iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Lovely. Just gorgeous.

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every single time 😂

Really digging the Rero Hardware Database 'Phosphor" theme. Jonathan's contributed a lot to our little open source project but this is probably my favourite! :-) github.com/hmerrett/ret...

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(This is achieved by using a buck regulator to provide the 5v supply…)

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My fully-loaded Amstrad PC1640. Sporting a MFM hard card, PicoGUS, LAN card, GOTEK and 5.25” floppy. Happily running, pulling 2A from a single 12v power supply. 💪😍

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Fixes / Mods - new power button - cf card replacing hard disk - noctua fan - installed the naughty bus extension and LAN card

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Wrapping up the Compaq. Really interesting machine. Cyrix Media GX was ahead of its time in many ways. 486-derived with built in graphics and SB16. SoC if you will. And this Compaq is now in lovely condition. 😍

Inside of the Compaq Presario, showing a large Noctua cooling fan mounted above the motherboard and heatsinks.

IDE-to-CompactFlash setup mounted on top the optical drive, with a 4 GB SanDisk CompactFlash card installed and connected to the motherboard by ribbon cable.

3Com EtherLink III network card installed vertically in the ISA expansion riser, showing the card, edge connector and surrounding motherboard components.

Front panel of the Compaq Presario, showing the large crescent-moon sleep button and separate volume down and volume up controls above the optical drive.

Just one more problem to solve!

The ISA expansion card fitted into the newly installed bus extension, showing the card edge fouling the motherboard’s keyboard connector and preventing it from seating correctly.

It doesn’t look like they’ve bothered to strip the buffers from the BOM so I have high hopes for my little extension of the standard 8-bit ISA slot working.

Compaq Presario motherboard with the ISA bus extension connector installed, showing the additional edge-card slot alongside the existing motherboard connectors.

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I’ve also had a bit of a naughty idea.

Close-up of the Compaq Presario motherboard showing the unpopulated ISA bus extension footprint and surrounding components before the connector is fitted.

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I had high hopes for this Presario working with a mechanical hard disk, however having tried several era-appropriate, known-working drives, I have had no luck and am resorting to something a little more modern.

3D-printed mounting frame containing an IDE-to-CompactFlash adaptor PCB, with a 4 GB SanDisk CompactFlash card inserted, sitting on a workshop bench.

Painted the grills with Anthracite. Almost a perfect match. 😍 The fabric behind the grills was also rust-stained, so I painted them with a dusting of matte black. What seems to have worked nicely too. There's one scuff on the front I haven't been able to work through in fear of making it shiny.

Black Compaq computer front bezel removed from the case, showing the power button and speaker grilles.

Close-up of the assembled Compaq computer front panel, as received, showing the power button, status LED and optical drive.

Is it a signal generator?

It’s up for a silly high price because I fell in love with it. I’d sell it for less to a proper retro nerd like me. ebay.io/m/GYbff9

ebay.io

BBS is a great shout. The one I used for the web server is now on eBay for sale but I do have a second one to repair and make nice, so maybe that one will become a BBS when it’s fixed.

It’s kind of sad that Don Estridge, who led the IBM team behind “Project Chess”, which became the IBM PC, never got to see just how far the architecture would go. He died in a plane crash in 1985, four years after the original PC was launched. Wonder what he would have made of it!

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Henry @2600.me · 19/09/2026

For fun I put a IBM 5150 on the Internet as a web server. With lightweight text pages, it did the job just fine, serving pages directly from a 360k floppy disk. Separate proxy made them available over dual IPv4&6 stack and via SSL. What shall I get it to do next? 😍

An IBM 5150 Personal Computer with dual floppy drives and an IBM monochrome monitor, displaying a green-text mTCP HTTP server console. The computer and monitor show age-related yellowing and wear, and are pictured on a workbench surrounded by retro-computing equipment.

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I really like how Amstrad got PCs into the hands of normal people. I can’t imagine many 16 year olds buying IBM PC 5150s at 10x the price! 🤯

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Henry @2600.me · 19/09/2026

Before and after restoration of my Amstrad PC2086. Dead proud of this one.

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Henry @2600.me · 12/09/2026

Progress after the first pass of cleaning. Hmm.

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Henry @2600.me · 12/09/2026

A very sad Tandon PCX followed me home today. Once the home to rodents, it seems. Will it ever work again? 😬

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Henry @2600.me · 11/09/2026

My 1993 Intel Xpress System Deskside. Who knew they built PCs too?! Rocking a DX2/66, 16MB RAM, 1GB Micropolis SCSI, Intel Ethernet and EISA. Mine lost its outer case and front panel somewhere along the way and I’ve since discovered it’s ex-BT. Brilliant ’90s weirdness. 😁 db.2600.me/computers/RH...

Intel Xpress System Deskside LX Base 8TE16F

Intel Xpress System Deskside LX Base 8TE16F 1993 · Intel 486 DX/2 66 · Working

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Henry @2600.me · 26/08/2026

This is just lovely and must have made an enormous difference to so many kids.

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We will always love Dolly! ❤️

Back from the dead: my Tandon PCX. PC clone at £1,195 in ‘86, undercutting IBM and built from tank steel (probably). Oki 8088-10, 640K, 42MB MFM disk. Took a PSU repair, a replacement bus transceiver, and a custom FlashFloppy board I built for the 5.25” bay. Now working. db.2600.me/computers/RH-K3MP

Introduced in 1986, the Tandon PCX was the entry level model in their range of IBM PC compatibles aimed at the business market. At £1,195 it easily undercut IBM, and what buyers got for the money was ...

Tandon PCX TM6001A

Oh very cool! Will they end up on display in the Cave? Would be very interested to see them.

well hello stranger 👋

It’s unlikely to make you rich, but the journey will be fun! 🤩

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This one is simultaneously an utter beast, and relatively agile for 1986!

Yeah I think so, more or less.

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Yeah! The link is my own website and shows where I got it.

I’ve been trying to get back into BlueSky, posting select bits of my retro hoard while away on hols. Hopefully the posts are valued in some way! 😍

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My 1985 GRiDCASE 2. An 8086 portable with 512KB RAM, magnesium case and a proper full-size keyboard. GRiD were building serious portable PCs while most “portables” were still the size of a suitcase. Mine needs some work, but it’s a lovely bit of kit. db.2600.me/computers/RH...

Grid GRiDCASE 2 (Philips PC200)

Grid GRiDCASE 2 (Philips PC200) 1985 · Intel 8086 · Faulty

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Henry @2600.me · 23/08/2026

That’s a great idea. I have a few of those and had no idea they used the same keycaps. Brilliant.

Henry @2600.me · 23/08/2026

My Olivetti M21 is quite rare. It’s the portable sibling of the M24, sharing its 8086 16-bit CPU and of course full IBM PC compatibility. Mine has 640K, twin 360K drives and of course the stunning 9” amber CRT. Very Italian, very 1984. Ciao! 🇮🇹😍 db.2600.me/computers/RH...

Olivetti Personal Computer M21

The Olivetti M21 is a distinctive luggable computer introduced in 1984, combining IBM PC compatibility with Olivetti’s renowned industrial design. Built around an Intel 8086 processor, it featured an ...

Henry @2600.me · 22/08/2026

Yeah, my one does boot sometimes so I guess replacement capacitors in the power supply and possibly on the mainboards too might be in order. If I can figure out the pinout I might just replace the whole thing with a Meanwell or similar. 😂

Henry @2600.me · 21/08/2026

Interesting to know that. They’re really hard to find these days in any condition let alone working! Every one I’ve found has really bad capacitors and obviously no working hard disk. £56 for a fully working PC must have been an incredible bargain?!

Henry @2600.me · 21/08/2026

Amstrad showed the industry how to build an affordable PC for the masses. The PC2286 sadly didn’t continue the trend, with ST277R reliability issues and a bizarre two-board motherboard. Still, the PC1512 and PC1640 helped pave the way for the affordable PCs we have today. db.2600.me/computers/RH...

Amstrad PC2286 1989 · Intel 286-10 · Partially working

Amstrad PC2286

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Reposted by Henry

More Fun Making It @morefunmakingit.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Ok. I am gutted and really sorry to say that the servers are all gone. Over 1600 members on RHD and some lowlife deleted it forever with a click. Also stole a bunch of money from my account. I will make an update video and post that here when I get home. Whatever happens we are going to rebuild.

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Henry @2600.me · 12/06/2026

Can't want for mine to show up :-D

Flamelily @flamelily.co.uk · 12/06/2026

Reposted by Henry

We have the brand NEW PicoMEM 2 in stock now. Such a nice product from Freddy. Huge upgrade to the version 1 which we will still sell for the cost conscious buyer. Get them here shop.flamelily.co.uk/picomem2

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Henry @2600.me · 22/03/2026

Thanks for the post @fuzzweed.co.uk and the rt @janbeta.net ❤️

Henry @2600.me · 15/02/2026

Beautiful 😍

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Henry @2600.me · 04/10/2025

FlashFloppy running on my OpenFlops board connected to a VFD in an IBM 5150 (with its lid off). Is there anything more beautiful? 😍