I wonder. Does anyone here happen to own a Macrosystem Draco - I have a few questions!

So a few days ago I managed to win an auction for a literally unheard of Macintosh digitiser

I’ve literally just found that someone backed the software up on the Macintosh repository.

Also take a look at that board - this is the first time I’ve ever seen a completely RAMless Z80 system!

Also bodge wire and deadbug components galore

Ah yes, it’s time for another hyper specific question that can only mean I’m back on my bullshit™️

What is the cheapest Amiga RTG Graphics card that you can buy?

I genuinely went a bit mad trying to figure this out. I tried a R65C22P2. An R65C22P4. An R6522. A W65C22N6.

Probably spent about £80 on bloody VIAs.

Also didn’t help that the damn board decided to stop working thanks to the GLUE having a bad connection in the socket 😑

The western digital part could probably work with soldered on pull up resistors, but for a drop in replacement the 65NC22 part just works

PSA for anyone building an SE reloaded or SE/30 reloaded. If the original VIA cannot be used, the best alternative part is a R65NC22P2

This is better than the W65C22N6, as it works with the original RTC, and also works with Tashtaris ADB controller replacement.

This feels like trying to read a phone number written on a receipt that’s been through the wash.

The portable just doesn’t bother LDS, and only uses UDS on A0.

What’s with all this needless faffing about with LDS and an entire extra byte of data?

I love reading code that hasn’t been written by humans.

There is an implementation of the Apple Sound Chip (ASC) that’s used to generate sound on the Macintosh ii, SE/30, the Macintosh Portable and a few others.

This thing is an 8 bit chip, which uses 8 data lines and 12 address lines.

This implementation has somehow turned it into using 16 data lines, and inexplicably adding UDS and LDS (byte selects) from a 68000.

https://github.com/danifunker/lbmactwo_MiSTer/blob/main/rtl/asc.sv

Does anyone here have a HyperDrive for the Macintosh by any chance?

Oh hey! The Sinclair TV I picked up actually works!

Aha, I do have a photo of the mouse card replica!

It’s also worth noting that the Pico boards for the Apple ii can also emulate a mouse card.

However, there’s something nice about building a 1:1 replica of a card - which I’ve already designed.

The github repository also has the PAL equations and the firmware - I just need to build my own card!

I must admit I didn’t exactly do anything ground breaking. The firmware had been dumped here:

https://github.com/freitz85/AppleIIMouse

The file is “6805.bin”, and using an appropriate programmer (in my case an LV48), a replacement 68705 was programmed. I didn’t even need to change any of the firmware- it just worked!

It’s still relatively funny to me that I boot my Apple IIe from a SCSI CD drive. It’s like sure it works but it’s the most round about way of doing it.

Anyway here is the proof! The chip with the “mouse” label is the one I replaced

Apparently my hobby is reverse engineering Apple “custom” ICs from the 80s.

Here’s another one that I’ve finally gotten around to testing - the 6805 microcontroller in the Apple ii mouse card can be replaced with a 68705P3!

I’ve just had a horrifying realisation that the Volvo 740 my dad had whilst I was growing up in the 2000s was *newer* than my VW Polo

I have a feeling I may have been had by Aliexpress.
Ordered five PSRAM ICs, and all of the ones I’ve tested didn’t work.

Checked the original listing and… it’s suspiciously disappeared 😑

I’ve finally been able to power up the Widget drive! Next question - is this normal behaviour?

The drive has powered up, the solenoid has clunked back - but the status LED is flashing rather than continuously solid.

Oh my god. A cafe near my work sent us their new menu.

It’s all AI slop.

This is the most unappetising thing I’ve ever seen