Post your latest/recent pickups!

[RickR]

17 minutes ago, - Ω - said:

Oh, @RickR, are you going to replace the 5.25's with a modern SD card based storage device?

Yes, I have zero intention of using those floppy drives.  This machine holds a special secret.  Its internals are a Commodore 64.  Commodore was trying desperately to hold on to the educational market they once dominated with the PET, but Apple had taken from them, by releasing this C64 in the guise of a PET.  It didn't work, of course.  But these machines are exceedingly rare.  Since it is just a C64 inside, broken parts should be easy to find (fingers crossed).  Most likely culprits in my mind are a bad power supply or possibly dust causing short circuits. 

Anyway, I already have a C64 SD card solution that will work great if I can get this thing working. 

It is an absolute treasure.  I feel so lucky to have found it. 

My high school had PET computers and that is how I got my start all those years ago.  This machine is pure nostalgia for me and I love it even if it can't be fixed.

[CrossBow]

37 minutes ago, RickR said:

Yes, I have zero intention of using those floppy drives.  This machine holds a special secret.  Its internals are a Commodore 64.  Commodore was trying desperately to hold on to the educational market they once dominated with the PET, but Apple had taken from them, by releasing this C64 in the guise of a PET.  It didn't work, of course.  But these machines are exceedingly rare.  Since it is just a C64 inside, broken parts should be easy to find (fingers crossed).  Most likely culprits in my mind are a bad power supply or possibly dust causing short circuits. 

Anyway, I already have a C64 SD card solution that will work great if I can get this thing working. 

It is an absolute treasure.  I feel so lucky to have found it. 

My high school had PET computers and that is how I got my start all those years ago.  This machine is pure nostalgia for me and I love it even if it can't be fixed.

But does it being a C64 in PET disguise also mean the monitor is monochrome then? That would be the only negative I would see about it at this point since while the color palette of the C64 might not be as vibrant as the Atari line sometimes, it was still very much a strong point of its appeal along with that wonderful SID.

But regardless, it is a very cool find indeed and congrats!

 

 

[RickR]

It *is* monochrome.  With multiple shades of green 🙂 

I don't know for sure, but I *think* it will output color.  There is the standard Commodore RF out and monitor output.  Once i get it working, I'll experiment with that.  It also has a cartridge port, two joystick ports, the tape port....it has everything a C64 has. 

 

[MaximumRD]

1 hour ago, RickR said:

Yes, I have zero intention of using those floppy drives.  This machine holds a special secret.  Its internals are a Commodore 64.  Commodore was trying desperately to hold on to the educational market they once dominated with the PET, but Apple had taken from them, by releasing this C64 in the guise of a PET.  It didn't work, of course.  But these machines are exceedingly rare.  Since it is just a C64 inside, broken parts should be easy to find (fingers crossed).  Most likely culprits in my mind are a bad power supply or possibly dust causing short circuits. 

Amazing Rick! I had no idea about any of that, a C64 with the cool styling of the PET!

[TrekMD]

OMG!  My first computer had a green monochrome screen but it wasn't a Commodore.  I remember when I got my second computer, I demanded an amber screen!  I was tired of the green screens!  Things have changed a tiny bit since then!  🤣

[sramirez2008]

10 hours ago, RickR said:

HOLY SH@T!  I can't stop saying it because LOOK at what I've found.  Rarity of rarities, it's the Commodore Educator PET-64. 

It is somewhat broken (it freezes a few minutes after boot) but I'm hoping I can repair it.  First step is a nice, careful, thorough cleaning.  And yes, I have the broken "5" key. 

That’s beautiful!

[socrates63]

I managed to pick up a game that I thought I'd never have due to price. I managed to get it at auction for much cheaper than I expected, and this game is in very good condition.

I collect Atari games released by Synapse Software. I think I now have 12 for the Atari and 2 for the C64 (Shamus and Drelbs which I'd like to get the A8 versions of). The other Synapse game that I hold out very little hope of acquiring is Alley Cat.

[TrekMD]

These arrived today...

[- Ω -]

On 11/29/2023 at 7:26 PM, TrekMD said:

OMG!  My first computer had a green monochrome screen but it wasn't a Commodore.  I remember when I got my second computer, I demanded an amber screen!  I was tired of the green screens!  Things have changed a tiny bit since then!  🤣

All part of the nostalgia!  I remember having the B&W monitor built into the TRS-80 that I upgraded to a green screen... a couple of months before I sold it.   For some reason the green really appealed to me and seemed easier on the eyes during those late night sessions.

Oh yeah @TrekMD, times sure have changed!  On the PC lines in the early days I traveled the path of CGA, EGA,VGA, SVGA...  Funny thing, I've stopped myself from going any further than running 1920 X 1080.  For video both my Sony Handycam and Canon T7i have native resolutions of 1920 X 1080, so I run both my computer monitors at the same resolution as well as my TV's.  When I think of how many thousands I'd have to spend to upgrade everything to 4K, it's simply not worth it to me.  Besides, 4K (IMHO), takes up too much file space and drastically increases upload times.  So in the end, I've become like my grandfather who still had a Victrola in his house.  When I was around 9 or 10 years old I asked him why he didn't have a more modern turntable for his records, he replied, "I can use this when there is no electricity". 

[RickR]

1080p is still widely used.  4K hasn't become the standard at all. 

My PC uses a 27" monitor that is still 1920 * 1080.  This is why I was very comfortable downgrading my video card, as the Intel Arc 730 can do 1080p in most games and that is good enough for me.

Green screen monitors ARE very easy on the eyes -- you are correct there.  I remember a few years ago, I got a really nice composite amber monitor that I sold because I didn't have space to store it.  That is one thing that I very much regret selling, as you just cannot find them anymore. 

The PET restoration is being documented in a separate thread in the Commodore topic, so I hope you'll follow along there.  I am very much looking forward to seeing some C64 classics on a greenscreen monitor. 

[Smell Dawg]

The intended goal of these final weeks of 2023 was to lay off the game purchasing and focus the budget on Christmas.  I've failed that commitment 😆.
 
Received a great box from @Video 61!  Totally skipped out on the 7800 lineup in its heyday, so this should be interesting.
 

[RickR]

43 minutes ago, Smell Dawg said:

The intended goal of these final weeks of 2023 was to lay off the game purchasing and focus the budget on Christmas.

I *feel* this. 

[HDN]

[sramirez2008]

3 hours ago, Smell Dawg said:

The intended goal of these final weeks of 2023 was to lay off the game purchasing and focus the budget on Christmas.  I've failed that commitment 😆.
 
Received a great box from @Video 61!  Totally skipped out on the 7800 lineup in its heyday, so this should be interesting.
 

Nice pick up. Hopefully you have a twin-stick or controller holder for Robotron. It’s an excellent port. Very smooth, fluid gameplay. You have some really good games here. Enjoy!

[Atari 5200 Guy]

I got some new “add-ons”

Found this stand in our dumpster so I thought I might could make use of it.

And lastly my game room got an area rug.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

On 12/7/2023 at 9:21 AM, Smell Dawg said:

The intended goal of these final weeks of 2023 was to lay off the game purchasing and focus the budget on Christmas.  I've failed that commitment 😆.
 
Received a great box from @Video 61!  Totally skipped out on the 7800 lineup in its heyday, so this should be interesting.
 

Very nice!  Tower Toppler is loads of fun.  It’s a very nice starter set to the 7800.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

On 11/29/2023 at 7:39 PM, RickR said:

Yes, I have zero intention of using those floppy drives.  This machine holds a special secret.  Its internals are a Commodore 64.  Commodore was trying desperately to hold on to the educational market they once dominated with the PET, but Apple had taken from them, by releasing this C64 in the guise of a PET.  It didn't work, of course.  But these machines are exceedingly rare.  Since it is just a C64 inside, broken parts should be easy to find (fingers crossed).  Most likely culprits in my mind are a bad power supply or possibly dust causing short circuits. 

Anyway, I already have a C64 SD card solution that will work great if I can get this thing working. 

It is an absolute treasure.  I feel so lucky to have found it. 

My high school had PET computers and that is how I got my start all those years ago.  This machine is pure nostalgia for me and I love it even if it can't be fixed.

The CBM Pets are where I learned how to program in BASIC. They were not the C64 models though.  I was in first grade so I am very understanding in the nostalgia with these.  Then I got a Timex Sinclair 1000 for Christmas one year and traded it off for an Atari 800 because we could not get the Timex to save or load any programs.  The 800 served me well but I rarely played games on it.  That is what my 5200 was for.

[TrekMD]

The "add-ons" on the first picture look great, @Atari 5200 Guy!

[socrates63]

Mail call — a little bit of love spread across multiple Atari systems.

A few years ago, I bought the Jaguar in order to participate in the I/O’s high score challenge game Cybermorph. It is where I started my Jaguar experience (sadly, it’s still the only game that I’ve played on the Jag console). Despite the memes and mocks that came my way 😂 I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game so much so that I wanted a boxed copy.

I also picked up sealed copy of Spectrum Holobyte’s Falcon. I remember what a big deal it was for the Atari ST when Spectrum Holobyte decided to release the sim for the ST. I didn’t realize there was an expansion. I hate buying sealed games, but the price was too good, so I’m happy to have it in my collection.

I also got couple of Scott Dayton’s recent releases that he made available at Floria Free Play.

[TrekMD]

These arrived over the past few days...

[Smell Dawg]

Nice, Roniu's Tale!  Played through some of it on the Evercade; Mega Cat makes some pretty good stuff! 

[sramirez2008]

[CrossBow]

December has been quite a month for new pickups for the collections here at the ivory Tower!

First up is that I got my Gleylancer re-release by Retrobit from Strictly Limited Games and also after more than a year, my copy of AsteBros came in. Both for the Genesis.

 

And then I finally was able to get Stellar Assault for the Saturn for a good price direct from Japan and got in my physical copy of Bomb Rush Cyberpunk for the PS4 from IAM8BIT.

 

Then the main last thing for the month that I was waiting on arrived today. It speaks for itself.

 

[Justin]

46 minutes ago, CrossBow said:

December has been quite a month for new pickups for the collections here at the ivory Tower!

First up is that I got my Gleylancer re-release by Retrobit from Strictly Limited Games and also after more than a year, my copy of AsteBros came in. Both for the Genesis.

 

And then I finally was able to get Stellar Assault for the Saturn for a good price direct from Japan and got in my physical copy of Bomb Rush Cyberpunk for the PS4 from IAM8BIT.

 

Then the main last thing for the month that I was waiting on arrived today. It speaks for itself.

 

 

@CrossBow How is the fit and finish of the Analog Duo up close? Are you happy with the build quality and feel?

[CrossBow]

43 minutes ago, Justin said:

 

@CrossBow How is the fit and finish of the Analog Duo up close? Are you happy with the build quality and feel?

It feels very solid. The CD drive is a bit odd though. You really have to push the discs in nearly all the way before it grabs them and loads them up. At first i thought mine wasn't working because I couldn't get the PCE CD game I inserted into it to eject out. But after power cycling it and pressing the button a few times it finally did and has been fine since.

But, the main bummer for me is that my TurboEverdrive 2.5 doesn't work on it at all. I can insert it and the DUO sees it and lets me select it to play. But then the TED loads up with an SD IO error? However, the TED works fine on my actual Turbo DUO...so I don't know what that is about.