We have two events scheduled for May.
Friday May 11th will be our regular monthly meet-up (see details below), and then the following day (Saturday the 12th) we will be co-hosting the Reboot event at the Unley Town Hall starting at 1pm. If you would like to exhibit something at this family-friendly event be sure to let us know via email or facebook. Hope to see as many of you as possible at both events!
Adelaide Retro Computing Event
Time: 7:30pm
Date: Friday May 11, 2018
Location: Eastwood Community Centre Hall
95 Glen Osmond Road, Eastwood SA 5063
Cost of entry is $4 per person (children under 12 exempt).
Any retro computer or gaming system is fine: Apple, IBM, Commodore, Amiga, TRS-80, DEC, Sinclair, Atari, Sega, Nintendo, FM Towns, NEXT; we want to see them all. We'd especially like to see stuff we haven't seen before, so no matter how obscure it is, bring it along!
If you don't have anything to bring in that's fine too; we'd like to see as many people attend to spectate as those with displays.
We request that systems be dated 2001 or earlier.
Second hand sale tables for those wanting to sell retro systems and accessories will be available as usual.
The event starts at 7:30pm, but for those bringing in systems please arrive at 7:00pm to set up. Please bring power boards and extension cables for your equipment. A video projector will be available for anyone wanting to use it with their system. Tables are provided.
There is a $4 entry fee to cover costs of room hire and running of the group.
For directions to the Eastwood Community Centre please visit our website at http://adelaideretrocomputing.blogspot.com.au/ and click on Meeting Location for directions.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
Tuesday, 24 April 2018
Thursday, 19 April 2018
Repair Tip For Broken Plastics
As the plastics on our vintage machines become more brittle with age, coupled with the rigours of transportation and general handling, some breakages are inevitable.
Commonly liquid cement is used for plastic model making but I’ve found it is equally up to the task of repairing old computer casings, peripherals and even floppy disks. I generally find the bond to be superior to most glues and more importantly, if done properly, the repair will be almost invisible.
This is because of the way liquid cement works. Essentially it melts the plastic and welds the two surfaces together. It won’t work with all plastics and is not recommended for bonding dissimilar materials, but is handy to have in your toolbox for when the time is right. I generally use Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement which is available from most hobby shops and online. It is applied with a small brush and the gap is filled through capillary action.
Here is a floppy disk that was broken during shipping:
Commonly liquid cement is used for plastic model making but I’ve found it is equally up to the task of repairing old computer casings, peripherals and even floppy disks. I generally find the bond to be superior to most glues and more importantly, if done properly, the repair will be almost invisible.
This is because of the way liquid cement works. Essentially it melts the plastic and welds the two surfaces together. It won’t work with all plastics and is not recommended for bonding dissimilar materials, but is handy to have in your toolbox for when the time is right. I generally use Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement which is available from most hobby shops and online. It is applied with a small brush and the gap is filled through capillary action.
Here is a floppy disk that was broken during shipping:
The broken piece is held in place and the cement applied. Wait a couple of seconds for the plastic to start to melt and then squeeze the parts together. A raised bead of melted plastic should appear along the seam. This bead can later be sanded if required.
Likewise on my Amiga 1000. A common issue is that the internal clips will break off from the stress of repeatedly removing the case lid. The A1000 case is notoriously difficult to open without damaging these tiny clips as the entire lid assembly essentially hinges on them.
This was my first attempt at repairing the clip and it is misaligned. I pulled it apart and had another go and the repair now looks seamless (unfortunately I forgot to get a photo of the final repair!) A pair of tweezers is also a good investment for holding these small parts together and applying pressure to the join.
Hopefully this was helpful to someone!
Monday, 16 April 2018
Sunday, 15 April 2018
April 2018 Meeting Report - Commodore Event
Thanks to everyone who came out on Friday for our Commodore night! We had some lovely gear on display including a multitude of C64s, a C16, VIC-20, and various Amiga models including a ‘Vampired’ (is that a verb?) Amiga 600. Also featured was the brand new C64 ‘Mini’, some 2 player Null Modem Stunt Car Racer action, CD-32 gaming, Deluxe Painting, some great C64 demos and even some live Basic programming on the night.
A few members left early and I didn’t get a chance to properly photograph their systems. Sorry about that!
Hope to see you all at our next meeting in May.
Sunday, 8 April 2018
Unley Reboot Event - Adelaide Retro Computing Showcase
The ARC Group is proud to announce that we will be putting on a showcase of retro computing and gaming at the Unley Civic Library on Saturday May the 12th. This will not replace our regular meet-up for May but will rather be a special family-friendly event for the public to come and experience vintage computing and gaming systems supplied by members of the group.
We already have many ARC members supplying hardware for the event but we’d love to have more (we have a big space to fill!) Please get in touch with us if you’d like to attend and have something to display.
The event starts at 1pm, but if you’re exhibiting please arrive before 12:30pm to set up. Tables, chairs, and power cables are all provided. Rear access will be available to the hall for exhibitors bringing in their equipment.
More info:
In the meantime don’t forget to attend our special Commodore night this Friday!
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