Falcon 030 Power 2/F030_POWER2.iso/ST_STE/MAGS/MAGGIE22.ARJ/magg22st.msa/DATA/RETRO.DOC/RETRO.DOC

Text File | 1997-01-16 | 19KB | 340 lines

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AntiquesRoadshow!

ÇWhatiswhereintheRetrocomputingmarket..

Somerecentsecondhandpricesofcommonandlesscommonhardwaremakes
forsomerevealingreading..

Atari2600VCS..(probablyoriginalfakewood-panelleddashboardof
MarkIII1973FordCortinalookmodel)PeopleattendinganyAtariShows
inthelastcoupleofyearswouldhavegotabargainforatenner(as
newandboxed)..Thesearenowholdingat25UKP..

Commodore64andZXSpectrum..Fairlycommonhardware,bothtypically
sellforaround35UKP..(Carbootsalesoftenhavethissortofprice
levelwithafullcollectionofsoftwareandperipherals)..

OriginalOric(similartoearlyZXSpectrum,6502processorand
calculatorstylekeyboard)describedas"Rarebutunloved.."Ohdear!

SinclairZX81,frommemory,Ithinkthiswasabout25UKP..

Nowwearegettingexpensive..

OneexampleofaSinclairZX80,thepredecessortotheZX81,was
reportedtohavesoldat250UKP!Itisnotknownifthiswasaone-
off,orreflectiveofthegneralpricelevel,butZX80'swerenot
nearlyascommonasZX81's,whichwaspracticallythefirstmassmarket
hardwarehereintheUK..

ThewinnerintheretrocomputercollectorspieceraceistheVectrex
Console..Thiswasamachinewithitsownbuilt-inmonitorscreen,and
workedinasimilarwaytoalotofearlyAtariarcadehardware..It
putvectorlines,ratherthanpixelsontothescreen.."Colour"changes
wereachievedbyaddingcolouredstripsoftransparentplastictothe
screen!Arecentexamplechangedhandsforover400UKP!!Peripherals
forthismachineareevenrarerthantheactualunititself,and
commandevenhigherprices..

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Itwillbeinterestingtoseewhatbecomes'valuable'intheeyesof
collectorsnext..Myownpersonalcandidatesforcollectibilityinclude
suchlonglostmachinesastheJupiterAce,CamputersLynx,Elan
Enterprise(whydidIsellmine?))andeventheSinclairQL..

ThingsliketheBBCcomputerswerejusttoocommon,andtheMSXseries
wereabittoobland,althoughthededicatedYamahaMSXbasedmusic
computermightbecomeacollectibleaswell..

Totrytoguesswherethebestplacetoputyourmoneymightbe..

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SinclairZX80,andearliermachinessuchasMark14programmable
Calculator..Yep,theZX80isalreadycommandingahugeprice,andthe
Mark14isevenrarer..(1980)

SinclairZX81..Nope,therearejusttoomanyZX81'sshovedawayinto
atticstomakeittrulycollectible..Acompletesetwithsome
interestingperipheralsmightmakeitmoreofaninvestment,say
Sinclairbrandedthermalprinterwithoriginalsilverpaper..Someone
evendidhi-res(256x192pixels)graphicsadapters,andacolour
adapterthatneverreallyworked..(1981)

SinclairZXSpectrum..Cheapandcheerfulandtoomanyofthem,
collectibilitydestroyedbyitsoriginalsuccess..Thisisonewhichis
oftenemulatedbysoftware,givingeasieraccesstotheclassicgames
thantheoriginalcouldeverprovide..(1982tolateeighties)Early
original'RubberKeys'machinewithfullSinclairorangemanuals
better..

SinclairQL..Theirlastcomputer..Possibly,itwasthefirst
affordable16-bitMotorolabasedmachinebeforeAtariandCommodoregot
there..BasedonMotorola68008,whichwasacut-down68000with8-bit
busaccess..Neatmatt-blackstylingandroundedkeys..Computingfor
theyuppieHabitatgeneration....HamperedbyMicrodrivestorage..
Neverreallymassmarket,butstillfairlypopularwithanactive
Sinclairloyalistusercultureforalongtimeafter..Collectiblein
nottoodistantfuture?(1984-5)

CommodorePet..Atrueantique(c.1977?)withsomefairlyradical
stylingforthetime,veryearlyexampleshadacalculatortype
keyboard..6502basedandintegralgreenscreenmonitor..Notalot
doinginthesoundandgraphicsdept..Aworkhorsecomputerwhich
turnedupinalotofeducationalestablishmentsandgotworkedto
deathaccordingly..Alsohada'secret'ROMaccessorpokewhichcould
damagethehardware..Couldgoeitherway,butI'dbetfully
functioningsurvivorsareveryrare..

CommodoreVic20..FirstCommodoremassmarketcomputer..Overshadowed
bysubsequentsuccessofCommodore64..Maybecollectiblewithfull
setofperipherals..(c.1980?)

Commodore64..Nope,sameargumentsagainstasforZXSpectrum..More
famousforthegamesthanthehardwareandmuchemulatedaswell..
(1983-present)

CommodoreC16andPlus4series.OneofCommodoreslesscomprehensible
fitsofmadnesspre-CDTV..Offeringabsolutelynothing,andindeed
somewhatlessinmostareas,overtheirworldbeatingC64,apartfrom
somecheapandcheerfulproductivitysoftwareintheROMofthePlus
4..NoonewantedtheC16nowtheycouldhave48/64KofRAMonother
computers,andthemoredemandinggamesthatranonthese..ThePlus4
wasmarginallymoreusefulwithafull64KofRAM..Bothmachines
quietlyslippedoutofsightthereafter..(1984-5)Miscellenynote,
Tat,ourlead3-DeffectsandswirlythingscoderonceownedaPlus
Four!

Commodore128..ChunkierlookingunitthantheclassicC64..Itran
both6502andZ80processors,theformertocashinontheC64
hardware,thelatteranattempttogetsomeeasy'business'credibility
withaccesstoCP/M,theearlyuniversalsoftwarestandard..SeeC64
above..

AppleIIseries..Thefirsthome/hobbyistcomputer,thatstarteditall
off..NotreallybighereintheUKandabittooAmericanformeto
judge..(1976on)

AppleLisa..ThepredecessortotheMac,lessofaviablecomputerand
moreofabetatestlaboratoryformostoftheideasthatwereusedin
theMacandothercomputerssuchastheST,Amiga,andWindowsPC..A
commercialflop,veryexpensiveinitially,rareasaresult,and
probablyverycollectibleifyouhaveone!

AtariVCSseriesconsole,2600onwards..Abudgetoptionfor
collectors..The£25'official'listpricebeliesthefactthatsome
realbargainscanbefoundatcarbootsalesandsuchlike..Youmight
bebetterofftryingtolookforraregamecartridgesaswell..(1978on)

Atari8-Bitcomputers,400serieson..Verytechnicallyadvancedfor
theirdaywithfirst'custom'hardware..Stillviablecodinghardware
inE.Europe..Notsureaboutthese,nevercametoprominenceinthis
countryasinitiallyexpensivebutsoldforagesatretailsonotthat
uncommoneither,mightbemoreofahotitemintheUS..Again,rare
modelsnotavailableintheUKandperipheralsmightbeyourbestbet..
GoodfordemocollectorswithdecentE.Europeancontacts!(1980on?)

AcornAtom..ThefirstAcornhomecomputer,pre-BBCandprehome
computerboom,basedarounda6502cpu,andoftenbuiltupfromkit
form..Curiosityvaluefromtheamateursoldererhobbyistdays..(1980?)

**Otherkitbuildmachinespre-ZX81**

UK101,thefullsystemendedupwithabout8KofRAM..Picturesofthis
unitalwaysseemedtoshowitinacase-offposeforsomereason..

Tangerinecomputer..Theendresultwasquitearespectablepieceof
kitinahugemetalbox..

****

AcornBBCseries..Amachinethatwasinitiallyexpensive..Somepeople
hadtowaitayearfordelivery,andonlyreallycaughtoninschools,
whereitvastlyoutlivedwhatwouldhavebeenitsnaturallifespanin
thehomecomputingmarket..6502basedwithruggedhardware,good
software,decentfirmware,gooddisk(5.25inch)handling,expandable,
anditplayedameangameofElite!Theclassiccomputerbuffsmachine,
butnotreallythatrare..ModelAhad16KofRAManddisappeared
quickly,theubiquitiousModelB,auseable32KRAM..AlsoBBC64kand
Master128klateronaswell(Announcedendof1981)

AcornElectron..Ultimatelyunsuccessfulattempttomakeacheapcut
downcoffeetableversionoftheBBC..Throughamiracleofcost
engineering,thecomplexBBCinnardswereshoehornedintoabijouhalf-
sizedkeyboard..Properkeysstill,butmostoftheportsthatmadethe
BBCuniquelyusefultoschoolsandhobbyistswerelost..Partofthe
problemwasthatthis'cheap'Acornmachinestartedoutnot
particularlycheapandlostgroundtoothermorepopularcomputers..
Thesestillquitecommon,althoughnotquiteasmuchasSpeccys(1983?)

JupiterAce..BestdescribedasawhiteZX81lookalikeandathrowback
tothehobbyistcomputerdaysasitusedFORTHratherthanBASICasits
onboardlanguage..Ex-SinclairResearchfolkdidthisone..Z80based,
smallRAM(about4k,Ithink)limitedpotentialandthustroddeninto
thedirtbytherisingZXSpectrumandCommodore64homecomputers..
Quirkyandrareenoughtocollect..(1982)

Oric..ThecompanywhomadetheTangerine(cf)attemptedtotacklethe
emerginghomecomputermarketwiththiseffort..ItwasaZXSpectrum
concept-a-like,with6502mainprocessor,calculatorstylekeys,about
thesameamountofRAMandanoddlypositionedresetbuttonunderneath
themachinewhichmeantthatyouhadtofliptheunitovertoreset
it....Italsohadarealsoundchipthatallowed"authentic"arcade
soundssuchas'ping'and'explode'..Itwasalsoheavilybuggedand
didnotcatchontoomuch..ThesubsequentanddebuggedOricAtmos,
withanewcaseandcut-downrealkeyboardfollowedon,butitwastoo
late..Afurthermoretechnicallyadvancedmodel,theStratosmayhave
hadalimitedreleaseinFrancebeforethecompanywentbust..
Describedas'rarebutunloved'incollectingcircles..Couldbeoneto
watchinthefuture??(1982)

Dragon32..AppearedatthesametimeastheSinclairZXSpectrumand
attemptedtorivalit..SamelineageasTandyColourcomputer,used
earlyMotorola6809cpu..Brittleplasticfeelandinfinitelygreen
screendisplay..ParentcompanytakenoverbyMettoy,whodevelopedthe
'professional'Dragon64,(64KRAM)basedaroundfloppydisks,whoalso
thenwentbust..Quitepopularinitsday..Collectorsappeal..Wait
aroundabitlongertosee?(1982)

Vectrex..Outofeveryone'spricerange!!Seethe'MaggieGuidetoa
classicVideogameLifestyle'forfutherdetails..

TandyTRS80..Acompletehome/officejackofalltradessystem..Built
aroundthewinningZ80/CP/Mcombination,thiswasthefirst'proper'
computerformanypeople.Startingwithatape-drivensystemwith
negligibleRAMetc,andbuiltupintoquitearespectableworkstation
withfloppydrives,dedicatedmonitoretc..Mostfamoususerofoneof
thesewasIsaacAsimovwhohadquiteaheftyW/PsetupandTandyCorp
madesuretherestoftheworldknew..Ultimatelyfellbehindas
lackingcolourgraphicsandsound,thismachinefallsfirmlyintothe
'pre-goldenageofhomecomputing'camp..ProbablymoreUSthanUK
interestasatitsheightpre-Sinclair..(1979?)

TandyColourComputer..(SeeDragon32)LesscharismaticUScousinof
theDragon32,usedmuchthesamefirmware,adullercasedesign,but
notquitefullysoftwarecompatible..UsedtobeseeninTandystores
everywhere..SameinterestlevelasawetWednesdaymorning..(1982?)

NewBrain..FunnylittleZ80basedcomputerthathadafairlydecent
specforitsday,andwassoldasa'serious'homemachinewihoffice
typesoftware..Distinctivekeyboard,lostoutasnotabletofitinas
adecenthomeentertainmentmachine,oraproperhigh-specbusiness
tool..(1982)Thesewillberare..

TexasInstrumentsTi99series..Afairlyseriousearlyattemptatdoing
anintegratedhomecomputeralaAtari.Smartdesign,properkeyboard,
expensivecartridgebasedsoftware,evenanearly16-bitCPUofTexas
Instrumentsowndesign..Successdidnotfollow,asthemachineswere
pitchedtoohigh,thenludicrouslycheap..Acutdownversionfoolishly
followedatthetimethatSinclairandCommodorewerestartingtomake
giantstridesinthefieldofhomecomputing,anditwasalloverfor
them..Nowadays,TexasInstrumentsquietlydowhattheyshouldhave
stucktointhefirstplace,makingIC'sforairtogroundmissiles,or
something..Veryrareasoneofthefirstmakestodropout..Isawone
withafullsetofmanualsatacarbootsalelocallyonce!!(1980?)

Osborne..Notahomecomputerreally,butnotablehereasthefirst
attemptataportablesystem,longbeforetheterm'Laptop'hadbeen
invented..Thiswasa'luggable',liketryingtocarryaveryheavy
suitcasewiththecombinedweightofcomputerandbatterypack..These
werealsothetimesbeforetheterm'LiquidCrystalflatscreen'had
beencoined,ithaditsownsmallcathoderaytubemonitoraswell
builtintothecase..Quiteexpensivebackthen,andsoldasabusiness
machine..AsitwasZ80based,CP/M,the'Windows'ofitsdaywasthe
mainoperatingsystem..Acollectorscuriosityforpeoplewhohave
everythingapartfromahernia..(1982?)

MattelAquarius..ToyfirmMattel'sentrytothehomecomputermarket..
Nothingreallytowritehomeabout..(1982)

CamputersLynx..Thismighthavehadex-Sinclairpeopleinvolvedinit
aswell..Seemedtobeasubconsciousattempttoremedytheworst
defectsoftheZXSpectrum,asithadproperkeyboard,andalarge
chunkofthe48Kmemorywasdedicatedtothescreendisplay..Self
consciouslyheldeachindividualpixelinmemory,sonoscreen
attributeclash..However,theamountofuserRAMleftwaspitiful,
about13K,Ithink.Therewasan80Kmodelaswell,butthisdidnot
saveitfrombecomingoneoflife'salso-rans..Adevotedusergroup
keptitgoingforalongtimeafteritceasedtobe..Probablycoolto
collectifyoucanfindone..(1983)

TatungEinstein..AchunkylookingbeastspawnedbyaFarEastern
companyTatung..ThiswaswrappedaroundtheinevitableZ80CPU,and
cameinaruggedcreamcolouredboxwithupto80KofRAM,andthings
likeCP/Mincluded..Memory,whichsometimesdoesnotservemevery
well,seemstosuggestthatthismachineranfromfloppydrives,and
wasthesortofmachinethatthemonitorsatontopof..Decentbutnot
exceptionalgraphicsandsound..Youmightoccasionallyseeonefor
saleinMicromart..(prob.1984)

MemotechComputer..Anothermachinebasedaroundthethen,ubiquitous
ZilogZ80cpu..Asmartmatt-blackC64stylecase,decent64Kworthof
RAM,okgraphicsandsound,evenmultiplelanguagesbuiltintotheROM
stilldidnotsaveit..(1984?)Nicemachine,butseemstolack
sufficientpersonalitytocollect?Memotechstartedoutbymaking
beautifullyengineerednon-wobblyRAM-packsfortheSinclairZX81..

ElanEnterprise..Oneofthebest8-Bitcomputersthatnevermadeit..
Thegestationwastragicallyover-long,asitwasannouncedin1984,
butdidnotmakeituntilitwastoolateayearlater..Radical
mouldedcasedesign,colour-codedplastickeys,andstubblyjoystick
builtintothekeyboarddistinguishedit..Anothermachinebasedaround
theZ80,butwithdecentcustomhardwaretoo..Thefirsthomecomputer
capableof128KRAM,thesecondhomecomputer(afterAtari8-bit)
capableof256coloursonscreen..Itcouldalsointerlacescreenmodes
togetathenunheardof672x512pixelsonscreen(with128kRAM)..
Withanadd-onmodule,itwasevenabletohandlethethenverynew3.5
inchfloppydisks..

MostsoftwareconsistedofZXSpectrumports,butoneortwoexcellent
games,andastrongusergroup..MadeinGermanyastheMephisto..A
Z80B(6mhz)poweredprofessionalversionwith320KRAMwasannounced,
butnevermade..(1985)Potentiallycollectible,difficulttofind..

AmstradCPCseries..Boring..Thisonewasfloggedlongafteritbecame
adeadhorse..Technicallysound,reliable,widelyavailable
secondhand,successful,blandanddull..Classiccarbootfodder..
Ifthereissuchathingasa'rare'CPCmachine,tryandfindaCPC
664,the64kmodelwitha3inchfloppydrivewhichgotreplacedby
thecommoner128kmodel..(1984)

MSX..VariousJapanesebrandnames..Technicallysound,wellbuilt,but
fightingagainsttheemergenceofSinclairQL,andproto16Bit
market..AlsoretailedcrappilyindisinterestedHiFishops..Also
someanti-JapanesecomputerpressfeelingwhowererattledbyMSX..
TheywerealittletooconservativeforUKtastesaswelltobehonest,
sotheynevertookoff..Individualmachinesweremadewithmore
specifictasksinmind..TheYamahaversionexpandedtobecomeafull
blownFMsynthesiserwithaddonkeyboardandisbothuncommonandwell
worthgetting..Sonydidonecalledthe'HitBit'..Themostcommonone
intheUKwastheToshibaversion,whichwasaratherbland
machine..(1984-5)

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

So,youwannagoandscoresomeserious8-Bitaction,wherecanyou
go??

WellIfindthatagoodplacetostartisMicromart,thesecondhand
sellerspublication,asamongstallthepagesandpagesofPCstuff,
therearestilloddadvertsforclassicmachines..Youjusthavetobe
preparedtowadethroughpagesofgufftogetthere..Thecontacts
pagesinthesamemagazinemayjusthavedetailsofsomesurvivinguser
groupsandlikemindedindividuals..

Carbootsalesareagoodplacetoscoreacompletesystem,oftenwith
softwareatabargainprice,justmakesurethatthethingworks..The
peoplesellingthesearen'tusuallythinkingofacollectorsmarket,
althoughthatmightchangeoneday..

Itrusttheabovehasbeenofsomehelpandmemoriesstirred..Anyone
whowantstofillinanygapsinthisaccountforafutureissue,or
tellmeabouttheir8-Bitcomputingdaysbyallmeansdropmealine..

(C)CiH-Nov'96