Bringing My Amiga 500 Computer Out of Mothballs

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dibbons

dibbons

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The only problem is I don't remember the proper shut down procedure. I have switches on the monitor and the transformer which powers the computer. I have one disc in the computer (the workbench disc) and a game disc in the external drive. Can I eject the game disc anytime? Do I leave the workbench disc inserted for the next startup? Is there something on the screen pull-down menu I should look for that shuts things down for me? Remember, this is my first computer which my spouse bought as a gift for $300 back in the 1990's. I can't be expected to remember all the ins and outs.

The image on the screen in the photo is something I am very proud of--a black jack casino game I programmed all by my lonesome after having taken a couple of very basic computer classes back then. I used "basic" language and the little booklet that came with the Amiga that explained the command/language codes.

The game automatically shuffles the cards (using a random number generator to mimic real life conditions) when there are 10 or fewer cards left in the deck. It allows "hitting" for additional cards, as well as options to "double down" and "split pairs" as well. It keeps a running total of your chip count for you after adding (you win) or subtracting (you lose) during each hand played. It also runs statistics, like how many blackjack's are dealt to you versus how many are dealt to the dealer. The dealer plays automatically according to common casino procedures. Of course, you have to play first which gives the dealer a slight advantage. "Blackjack" or "21" dealt with the first two cards pays 3 to 2.

I got the idea for the game when I walked by a slot-type machine in a Nevada casino that you could play BlackJack on and did basically the same thing as my creation.

DSC06989.jpg


DSC06990.jpg
 
Amigas still have an active cult following.

I have a friend (has a 69 satellite convertible) who uses his to do all sorts of stuff.
 
I had a VIC 20 back in 1985.
 
I still have an old Kaypro II. It runs something called CPM, like this one

kaypro-ii.jpg


A Vic20 'almost' cured me of not ever wanting computers of any kind, ever. Friend of mine had one, he "upgraded' to a Commodor 64 and talked me into buying his Vic20. An old small TV for a display. An audio cassette recorder for a "memory device." GOD. You'd spend all day typing some program in, "not getting it to work," then try and save it to the crap audio "memory device" and have IT screw up. "Peek and poke." NO THANK YOU
 
73Dart273, few of us would appreciate that pic. I cut my teeth on an IBM 5120 that my dad saved from the can at his work. It was used to do their payroll and run their embroidery machine!
upload_2019-11-22_21-12-35.jpeg


Those are 8" floppies there. bigger than a '45 record. It was so weak at processing that the screen would flash on and off when it was doing something, not a flicker but a 1hz flash. IT weighed about 50 lbs. and came with a dot matrix printer and a SCSI terminator block on the back that Dad had to go back to look for as the thing wouldn't work without this big block plugged into the back! It didnt even have a BASIC option so parents got me a 16bit Z8000 based "graphics computer" with a terrible chicklet keyboard but it came with the data-corder. As pointed out, it was a crap shoot to see if your program/picture would 'record' properly onto a cassette! Next class I took was using Apple IIc's with 5.25 floppies and a real 20MB hard drive that booted right into DOS or whatever Apple used that day. I paid $99 for the 256k memory module in the first IBM like 8086 (with its 8087 math co-processor chip!) PC I built. I got a screamin' deal on an AM386-40DX at a computer show so I had to build another one. I dont even use a desktop PC anymore, just this 17" HP G7 laptop. My 5 year old has taken over the desktop watching youtube videos of a kid named Ryan who's already worth 20M with his channels and his line of toys and clothes. Not bad for an 8 year old and his 2 parents.
 
My first was also salvaged from work. An IBM AT 286. I put an 8 bit Soundblaster card in it, found a used IBM SVGA monitor, and put win 3.0 on it. Pretty sweet for 1992 or so.
 
First encounter with computers was a Philips Videopac G7000. A game-console with an onboard keyboard that used ROM-cartridges with games on them.
Also bought a 'programmer' (nr.9) cartridge once, but I recall it was very useless due to the limited 99 memory locations available in the console.

Then visited a nephew who had a Vic20 and Commodore64, so I bought a C64 too. Went through the misery of manually typing in many pages of hex-data just to load some crappy program.
Or fighting with that tape-drive with the little tuning screwdriver to align the head to the tape-track...
Upgraded to a discdrive later with 5-1/4" discs.
Soundchips that usually 'blew' when you disconnected a plug while the computer was still 'on'. I believe I replaced 3 of them.
Then came a Commodore128 which used 3.5" discs, and upgraded to an Amiga500 later on. Recall the WorkBench.

At the time there were also ZX Spectrums. I hated those things from the getgo with their stupid rubber keys.
 
CP/M was the predecessor to DOS.

That VIC 20 almost cured me of messing with computers as well.

45 plus minutes to load a program from that tape with about a 60% success rate.

I also banged on the display TRS 80s at Radio Shack, but couldn't afford one.

My next one was a hot rodded 386 DX.

That one launched my IT career when I wanted to play "Doom" with more than 2 players and was forced to learn networking.
 
dibbons said:
The only problem is I don't remember the proper shut down procedure. I have switches on the monitor and the transformer which powers the computer. I have one disc in the computer (the workbench disc) and a game disc in the external drive. Can I eject the game disc anytime? Do I leave the workbench disc inserted for the next startup? Is there something on the screen pull-down menu I should look for that shuts things down for me? Remember, this is my first computer which my spouse bought as a gift for $300 back in the 1990's. I can't be expected to remember all the ins and outs.

The image on the screen in the photo is something I am very proud of--a black jack casino game I programmed all by my lonesome after having taken a couple of very basic computer classes back then. I used "basic" language and the little booklet that came with the Amiga that explained the command/language codes.

The game automatically shuffles the cards (using a random number generator to mimic real life conditions) when there are 10 or fewer cards left in the deck. It allows "hitting" for additional cards, as well as options to "double down" and "split pairs" as well. It keeps a running total of your chip count for you after adding (you win) or subtracting (you lose) during each hand played. It also runs statistics, like how many blackjack's are dealt to you versus how many are dealt to the dealer. The dealer plays automatically according to common casino procedures. Of course, you have to play first which gives the dealer a slight advantage. "Blackjack" or "21" dealt with the first two cards pays 3 to 2.

I got the idea for the game when I walked by a slot-type machine in a Nevada casino that you could play BlackJack on and did basically the same thing as my creation.

View attachment 1715427090

View attachment 1715427092
Click to expand...
Do you have the Oregon trail floppy disk game.
 
Chop-Lifter

Kind of like Defender, but without the shooting.
 
Now setting up the Commodore 128. However, ran into a glitch right off the bat. My monitor(s) male connections have a line of three pins and the back of the "128" has a female plug with a line of only two pins. Back to the drawing board. Later, I will inventory and post a list of the games I found in the box.

DSC06992.jpg


DSC06993.jpg


DSC06994.jpg
 
Way back when! I had one of those original Pong games, moved up from there to a Texas Instruments TI-994/A puter, can't remember if it used cartridges or cassettes.
I worked on a basic computer project for years, a hydroabacus, finally gave up on the idea, because of leaks, and you could only use it at the kitchen or bathroom sink, damm I'm old !
 
67Dart273 said:
I still have an old Kaypro II. It runs something called CPM, like this one

View attachment 1715427155

A Vic20 'almost' cured me of not ever wanting computers of any kind, ever. Friend of mine had one, he "upgraded' to a Commodor 64 and talked me into buying his Vic20. An old small TV for a display. An audio cassette recorder for a "memory device." GOD. You'd spend all day typing some program in, "not getting it to work," then try and save it to the crap audio "memory device" and have IT screw up. "Peek and poke." NO THANK YOU
Click to expand...
LOL! Memories! Had a Timex Sinclair 1000(?) or some such, too! Same experiences! I was in middle school, didn't know any better!
 
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dibbons said:
Now setting up the Commodore 128. However, ran into a glitch right off the bat. My monitor(s) male connections have a line of three pins and the back of the "128" has a female plug with a line of only two pins. Back to the drawing board. Later, I will inventory and post a list of the games I found in the box.

View attachment 1715427378

View attachment 1715427379

View attachment 1715427380
Click to expand...

I don't remember anymore, I know I used to have some 9 pin monitors, I was thinking they were monochrome found this......

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JDC9RJU/?tag=joeychgo-20

41pt%2BQS%2BlaL._AC_.jpg
 
I went back to the 1084 monitor on the Amiga and used it following the schematic in the image on my post #15 above to get the Commodore 128 fired up. Played the first game I found "Up Periscope". Shot the entire load of torpedoes without making a hit.

periscope.jpg
 
Used to play a game on my roomates computer. I think it was an Apple. circa early 1990. It was pretty fun. More of a simulation than an arcade game. Ships would be sonar or radar blips on a large map and it would give you a firing 'solution' for an ASROC (rocket launched torpedo) when in range, simulated how a navy cruiser would hunt ships. Simple game that took about a half hour to learn. Ah, the good 'ol days....Then came DOOM>
 
I've always been of the opinion that whoever played with Atari's or ZXSpectrums at that time, ended up in the Windows darkhole, and those who worked with the Commodore computers usually ended up working with Apple Macs later on.
 
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