This video shows a nice way to use radial capacitors in place of axials. Radials are cheap and easy to find. Axials are getting more tricky to find, but are common in some old kit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeCVt2T-YSo
2013-10-22
More gear lust - the PentaVixen VSD100F3.8
This looks awesome.
http://vixen.co.jp/lp/vsd.htm
The spot diagrams are very impressive - the new lens formula with one extra element seems to be making a clear improvement over the old Pentax SDUF. Hopefully it's as well constructed as the old Pentax.
http://vixen.co.jp/lp/vsd.htm
The spot diagrams are very impressive - the new lens formula with one extra element seems to be making a clear improvement over the old Pentax SDUF. Hopefully it's as well constructed as the old Pentax.
Oita trip - part 1
Short note.
Usually I keep track on Yahoo Auction in Japan for astronomy related stuff, especially rare optics, something I'm sure my wife wishes I would stop. However, this time I decided on getting a retro computer. Originally I was considering a SORD M5, but didn't like the mad prices. I initially decided on a Toshiba HX-10 - a pretty canonical MSX.
However, I went on a bit of an MSX frenzy.
First I got a Toshiba HX-20, with broken video output. I suspect it's most likely the video RAM, but it could potentially be the ROM holding the character set (unlikely, as the thing boots), the video chip itself, or (hopefully not) some custom logic chip. I liked the idea of fixing this up, and also getting an extra slot over the HX-10. I'll probably replace all the caps, and maybe some of the regulators with more modern versions that spew out less heat. It also needs a good clean.
Then I decided I wanted a higher end machine, too, an MSX2+. I ended up getting into a bidding war on a very nicely restored Sony HB-F1XDJ. It's been re-capped and very well cleaned. I avoided the Sanyo and Panasonic kit as they were extremely ugly (even if some of the specs were better).
The guy who restored it has a thing for old computers, and has a blog. Amusingly, he got a couple of keys out of place when he put the keyboard back together, so I'll have to fix those. Those who like boxed, pristine computers will not like the fact that I'm going to remove that fugly sticker, and also most likely hack the internals to add more RAM. This thing is about the size of an Amiga A500, maybe a little smaller.
The keyboards on both of these machines are pretty nice mechanical keyboards. Not something you can say for many 80's home computers.
These both arrived before I left Japan, so I was able to bring them back with me. I also bought a Yamaha CX-11, which arrived the day after I left and will be sent on.
Note: the Sharp X-68000 series is way cool. I must resist.
I took my Vixen Sphinx SXW mount with me. I've only used this a few times in the past couple of years, the most memorable time being at a public outreach event with TASOS. I've tried selling it before, but found it hard to get a decent price locally, and it's kind of heavy and not high-end enough to ship internationally. So, having previously purchased the GINJI 200FN, which is over the limit for my Vixen GP, both kept at my in-laws in Japan, I decided to take the SXW and leave it there. No need for a tripod as the tripod I have for the GP works for the SXW, and the half-pillar, which I also took.
In the photo above, there are various Borg bits in the focusser. I must have been faffing about with the Baader MPCC or something, as no extension tubes are needed to get focus with the Pentax XW20.
There will be a separate post about my experiences with this mount.
Usually I keep track on Yahoo Auction in Japan for astronomy related stuff, especially rare optics, something I'm sure my wife wishes I would stop. However, this time I decided on getting a retro computer. Originally I was considering a SORD M5, but didn't like the mad prices. I initially decided on a Toshiba HX-10 - a pretty canonical MSX.
However, I went on a bit of an MSX frenzy.
First I got a Toshiba HX-20, with broken video output. I suspect it's most likely the video RAM, but it could potentially be the ROM holding the character set (unlikely, as the thing boots), the video chip itself, or (hopefully not) some custom logic chip. I liked the idea of fixing this up, and also getting an extra slot over the HX-10. I'll probably replace all the caps, and maybe some of the regulators with more modern versions that spew out less heat. It also needs a good clean.
Then I decided I wanted a higher end machine, too, an MSX2+. I ended up getting into a bidding war on a very nicely restored Sony HB-F1XDJ. It's been re-capped and very well cleaned. I avoided the Sanyo and Panasonic kit as they were extremely ugly (even if some of the specs were better).
The guy who restored it has a thing for old computers, and has a blog. Amusingly, he got a couple of keys out of place when he put the keyboard back together, so I'll have to fix those. Those who like boxed, pristine computers will not like the fact that I'm going to remove that fugly sticker, and also most likely hack the internals to add more RAM. This thing is about the size of an Amiga A500, maybe a little smaller.
The keyboards on both of these machines are pretty nice mechanical keyboards. Not something you can say for many 80's home computers.
These both arrived before I left Japan, so I was able to bring them back with me. I also bought a Yamaha CX-11, which arrived the day after I left and will be sent on.
Note: the Sharp X-68000 series is way cool. I must resist.
I took my Vixen Sphinx SXW mount with me. I've only used this a few times in the past couple of years, the most memorable time being at a public outreach event with TASOS. I've tried selling it before, but found it hard to get a decent price locally, and it's kind of heavy and not high-end enough to ship internationally. So, having previously purchased the GINJI 200FN, which is over the limit for my Vixen GP, both kept at my in-laws in Japan, I decided to take the SXW and leave it there. No need for a tripod as the tripod I have for the GP works for the SXW, and the half-pillar, which I also took.
In the photo above, there are various Borg bits in the focusser. I must have been faffing about with the Baader MPCC or something, as no extension tubes are needed to get focus with the Pentax XW20.
There will be a separate post about my experiences with this mount.
Stuff happens
So, it's been over two years since a post. In that time, I've been busy, mainly by becoming a father. Oh and also this thing called "work".
I also re-started training in martial arts, after a break of around 12 years. Initially Aikido (Aikikai), to which I then added traditional Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate (IOGKF), eventually dropping Aikido after a year. I've tried out Muay Thai and will give BJJ a shot sometime soon. I'm still training in Goju-ryu.
In addition, I've gotten into faffing around with electronics, and retro computing. Partly because I've been less able to travel, and have less time for astrophotography, which is already difficult enough in Singapore.
I deal with modern computers all day long at work, writing mainly C++ and Haskell for all sorts of stuff - HPC grid, distributed systems, DSLs, bits of compilers, etc... So when I get home from work, I don't have much appetite to e.g. hack on ghc, or write some nice hackage packages. You should, though.
Getting back to basics with old kit and playing on the bare metal is kind of fun.
Geeky purchases since the last post:
Geeky things done since the last post:
Vaguely planned things/write-ups that might happen:
Things I'd like to do, but for which will never have the time:
I also re-started training in martial arts, after a break of around 12 years. Initially Aikido (Aikikai), to which I then added traditional Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate (IOGKF), eventually dropping Aikido after a year. I've tried out Muay Thai and will give BJJ a shot sometime soon. I'm still training in Goju-ryu.
In addition, I've gotten into faffing around with electronics, and retro computing. Partly because I've been less able to travel, and have less time for astrophotography, which is already difficult enough in Singapore.
I deal with modern computers all day long at work, writing mainly C++ and Haskell for all sorts of stuff - HPC grid, distributed systems, DSLs, bits of compilers, etc... So when I get home from work, I don't have much appetite to e.g. hack on ghc, or write some nice hackage packages. You should, though.
Getting back to basics with old kit and playing on the bare metal is kind of fun.
Geeky purchases since the last post:
- Zeiss 85/1.4 (Contax mount)
- Nikon Ai-S 105/2.5
- Rokinon 85/1.4 (Nikon mount)
- m.Zuiko 17/1.8
- m.Zuiko 75/1.8
- Zuiko Digital 50/2 macro
- Pentax 67 300/4 EDIF (and hence sold the 645 300/4 EDIF)
- Pentax 67 45/4
- Pentax 67 55/4
- Pentax 67 90/2.8
- Borg 125ED/2.8
- Pentax XO eyepieces
- Borg Reducer 0.7x DGT
- Borg Flattener 1.08x DG
- Baader MPCC
- GPU 4 element coma corrector (from Teleskop Service in Germany, seems to be the same as the Skywatcher one)
- ASA 2" 0.73x reducer/corrector 2KORRR
- Astrotrac TT320X-AG travel system
- Kasai Trading GINJI 200FN 200mm f/4.0 fast Newtonian to keep at my in-laws in Japan.
- Yokogawa DL1200A oscilloscope
- A shed-load of tools and components for electronics stuff - cheap USB logic analyzer, programmer, prototyping stuff, whole bunch of retro processors, etc.. etc...
- Terasic/Altera DE1 FPGA board
- Lots of video stuff to try to get video from old kit onto my Mac... sigh
- Some Nortel telephony exchange boards (for the 68060 processors)
- GPIB interface
- Sony HB-F1XDJ
- Toshiba HX-20 (knackered video output)
- Yamaha CX-11
- An issue 3 Spectrum board to play with
- Commodore Plus/4
Geeky things done since the last post:
- Replaced dud Dallas nvRAM in my HP 54502A 'scope with an STK16C88
- Hacked this RAM test for the ZX Spectrum to work with DivIDE - not as useful as the ROM, but still handy
- Learned how to (de-)solder properly. Thanks to the ever-shouty EEVBlog
- Lower and upper RAM replacement for 48k spectrums
- Got a 6502 to do something on a breadboard
Vaguely planned things/write-ups that might happen:
- "Around 100" shootout - Zeiss 85/1.4 vs Rokinon 85/1.4 vs Olympus OM 100/2.8 vs Zeiss 90/2.8 (Contax G) vs Olympus m.Zuiko 75/1.8 vs Pentax 67 90/2.8
- Light throughput and falloff (and maybe field flatness) of some scopes and lenses
- Homebrew 8 bit (and later 16 bit, maybe 32 bit) computer
- Hacks, repairs, mods, prods and restoration of old 8 bit computers
- Thoughts on the Questar 3.5 duplex
- Dynamically querying the symbol table of a process on Linux
- Astro-imaging (or rather, trying to) on my recent trip to Oita, Japan. Thoughts on the Vixen Sphinx and GP mounts
- Attempt at fixing the Toshiba HX-20 video output
- PS2/USB keyboard interface for Spectrum
- Joystick-port based fast downloader to get binaries onto retro computers
- Arduino-based function generator
Things I'd like to do, but for which will never have the time:
- Small functional language for 8-bit computers
- 6502, 6809 implementations using Lava
- Port some retro games to different retro platforms
- Build multi-chip synth with old-school parts
- Floating point library for 8-bits (maybe IEEE, maybe not)
- Garbage collection playground to try out different implementations on different problems
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