My tiny retro mancave

[joska]

I organized the mess in my tiny mancave tonight and had to share the result 



Disregard the mess above and under the desk - I spent an hour cleaning up the desk itself and had lost all motivation.

From the right:

   
• A glimpse of my GT 65, the only CPC-related item in this picture.
• My trusty old Tandberg keyboard and HD monitor connected to the laptop on the shelf above.
• My Firebee connected to a 19" monitor. This is the only retro computer that has a permanent spot on my desk. The case is built by me, with a keyboard from an Atari Stacy luggable computer.
• Atari Falcon connected to a 17" LCD TV. This is the "retro corner" where I use my various 8- and 16-bit machines. Behind that TV I have power and RGB/composite cables for all my old sh.. stuff.
• My homemade portable MAME joystick. Made from a box found on the scrapyard, a Raspberry Pi and some extremely cheap arcade stick and buttons bought from DealExtreme. It's got a keyboard from an HP printer (again, salvaged from the junkyard), keyboard and joystick is driven by a Teensy 2.0 and emulates a HID keyboard perfectly.
• And finally, my Milan060 (google it) that I'm currently rebuilding in a really nice aluminum case. The case has excellent, brushed/anodized finish and was of course found in the trash.

This room is tiny, only 1.6 by 2.6 meters, but when you're an introvert geek you need your own space and this was the only spare room

[joska]

Another retro-related project of mine:



This bartop arcade cabinet is based on a dualcore Mini-ITX computer which I - guess it! - found in the trash... Technically it's complete, I'm currently writing a front-end for it as I want my kids to play with it. In addition to play games this cabinet will also play movies and music from my DLNA server. It's got a subwoofer in there so the sound is pretty nice.

When the front-end is finished I will finish the exterior. It won't be very flashy as I need a reasonable high WAF if I want to keep it in our living room

[Gryzor]

You got a Falcon? AND a Milan?


...I think I'm tracking you down...


(Also: ooh, a Tandberg keyboard! I so want one... what switches do you use?)

[joska]

You got a Falcon?

Actually, I have two. The first one I bought in 1994, and I expanded it with an Afterburner (68040 with 64Mb RAM) and an ATI Rage graphics card. It was my main computer until I bought the Milan in 2001. The  Falcon in the picture is a standard 14Mb Falcon which I bought a few years ago.

AND a Milan?

Bought it in 2001. It has a 50MHz 68060, ATI Rage graphics card and 128Mb RAM.  It was my main computer for a couple of years until the PC took over. After that I just used it for programming. Two years ago I bought a Firebee and now both the Milan and the Falcon/Afterburner sees very little use.

(Also: ooh, a Tandberg keyboard! I so want one... what switches do you use?)

I have no idea what you're talking about. I just found it in the trash and thought it looked cool. The fact that it's a good keyboard was just a bonus. My wife was very happy when I finally retired the IBM model M in favor of the Tandberg

[Bryce]

Oooo, I had that exact Lego Technic forklift when I was a kid! One of my favourite models. It looks a lot smaller now, I thought it was huge back then.

Bryce.

[beaker]

And finally, my Milan060 (google it) ...

Well I googled Milan 060 and I got this

Milan - 060 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[joska]

Oooo, I had that exact Lego Technic forklift when I was a kid! One of my favourite models. It looks a lot smaller now, I thought it was huge back then.

That's my first Technic kit, and also the first Technic ever made. The tractor is the second one. And that's about all the Technic I ever had.

[joska]

Well I googled Milan 060 and I got this

OK... No, I don't have one of those

Milan (Computer) – Wikipedia

[Gryzor]

I thought this Tandberg is a mechanical switch keyboard, ain't it? That's why I was asking what switches you use. Damn it looks nice!

A few days ago I was showing an auction for a Falcon to my woman, telling her how it's my holy grail. So she said, "so go buy one!". I pointed out that the auction was for €800 (too much even for a Falcon) and left it at it. Then a couple of days ago a courier dropped a big Amazon box (all books); she asked what it was and I said "why, it's the Falcon!". The look on her face was priceless.

[arnoldemu]

I thought this Tandberg is a mechanical switch keyboard, ain't it? That's why I was asking what switches you use. Damn it looks nice!

A few days ago I was showing an auction for a Falcon to my woman, telling her how it's my holy grail. So she said, "so go buy one!". I pointed out that the auction was for €800 (too much even for a Falcon) and left it at it. Then a couple of days ago a courier dropped a big Amazon box (all books); she asked what it was and I said "why, it's the Falcon!". The look on her face was priceless.

Now you are living somewhere else because of this? 

[Gryzor]

Let's just say it's a good thing my car's seats recline far back

[Bryce]

I thought this Tandberg is a mechanical switch keyboard, ain't it? That's why I was asking what switches you use. Damn it looks nice!

A few days ago I was showing an auction for a Falcon to my woman, telling her how it's my holy grail. So she said, "so go buy one!". I pointed out that the auction was for €800 (too much even for a Falcon) and left it at it. Then a couple of days ago a courier dropped a big Amazon box (all books); she asked what it was and I said "why, it's the Falcon!". The look on her face was priceless.

If I bought a retro computer for > €800 I'd need to be sure that the box was big enough to live in for the foreseeable future.

Bryce.

[robcfg]

The most expensive computer I've ever bought was a MSX TurboR ST, upgraded to 512KB Ram and 512KB Video Ram, and with european psu.


That's about my limit.

[The Last Bandit]

I've bought cars for less !!

[robcfg]

I forgot to tell that I paid 320€ for my TurboR 

[arnoldemu]

I forgot to tell that I paid 320€ for my TurboR 

I paid quite a lot for my kc compact. I think I paid 300DM.

[Gryzor]

300DM/EUR for a KC Compact is a bit pricey, but still in the realm of reason...

[joska]

I thought this Tandberg is a mechanical switch keyboard, ain't it? That's why I was asking what switches you use.

Yes, it does have individual, mechanical switches for each key. But I don't know what kind. A lot less noisy than the ones in my Model M, that's all I know

[Gryzor]

Here, these are the most popular ones: Mechanical Keyboard FAQ: Pick the Right Switch | PCWorld (not that it matters, it's an interesting subject though)

[joska]

The most expensive computer I've ever bought was a MSX TurboR ST, upgraded to 512KB Ram and 512KB Video Ram, and with european psu.

I have spent around €4000 on my Falcon. Of course, it wasn't retro then It does have an Afterburner 040 accelerator with 64Mb RAM, and RAM was expensive back then. It also has an 8Mb ATI Rage graphics card.

Nowadays I don't spend money on old computers. I find them or buy them really cheap. The most expensive retro item I've bought was a replacement SID for one of my C64's, the SID alone was more expensive than the 6128 I got shipped from England...

(Edit: Fixed NOK -> € conversion...)

[Gryzor]

Pah, not even a 060

[joska]

I've got the Milan for that Btw the Milan060 cost me less than what I paid for the Afterburner alone. Around 2000-2001 nobody wanted these things, so I got it really cheap. It's my favourite "Atari" of all time. The Firebee is faster but the Milan is smoother. Get one if you can find one.

Oh, guess what happened to my man-cave last night? Yup, it got partially destroyed. We've had some really heavy rain the last few days and last night it found it's way down to my man-cave. It only took a 1mm pinhole in the lead flashing around the ventilation shaft cap. I fixed the leak, but had to tear down parts of the wall and ceiling in my cave to dry up the ventilation shaft and the surrounding structure Luckily none of my stuff got damaged.

[Gryzor]

Oh damn. Good thing those treasures were not damaged... you should actually insure them

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

I wish I had a man cave I could fill with cool stuff.

[jsa]

I don't have dedicated room either, maybe some day