iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

My daughter was very excited upon learning I met Maccy @maccy.me

Me posing with Maccy - a classic Mac-based puppet, wearing a rainbow Mac hat!

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I say this every year, but seriously: the Vintage Computer Festival is my favorite show of the year.

A SWTP computer (circa '76ish) with matching TV Typewriter II. A small, black and white 70s monitor sits atop the TV Typewriter. The TV Typerwriter is a wedge shape, framed with black painted wood, and has a chrome panel behind the keyboard keys.

An 80s era front projection TV. Three tubes, about 4in in diameter, sit below, one for each color of the RGB standard. A mirror reflects the combined image up onto a curved, 30ish inch screen perched atop the main unit.

A Mark-8 computer. It original debuted as a set of instructions courtesy of a 1974 issue of Radio-Electronics. It has a a front panel festooned with flat toggle switches, and three rows of red LEDs for indicators.

An analog computer: a Heathkit EC-1 ! It has a large front panel with banana plug jacks for the interface, and is connected to an oscilloscope for output.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Still got all three of these bad boys if anyone wants one!

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Joe's Computer Museum @museumjoe.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I installed a .webp import plugin for my ancient version of Paint Shop Pro 9.... just so I could open and convert them to literally anything else.

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🏳️‍⚧️Jet Set Willært (Critical Kate) @katewillaert.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This was so long ago that I forgot exactly what we discussed, and laughed so hard when the opening line (after Nate’s five minute intro on what’s been up) is me saying: “So Nate, how many hours are we thinking of doing this, just so I can laugh when we go over?” Chat, we went over.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

More than a year after recording it, here's a new episode of the Memory Machine! What exactly *is* the first "personal computer"? We assembled a stacked roundtable discussion to get to the bottom of it! memorymachinepod.com/2026/08/24/m...

memorymachinepod.com

Memory Machine #73 – What is the first Personal Computer?

What would you think is the first ‘personal computer’? I’m sure a lot of folks would say the Apple II, or at least would suggest Apple as having created a very early computer. May…

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

In just a few moments, I should have another episode of my podcast up. First new one *in over a year*. Wild.

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Outbursts Of Everett True @everetttrue.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The Muskegon Chronicle July 12,1922

P1 - EVERETT IS AT THE MENS CLUB WHEN A MAN SITTING IN A EASY CHAIR ASKS HIM A RUDE QUESTION
MAN: FEEL TO BE FAT AS YOU ARE?

P2- EVERETT SITS ON THE MAN AND ALL THE MAN CAN DO IS WIGGLE HIS HANDS AND FEET
EVERETT: I'LL LET YOU BE THE JUDGE OF THAT !!!

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Continuing the board sales - have you ever wanted to hardwire your ROMs like some deranged sicko? Well, here's some 16x8-bit diode matrix boards. $5 each plus shipping.

A diode-matrix ROM PCB, roughly the size of an index card. Contains enough room for 16 8-bit words.

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osolabstech.bsky.social @osolabstech.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Together at last!! Today arrived the Kim-1 pcb thanks to @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social !! Now lets build it!!

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

KIM-1 boards are gone - but worry not! I still have ZX81, ELF II, MSX1 boards, and more! Check out the thread!

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Only two left of the KIM-1 boards, and one is pending!

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

It's time for a late summer, PCB garage sale! Aka - I ordered too many of these things and would like to recoup some costs. First up: KIM-1 replica with RIOT adapter board and keypad - $35 3 sets left

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AtariSpot // rob @atarispot.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

If you missed it… hey, I’m alive! I’ve got a new site going so that I can put things somewhere that isn’t social media. The first truly new post is about a heretofore undocumented 2600 clone console manufactured in a state-owned factory in China. Much more to come! theatari.spot/blog/2026-07...

theatari.spot

Shanghai's Dazzling 2600 Clone: Apollo-8 TV GAME

The 新建 (Xinjian) XJ 8811 -- a beautiful Atari clone console from a Chinese state-owned factory.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Don't want this to get lost under my initial post - follow all these talented, brilliant people I met at the Save the Games symposium this year!

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Kevin Bunch (ubersaurus) @atariarchive.org · 01/08/2026

Having recently purchased a tripod I've started a playlist on YouTube of video recordings of arcade machines, primarily those that are rare, quite old, and/or unemulated. Feel free to pull from these as you see fit! They're all creative commons. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

youtube.com

Video recordings of arcade machines - YouTube

Video footage of various arcade machines of interest that I've come across, typically ones that are pretty uncommon, old, or unemulated. Since these are gene...

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VideoGameDocs @gamedocs.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

PEAKachu

Phil Salvador’s final slide that has a high resolution image of a Pikachu TCG card that says “Thanks for coming” and “Hell yeah brother”

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Had the privilege this week to present at the Save the Games symposium at the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY! I met so many wonderful people, reconnected with many others, and saw some brilliant presentations. (Photos courtesy of @playhistory.bsky.social and @ftb1979.bsky.social )

A photo of me beginning my presentation. I'm standing at a glass podium. To my left is the slide presentation (with wood paneling background!)

My demonstration setup. To the left are the circuit boards, the middle has the screen, and the left has a book and printed schematics. The screen displays a good guy square on the bottom, and a row of bad guy squares on top that descend slowly. The goal is to eliminate them all before they reach the bottom.

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Play History @playhistory.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

@nathaniellockhart.bsky.social set up an excellent demonstration of 1970s TTL video games that fascinated the public.

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Kevin Bunch (ubersaurus) @atariarchive.org · 30/07/2026

Played some absolute Bronze Age beauties at Arcade 80s today. Much obliged to @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social and @atarispot.bsky.social for getting in on these matches!

Winner IV, a Pong clone for up to 4 players.

Kee Games’ Tank, which admittedly was not working properly due to a fried edge connector.

Atari’s Anti Aircraft, gorgeously restored and running perfectly.

Bailey International’s Fun Four, a Pong clone for up to 4 people with multiple game modes. Most notably, it includes a fairly unique one where each side is defending a series of targets instead of a goal, making it a proto-Warlords style game.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Come see me! Maybe get garbage plates, drink some Genny, and play ancient video games!

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Andrew Borman @borman.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Save the Games. July 29 and 30. Rochester, NY. Worried about our all-digital future? Want to know how researchers interact with game history? What the challenges that game studios are facing? All that and more, just weeks away. www.museumofplay.org/save-the-gam...

museumofplay.org

Save the Games: A Digital Preservation Symposium - The Strong National Museum of Play

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

It's been a helluva week leading up to Save the Games 🫠 In the past two weeks, the following has happened: - bought a house in Buffalo - my car died - impromptu got an arcade machine - got a major check I was depending on from a client, only to have the bank hold it for a week

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

With apologies to Action Retro, totally normal things are happening in the Lockhart Electronics workshop

A Sharp Twin Famicom connected to a boom box CRT. The screen is 5in in size, black and white, and is displaying the title screen for SMB2 (jp). The setup is on my somewhat messy workbench.

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Play History @playhistory.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

One week until the Save the Games conference is on! Big moment in my year. www.museumofplay.org/save-the-gam... I'll be presenting as well as watching colleagues like @philsalv.bsky.social @sega-16.bsky.social @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social and @crespiguillermo.bsky.social !

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Anyone interested in some new controllers for old consoles/computers? Here's what I have in a final-ish design so far: TRS-80 Color Computer, Atari 7800, Atari 2600 (with built in paddle!), and ColecoVision.

My TRS-80 CoCo joystick. The case is 3D printed. A thumbstick is on the left, and two 3D printed buttons are on the right.

My Atari 7800 controller design. The layout is similar to an NES, with D-pad and two action buttons. A switch is located on the top to swap button 1 and 2.

My controller design for the Atari 2600. The layout is similar to an NES controller, with a d-pad and two action buttons. A knob is located to the upper left of the d-pad for paddle controller. A switch is on the right should of the controller to switch function between joystick and paddle.

A pile of my ColecoVision controllers. Again, these feature an NES controller layout, but a 12 button keypad sits in the middle, providing full Coleco keypad functionality. Two shoulder buttons act as the extra Super Action Controller buttons.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

FINALLY getting back to my board revision of the diy 70s video game Stormtrooper Attack. It's been a while since I've worked on these projects, but it feels just like riding a bike. It's actually back to a playable state, which it hasn't been in since 2021!

My messy workbench, with a ring light illuminating the circuit boards that contain the game and the video generator. The larger board to the left is the game logic, and the smaller board to the right generates the video. The book containing the circuit is open on the bench, turned sideways to properly view the schematic.

My Commodore 1702 monitor displaying the game. It's very rudimentary. A row of eight squares at the top are the 'stormtroopers', and a small square on the bottom of the screen represents your player. The stormtroopers slowly move down the screen toward the player. The goal is to eliminate them all before they get to the bottom.

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SEGA-16 @sega-16.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I just got this baby back, and she is looking mighty fine! Recapped and screen modded! Thanks to @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social for the awesome mod job!

An image of my Game Gear alongside the box for Shinobi II.

A closeup of my Game Gear, playing Shinobi II on a new, modded screen.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I've crossed the threshold - I cannot be saved from my fate of collecting arcade cabs

A 1974 video arcade game (Ramtek Deluxe Baseball) sitting on a pallet with straps. Game has a mustard yellow bezel, and wood veneer.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I just had to make a games disk for this Kaypro before I got it back to the client

A Kaypro 2x running a game of Star Trek. The display is a 5 in CRT with green phosphor. Two floppy disk drives are to the right of the screen, embedded in the case. The large, sheet metal-cased keyboard is folded down in front of it.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I found a Sam's Photofact schematic online for free! Today's gonna be a good day.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

After doing this repair, I feel like writing down some musings

The front of a Kaypro 2x - a "luggable" computer from the early 80s. The screen is green phosphor, and is blinking a cursor. At the top of the screen, it says "KAYPRO 63K CP/M Version 2.36". There are two 5.25 floppy disk drives next to the five inch picture tube.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Testing a Sony 3D Playstation television the only way I know how

A flat-screen Sony 3D TV sitting on top of a dual DVD/VHS machine. On the screen is a scene from Ghost of Frankenstein where Ygor the hunchback (played by Bela Lugosi) peers over the shoulder of Dr Frankenstein.

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I'll bet this will make for a fine soup

The main board of a Crown D150A amplifier (circa 1971). It's still connected to the beefy metal chassis, and is just *caked* in dust.

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Nate Ehlers @supernatetendo.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Here's a better peak at what the BioCreeps controller will more or less look like! #biocreeps

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I'm so excited to finally share this! @supernatetendo.bsky.social commissioned me to design and build joysticks as a reward for his Kickstarter on his new NES game, BioCreeps!

kickstarter.com

BioCreeps

An Action Arcade-Style Game for the NES

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diyelectromusic @diyelectromusic.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/12/2025

Just finished reading this. The techniques described are nothing short of phenomenal. It does make me wonder what would be possible with such care these days. Totally impractical of course to write code like this for a modern application, but still, think […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Photo of the book cover for the book "Making Games for the Atari 2600" by Steven Hugg. Cover shows a happy cartoon child holding an Atari 2600 joystick with a range of fantasy creatures behind them and a rainbow coming from the joystick heading right over a TV and Atari 2600 VCS console they are looking at. The TV is showing a frame from a game. There is something I can't; identify sitting on top and to the rear of the VCS. If anyone reading this has an idea what it might be, do elaborate in the replies!

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Jordan Raftronaut Davis @raftronaut.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Hard agree. It’s a rare privilege to get to hang out with these folks in person and talk about our creative hobbies. MGC is an absolutely fantastic resource for the home brew community. Giving us a chance to meet, socialize, and exhibit like this. Favorite weekend of the year 👾

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Nathaniel Lockhart @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

The Midwest Gaming Classic this year was SO MUCH fun. I spent so much time talking to so many cool people, that I hardly took any pictures!

Jamie Fenton being interviewed by Paul Drury of the Ted Dabney Experience Podcast

A selfie of me while my wife kicks my ass at Jurassic Park Pinball

Me talking at a panel about 70s arcade games. To the left is Kate Willaert who speaheaded the discussion, and to the left is Ethan Johnson. Not pictured is Alex Smith. Credit to Nick Guida for the photo, who titled this photo "Nate Baptizing Ethan".

Stained glass window inside one of the buildings of the old Pabst brewing facilities. It depicts a king holding a glass of beer, while a child stands before him, having symbols of health and prosperity bestowed upon them.

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Play History @playhistory.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

We'll be rolling with a crew including Alex and Jeffrey of @theycreateworlds.bsky.social, @onemillionpower.com, @mrtalida.bsky.social, @nathaniellockhart.bsky.social, @atarispot.bsky.social, @katewillaert.bsky.social, and Mystery Guests. Join us for the merryment of nerding!

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Keith Stuart @keefstuart.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Hi I wrote about the making of classic platformerChuckie Egg and talked to its creator Nigel Alderton. Please give it a read as I want to show there’s an audience for this gaming history stuff 🙏 www.theguardian.com/games/2026/a...

theguardian.com

‘People still remember it 40 years later’: the making of Chuckie Egg

The iconic game that came to define 8-bit programming still conjures flutters of nostalgia 40 years on – all thanks to a 15-year-old tea boy who worked a Saturday shift in a computer shop in Greater M...

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