8-bit – Adam's Vintage Computer Restorations

1983 NABU PC – 230V PSU Modification, Replacement Cooling Fan, & Serial Adapter

In case you haven’t heard, the retro computer scene has been recently introduced to the NABU Personal Computer (PC) – produced between 1982 and 1984 by the NABU Network Corporation in Ottawa, Canada – when a large number (1000+) of unsold, new-old-stock, new-in-box systems were found in a warehouse, untouched for decades. The NABU (NaturalContinue reading “1983 NABU PC – 230V PSU Modification, Replacement Cooling Fan, & Serial Adapter”

1982 Atari 400 Repair & Restoration

Believe it or not, I’m known around my workplace as a bit of a geek, primarily because of the tinkering around with vintage electronics that I do in my spare time – as such, every now and again I get a request from a colleague to take a look at some hardware for them. ThisContinue reading “1982 Atari 400 Repair & Restoration”

Sinclair ZX Spectrum PSU Repairs

This is a very quick post about some Sinclair ZX1400 PSUs that I repaired a while ago, in case it’s of use to anyone. I end up gathering quite a few of these power supplies with various lots, and they usually have an array of weird and (not so) wonderful modifications. The ZX1400 PSU wasContinue reading “Sinclair ZX Spectrum PSU Repairs”

IEC64W IEEE-488 Parallel Interface Adapters for the Commodore 64 & 128

I recently repaired and restored a 1983 Commodore 2031-LP 5.25″ floppy drive, which is unusual in that it uses the came IEEE-488 parallel interface as the earlier Commodore PET series of computers (GPIB connector), as opposed to the IEC serial interface used by the later Commodore 8-bit series of computers (DIN connector). This made testingContinue reading “IEC64W IEEE-488 Parallel Interface Adapters for the Commodore 64 & 128”

1983 Commodore 2031-LP 5.25″ FDD Repair & Restoration

I recently acquired my first Commodore 2031-LP 5.25″ FDD, another vintage disk drive to add to my collection, and a rather uncommon one at that. The drive was in reasonable condition, however it was bought untested and sold-as-seen with no accessories after being stored at the bottom of a wardrobe for several decades. The Commodore 2031 andContinue reading “1983 Commodore 2031-LP 5.25″ FDD Repair & Restoration”

Commodore 1540 5.25″ FDD Restoration

I recently acquired my first Commodore 1540 5.25″ FDD, another vintage disk drive to add to my collection. The drive was in reasonable condition and came with several accessories and its original box, however it was bought sold-as-seen and had several modifications and missing parts. The Commodore 1540 5.25″ FDD was released in 1981 forContinue reading “Commodore 1540 5.25″ FDD Restoration”

My 1982 Acorn Atom

I recently obtained my first Acorn Atom, another 1980s 8-bit computer to add to my collection. The machine was in very good, tested condition and came with several tasteful (and reversible) modifications to improve reliability and usability. The Acorn Atom was produced by Acorn Computers Ltd from 1980 to 1982, when it was replaced by the BBC Micro. The AtomContinue reading “My 1982 Acorn Atom”

Commodore 64 (ASSY 250425) Board Repairs

Alongside purchasing complete systems, over the past few years I’ve also accumulated a large quantity of incomplete circuit boards for “spares and repairs”, primarily from Commodore computers (VIC-20, VIC-20CR, C64, C64C, C16, Plus/4, C128, etc). I got these for cheap in various job lots, with the intention of fixing up as many as possible andContinue reading “Commodore 64 (ASSY 250425) Board Repairs”

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