I’m working on restoring a lovely Dell 386DX-25, and before powering it on, I tested for shorts and found problems. Instead of replacing the 50+ tantalum caps, I started with pulling ICs, and I got lucky. The problem was this 82385 cache controller.

I had a good time restoring these five Macintosh IIsi, and I learned some things along the way. I documented my progress at tinkerdifferent.com/threads/mac-... The IIsi may not be the coolest Mac of its era, but it deserves to live a long life. #vintageapple #retrocomputing

Anyone know what type of terminal this is? It plugs into the connector shown.

So, so good.

Took a swing at buying a refurbished ThinkPad. I’m a bit undecided so far, but the keyboard hurt my brain for a second or two.

This Dell System 310 was one of my employer’s first PCs. It was found in a closet, but I was disappointed to discover the original 386DX-25MHz motherboard had been replaced with an AMD K6. Amazingly, my long-standing eBay alert finally paid off, and I now have the system’s original motherboard!

This is some serious 80s productivity right here. #Marchintosh

I’ve noticed that the 24-pin Pico ATX PSUs I’ve ordered have some rough looking power signals when probed by the oscilloscope. Does anyone have a link to a particular Pico ATX they’ve found produces clean looking power rails? #retrocomputing

I am passing along praise for the great work of @eric.scsi.blue and his team that continue to make the @bluescsi.com a wonder. I’ve used almost every iteration, and the innovation, documentation, support, and overall attention to detail are superb. My vintage Macs love their BlueSCSIs!

My after-Christmas project was restoring a bunch Macintosh IIsi. I’ve been documenting my progress at tinkerdifferent.com/threads/mac-... Today, the last of the issues were addressed, and I now have five fully functional Mac IIsi logic boards and two battery bombed units that provided needs parts.

I’ve pondered how to remove pins from power connectors, and I’ve wondered what these strange tweezer were for. Today is the day I figured out what one has to do with the other.

Another Maxell Massacre. A good reminder of why we GET THE BATTERIES OUT. #retrocomputing

Arghh… Evertime I install a significant Linux update, I lose WiFi on my 2012 MacBook Pro. Then I have to fiddle around and remember what incantation I used last time to get it working. Each time I swear, just as I’m ready to beat my head against the wall, it magically starts working.

Verifying my rebuilt Mac IIsi with the impressive recreation TechStep diagnostic tool. #VintageMac

Going to build some new Macintosh IIsi power supplies today thanks to the design from @caymacvintage.bsky.social

I got into the vintage/retro computer hobby in 2018. It’s amazing, exciting, and inspiring to see how much easier it is now to enjoy these old computers thanks to the work of so many in the community. The services and add-ons that flow from so many creative people is a blessing. #retrocomputing

Digital archeology: testing old Macintosh hard drives and copying data to my BlueSCSI, if possible. (I should probably be using the BlueSCSI’s magical initator mode.)

I get to see how many of these floppy drives from the horde of Macintosh IIsi can be made to work.

Do any Mac repair aficionados know what pin 16 on both Sony sound chips in the Mac IIsi connect to? The BOMARC schematics show it going off page to a page I don't have.

A true surprise landed in my workshop this Christmas. 🎄 Plastic goodness ahead.

I have a holiday goal of getting these Mac IIsi cleaned up (if possible) and back out into the community. Two are battery bombed, but could be useful for parts. #retrocomputing

Day 347 - #retrorandom - NOTHING is going to stop me being able to program this EPROM!

I ordered an open motherboard frame thinking it would be a better way to work with bare boards on my bench, but while the Baby AT screw holes line up, they are not aligned with the card slots openings. Does anytime have a frame they recommend for legacy boards? #retrocomputers

It’s harder than I thought to compare this snazzy Tomlov digital microscope to my trusty AmScope. They have different pluses and minuses. For super detailed work, it’s hard to beat a true binocular microscope. However, the Tomlov is much easier to move around when working on larger boards.

Serious restoration work… youtube.com/@repair3r?si...

Do you agree with the system configurations identified in this guide? bitsundbolts.com/2025/11/20/g...

I really like this clever little clock. Thanks @thisdoesnotcompute.bsky.social

My first time removing a large surface mount PLCC. I worked at it with hot air, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. So I pulled out some low melt solder, and it was magic. The chip came slid off like butter. Next time, I’ll use less to make the clean up easier.

In the summer of 1987, I spent time in the California’s eastern high desert. The whole time I was rocking U2‘s Joshua Tree in my Aiwa tape deck. I now realize that the combination of that tape in that place burned something into me. And I’m glad it did.

control panel of the day #HCI #vic20

A nice summary from Jordan Mechner (@jmechner.bsky.social) breaking down the various ports of Prince of Persia. www.jordanmechner.com/en/latest-ne...

I had a good day tweaking my various eXo installations (www.retro-exo.com), then setup C64 Dreams (www.zombs-lair.com/c64-dreams), and finally dived into Amiga Game Selector (www.amigagameselector.co.uk). What incredible demonstrations of dedication and sophistication! What an impressive community.

It feels so good to finally have an IBM 5170 in my collection! I waited a long time until a seller within driving distance offered one at a reasonable price. It’s CGA, not EGA, but you can’t have everything.

One of my first assignments with the Amiga 1000 is figure out what’s up with this coiled up bodge wire to nowhere.

My first time seeing the Amiga 1000’s case signatures.

Performed minor surgery this morning on this MacBook Air 2020 (Intel), trying to improve its thermal performance. Followed the recommendations at fcracer.com/macbook-air-... Thanks @[email protected] for the suggestion!

Poking around inside my wife’s MacBook Air 2020 (Intel) to see why it’s running so hot. Even before a wipe down, it looks good and fan is not obstructed. I’m going back to my first assumption that macOS Sequoia was not a good upgrade for this little machine.

Every once in awhile you get lucky and find a good deal. This makes up for my mistake when I passed on a reasonably priced Amiga 1000 years ago. Now I need to get even luckier and find a keyboard.

Getting ready to setup the new Raspberry Pi 500+ as my retro computer emulation station.

I’m enjoying reading @christopherdrum.bsky.social deep dive into vintage productivity software at stonetools.ghost.io

I think I finally figured out why the floppy was not working. I have two dead oscillators. The 24MHz crystal is dead, and it feeds the 82077AA floppy controller. I also discovered the 14.1818MHz crystal is dead too. I can’t find that exact frequency, so I hope a 14.31818MHz replacement will do.

I tempted fate and bought a Bondi Blue iMac G3 from eBay. The plastic needed to be snapped back into position and some clips were broken. Amazingly, the fragile inner bezel looks to be in good shape from the outside. Sadly, it doesn’t start, so I’ll have to open it up and see what going on.

Game changer… youtu.be/ogHqmjn6sY4...

When every PC had a lock, but you never really understood why.

Oh no. This CD duplicator just showed up locally at a good price. I have no reason to be want one… yet…

Ever wonder how hit CBS Show 'Whiz Kids' turns the stars into star hackers? Issue 1 of K-Power Magazine has the secret!

I stopped by infinitemac.org for the first time in awhile, and I continue to be blown away by its features and finesse. It’s zero effort emulation with an unlimited software library. Truly a technical work of art.

I’m thrilled to have an official Apple CD mounting kit for my Quadra 650. We’ll see if it partners nicely with this SCSI Panasonic x2 CD-ROM.

Troublesome upgrade to Kubuntu 25.04. Started with a troublesome mirror site causing the install to fail. Once the install process was repaired, got a black screen on my 2012 MBP. Ends up being a kernel conflict with Apple’s EFI implementation. Installing a different kernel version got it running. 😓

I think I’ve taken care of business and added audio to my RGB to HDMI. github.com/hoglet67/RGB...