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General Stuff(tm)

Blogs & guides and tales of woo by forum members.
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Quickly got dinner and then went back out and dismantled the machine.

Took out the GTIA and cleaned the insides of the pins, which were a bit crusty.

Success!

Fully working and now back together.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 7:02 pm Quickly got dinner and then went back out and dismantled the machine.

Took out the GTIA and cleaned the insides of the pins, which were a bit crusty.

Success!

Fully working and now back together.
Single wipe sockets by any chance?
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 9:15 pm Single wipe sockets by any chance?
Of course! :-)
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 9:19 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 9:15 pm Single wipe sockets by any chance?
Of course! :-)
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Posts: 7464
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Other than the lack of a badge, after a clean the machine doesn't look too bad.

IMG_4835.jpeg
IMG_4835.jpeg (204.17 KiB) Viewed 383 times

It seems that the original owner in the 80s must have been a heavy smoker as the sides of the keys were coated in orange powder. The smell and the stickiness have all gone, just leaving the powder behind, which is easily cleaned off.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 9:47 pm Other than the lack of a badge, after a clean the machine doesn't look too bad.


IMG_4835.jpeg


It seems that the original owner in the 80s must have been a heavy smoker as the sides of the keys were coated in orange powder. The smell and the stickiness have all gone, just leaving the powder behind, which is easily cleaned off.
Not too bad at all :)

I love an 800XL :) Well any A8 as it goes.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

I think that the XL machines look the best in terms of the 8 bit machines.

They're more compact than the originals and have their own style, unlike the XE machines which look like cut down STs.

Anyway, A8PicoCart and FujiNet ordered now I have a known working machine. :-)
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
User avatar
stephen_usher
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Posts: 7464
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Oxford, UK.
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

This morning I've been running the machine in self-test mode as a burn in and designing a new badge.

IMG_4836.jpeg
IMG_4836.jpeg (237.27 KiB) Viewed 357 times

Not too bad, though LibreOffice makes the Atari font slightly smaller than the other font used for the 800XL. I've solver paper on order so I can print the badge on that. Once that's done I'll spray some lacquer over the top to seal it before cutting it out and gluing. Not quite the brushed aluminium of the original but as close as I'm going to get I think.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
User avatar
stephen_usher
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Posts: 7464
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Oxford, UK.
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Reduced the size of the 800XL by half a point and it looks a lot better.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
User avatar
stephen_usher
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Posts: 7464
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Oxford, UK.
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Upgrading to the latest version of LibreOffice has now allowed me to get the kerning of the "800" far closer to the original. Of course Ariel isn't quite the right font as the cross on the 8 is not quite right but it's very close.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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