DeadFleshRetro
@deadfleshretro.bsky.social
I’m Chris, a vintage gaming enthusist & restorer/modder of 8 bit computers and consoles, based in the UK.
deadfleshretro.com
deadfleshretro.com
Lovely to spend a Sunday evening exploring a rarity - does anyone else out there own an Academy Apollo 80? It’s a British / Hong Kong clone of the RCA Studio III, made under license by Conic in the late 1970s.
No joysticks or paddles & the keypads aren’t removable.
Its crap.
But also lovely ❤️😜
No joysticks or paddles & the keypads aren’t removable.
Its crap.
But also lovely ❤️😜
October 26, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Lovely to spend a Sunday evening exploring a rarity - does anyone else out there own an Academy Apollo 80? It’s a British / Hong Kong clone of the RCA Studio III, made under license by Conic in the late 1970s.
No joysticks or paddles & the keypads aren’t removable.
Its crap.
But also lovely ❤️😜
No joysticks or paddles & the keypads aren’t removable.
Its crap.
But also lovely ❤️😜
Don’t see these very often!
A Rowtron 2000. I believe it was the only MPT-03 clone sold in the U.K. Hanimex cloned the Emerson architecture and Rowtron cloned the MTP-03 design.
This one’s fully working but needs tlc. I also need it to diagnose a broken one!
Love these old Signetics machines. 🎉
A Rowtron 2000. I believe it was the only MPT-03 clone sold in the U.K. Hanimex cloned the Emerson architecture and Rowtron cloned the MTP-03 design.
This one’s fully working but needs tlc. I also need it to diagnose a broken one!
Love these old Signetics machines. 🎉
June 29, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Don’t see these very often!
A Rowtron 2000. I believe it was the only MPT-03 clone sold in the U.K. Hanimex cloned the Emerson architecture and Rowtron cloned the MTP-03 design.
This one’s fully working but needs tlc. I also need it to diagnose a broken one!
Love these old Signetics machines. 🎉
A Rowtron 2000. I believe it was the only MPT-03 clone sold in the U.K. Hanimex cloned the Emerson architecture and Rowtron cloned the MTP-03 design.
This one’s fully working but needs tlc. I also need it to diagnose a broken one!
Love these old Signetics machines. 🎉
I just fixed another #ZXSpectrum 🎉
Woohoo! 🥳 🤓
Woohoo! 🥳 🤓
June 28, 2025 at 1:43 PM
I just fixed another #ZXSpectrum 🎉
Woohoo! 🥳 🤓
Woohoo! 🥳 🤓
Both Tasword and Masterfile were desendents of #ZX81 applications & ZX81 programmers use a lot of tricks to save RAM - in particular using mathematical operators instead of numbers for common integers!
Just check out this bit of code from the Tasword 3 BASIC loader!
Just check out this bit of code from the Tasword 3 BASIC loader!
March 15, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Both Tasword and Masterfile were desendents of #ZX81 applications & ZX81 programmers use a lot of tricks to save RAM - in particular using mathematical operators instead of numbers for common integers!
Just check out this bit of code from the Tasword 3 BASIC loader!
Just check out this bit of code from the Tasword 3 BASIC loader!
Here's the file catalogue. Everything works: T2T3 to convert version 2 docs to version 3; and the MF and TM programmes that modify Masterfile v09 to produce Tasword 3 compatible data merge files. I've tested the mail merge features and it all works - it's impressively feature-rich actually.
March 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Here's the file catalogue. Everything works: T2T3 to convert version 2 docs to version 3; and the MF and TM programmes that modify Masterfile v09 to produce Tasword 3 compatible data merge files. I've tested the mail merge features and it all works - it's impressively feature-rich actually.
I've been a bit quiet on here recently, as I've been spending time on @hititwithahammer.bsky.social, however I do now have something to report:
It's super-niche, but I've successfully reconstructed a complete #ZXSpectrum microdrive version of Tasword 3, with all example docs & utilities!
It's super-niche, but I've successfully reconstructed a complete #ZXSpectrum microdrive version of Tasword 3, with all example docs & utilities!
March 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM
I've been a bit quiet on here recently, as I've been spending time on @hititwithahammer.bsky.social, however I do now have something to report:
It's super-niche, but I've successfully reconstructed a complete #ZXSpectrum microdrive version of Tasword 3, with all example docs & utilities!
It's super-niche, but I've successfully reconstructed a complete #ZXSpectrum microdrive version of Tasword 3, with all example docs & utilities!
For the last two months, we've been livestreaming a collaborative playthrough of the 1988 #Amiga #textadventure game "Fish!" by Magnetic Scrolls. This has been an experiment to see whether it's possible to play it in public this way & whether we can also produce it as a regular audio-only podcast.
June 8, 2024 at 9:12 PM
For the last two months, we've been livestreaming a collaborative playthrough of the 1988 #Amiga #textadventure game "Fish!" by Magnetic Scrolls. This has been an experiment to see whether it's possible to play it in public this way & whether we can also produce it as a regular audio-only podcast.
It’s all either “roll” or “towel”, not kitchen paper.
May 8, 2024 at 7:03 AM
It’s all either “roll” or “towel”, not kitchen paper.
Lovely!
I've got the Canon :)
I've got the Canon :)
April 20, 2024 at 11:52 PM
Lovely!
I've got the Canon :)
I've got the Canon :)
Here’s the super-authentic warranty sticker ❤️😄
April 6, 2024 at 3:25 PM
Here’s the super-authentic warranty sticker ❤️😄
I’ve just been gifted this absolutely gorgeous (and enticingly knackered!) breadbin C64 by Mike from Extra Life Gaming Lounge, here in Sheffield!
What a cracker & I love the warranty sticker! ❤️🕹️👾
Thanks so much Mike!!
extralifegaminglounge.co.uk
What a cracker & I love the warranty sticker! ❤️🕹️👾
Thanks so much Mike!!
extralifegaminglounge.co.uk
April 6, 2024 at 3:22 PM
I’ve just been gifted this absolutely gorgeous (and enticingly knackered!) breadbin C64 by Mike from Extra Life Gaming Lounge, here in Sheffield!
What a cracker & I love the warranty sticker! ❤️🕹️👾
Thanks so much Mike!!
extralifegaminglounge.co.uk
What a cracker & I love the warranty sticker! ❤️🕹️👾
Thanks so much Mike!!
extralifegaminglounge.co.uk
Third in a series of vaguely interesting #Signetics #APVS coding tricks is this one that makes game variant selection a bit easier...
If you look at cartridges, you might notice that single player and two player games often alternate:
If you look at cartridges, you might notice that single player and two player games often alternate:
March 30, 2024 at 5:23 PM
Third in a series of vaguely interesting #Signetics #APVS coding tricks is this one that makes game variant selection a bit easier...
If you look at cartridges, you might notice that single player and two player games often alternate:
If you look at cartridges, you might notice that single player and two player games often alternate:
Someone *really* wanted a Radofin version of Spider’s Web!
I mean, I’d love one - it’s one of the few Radofin/Acetronic/Prinztronic carts I don’t own, they are super rare, but I don’t need one that badly 🤷♂️🤣
I mean, I’d love one - it’s one of the few Radofin/Acetronic/Prinztronic carts I don’t own, they are super rare, but I don’t need one that badly 🤷♂️🤣
March 17, 2024 at 10:22 PM
Someone *really* wanted a Radofin version of Spider’s Web!
I mean, I’d love one - it’s one of the few Radofin/Acetronic/Prinztronic carts I don’t own, they are super rare, but I don’t need one that badly 🤷♂️🤣
I mean, I’d love one - it’s one of the few Radofin/Acetronic/Prinztronic carts I don’t own, they are super rare, but I don’t need one that badly 🤷♂️🤣
Fully impressed with the #BackBit cart. I’ve got a lot more systems to test, but it works perfectly with the Hanimex HMG 2650 (Emerson Arcadia 2001 clone) 🎉👾🕹️
March 2, 2024 at 7:41 PM
Fully impressed with the #BackBit cart. I’ve got a lot more systems to test, but it works perfectly with the Hanimex HMG 2650 (Emerson Arcadia 2001 clone) 🎉👾🕹️
Putting my new BackBit Chiptester Pro v2 through its paces by auditing the contents of my chip box :)
Quite impressed how many of these are good, tbh! Impressed with the tester too - great piece of kit 👍👍
Quite impressed how many of these are good, tbh! Impressed with the tester too - great piece of kit 👍👍
February 25, 2024 at 5:35 PM
Putting my new BackBit Chiptester Pro v2 through its paces by auditing the contents of my chip box :)
Quite impressed how many of these are good, tbh! Impressed with the tester too - great piece of kit 👍👍
Quite impressed how many of these are good, tbh! Impressed with the tester too - great piece of kit 👍👍
Big year for video games, 1980, but I’ll go for the original Unix version of Rogue 👍🗡️✨🪄🧌
February 24, 2024 at 9:25 AM
Big year for video games, 1980, but I’ll go for the original Unix version of Rogue 👍🗡️✨🪄🧌
It was overhearing my parents talking about Collossal Cave Adventure when I was about 5 years old - I wanted a computer *so badly* after that :)
My dad took me to his office at Sperry Univac so I could play it ❤️❤️❤️
My dad took me to his office at Sperry Univac so I could play it ❤️❤️❤️
February 20, 2024 at 7:02 PM
It was overhearing my parents talking about Collossal Cave Adventure when I was about 5 years old - I wanted a computer *so badly* after that :)
My dad took me to his office at Sperry Univac so I could play it ❤️❤️❤️
My dad took me to his office at Sperry Univac so I could play it ❤️❤️❤️
There are a few things to know in advance:
Firstly, the locations of the Score values are 1FC8 (left) and 1FC9 (right).
Secondly, each score value is two digits, with each digit encoded in one of the two four bit 'nibbles' in those bytes.
Here, again, is the relevant bit of the PVI manual:
Firstly, the locations of the Score values are 1FC8 (left) and 1FC9 (right).
Secondly, each score value is two digits, with each digit encoded in one of the two four bit 'nibbles' in those bytes.
Here, again, is the relevant bit of the PVI manual:
February 20, 2024 at 6:31 PM
There are a few things to know in advance:
Firstly, the locations of the Score values are 1FC8 (left) and 1FC9 (right).
Secondly, each score value is two digits, with each digit encoded in one of the two four bit 'nibbles' in those bytes.
Here, again, is the relevant bit of the PVI manual:
Firstly, the locations of the Score values are 1FC8 (left) and 1FC9 (right).
Secondly, each score value is two digits, with each digit encoded in one of the two four bit 'nibbles' in those bytes.
Here, again, is the relevant bit of the PVI manual:
The purpose of these two lines of code is to blank the left and right Score values at the beginning of the game. To do so, they each need to be set to a number greater than 9, as explained in the Signetics 2636 Programmable Video Interface (PVI) manual, here:
February 20, 2024 at 6:28 PM
The purpose of these two lines of code is to blank the left and right Score values at the beginning of the game. To do so, they each need to be set to a number greater than 9, as explained in the Signetics 2636 Programmable Video Interface (PVI) manual, here:
Continuing my series of #Signetics #APVS coding tricks - in my ongoing quest to produce content for the most niche audience on the entire Internet - the second trick I’m going to explain is this little nugget:
STRA, r0 $1EC9, r0-
STRA, r0 $1FC9
STRA, r0 $1EC9, r0-
STRA, r0 $1FC9
February 20, 2024 at 6:25 PM
Continuing my series of #Signetics #APVS coding tricks - in my ongoing quest to produce content for the most niche audience on the entire Internet - the second trick I’m going to explain is this little nugget:
STRA, r0 $1EC9, r0-
STRA, r0 $1FC9
STRA, r0 $1EC9, r0-
STRA, r0 $1FC9
I have a slightly tattier MPU 2000 sitting under my workbench currently, which also has original handles.
February 20, 2024 at 11:54 AM
I have a slightly tattier MPU 2000 sitting under my workbench currently, which also has original handles.
Especially when you only have a few kilobytes of space to play with in the first place!!
February 15, 2024 at 10:40 AM
Especially when you only have a few kilobytes of space to play with in the first place!!
I’ve been working through some #Signetics 2650 #APVS game disassemblies recently, to see how the code is structured & learn some tricks & techniques from the old masters :)
I thought it might be cool to share a few of them on here & try to explain them in a way that non-programmers can understand.
I thought it might be cool to share a few of them on here & try to explain them in a way that non-programmers can understand.
February 15, 2024 at 10:27 AM
I’ve been working through some #Signetics 2650 #APVS game disassemblies recently, to see how the code is structured & learn some tricks & techniques from the old masters :)
I thought it might be cool to share a few of them on here & try to explain them in a way that non-programmers can understand.
I thought it might be cool to share a few of them on here & try to explain them in a way that non-programmers can understand.