Retrocomputer Restorations, Classy Word Clocks, and Projecting Education

Plus probes made of clothespins, and a couple of toys for your desk. [3602421454791242043.png] Wednesday, February 2, 2022 [You Never Forget Your First Programming Professor »]( Breathing New Life Into Old Computers Let's face it: times are hard. Times are -- dare we say -- also somewhat boring. Between the sameness of the last two years and the ongoing chip shortage, it's no wonder we are seeing a rise in retrocomputing and restoration projects. These machines hearken back to a simpler time, at least as far as computing power goes. Readers of a certain vintage will no doubt recall the hours spent flipping DIP switches, or dutifully and oh-so-carefully typing in code out of a magazine until you were rewarded with a new game. No matter your age, old computers are cool because they remind us of how far we've come in such a short time with pretty much every aspect of computing, although we might argue heartily that the average quality of included keyboards has gone far, far downhill. Then again, we've seen a vintage keyboard restoration [here]( and [there]( too. Of course, your nostalgia may vary. Highlights from the IO POPULAR BITS [project thumbnail]( [Building a Modular 6502]( Based on the improved WDC 62C02 enhanced CMOS IC, the purpose of this little machine is to learn about and explore 6502 assembly programming. Since it's modular, that can include experimentation with various video and audio configurations. [project thumbnail]( [Restoring a Soviet ZX-80 Clone]( Will [Fedor Gruzdev] be able to bring this ZX-80 clone back to life so it can play games and execute assembly? We can't wait to find out. Just look at that keyboard! Every key is stepped, and vertically at that, which leaves a lot of room for multiple legends. [project thumbnail]( [Portable Pi Computer Uses a Projector]( In a world where handfuls of students gather around a single smartphone to get their education, the need for a low-cost computer that is easily viewable by a group became urgently clear. This is that computer. Hack Chat LIVE CHAT WITH LEADING EXPERTS EVERY WEDNESDAY [Today: Floppy Interfacing Hack Chat]( The gang from Adafruit will join us for [this week's Hack Chat](. There may be no compelling technical reason to interface a floppy drive into a project that uses modern microcontrollers, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Getting down into the hardware weeds is just good, clean fun, and if it happens to teach you a thing or two about the way things used to be, and the details of driving a fairly complex electromechanical device, so much the better. For this week's Hack Chat, we'll hear from Adafruit's Limor "Ladyada" Fried, Jeff Epler, and Phillip Torrone and find all about how to tease data from a stream of magnetic flux changes, and why you might want to consider doing so. [Next Week: Pick and Place Hack Chat]( Chris Denney will join us for [next week's Hack Chat](. If there's something that approaches miracle status in the mechanical world, it's looking at a modern PCB, with components that could easily be mistaken for a grain of sand, and realizing that it was likely assembled entirely by a machine. The pick and place machines that make this possible are truly mind-boggling in their accuracy and precision, and even though most of us don't have to worry about making such machines work reliably, it's still pretty cool to take a look under the hood at the whole pick and place process. To help us with that, Chris Denney from ["Pick, Place, Podcast"]( will stop by the Hack Chat. If you've ever wondered about the inner workings of PCB assembly, or if you're looking for tips on how to optimize your layouts for pick and place, this is one you won't want to miss. Featured Projects POPULAR BITS [Magic Eye Desk Thing Is Watching You Slack]( [Arduino Jet Engine Will Make Conversations Take Off]( [Clothespin Probes Should Hold Up Indefinitely]( [Isn't It Time You Put a Classy Word Clock On Your Desk?]( Live Events MEETUPS, CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS [FOSDEM - Feb. 5-6, 2022]( Virtual | This conference is all about free and open source software and enabling developers and communities to meet, promote, and discuss thet state of FOSS around the world. Usually held in Brussels, Belgium, the conference will be completely virtual this year, though the organizers have done their best to keep the feel real with Internet-connected devrooms. [VCF East Swap Meet - Feb. 26, 2022]( Back by popular demand, the Vintage Computer Federation will once again be holding a swap meet at the InfoAge Science and History Museum in Wall, New Jersey. We were impressed with both the turnout and the wide array of hardware (vintage or otherwise) available [when we last made the trek]( so we've got high hopes for this one. [Trenton Computer Festival - Mar. 19, 2022]( Virtual? In-Person?| At this point, it's still too early to tell if the [world's oldest computer festival]( will be in-person or not for their 46th annual show. But even if they have to go virtual for another year, the always impressive slate of talks and presentations will be well worth tuning in for. [Open Hardware Summit - Apr. 22, 2022]( Virtual? In-Person? | The conference focuses on all issues surrounding open hardware, from building the hardware itself, through to understanding intellectual property intricacies, running a business while embracing open hardware, and topics like the right to repair. Venue decisions for this year's Open Hardware Summit are still a bit up in the air, but planning is moving forward. Keep an eye on their site for updated info. [twitter]( [facebook]( [instagram]( [Terms of Use]( [Privacy Policy]( [Hackaday.io]( [Hackaday.com]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Hackaday · 61 South Fair Oaks Avenue · Suite 200 · Pasadena, CA 91105 · USA