My very first computer was a Sharp MZ-700, which I got when I was only 3 years old. I used it quite a lot until it was sold in a garage sale some years later. The MZ-700 was a Z-80 based microcomputer with a built-in tape unit. It had a number of very enjoyable games but poor graphics resolution. The best point about it was that it had a little 4-pen colour printer/plotter built into the main computer unit. It was capable of drawing all manner of graphics and text, and I remember writing a number of programs for the plotter. The major limiting factor to the plotter was the width of the paper, which was about as wide as a roll of toilet paper. Another quirk of the computer was that it did not boot up to BASIC. Instead, you had to load BASIC from tape, which took about 5 minutes. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun as a games machine.
For Christmas 1988 I received what is arguably one of the best home computers made in the 80s, the Commodore 64. Apart from having an enormous software base, it also had the best graphics and sound for any computer of the era, save perhaps the Amiga. I was lucky enough to receive a 1541 disk drive and MPS-801 printer with it as well, eliminating the waits involved with using a Datasette (the Commodore tape unit). Occasionally I would use GEOS to do word-processing, but most of my time was spent playing games, typing games and utilities in from Compute!'s Gazette Magazine, or writing my own rudimentary games and utilities in BASIC. Again, this machine was sold in a garage sale like the MZ-700, although I owned a portable Commodore 64 (known as an SX-64) for a brief period at a later date.
At present I own two fairly unusual computers dating back to the early and mid 80s:
The first of these is a HP 110C, an extremely primitive laptop computer that has a proprietary LCD display and an MS-DOS 2 operating system. It came with a user interface known as PAM, an early version of Lotus 1-2-3, a wordprocessor called MemoWriter, and a terminal program. I also have a couple of HP Thinkjet printers that can interface to this computer.
The second computer is an Australian micro known as the Microbee CIAB (Computer In A Book: shown above). It consists of a long flat 3 1/2" floppy drive unit that is stood on its end in normal use (hence the "book" moniker), a keyboard and a monochrome monitor. In the 80s the Microbee was used extensively in Australian primary schools (including my own primary school) and had a large software base, although I only have only a demo/boot disk with this machine.
If I get time I will try to get some photos of these machines put up on the site, but don't hold your breath :-)
Browsing at a garage sale recently, I managed to pick up an old VZ-300 computer for the princely sum of $5 (that included a Centronics printer interface and a 16K RAM expansion pack). This computer was released by Dick Smith Electronics in 1985 as a replacement for the VZ-200, and was basically the same computer apart from a keyboard upgrade and 16K of RAM (compared with the VZ-200's 6K). After fiddling with the volume control on my tape deck for hours on end, I finally managed to load up some old games... if nothing else, they were a good reminder of how far we've come in 15 years!
If you would like more information on this machine, visit VZ Alive. This site has a wide variety of resources for the VZ range of computers.
This hobby has really taken off! In the past three months, I've collected the following computers in roughly chronological order:
Successor to the ZX Spectrum+ (which was itself a revamp of the original 16k/48k Spectrum), this line of computers was extremely popular in the UK. Housed in a funky black case, the ZX Spectrum+ 128k was the last of the Spectrums to be built by Sinclair Research: the later Spectrum +2 and +3 were produced under the ownership of Amstrad. My one also came with a joystick interface and a boxful of assorted games tapes.
Sharp MZ-700
I finally got hold of the first computer I ever used! You'll find some information on the Sharp MZ-700 in the section above.
An Apple IIe on steriods :-). My machine was one of the early "Woz" models (so called for the silk-screened signature of the designer on the front of the case). It came with a colour monitor and 3.5" / 5.25" disk drives, but I haven't been able to extensively test it as I have no disks for it. It runs an operating system called GS/OS which looks very much like a Mac. Apparently, it is quite an advanced machine in terms of graphics and sound (hence the GS moniker), and as a result it really belongs up there with the Commodore Amiga and the Atari ST.
Released around 1981 and distributed by Dick Smith Electronics in Australia, this one is a bit unusual. Basically, it's a video games console crossed with a computer: you plug in a BASIC cartridge to use the computer part. By placing the two hand controllers side by side into a recess molded into the case, you get a rudimentary keyboard. However, my particular model has an optional rubber membrane keyboard, as well as a data recorder.
Needs no explanation :-). However, this one is missing a couple of keys and the power supply doesn't work. Since the power supply circuitry is potted in resin, there's not much chance of me getting this one running.
The original CoCo, released 1981. Unlike most of the early 80s computers I've encountered, this one has an in-built power supply. It has a "chiclet" keyboard and is housed in a plastic case with a silver finish.
From the original CoCo to the final CoCo :-). Released in 1986, this computer has 128k of RAM, is capable of multitasking using OS/9, and is apparently quite a powerful machine. On top of this, it has quite a cult following on the Net, with people continuing to design new hardware and software for it.
An Apple IIe with "extra features" such as mouse/serial interface, 80 column card, and internal 5.25" floppy drive, all shrunken down into a compact case. My model also came with a compact 9" monochrome monitor. It also came with the system disks and original manuals as well, which means I can actually do something useful with it :-)
I have managed to get hold of two "new" (figuratively speaking... of course :-)) computers:
One thing that I've found out the hard way about this computer is that the power supply is notoriously unreliable. After squandering money on several second-hand C64 power supplies that later turned out to be dead, I have _finally_ found one that is in working condition. Once again, I have 38911 BASIC bytes free... :-)
Found this one in a recycle shop the other day. Eons ago, I remember playing with one of these at a friend's house, but apart from that I haven't had much experience with them. Like the Sharp MZ-700, this computer has a built-in tape unit for mass storage (in the later CPC models, this was replaced by a 3" FDD unit). These computers were also originally sold with a bundled monitor that doubled as the power supply, an item that wasn't included with this unit. Although I managed to boot up the computer with my bench power supply, I am not even able to get a picture on a TV as the computer has no RF output.
A swag of new computers in recent months, including:
A rarish machine, similar in appearance to the C64 and VIC-20 except that the colour of the case is a dark gray and a few keys are labelled differently. In their infinite wisdom, Commodore released this machine alongside their best-selling C64... a fatal marketing move. Underpowered even for its time, this computer quickly sank without trace due to factors such as lack of third party software, the fact that the 1531 C2N datasette for the C64 could not be used on it, etc. Unfortunately, my machine does not work (the only computer I have that doesn't, surprisingly).
It is interesting to compare the C16 to its sister machine, the more capable Commodore Plus/4. Like the C16, the Plus/4 wasn't a commercial success, but having its own unique case (as opposed to the "breadbox" of all the other early Commodore machines), built-in productivity software on ROM, and around 128 colours made it somewhat more desirable.
Upgraded version of the immensely successful (at least in Britain) Model B. Don't know much about this one.
Home computing for the masses: its 3K of RAM and 22-column wide screen make it look primitive, but it was very popular for its time (being one of the first computers with colour AND a typewriter-style keyboard). Although a tape drive and disk drive were optional, a lot of the software came on cartridges (more so than the C64), helping to boost its popularity.
Thanks to the generosity of the former owner of these machines, I was able to purchase these remarkable machines and all the paraphenalia that went with them. This included all the original manuals, disk/tape/ROM software, joystick/trackball/mouse, ROM/RAM board, monitor, etc., all in excellent condition. For those of you not in the know, the BBC Micro was a hugely capable machine with an excellent structured BASIC, a full range of expansion ports, different graphics modes, the capability for networking and even the use of a co-processor. Popular in British schools in the early 80s, it was succeeded by the Master series, then the Archimedes.
In a futile attempt to keep this site from falling into disuse, here are some of the machines I have collected since the last update about a year ago. Photos may or may not be coming soon:
An updated version of the Atari 800 (which itself improved on the Atari 400), my particular unit is not working and most likely will remain that way
The gaming giant's ill-fated foray into the personal computing market. A nice-looking little computer that I obtained complete with manuals, cartridges, tapes, etc. Like the Atari 400 and Dick Smith Wizzard, BASIC comes on cartridge. BTW, this computer was distributed by John Sands in Australia.
A pokey little computer with pokey little keys that go "click" when you press them. Interesting, but not very exciting in itself. My unit came with the original packaging, plus the oddball power supply that these units ran on.
Don't know much about this one. It looks very similar to the MZ-700 (which I am VERY familiar with... it being my first computer and all :-)), and like the MZ-700, it doesn't boot to BASIC.
The description says it all.
Also came with a box of assorted games on tape and cartridge (cue Jack Attack!), the black 1531 datasette with the odd mini-DIN plug, C16 joysticks with similar non-compatible-with-the-C64 plugs, and a pile of Commodore Format magazines. Oh yeah, a hand-held TV pong game from the 70s (forget the brand) came with it as well :-)
Quite a popular computer in Australia, this is kind of like the Aussie answer to the ZX Spectrum... well, both have the rubber membrane keys with the keywords printed on them. The first one I found didn't work, but a couple of days ago I found one that does, complete with joysticks, casette unit, and what seems like the entire back catalogue of VZ-200 games on tape.
Sister machine to the less capable C16, the Plus/4 has inbuilt productivity software, 121 colours, etc. It also has a unique low-profile case style that differentiates it from the "breadboard" used for the VIC-20, C64, and C16. Mine is one of the units that has the weird square DIN power plug that no-one sells anymore, so I'm finding a way around that at the moment...
Released in 1977, the original TRS-80, along with the Commodore PET and the Apple II, was one of the first microcomputers to be released that was not targeted specifically at hobbyists. My units are missing the power supply brick and the RCA black-and-white TV... er... monitor.
Some more computers:
Not much to say here... see above
Three computers in one... normally it's a Commodore 128 (with support for 80 column mode), but if you type GO64 or hold down the C= key when starting up, it turns into a 99.99% compatible Commodore 64. Plus, it has a Z80 processor in addition to the 8502, so it can run CP/M with the appropriate boot disk. This one came with a 1901 monitor.
Being the continuing adventures of The Site that Won't Die (tm)...
Kindly donated by James Longworth. One of Sun's earlier workstations, manufactured before they migrated from 680x0 CPUs to SPARCs. Has a nice Type-3 optical mouse with the special optical mouse mat, and a 19" monochrome monitor at 1152x900. Currently netbooting NetBSD/sun3 off my Linux box and acting as an Xterminal
Running headless at the moment and accessed via ssh, as I don't have a monitor with a 13W3 plug, or a Type-4 keyboard and mouse. My unit has an unused CG6 Sbus card installed (making it similar to an IPX), and some old 200MB SCSI HDD which is *barely* large enough for OpenBSD :-)
Currently running OpenVMS 6.2 with DECwindows, UCX and CMUIP TCP/IP stacks, etc. Has the SPX framebuffer installed. I also received a VR299 monitor, an LK401 keyboard, and a VSXXX-AA mouse with this (very nice) little VAX, along with a load of reference manuals for OpenVMS, DCL, etc. Special thanks go to Andy Stewart for these items, and for helping me set everything up.
Successor to the original Model 100, which along with the Epson HX-20 and the Husky, has a strong claim to being the first portable computer. That is, of course, if you don't consider the hernia-inducing Osborne 1 to be a portable, which I don't :-)
Only deserves special mention because it is very complete. Original box, original foam inserts, original user guides, dealer's price list, warranty form with reply-paid envelope to Commodore Australia (!), TV modulator... you get the idea.
I'd love to try this out, as it has a hard drive installed which in all likelihood has some version of RiscOS on it, as well as what appears to a standard high-density 15-pin monitor connector. It also has a PS/2 socket for an Acorn keyboard, which I don't have. I also don't have the mouse which daisy-chains into the keyboard :-( Anyone?
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Last updated 30/12/03
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