.


here I not am, not writing a novel:

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

I didn't get my Kaypro II until 1986. It was military surplus from a particular facility in Norfolk, VA. They also had gigantic VCRs there that employed larger cassettes containing a three hole drive on each of the two reels. Joe is probably able to recall the format.

Tekel

iTrader: (2)

FAWK YOU! Does it work?

I still have TONS of Amiga software. Had an Amiga500 that didn't work and Amiga2000 that did work... While I was away at college my dad sold my Amiga2000 trying to clear some stuff out thinking it was the other way around. So now I have a non-functioning Amiga500 and an **** load of disks. I will dig the picture off my backup at home this evening of the mountains of disks I have.

Sean

iTrader: (12)

I would flame but I have been in the same boat. You can prob get away with what you have at around 5-7psi and not kill it. I would definitely invest in a wide band so even if you cant change timing or anything else you can see if you are running scary air fuels or not. That I would do at the very least. I see in your pic you have a rubber hose for the oil feed while it may last for a little while I would switch it out for a hard line or an braided line. I used an ebay braided line on my civic and never had any problems only cost about $30 delivered. If you search on this forum there is more information that anyone could possibly ever read but I think you are kinda on the right track but I would get a wide band very soon you can get a used AEM for about $100 and a new one for $160 cheap investment compared to an engine.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Sounds like U-matic to me. I'm surprised you remember the three-hole pattern.



Additionally, both spools turned in the same direction (note arrows above) which so far as I know, is totally unique among tape-cartridge formats.



This was the first successful videocassette format, and was the dominant standard in professional video (broadcast newsgathering and production) during the 70s and 80s, replacing 16mm film. The tape itself was 3/4" wide (as opposed to 1" and 2" for the then-standard open reel formats, and 1/2" for the later VHS and ßeta), and so it is usually referred to within the industry as "three-quarter." Almost nobody actually calls it by its proper name.


In general, the cartridge is about 25% larger in every dimension than a VHS cassette. And, like VHS, it was also available in a compact format, mostly used for field applications. What's really cool about that is that unlike VHS / VHS-C, most U-matic machines could play the compact-size tapes directly with no need for an adapter.

The U-matic tapes also had an interesting design feature. The two spools actually overlapped one another, taking advantage of the fact that as the supply spool shrank, the take-up spool could grow into its space. This allowed for higher tape speeds (and, subsequently, longer physical tape lengths) than would have otherwise been possible for a given cartridge size. You can see the overlap here:




These machines started to find use in industrial and academic settings starting in the late 70s, so I suppose it stands to reason that you'd have also started finding them in military settings at around that time. A lot of the "business-class" machines were top-loaders just like the early VHS units, but the vast majority of the pro-grade machines (except for the compact field units) were front-loaders.

Typical academic / business machine:




Typical broadcast / production machine (this one is an editor, as seen by the jog wheel and timecode display at the lower-right):




Typical field recorder (this one uses only the compact tapes. Depending on which TV station you worked for, the camerman might have a tethered assistant standing behind them wearing this unit as well as the battery belt, or the cameraman might have to wear the whole assembly of recorder, battery and camera themselves. There's a reason that ENG cameramen tended to be well-built in the 70s.)






Probably. It's been a number of years since I dragged it out. I also have a CDTV (remember those?) with a non-working CDROM drive, though I modded it with kickstart 1.3 ROMs, a set of standard (9 pin) joystick ports and an A2000 keyboard port, so with the addition of an external floppy drive it functions as a Fatter-Agnus 500.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

My family's first computer was an 8086 as well, but we ran some GUI called "AUTOMENU" over DOS because, well, it was our first computer.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

this is now a computer geek nostalgia thread

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

My first computer was running a 100mhz Pentium I with windows 3.1 and 8mb of ram with a 1.1 Gb HD, and a 4 disk CD-ROM changer. I remember it getting a free upgrade to win95 special edition within a month of us buying it. and getting upgraded from a 14.4k modem to 56k after we failed to internet the first time on Juno. I think it got upgraded to 32mb of ram at some point too. Damn I remember way too much for having been 6 at the time.

FRT_Fun

iTrader: (19)

Juno was bomb. Soooo slow. But it was internet damnit. I would get so pissed when someone would call and kick me off!

Tekel

iTrader: (2)

We were baller enough to have 2 lines. My older brother was so hooked on BBS's that we had two lines before the internet became mainstream. (cue hipster image).

Favorite thing to do was play Doom over the modem with my friend and use our 2nd line as voice chat. Parents would get pissssssed when they would try and call and both lines would be busy for hours on end.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Being free was also a plus. And then it turned into netzero. My parents still have their netzero email addy. They ran netzero free dialup until like 3 years ago when I finally forced them to get fiber from the phone company for stupid cheap money, now my dad is addicted to the internet, and is still someone who only knows how to hunt and peck, its frustrating to watch.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Wow, I'd almost forgotten about Netzero.

I used to use them rather frequently in the late 90s / early '00s, when I was traveling. Back then, hotels didn't typically offer internet access, and neither 3G nor WiFi were yet in common use. But nearly all laptops still came with an analog 56k modem built-in, and hotel rooms usually offered free local calling. So as long as you were in a city with a local Netzero POP (and you were carrying the correct adapter to interface with the hotel's PBX phone system), you were good to go.

True roadwarriors, we were. Never leave home without your little interface bag containing a pair of small screwdrivers, a set of clip-leads, and a handset coupler.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Yeah. That's totally the word to describe it with

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Netzero cost my family about 600 bucks... We got the internet and it would automatically redial to a long distance number... long story short being online for 2 months at long distance for 40 cents a minute = big phone bill.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

don't lie and pretend it wasn't the gay sex hotlines you called

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

It wasnt, i didnt have a miata back then.