M.D. Baker
Member
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2021
- Messages
- 11
I am a fan if vintage computers, mostly 8-bit but I also dabbled with the 16-bit Amiga 2000 (with 32-bit accelerator and a meg or two of memory, IIRC, and Atari's ST line and Falcon in the 2000's, but find I much more enjoy the machines I grew up with, and used until my first PC in the mid 90's, skipping the 16-bit era.
My first computer was a Timex/Sinclair 1000, but quickly outgrew it and in '85 was looking for an 8-bit machine with at least 128K, that I could afford, and ended up with an Atari 130XE. I have since sold that machine and acquired the more robustly built Atari 800 and 1200XL models in the early 2000's which I upgraded beyond the 130XE. These Atari's have been my main 8-bit machines since since '85, though I have owned a VIC-20 and C64 and Apple IIc and a Laser 128 for a short time, as I refurbish/rebuild/restore vintage electronics, mostly 8-bit computers, and resell them for part of my hobby and extra income too. I haven't done that about 5 years now, instead just upgrading and modding my Atari's and enjoying them.
But I've been meaning to get a C64 back again, and stretch my 8-bit horizons to some other vintage 8-bits too. I've been studying up on TRS-80 Coco's and Coleco ADAM, BBC micro, Sinclair Spectrum's, Amstradt CPC's and even Oric Atmos's. I grew up with Apple II's in school and already know the C64, so no education for them was needed.
I have ended up with a TRS-80 Coco 2 26-3026, the first 16K model of the TRS-80 Coco 2's with the "melted" keyboard. How I ended up with it instead of a C64 first, seemed like destiny. A month or so ago a neighbor gave me a bag full of old computer cables mostly, but inside were also a pair of Coco analog joysticks and the black Coco analog mouse. I was going to convert them for use with my Atari's, as they have analog abilities too with the Pokey chip (POT &Keyboard) along with great sound abilities with it too.
But a couple weeks after I got the TRS-80 Coco controllers, before I had modded them, I got an offer for the Coco 2 I was watching on eBay and it was good enough for a "powers on but doesn't work" computer that looked in quite good condition cosmetically, with no case yellowing, just needing a good cleaning. Which is what I look for, since I don't care if it works or not, I can fix it.
So with these two events, I decided I was destined to get a Coco next. The 6809 has always intrigued me anyway (huge fan of 6502's and Z80's) but I've never experienced it.
I have more to say about my new Coco 2, but I'll post it in that forum, and also start joining in the Atari 8-bit forum here too for now.
P.S.-I've been a member of the AtariAge forums since 2001, iirc, under the user handle of Gunstar, mostly found in the Atari 8-bit forum and am also a member of the Atari Owner's Club forum where I go by my real name of M.D. Baker like on this forum now, both of which have sub-forums for all 8-bit computers too.
My first computer was a Timex/Sinclair 1000, but quickly outgrew it and in '85 was looking for an 8-bit machine with at least 128K, that I could afford, and ended up with an Atari 130XE. I have since sold that machine and acquired the more robustly built Atari 800 and 1200XL models in the early 2000's which I upgraded beyond the 130XE. These Atari's have been my main 8-bit machines since since '85, though I have owned a VIC-20 and C64 and Apple IIc and a Laser 128 for a short time, as I refurbish/rebuild/restore vintage electronics, mostly 8-bit computers, and resell them for part of my hobby and extra income too. I haven't done that about 5 years now, instead just upgrading and modding my Atari's and enjoying them.
But I've been meaning to get a C64 back again, and stretch my 8-bit horizons to some other vintage 8-bits too. I've been studying up on TRS-80 Coco's and Coleco ADAM, BBC micro, Sinclair Spectrum's, Amstradt CPC's and even Oric Atmos's. I grew up with Apple II's in school and already know the C64, so no education for them was needed.
I have ended up with a TRS-80 Coco 2 26-3026, the first 16K model of the TRS-80 Coco 2's with the "melted" keyboard. How I ended up with it instead of a C64 first, seemed like destiny. A month or so ago a neighbor gave me a bag full of old computer cables mostly, but inside were also a pair of Coco analog joysticks and the black Coco analog mouse. I was going to convert them for use with my Atari's, as they have analog abilities too with the Pokey chip (POT &Keyboard) along with great sound abilities with it too.
But a couple weeks after I got the TRS-80 Coco controllers, before I had modded them, I got an offer for the Coco 2 I was watching on eBay and it was good enough for a "powers on but doesn't work" computer that looked in quite good condition cosmetically, with no case yellowing, just needing a good cleaning. Which is what I look for, since I don't care if it works or not, I can fix it.
So with these two events, I decided I was destined to get a Coco next. The 6809 has always intrigued me anyway (huge fan of 6502's and Z80's) but I've never experienced it.
I have more to say about my new Coco 2, but I'll post it in that forum, and also start joining in the Atari 8-bit forum here too for now.
P.S.-I've been a member of the AtariAge forums since 2001, iirc, under the user handle of Gunstar, mostly found in the Atari 8-bit forum and am also a member of the Atari Owner's Club forum where I go by my real name of M.D. Baker like on this forum now, both of which have sub-forums for all 8-bit computers too.
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