From the workbench
Old computers, software archives, restorations, and repairs.
My v2 build spec for an all-in-one cyberdeck built around AMD's BC-250 mining board, a printed slim console case, a 15.6-inch touch panel, and Bazzite running the niri window manager.
The retro workbench · Note 11 ↗A quick way to make sense of the flood of Anbernic, Miyoo, Retroid and TrimUI handhelds, by grouping them by the chip inside, plus the custom firmware worth knowing and why the shape matters more than the spec sheet.
The emulation bench · Note 2 ↗The console that was a hit in Japan as the PC Engine and an also-ran in America as the TurboGrafx-16. Its odd 8-bit and 16-bit hardware, the first CD add-on, the games worth playing, and how to play them now.
Console field guide · Note 2 ↗My parts list and order of operations for turning a Pentium 4 Dell Optiplex GX280 into a period-correct Windows XP gaming machine.
The retro workbench · Note 9 ↗The parts list, the free operating systems and the honest performance expectations for a Raspberry Pi 4 emulation box, plus how much storage each system really needs.
The emulation bench · Note 1 ↗The five or so years when arcade games went from a novelty to everywhere, from Space Invaders to Dragon's Lair, the technology that changed on the way, and why it all fell off a cliff in 1983.
Console field guide · Note 1 ↗
