CGA Eines!

Instant loading on Amstrad CPC(464)

Posted on September 16, 2022September 16, 2022 by anigwei

Gotek drives are getting popular. It’s just floppy drives emulators used in vintage computers, ideal for instruments that use floppy disk or even legacy industrial computers. Of course, retro computers.

In fact, we recently installed a Gotek in our new Amiga 500!

But regarding the Amstrad CPC, exists a gadget that Greek enthusiast ikonsgr has built thanks to his electronics knowledge and love to retrocomputing stuff and is promised to be a better solution than the Gotek.

Deluxe Paint (Catalan PC version)

Posted on September 13, 2022 by anigwei

One of my favourite childhood programs was Deluxe Paint (the PC version, as I had a PC when I was a child). Both used by professionals to make artwork or a child freeing its creativity. Why not?

I got the Catalan version of Deluxe Paint in 5.25″ floppies. Probably few copies remain left… The program is not translated, but the manual is.

Gotek in Amiga2000

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 by anigwei

A workmate has an Amiga 2000 on his work desktop, with the original Commodore 1084S CRT monitor.

We work in a University in the Faculty of Computer Science, so having an Amiga 2000 in the main desktop makes sense. (In fact, I have a running 2008 iMac in the desktop).

Lifetime mistakes (or how to get rid of valuable retro stuff)

Posted on September 12, 2022September 12, 2022 by anigwei

I think that I’m not alone: How many of you have, at some point of your life, got rid of retro stuff that now you are regretting every day? I did.

Laptops with randomly damaged TFT

Posted on September 12, 2022September 12, 2022 by anigwei

As I said in my previous post, I’m a PC guy. So during the time I’ve been collecting retro stuff on the PC architecture. In the laptop chapter, I have four vintage laptops. The problem is that in two of them the LCD one day, randomly, appeared cracked. How in the hell can a LCD be cracked if the laptop has been stored and never touched? Have the LCDs “expiration date”?

In the other case (the oldest one) the LCD is fine, but the Plasma fluorescent backlight is burned. Why? One day it works, the other day (some years ago) it won’t turn on again. Ageing is not good, even for ourselves 😀

Let’s see them:

Welcome home A500 and CPC464

Posted on September 11, 2022 by anigwei

I’m about to turn 40, so without knowing it, I’m through a midlife crisis. Or not. But any excuse is good to get some retro stuff!

Descansi en pau Eines.cat (2002-2009)

Posted on January 31, 2011September 12, 2022 by anigwei

El bloc Eines! va néixer l’any 2002 com una humil pàgina personal on s’hi parlava de temes tecnològics, en català. En aquella època era difícil veure webs en català, i durant tots els anys que va funcionar va aportar el seu granet de sorra en fer créixer l’internet català.

Arxiu

Sempre quedarà la gran feina d’Archive.org, on a més de la informació, s’hi pot veure les diferents aparences que ha tingut la web al llarg del temps.