With temps in the high 90s and low 100s in Philly, after picking up my Teletype ASR-32 a week ago, I’ve been sitting in the AC diving into all sorts of resources, web sites, and videos learning about them and the various technologies they either originally used or continue to use today.
Continue reading “Learning about Teletypes – Down the Rabbit Holes We Go!”Hamfest Weekend and Teletype acquired!
Did a ton of walking and shopping this weekend at two back-to-back hamfests. What’s a hamfest? Easiest answer is “an electronics flea market”. They’re called “hamfests” as they’re often hosted by ham radio clubs, and while a majority of the gear for sale is radio related, you’ll find other deals at them as well.
The first was the MARC Hamfest in Kimberton, PA. Got a few goodies there and met up with some regulars.
Next up on Sunday was the Sussex County Hamfest up in New Jersey. This one is a bit of a haul and I attend it both to support some friends, and plugs it’s a bigger event. I found a few goodies here as well.
The biggest item on the loot pile? A Teletype ASR-32! While it’s not the ASR-33 (I’d still LOVE to find one for a decent deal!), its nearly identical in appearance and I’m hoping I can use it for vintage computer fun as well as some ham radio RTTY (radio-teletype) action. As part of the deal I also got a HAL ST-6 “teletype unit”, which is a demodulator (receiver) for RTTY. You can find a picture of it here. This unit receives RTTY signals from a radio, and converts them to serial data thats transferred to a teletype via a “current loop” connection. In this case the HAL ST-6 has been modified with a AFSR board so the teletype can be used for sending RTTY as well. More importantly, it looks techy and has blinky lights. No pics yet, but some will be forthcoming as I mess around with it and get it going.
With weather forecast in the mid to hid 90s this week, I think imma stay in the AC and geek out some!
Arcade Monitor Repair Party – November 2010
Life has a funny way of flying by when you’re having fun. I was digging through some old stuff and found these pics of an arcade monitor repair party I hosted back in 2010. Basically invited a few peeps from KLOV to come learn how to cap and repair arcade game monitors.
One guy even brought an entire game (Donkey Kong Jr), which turned out to be a great example, as we really went through it soup to nuts and did a bunch of small things to bring a basket case completely back to life!
I wish I could do these again…maybe some day. Anyway, enjoy some pics! PS – big thanks to my buddy Todd who always seems to go along with my crazy plans 😉
Maker Media now Maker Community
Saw an article on Hackaday about Maker Media now becoming Make Community. Seems this will include potentially keeping the magazine going, as well as the Mini Maker Faires, but not the big Maker Faires anymore.
There’s some interesting comments on the article as well. I’m not sure where I stand with all of this, other than lamenting the loss of the Maker Faire (NYC) while Philly’s Mini Maker Faire will hopefully continue to grow. Online social media may be a good way to collaborate on projects, etc, but us humans still need direct interaction from time to time, and things like the Maker Faires, Meetups, and other “real time/real life” events bolster our passion for doing and help us learn how to do.