#geminimicrocomputers — Public Fediverse posts

Here's a weird thing I found, while restoring my old #CPM computers from #GeminiMicrocomputers: while there were models available with Winchester drives (that's harddisks for you young folks), the setup was a little weird. This was the time of the #MFM and RLL harddrives, used by other systems such as the IBM 5150. Easily recognizable by having two flat ribbon cables instead of just one for each drive. RLL was a little more tightly packed with capacity, but basically the same concept - required slightly different controllers though.

Anyway, back to the Gemini. It featured a #SASI interface, which is sort of an early version of #SCSI. Did you connect a drive directly to it? Noooo. You connected a #Xebec SCSI/MFM controller. Did that require a lot of weird SCSI commands for telling the Xebec what disk was attached? Of course. Compared to how it's done today, very backwards.

Which meant I had zero luck with my new #zuluscsi device. https://zuluscsi.com/

I've got a plan B though.

Anyone up for a game of #Zork on a GM905 system from #GeminiMicrocomputers featuring a #z80 processor, 64K memory and dual #gotek floppy emulators running #FlashFloppy? Eh? 😜

#CPM #vintagecomputing

I'm designing a 5.25" front for the Gotek floppy emulator that will go in my #GeminiMicrocomputers. It's vertical, has a #rotaryencoder, a 1.3" OLED display and a big fat red 5mm LED. I think it's going to look sort of period correct, if you disregard the presence of the OLED.

And yeah, this is a test run so dimensions are minimal and color is whatever was on the #Prusa #3dprinter.

#vintagecomputing

So my dad and I went on a last #roadtrip together. We rarely spoke, and almost never about personal things. He had two other families after mine, and gave most of his attention to the people right in front of him. That unfortunately meant that both of his grandchildren missed out on their grandfather and vice versa, which is probably the thing I'm most sad about. Fortunately we managed to catch up a bit during the last three months before he died.

When we spoke, we spoke about electronics and computers. The car is full of ancient vintage computers I saved from his estate. For the curious, it's Z80 based, #Nascom compatible computers from #GeminiMicrocomputers. More about that later.

So here he is, and so are some of his things. Peculiar how I'm flooded with emotion, when I hold some of the tools that I remember from growing up in his computer workshop. It was one of the few things we shared and he taught me - #computers and #electronics.

#loss #death #urn #dads