CyberDecks

[Se7en]

I've been learning about people making their own "Pre-Matrix
CyberDecks" out of used computer parts and old Commadore64
cases. Example: <https://n-o-d-e.net/cyberdeck64.html>

Has anyone made their own cyberdeck? I plan to go dumpster diving for
old parts soon and hope to make one. Not a lot of computer waste in my
part of the woods.

It really is an interest to me. A CyberDeck, I feel, is a lot like the
computer equivilent to the pure HotRod culture. You take a bunch of
parts that haven't been used in probably 30+ years, you connect them
all together in a manner they were most likely never designed for, and
then you breath life into something new and exotic to the world.

I'd like to do it "One Piece at a Time" style but probably am going to
need to buy some things.

[Mike Easter]

Post by Se7en
I've been learning about people making their own "Pre-Matrix
CyberDecks" out of used computer parts and old Commadore64
cases.

Personally; that sounds like something I would rather read about than
actually DO; unless I had a 'vast warehouse' of discarded pieces and
parts and intact old computers at my disposal.

[Pinku Basudei]

On Sat, 2 Sep 2017 17:27:52 +0000 (UTC)

Post by Se7en
I've been learning about people making their own "Pre-Matrix
CyberDecks" out of used computer parts and old Commadore64
cases. Example: <https://n-o-d-e.net/cyberdeck64.html>

You should of course only use truly busted, beyond any sort of repair C64's for this. There is a large retro-computing demand for working C64's.

[Conceited Jerk]

Post by Se7en
I've been learning about people making their own "Pre-Matrix
CyberDecks" out of used computer parts and old Commadore64
cases. Example: <https://n-o-d-e.net/cyberdeck64.html>
Has anyone made their own cyberdeck? I plan to go dumpster diving for
old parts soon and hope to make one. Not a lot of computer waste in my
part of the woods.

I have a couple of Amiga 500s gathering dust, I'm planning to pick up a
Keyrah interface (so I can use the original keyboard) and toss in a RPi 3.
The A500 is a a bit ungainly to carry, though. Might hold out for a C64
(Keyrah works with C64 keyboards, too) for a more portable solution.

[John Z]

Post by Conceited Jerk
I have a couple of Amiga 500s gathering dust, I'm planning to pick up a
Keyrah interface (so I can use the original keyboard) and toss in a RPi 3.
The A500 is a a bit ungainly to carry, though. Might hold out for a C64
(Keyrah works with C64 keyboards, too) for a more portable solution.

If those A500's are still in working condition, it would be a major waste to
repurpose them for this. That's a piece of history; if restored, they can fetch
a very nice price on ebay!
If you aren't much into retro computing, I'd seriously suggest you look
into restoring them (there are services for this) and making a nice quick buck
to finance your fully customized 3D printed rPi deck chassis ;-)

[Sparc IPX]

Post by John Z
If those A500's are still in working condition, it would be a major waste to
repurpose them for this. That's a piece of history; if restored, they can fetch
a very nice price on ebay!

They *can* fetch a decent price, depending on condition and included
peripherals, and how badly the (probably nostalgic) buyer wants one.
They were a dime a dozen not too long ago, which is how I ended up with
these two. (I'm Conceited Jerk, btw, on a different server).

In my case, I'd planned on towerizing one of the 500s, which would free up
the case and keyboard, so no waste!

Post by John Z
If you aren't much into retro computing, I'd seriously suggest you look
into restoring them (there are services for this) and making a nice quick buck
to finance your fully customized 3D printed rPi deck chassis ;-)

Heh, retrocomputing is pretty much *all* I do. I don't think I own a
computer that was built during this millenium, apart from my Raspberry
Pi and an old Tadpole Voyager server...

[John Z]

Post by Sparc IPX
They *can* fetch a decent price, depending on condition and included
peripherals, and how badly the (probably nostalgic) buyer wants one.
They were a dime a dozen not too long ago, which is how I ended up with
these two. (I'm Conceited Jerk, btw, on a different server).

I'd very probably be one of those nostalgic buyers /if/ I had luck to
own one when I was a kid. My parents just couldn't afford it, so I was one of
the C64 kids who later just jumped ships onto IBM PC's.

Its kinda weird, wanting to have nostalgic memories of something I
never had in the first place :-D

Post by Sparc IPX
Heh, retrocomputing is pretty much *all* I do. I don't think I own a
computer that was built during this millenium, apart from my Raspberry
Pi and an old Tadpole Voyager server...

*tips the hat*

Just the other day, I rolled in a Sony Trinitron CRT from a seller
that -luckily- lived just up the street! I already have bought a HDMI->S-rgb
module so the moment it was connected, I ran some MAME (Final Fight),
VICE (Ghostbusters) and some UAE (Alien Breed).

Wife and kids think I'm retarded.

[Sparc IPX]

Post by John Z
I'd very probably be one of those nostalgic buyers /if/ I had luck to
own one when I was a kid. My parents just couldn't afford it, so I was one of
the C64 kids who later just jumped ships onto IBM PC's.
Its kinda weird, wanting to have nostalgic memories of something I
never had in the first place :-D

I hear ya, that's how I ended up with an Atari 7800 recently...

Post by John Z

Post by Sparc IPX
Heh, retrocomputing is pretty much *all* I do. I don't think I own a
computer that was built during this millenium, apart from my Raspberry
Pi and an old Tadpole Voyager server...

*tips the hat*

It didn't take much effort: the two contemporary PCs I owned both died
(mobo), I just never replaced them.

Post by John Z
Just the other day, I rolled in a Sony Trinitron CRT from a seller
that -luckily- lived just up the street! I already have bought a HDMI->S-rgb
module so the moment it was connected, I ran some MAME (Final Fight),
VICE (Ghostbusters) and some UAE (Alien Breed).
Wife and kids think I'm retarded.

Mine too. They may be onto something ... ;)

[Pinku Basudei]

On Wed, 06 Sep 2017 18:48:34 GMT

Post by John Z
I'd very probably be one of those nostalgic buyers /if/ I had luck to
own one when I was a kid. My parents just couldn't afford it, so I was one of
the C64 kids who later just jumped ships onto IBM PC's.
Its kinda weird, wanting to have nostalgic memories of something I
never had in the first place :-D

It's not so weird I think; checking out stuff you were interested in back then but couldn't afford as a teen now as an older person with perhaps more money to spare.

[John Z]

Post by Pinku Basudei

Post by John Z
Its kinda weird, wanting to have nostalgic memories of something I
never had in the first place :-D

It's not so weird I think; checking out stuff you were interested in
back then but couldn't afford as a teen now as an older person with
perhaps more money to spare.

From that angle, yeah, you're right, but I am finding it hard (or
impossible) to replicate the *mood*... its more that I feel like the
world moved on much faster than I'd like it to, and now that I can
afford to buy these things, somehow they don't have the same emotional
value they had back then, you know?

Here's an example: when I was this 8 year old kid with brand new C64, I
was trying my hardest to learn programming from just poking random
addresses. C64 guide that came with the hardware was, mildy said,
lacking in information, and there was no way for a kid like me, in the
place where I grew up, to access VIC-II datasheets.
Now, I can basically create my own VIC-II from scratch using FPGA, and I
have access to all the data I need... but we've moved on far, far from
that technologically, and it feels like I'm spending time on obsolete
knowledge... and while there's nothing wrong with that, at all, I just
find it very hard to enjoy nowadays.

[John Z]

Post by Se7en
I've been learning about people making their own "Pre-Matrix
CyberDecks" out of used computer parts and old Commadore64
cases. Example: <https://n-o-d-e.net/cyberdeck64.html>
Has anyone made their own cyberdeck? I plan to go dumpster diving for
old parts soon and hope to make one. Not a lot of computer waste in my
part of the woods.
It really is an interest to me. A CyberDeck, I feel, is a lot like the
computer equivilent to the pure HotRod culture. You take a bunch of
parts that haven't been used in probably 30+ years, you connect them
all together in a manner they were most likely never designed for, and
then you breath life into something new and exotic to the world.
I'd like to do it "One Piece at a Time" style but probably am going to
need to buy some things.

I haven't built a deck per se (aside retro coolness factor, I don't
really see the utility?), but I do repurpose old throw-away hardware as
much as I can. Its somewhat of a personal codex.

There was an old-ish laptop (now about 9 years old) whose keyboard was
seriously splashed with coffee, and (lets be honest) - even with a
seriously tuned system, hardware was too old for general use. I took it
apart, freed the motherboard of the chassis and all the extension
daughterboards, resoldered the power supply and USB modules on it, then
encased everything into a small dremel case with 4 long screws to act as
support beams. This, plus some custom magnet links scraping software now
serves as a family's media server.

There's a backup/NAS "system" that's basically:
- rPi I bought off a friend for 20$
- 1TB drive I picked up on an internal auction at the workplace
- cannibalized USB laptop caddy (SATA/USB electronics)
- dumpster-dived power supply
- generous amounts of duct tape


As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for a GSM shield delivery this week;
I'll be trying to build my own wristwatch/PDA/cellphone.

[Eddie Winslow]

Post by Se7en
I've been learning about people making their own "Pre-Matrix
CyberDecks" out of used computer parts and old Commadore64
cases. Example: <https://n-o-d-e.net/cyberdeck64.html>
Has anyone made their own cyberdeck? I plan to go dumpster diving for
old parts soon and hope to make one. Not a lot of computer waste in my
part of the woods.
It really is an interest to me. A CyberDeck, I feel, is a lot like the
computer equivilent to the pure HotRod culture. You take a bunch of
parts that haven't been used in probably 30+ years, you connect them
all together in a manner they were most likely never designed for, and
then you breath life into something new and exotic to the world.
I'd like to do it "One Piece at a Time" style but probably am going to
need to buy some things.

I think this is cool as hell, personally. Very well done. That it is
functional and not simply a prop makes all the difference.