Welcome to my site … made by a homecomputer enthusiast of the 80s for just those and who are simply interested in it 😉
This is not only about the famous “bread box”, the Commodore C64, but generally about 8-bit home computers of the 80s … the time when we (now about 45/50 years old) had the first contact with computers.
So besides the Commodores, it’s also about the Schneider, Amstrad, Sinclair, Atari, Apple
So have fun exploring the site!
Do you remember those pop-up picture books from your childhood? These books, also known as 3D books, don’t just make little ones’ eyes light up—they captivate readers of all ages. When you open the pages, parts of the illustrations “pop” out of the book, creating a sense of depth for the scene depicted. This type of book has a long tradition. They were first published around 1860, primarily by German artists and publishers—and became widely popular. Today, it is mainly children’s books that are still available in this format.
This type of 3D book, featuring fold-out elements that create a sense of depth and tactile experience, was also used for a computer textbook published in 1984. The original English edition, published by Abbeville Press in New York, is titled “Inside the Personal Computer – An Illustrated Introduction in 3 Dimensions.” In Germany, it was published in 1986 by Oldenbourg Verlag as a German translation titled “Personal Computer in- und auswendig – Das Computer-Buch in 3 Dimensionen.” The same book, but as a publication by Heinz Nixdorf Computer AG, was distributed as an advertising and teaching aid under the title “Der Personal Computer, der sich spielend leicht vorstellt.”
Continue reading “A beginner-friendly book on the history of computers”
Computers with 8-bit CPUs were the predominant systems far into the 1980s. From the mid-1970s, the MOS 6502 CPU and the Zilog Z80 were inexpensive 8-bit processors that finally made computers affordable for home use. The demand for such computers was correspondingly enormous. As a result, more and more companies wanted to share in the success of the pioneers. These included Atari, Apple, Commodore, Sinclair, Tandy Radio Shack and many more. Another newcomer to the computer market was the Taiwanese group Tatung Inc. They developed an 8-bit computer based on the Z80 microprocessor at their facility in the UK, which was different from the competitors in many aspects and is therefore an interesting computer from today’s collector’s point of view.
Continue reading “Tatung Einstein TC01 – A relatively genius Brit!”Beep, beep, beep… that’s the most you’ll usually get out of a Tandy TRS-80 Model I! A sound card was simply not planned when the computer was developed in 1977. It was only later, when computers became more and more entertainment devices, that good sound also became more and more important. And today, a computer without sound is no longer conceivable!
Michael Wessel, a German retro computer enthusiast and electronics hacker living in California, has now developed a modern sound card for the Model I, the MIDI/80, and published it on Github. As a beta tester, I was able to try it out shortly after publication. Read about my experiences here.
Continue reading “MIDI/80: Trashy spits out new sounds”
The 8-bit home computer EACA “Colour Genie” EG2000
This 8-bit keyboard computer will soon be leaving me again, as I unfortunately don’t have the time to spend more time with it.
Nevertheless, I would like to take this (last) chance to introduce you to a rather rare computer from the early 1980s.
Continue reading “A Genie on the desk”Before I was able to hold my own C64 breadbox in my hands in 1985, I had already read several issues of the now legendary 64’er magazine from the Markt&Technik publishing house in Germany. March 20, 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the publication of the first issue: Congratulations to one of the formative magazines of my youth!
And now, after 40 years, the first issues from back then are being published again. This time, however – in keeping with the times – online on the Internet and as a PDF download.
Continue reading “The 64’er magazine turns 40!”
