Resources for Rebuilding Vintage IBM Computers #VintageComputers #RetroComputing #IBMPC @IBM
Recently, after envying my fellow techies with their vintage Commodore, Apple, and Atari computers, I turned to an old favorite. My first “real” PC was the first IBM desktop clone from Compaq. IBMs were too expensive for me. Not anymore. You can find really good machines on social media at favorable prices as the generation that bought them are downsizing.
Here are some resources I have found for researching your computer and finding information on your restoration:
BIOS Central – information on interrupts (which you choose, no plug & play) and BIOS updates
https://www.pcjs.org/ – both an IBM PC simulation that runs in your web browser and source for software images of floppy disks. Use WinImage to convert .img files to DOS files.
Do you have your favorite sites? Please post them in the comments below and post them on Twitter tagging @Adafruit and @MikeDigitalHome
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!