My Retro Computing Binge, Falling Back in Love With Hardware

Lately I’ve been on a binge — a retro computing hardware binge. It started last year when I went searching for a working Timex Sinclair 1000. The idea was simple. Set it up and run my own programs on real hardware again. What began as a hunt for one machine quickly turned into something bigger.

I have fond memories of programming my ZX81, and the thought of seeing my code run on real hardware stuck with me more than I expected. I’m not there yet. The Timex Sinclair is still sitting in its box in my office. But that’s the part I’m working toward. I want to plug things in, load my programs, and watch them behave the way they did when I was a kid. Showing them off to my parents and anyone else who wandered into the room.

Once that idea settled in, I started looking for ways to make it real. That’s where modern retro hardware and a certain familiar name pulled me in.

# I blame Commodore.

Well, probably not really. But it did kick-start things again. LEGO didn’t help either with their Atari and Nintendo sets. Seeing the new hardware Commodore had, I was very tempted to get one. It looked like my old C64 from my teenage years, but didn’t require me to figure out how to connect it to a modern TV — one of the reasons my Timex Sinclair was still in the box.

I was still working on finding the parts needed to get that other hardware running. I still have all my ZX81 tapes from when I was a kid. I bought a new cassette deck a few years back to play them into my Mac, replacing the bulky boom box I had been using. Loading those old programs from cassette was what started my ZX81 blogging. The high-pitched squeal of a program loading from tape was music to my ears. I wanted to find a way to recapture that moment.

First, I needed a way to connect it to a modern TV. I started looking for ways to convert old RF signals into HDMI. I found a few devices, now on order, to see if they work. Yes, I could do a composite modification, but my problem had grown — I had other machines I wanted to experiment with too.

With those thoughts still in my head, I finally pulled the trigger on a new Commodore. It arrived this week, but I’m traveling, so my experimentation will have to wait a little longer.

# More retro goodness with Atari.

Another console pushed me back toward the Atari VCS. I had bought a modern version of the VCS housed inside a joystick a few years back. It was fun to play the old games, but it lacked the nostalgia of the original hardware. I missed having physical cartridges to shove into the deck.

My original Atari was long gone, given away years ago. But a new FPGA version had shown up on the market that not only let you use original games, but also worked with modern TVs. I added it to my wish list months ago and, after the new year, finally pulled the trigger. I chose the modern 7800 mainly because I liked the more compact shell.

At the same time, I picked up a handful of untested games off eBay. They all arrived together, which led me down a small rabbit hole of plugging in the console, lightly cleaning the carts, and giving each game a try. It had been over thirty years since I last held an Atari cartridge, and it immediately transported me back to being a teenager in my parents’ basement, trying out the latest Activision release. I was hooked.

# Being young again.

Perhaps the thrill of getting that first cart to load helped, but I had a fun few hours. Just like I remembered, the games didn’t always fit right. I had to finagle a few to get them to open their dust doors. I made sure they engaged well, just like I would as a child. The 7800 console was easy to set up, and the wireless joystick was a real quality-of-life upgrade.

A big win was that almost all the games worked, with only one giving me trouble. I’ll work on cleaning it later. At that moment, it didn’t matter — I was having fun. I loaded up Donkey Kong and immediately started playing. More than forty years later, I still knew how to start the game and work through the levels.

After shaking off the rust, I was able to get the ladder timing right again and work my way through the first level. The timing of the jumps took a moment to return. I kept jumping too early and landing on barrels. As the rust fell away, I finally cleared the stage.

The second took more effort. I never had a single pattern, so remembering how to clear the bricks and evade the fireballs took longer. Muscle memory kicked in and, after a few playthroughs, the gameplay came back. It was like the decades melted away, and I started enjoying each game as I tested it.

# More nostalgia ahead.

Not content with just the few games I had, I ordered some more, not realizing the lot also included an original Atari. Apparently, you really should look at all the pictures when ordering off eBay. In any case, I soon had another set of games to try out. Included, to my delight, was Asteroids.

This may sound silly, but I love the original 2600 version. Yes, the sprites are simple and flicker, but I still remembered how to play. I selected game 17 — I prefer the fast flip instead of warping — and proceeded to play. Being one of the earliest games I remember, I have fond memories of sitting in my room playing Asteroids. Like my younger days, I quickly racked up points and flipped the score. The first time I did that, I remember running to tell my parents.

The Atari console itself looked good but needed some cleaning. Once I get my composite connector, I’ll see if it still works. I also need to fix the controllers — they were missing the rubber covers. I ordered a pair that arrived this week while I was traveling. The paddles work, but they’re a bit wonky at times. I’ll see if I can clean them up as well.

# A new idea formed.

With all this modern-retro fun, a bigger idea started to form. I wanted to collect a few different computers from the eighties. I fondly remember going to each of my friends’ houses and trying different machines. Everyone had something different. It was great fun to try each other’s games and see how they all worked.

I programmed on an Atari 800 at school, and my best friend owned an Atari 800XL. I learned on an Apple ][ in high school. I owned a Commodore 64, 64C, 128, and Amiga over the years. All of those are now long gone and high on my list to acquire and display. Each one adds to the memories I’ve collected along the way.

I hope to mount them behind me in my office as a reminder of where it all started. Not as museum pieces, but as working machines with stories still left in them. In the next article, I’ll start cleaning, restoring, and figuring out how to actually display this growing collection and, of course, see which of these old friends still power on.