DIY Printer Cable

Here is an interesting article on how to create your own printer cable for the Model 1XX:
http://www.ideanove.org/rar/TRS80/Centronics.html
Cheap.

'Tetris' Theme on Glass Bottles

Some of you might recignize this from your legacy gaming days. It's------The Tetris theme, played on dozens of bottles of different sizes and with different amounts of silliness-excuse me- water in them. Check it out:



Those are some really tired lips ;-)

Startty--Telnet Data Service

This is cool, it's a free data service for vintage computers that will give you stocks, weather, package tracking, news, and---wait---l@@k! It even works on our beloved Model 100! You can access StarTTY by Telnetting www.StarTTY.com on port 50000.

Startty: www.StarTTY.com

Behind the Scenes: How the BBS Will Work

Well, the NiteTyme BBS is going to go online for a test session sometime in the next week, and I'm going to show you how it all works.

The Model 100

The 'server' is the Model 100. It is technically a server because it is 'serving' the content to everyone who calls. My Model 100 is running the BBS100.BA BBS client for the Model 100. (You can find that program at ftp://ftp.whtech.com/club100/tel/bbs100.ba for the actual program and ftp://ftp.whtech.com/club100/tel/bbs100.do for the manual). The Model 100 is connected via 25-pin serial (cereal. mmmmmm.) port to a serial modem.

The Modem

The Modem is a 1200 baud SmarTEAM 1200AT with auto-answer/dialing and pulse/tone dialing modes. I'm not sure what baud rate to use, I'm thinking I'll go for broke and use 1200. This modem is connected to the Model 100, and allows it to connect to the remote (person dialing in) computer.

The Connection

Unfortunately, the computer is nowhere near a phone line jack. Great. I'm going to get past this 'little bump' by hacking a broken (dialing circuits fryed) wireless telephone into a wireless telephone jack. I am going to remove the speaker and microphone from the handset, as well as the push-button keypad. I will then have a handset with four bare wires and a transmitter/receiver. These wires will be hooked up to a female telephone jack which will be glued onto the phone, and then plugged into the modem. I will then remove all of the circuitry from the base except for the transmitter/receiver, and it will plug into the wall. I will then be able to hook my computer wirelessly to the wall. I will be following this project in my posts, so check bask often!

Radiohead with a ZX Spectrum

I know this is off-topic, but it's just so cool! Just think about the time and effort that went into making this video.

Based on the lyric (and alternate title) "Big Ideas: Don't get any" I grouped
together a collection of old redundant hardware, and placed them in a
situation
where they're trying their best to do something that they're not
exactly
designed to do, and not quite getting there. It doesn't sound great,
as it's not
supposed to. Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm &
lead)Epson LX-81 Dot
Matrix Printer - DrumsHP Scanjet 3c - Bass GuitarHard
Drive array - Act as a
collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX

Pretty sweet.

Wanted: $$Classifieds$$

Please contact me with a list of vintage computer items that you are selling/wanting. I will publish them in the January issue of Micro 100. If I get too many, some will only be featured on the unabridged version, others on both. Some might be in the January issue, some in the February. Thank you for your support.

EDIT: Contact me at JBickhard@GMail.com. Thank You.

MICRO 100 Magazine Blog Now Online!

The MICRO 100 Magazine and NiteTyme BBS Blog is now online! I decided to open up early in the spirit of Christmas. I have the bitmapped color version of the logo completed, and I think that it looks good! I will be archiving all issues of Micro 100 here, as well as making posts about the progress of the BBS and Magazine, so check back often!