Vintage Apparatus
@vintageapparatus.com
We are all about old technology, gadgets, toys, systems, mainframes, and fun. Check out our youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/@vintageapparatus
Other exciting destinations
https://vintageapparatus.com/
https://patreon.com/VintageApparatus
https://www.youtube.com/@vintageapparatus
Other exciting destinations
https://vintageapparatus.com/
https://patreon.com/VintageApparatus
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Vintage Apparatus
@vintageapparatus.com
· Dec 30
Get more from Vintage Apparatus on Patreon
Celebrating the art of computing through the 70s, 80s, and 90s
www.patreon.com
Here's something I dont do very often.
Ya'll know I have a Patreon? I do! And I'll be using it for behind the scenes, status posts, and other announcements that are just plain fun.
If you like supporting retro-goodness and my content, please consider signing up.
www.patreon.com/VintageAppar...
Ya'll know I have a Patreon? I do! And I'll be using it for behind the scenes, status posts, and other announcements that are just plain fun.
If you like supporting retro-goodness and my content, please consider signing up.
www.patreon.com/VintageAppar...
Checking in on my next video. Ya'll loved the War Games vid, right? Well, next one just hit the first big milestone as all audio and video is loaded into the timeline and synced. It's 2hrs 45 minutes long in raw form, I expect it'll be half that when done.
Stay tuned!!!
Stay tuned!!!
February 12, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Checking in on my next video. Ya'll loved the War Games vid, right? Well, next one just hit the first big milestone as all audio and video is loaded into the timeline and synced. It's 2hrs 45 minutes long in raw form, I expect it'll be half that when done.
Stay tuned!!!
Stay tuned!!!
Saw this on /r/trs80 - what a perfect beautiful TRS80 Model 1 setup. Kinda the dream configuration from 1979...
www.reddit.com/r/trs80/comm...
www.reddit.com/r/trs80/comm...
February 6, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Saw this on /r/trs80 - what a perfect beautiful TRS80 Model 1 setup. Kinda the dream configuration from 1979...
www.reddit.com/r/trs80/comm...
www.reddit.com/r/trs80/comm...
In one of my recent videos, I noted I had a Visual Commuter 'laptop' (really a portable) computer that I'd never seen before. I just found an ad for one on FBMP, nearby - I'm half tempted to get it just so I have one machine and one for spare parts. Seeing two of these rare birds is fascinating!
January 22, 2026 at 1:31 AM
In one of my recent videos, I noted I had a Visual Commuter 'laptop' (really a portable) computer that I'd never seen before. I just found an ad for one on FBMP, nearby - I'm half tempted to get it just so I have one machine and one for spare parts. Seeing two of these rare birds is fascinating!
So, not so vintage, but fun anyway. I have a linux laptop many folks have seen in my videos - a 6th gen X1 Carbon I really like - but it has a bad CMOS battery in it. Finally sitting down to replace it tonight.
January 21, 2026 at 12:59 AM
So, not so vintage, but fun anyway. I have a linux laptop many folks have seen in my videos - a 6th gen X1 Carbon I really like - but it has a bad CMOS battery in it. Finally sitting down to replace it tonight.
So, if you're a vintage computer nerd, and a bit of a collector, and maybe a bit of a pack rat, what does. your storage unit look like? Lets take a look...
youtu.be/4trzVGXnMS4
youtu.be/4trzVGXnMS4
What's in a Vintage Computing Nerd's Storage Unit?
Let's take a look at what a vintage computing nerd keeps in the long term storage unit...
Home page: https://vintageapparatus.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/VintageApparatus
Bluesky:…
youtu.be
January 12, 2026 at 11:29 PM
So, if you're a vintage computer nerd, and a bit of a collector, and maybe a bit of a pack rat, what does. your storage unit look like? Lets take a look...
youtu.be/4trzVGXnMS4
youtu.be/4trzVGXnMS4
Just picked up this fully functional Data General / One via a Facebook Marketplace. It's in amazing condition for 41 years old, with OEM case, printer, powersupplies, and cables.
The DG/One was the first battery powered fully PC compatible computer on the market.
The DG/One was the first battery powered fully PC compatible computer on the market.
January 6, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Just picked up this fully functional Data General / One via a Facebook Marketplace. It's in amazing condition for 41 years old, with OEM case, printer, powersupplies, and cables.
The DG/One was the first battery powered fully PC compatible computer on the market.
The DG/One was the first battery powered fully PC compatible computer on the market.
Man I am not looking forward to this project. Gives me the heebie jeebies. This are referred to as 'crt cataracts'. When the glue on the face of the CRT breaks down and gets gooey. It's fixable, but involves a heat gun, a wire, and a lot of patience.
All on a 50 year old CRT. Aieeee.
All on a 50 year old CRT. Aieeee.
January 4, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Man I am not looking forward to this project. Gives me the heebie jeebies. This are referred to as 'crt cataracts'. When the glue on the face of the CRT breaks down and gets gooey. It's fixable, but involves a heat gun, a wire, and a lot of patience.
All on a 50 year old CRT. Aieeee.
All on a 50 year old CRT. Aieeee.
Lets take a look at a TI calculator from 1985 that could also run BASIC!
www.youtube.com/shorts/Uo3-R...
www.youtube.com/shorts/Uo3-R...
Calculator running BASIC from 1985!
This "Calculator" from 1985 was an early device from TI that was bridging the gap between scientific calculators and programmable handheld computers running BASIC!
www.youtube.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Lets take a look at a TI calculator from 1985 that could also run BASIC!
www.youtube.com/shorts/Uo3-R...
www.youtube.com/shorts/Uo3-R...
Retrocomputing merry christmas! Happy holidays to all you vintage computing nerds.
December 25, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Retrocomputing merry christmas! Happy holidays to all you vintage computing nerds.
This really is such an amazing story. The fact that they got it running again is fantastic. This sort of archival work is so important right now as all the gains of the last 50 years are, well, aging out.
www.theregister.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.theregister.com/2025/12/23/u...
UNIX V4 tape successfully recovered
: Crucial early evolutionary step found, imaged, and ... amazingly ... works
www.theregister.com
December 23, 2025 at 11:55 PM
This really is such an amazing story. The fact that they got it running again is fantastic. This sort of archival work is so important right now as all the gains of the last 50 years are, well, aging out.
www.theregister.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.theregister.com/2025/12/23/u...
I dug this 1" CompactFlash2 drive out of my media bag and decided to see if it still works...
1" Hard drive from 1998!
The IBM Microdrive set the standard (literally!) for CompactFlash II cards in 1998. Digital cameras and other devices standardized on this format for many years, but this was the first! …
youtube.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:08 AM
I dug this 1" CompactFlash2 drive out of my media bag and decided to see if it still works...
Very important to keep your reference documentation on hand and up to date. As relevant today as it was when it was printed.
November 16, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Very important to keep your reference documentation on hand and up to date. As relevant today as it was when it was printed.
I'm thinking of pulling this Franklin out and doing some more fiddling with it. It really was my favorite 'old sk00l' machine. I spent a lot of time writing code and playing games on my Ace 1000 back in the day.
What do you think I should do with it?
youtu.be/JGCXEFWXs-8?...
What do you think I should do with it?
youtu.be/JGCXEFWXs-8?...
Franklin Ace 1000 running CP/M and Turbo Pascal!
Can we get a Franklin Ace 1000 made in 1984 to run CP/M and Turbo Pascal?
Support us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/vintageapparatus
Our home page: https://vintageapparatus.com/
Mastodon:…
youtu.be
November 8, 2025 at 2:48 PM
I'm thinking of pulling this Franklin out and doing some more fiddling with it. It really was my favorite 'old sk00l' machine. I spent a lot of time writing code and playing games on my Ace 1000 back in the day.
What do you think I should do with it?
youtu.be/JGCXEFWXs-8?...
What do you think I should do with it?
youtu.be/JGCXEFWXs-8?...
After a long hard day at work it’s always good to go out and spend some time at the local bar with your close friends, the Williamses.
Joust. Robotron. Sinistar… all the greats.
Chillin at Freeplay, Worcester, MA.
Joust. Robotron. Sinistar… all the greats.
Chillin at Freeplay, Worcester, MA.
November 8, 2025 at 12:59 AM
After a long hard day at work it’s always good to go out and spend some time at the local bar with your close friends, the Williamses.
Joust. Robotron. Sinistar… all the greats.
Chillin at Freeplay, Worcester, MA.
Joust. Robotron. Sinistar… all the greats.
Chillin at Freeplay, Worcester, MA.
Someone on Reddit was asking about AT&T computers, and I mentioned I have my lovely 3b1 right next to me. So here's a picture of it! At some point I'll do a full video on it - it's been modded to use a solid state drive, but other than that, runs just like it did in 1985. Just faster.
November 7, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Someone on Reddit was asking about AT&T computers, and I mentioned I have my lovely 3b1 right next to me. So here's a picture of it! At some point I'll do a full video on it - it's been modded to use a solid state drive, but other than that, runs just like it did in 1985. Just faster.
This is cool! The USMint will be releasing a dollar coin in 2026 that has the Cray-1 Supercomputer on it! The Cray-1!
"Wisconsin’s coin honors the Cray-1 Supercomputer, one of the world’s fastest and most successful computers of the late 1970s and early '80s."
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
"Wisconsin’s coin honors the Cray-1 Supercomputer, one of the world’s fastest and most successful computers of the late 1970s and early '80s."
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
October 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
This is cool! The USMint will be releasing a dollar coin in 2026 that has the Cray-1 Supercomputer on it! The Cray-1!
"Wisconsin’s coin honors the Cray-1 Supercomputer, one of the world’s fastest and most successful computers of the late 1970s and early '80s."
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
"Wisconsin’s coin honors the Cray-1 Supercomputer, one of the world’s fastest and most successful computers of the late 1970s and early '80s."
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Oh yeah. If you're going to work with old home computers, ya gotta have a nice old tv to work with. Thanks to a friend up at the makerspace, this is now mine. Now I just need an RF modulator ("A what?")
#tv #vintagecomputing #videogames #crt
#tv #vintagecomputing #videogames #crt
October 24, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Oh yeah. If you're going to work with old home computers, ya gotta have a nice old tv to work with. Thanks to a friend up at the makerspace, this is now mine. Now I just need an RF modulator ("A what?")
#tv #vintagecomputing #videogames #crt
#tv #vintagecomputing #videogames #crt
Your morning retro tastiness.
October 15, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Your morning retro tastiness.
Can someone explain to me why the Bluesky app on iPad looks like this when in landscape mode? I feel like I’m running an iPhone emulator. Nothing like using up literally 1/3 of the screen. Can’t even be bothered with multiple columns?
October 4, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Can someone explain to me why the Bluesky app on iPad looks like this when in landscape mode? I feel like I’m running an iPhone emulator. Nothing like using up literally 1/3 of the screen. Can’t even be bothered with multiple columns?
Here’s a little excerpt from my visit to VCF East earlier this year. The KENBAK-1 is considered by some to he the worlds first “personal computer”. I’d never seen one before!
The world's.first home computer from 1971? The KENBAK-1
youtube.com/shorts/q8Aig...
The world's.first home computer from 1971? The KENBAK-1
youtube.com/shorts/q8Aig...
The world's.first home computer from 1971? The KENBAK-1
YouTube video by Vintage Apparatus
youtube.com
October 4, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Here’s a little excerpt from my visit to VCF East earlier this year. The KENBAK-1 is considered by some to he the worlds first “personal computer”. I’d never seen one before!
The world's.first home computer from 1971? The KENBAK-1
youtube.com/shorts/q8Aig...
The world's.first home computer from 1971? The KENBAK-1
youtube.com/shorts/q8Aig...
Vintage Computing Nerd looks at WAR GAMES
youtu.be/p-B1clodRJ4
This video was like 3.5 months in the making and is easily one of my more ambitious. Fighting the rights engine in YT wasn’t helping either. But finally it’s cleared to share. Enjoy!
youtu.be/p-B1clodRJ4
This video was like 3.5 months in the making and is easily one of my more ambitious. Fighting the rights engine in YT wasn’t helping either. But finally it’s cleared to share. Enjoy!
Vintage Computing Nerd looks at WAR GAMES
YouTube video by Vintage Apparatus
youtu.be
October 1, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Vintage Computing Nerd looks at WAR GAMES
youtu.be/p-B1clodRJ4
This video was like 3.5 months in the making and is easily one of my more ambitious. Fighting the rights engine in YT wasn’t helping either. But finally it’s cleared to share. Enjoy!
youtu.be/p-B1clodRJ4
This video was like 3.5 months in the making and is easily one of my more ambitious. Fighting the rights engine in YT wasn’t helping either. But finally it’s cleared to share. Enjoy!
Hey ya'll! Just stopped by ComputerLand and picked up this SWEET new game, gonna definitely pick up a 2liter of Jolt Cola and a big bag of Doritos and just go ALL IN on this... seeya'll on Monday!
September 10, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Hey ya'll! Just stopped by ComputerLand and picked up this SWEET new game, gonna definitely pick up a 2liter of Jolt Cola and a big bag of Doritos and just go ALL IN on this... seeya'll on Monday!
I always thought IOmega Zip drives were cool. Recently someone gave me one to play with so I took it for a spin.
youtube.com/shorts/s7fGf...
youtube.com/shorts/s7fGf...
The IOMega Zip Drive from 1995
YouTube video by Vintage Apparatus
youtube.com
September 9, 2025 at 4:09 AM
I always thought IOmega Zip drives were cool. Recently someone gave me one to play with so I took it for a spin.
youtube.com/shorts/s7fGf...
youtube.com/shorts/s7fGf...
Talk about a formative show of my childhood. Who didn't want their very own Eagle?
(okay, okay, I also wanted my very own Barbara Bain...)
(okay, okay, I also wanted my very own Barbara Bain...)
Another vital part of my childhood, Space 1999, is fifty years old today. Somehow.
September 4, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Talk about a formative show of my childhood. Who didn't want their very own Eagle?
(okay, okay, I also wanted my very own Barbara Bain...)
(okay, okay, I also wanted my very own Barbara Bain...)