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Retro Viator

@retroviator.com

Classic Computer Enthusiast

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20.08.2023
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Latest posts by Retro Viator @retroviator.com

Apple Macintosh Plus with a Radius Full Page Monitor.

Apple Macintosh Plus with a Radius Full Page Monitor.

This is some serious 80s productivity right here.

#Marchintosh

08.03.2026 23:43 πŸ‘ 57 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0

I’ve noticed that the 24-pin Pico ATX PSUs I’ve ordered have some rough looking power signals when probed by the oscilloscope.

Does anyone have a link to a particular Pico ATX they’ve found produces clean looking power rails?

#retrocomputing

22.02.2026 17:02 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you!

I read through all the documentation today to make sure I was up to speed, and I was really impressed with him you keep adding awesome capabilities.

09.02.2026 02:45 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I am passing along praise for the great work of @eric.scsi.blue and his team that continue to make the @bluescsi.com a wonder.

I’ve used almost every iteration, and the innovation, documentation, support, and overall attention to detail are superb.

My vintage Macs love their BlueSCSIs!

09.02.2026 02:38 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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My after-Christmas project was restoring a bunch Macintosh IIsi. I’ve been documenting my progress at tinkerdifferent.com/threads/mac-...

Today, the last of the issues were addressed, and I now have five fully functional Mac IIsi logic boards and two battery bombed units that provided needs parts.

26.01.2026 05:11 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I’ve pondered how to remove pins from power connectors, and I’ve wondered what these strange tweezer were for.

Today is the day I figured out what one has to do with the other.

25.01.2026 20:49 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A Macintosh IIsi logic board with significant battery acid damage.

A Macintosh IIsi logic board with significant battery acid damage.

Another Maxell Massacre.

A good reminder of why we GET THE BATTERIES OUT.

#retrocomputing

17.01.2026 18:33 πŸ‘ 31 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Arghh… Evertime I install a significant Linux update, I lose WiFi on my 2012 MacBook Pro.

Then I have to fiddle around and remember what incantation I used last time to get it working. Each time I swear, just as I’m ready to beat my head against the wall, it magically starts working.

12.01.2026 05:02 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Verifying my rebuilt Mac IIsi with the impressive recreation TechStep diagnostic tool.

#VintageMac

11.01.2026 23:20 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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So far, the hardest part by far is removing the old connector from the corrosion-damaged IIsi PSU.

10.01.2026 17:44 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Going to build some new Macintosh IIsi power supplies today thanks to the design from @caymacvintage.bsky.social

10.01.2026 15:53 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I got into the vintage/retro computer hobby in 2018. It’s amazing, exciting, and inspiring to see how much easier it is now to enjoy these old computers thanks to the work of so many in the community. The services and add-ons that flow from so many creative people is a blessing.

#retrocomputing

10.01.2026 15:50 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Digital archeology: testing old Macintosh hard drives and copying data to my BlueSCSI, if possible.

(I should probably be using the BlueSCSI’s magical initator mode.)

08.01.2026 04:32 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Reassembled, greased, oiled, and ready for testing.

#vintagemac

07.01.2026 03:41 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Seven high-density Macintosh floppy drives cleaned, regeared, and ready for reassembly.

#vintagemac

07.01.2026 02:17 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
A stack of seven Macintosh floppy drives on a workbench

A stack of seven Macintosh floppy drives on a workbench

I get to see how many of these floppy drives from the horde of Macintosh IIsi can be made to work.

06.01.2026 22:13 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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I now have five working (mostly) IIsi logic boards!

I need to tackle some audio issues on two boards (one I broke), and then clean the floppies and check out the original hard drives. Then I’ll tackle the dreaded PSUs. (Though I am planning on building replacement power supplies.)

04.01.2026 23:36 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It is a 22.5 KHz clock signal that should be around 5V, but I have a IIsi with a much lower voltage on that pin, and it’s messing with the audio.

30.12.2025 06:47 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A snippet of the Macintosh IIsi schematics from BOMARC Services showing the audio section of the logic board.

A snippet of the Macintosh IIsi schematics from BOMARC Services showing the audio section of the logic board.

Do any Mac repair aficionados know what pin 16 on both Sony sound chips in the Mac IIsi connect to? The BOMARC schematics show it going off page to a page I don't have.

30.12.2025 05:51 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
A Bambu Labs P2S printer on a table.

A Bambu Labs P2S printer on a table.

A true surprise landed in my workshop this Christmas. πŸŽ„
Plastic goodness ahead.

25.12.2025 20:42 πŸ‘ 30 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Workbench with a Macintosh IIsi logic board under test.

Workbench with a Macintosh IIsi logic board under test.

The first Mac IIsi is good to go!

It had two bad connections on UE5 and three on IC UH5, both bus transceivers for the memory system. Only one small bodge under UE5 required. The rest were corroded connections.

24.12.2025 23:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A workbench with the inside of six Macintosh IIsi exposed.

A workbench with the inside of six Macintosh IIsi exposed.

I have a holiday goal of getting these Mac IIsi cleaned up (if possible) and back out into the community.

Two are battery bombed, but could be useful for parts.

#retrocomputing

23.12.2025 15:49 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
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I’m not sure what to make of this.

Will my 2026 be demon possessed but funny?

21.12.2025 04:54 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Day 347 - #retrorandom - NOTHING is going to stop me being able to program this EPROM!

13.12.2025 19:31 πŸ‘ 55 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 0

Well yea… I guess that would work. πŸ™‚

13.12.2025 04:44 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Excellent! I will check that out.

Thank you very much.

13.12.2025 04:38 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I ordered an open motherboard frame thinking it would be a better way to work with bare boards on my bench, but while the Baby AT screw holes line up, they are not aligned with the card slots openings.

Does anytime have a frame they recommend for legacy boards?

#retrocomputers

13.12.2025 02:35 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Amazon.com: TOMLOV Autofocus 4K Digital Microscope: 8" TM4K-AF Flex Arm HDMI Micro Soldering Microscopes for Adults, Side Lights Coin Microscope, 52MP LCD Microscopes with Screen, Electronics Repair M... Buy TOMLOV Autofocus 4K Digital Microscope: 8" TM4K-AF Flex Arm HDMI Micro Soldering Microscopes for Adults, Side Lights Coin Microscope, 52MP LCD Microscopes with Screen, Electronics Repair Mat, 64G:...

The 4K 8-inch autofocus model on the flex arm. The image quality is very good, and the arm sold me.

a.co/d/dNnQ6bV

11.12.2025 04:51 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A workbench with a large motherboard and a pair of microscopes

A workbench with a large motherboard and a pair of microscopes

It’s harder than I thought to compare this snazzy Tomlov digital microscope to my trusty AmScope. They have different pluses and minuses.

For super detailed work, it’s hard to beat a true binocular microscope. However, the Tomlov is much easier to move around when working on larger boards.

11.12.2025 03:43 πŸ‘ 17 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
YouTube Welcome to the 3R channel! My name is Eugene. Here I am engaged in the restoration of various types of equipment. I have a small knowledge base and specialized education, but despite this I learn something new from repair to repair. My channel is more dedicated to entertainment and inspiring viewers to try to restore and repair things themselves. The main idea is that sometimes, repairing a high-quality old thing can be more useful than buying something new and of lower quality. My videos are designed to promote relaxation, calmness and peace. I encourage everyone who loves DIY projects, retro technology enthusiasts or even random viewers who just dropped in for a cup of tea to feel welcome. If you have questions or constructive comments, I will be happy to answer.

Serious restoration work…
youtube.com/@repair3r?si...

09.12.2025 02:24 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0