Tymeg

It's been a while since I've posted a build picture. So redundancy like the multiple network cards and the hard drive RAID...

Oooh, nice!  I am always impressed with your builds.  I know I keep saying it but I need to build a new server.  This one that I have now is getting a little long in the tooth.

It's funny you mention "When the room was lit up like a Christmas tree" because I did just that. I designed and created the PC boards (had them outsourced for fabrication - they came out really nice). Created the program for the LED controller. Designed the interface screen. I even custom designed the face plate (that's was a fiasco since I couldn't get a 3rd party to do the printing which forced me to buy my own printer - and it's resin). I built the ceiling drop down box and installed the crown molding so now I have LED's lighting up the room like a Christmas tree (although, I rushed when taking that photo so it looks like poop, but you get the idea)...

Ok, that's just plain awesome!  Can you imagine having the resources then that we have now to design and create.  We have a create lab about a mile from me that has all the tools and everything that you would need.  I wish I had more time...

I could only imagine having the same resources then. The micro-controllers alone would have been a huge game changer. What's nice now is that I can pick up 5 Arduino nanos for $15. But back then, 64KB ram upgrade was $250. And I found the EQ that put us (I think you had the same top one too) over the 100 LED's lighting up the room...

I still have that EQ and the old Kenwood with a couple of towers and a CD player at the mountain cabin.  To be honest, I'm not sure if the EQ still works, it's there but is currently bypassed.  But the lights still light up!

And you can pick up one of these for about $15...

So now you're telling me that the days of attaching a 23 MB hard drive to my Atari 1040 ST are long gone....   Ahhh, the memories...

They're not long gone if you look hard enough. And I had to do this, well, just because...

Close, but emulated Ataris aren't quite the same as banging out some code on a real 800 XL keyboard with the clacky clacky keys and tic tic sounds...

You're right that there's no substitute for the real thing, but it's pretty damn close as it does emulate the tic-tic sounds of typing and the beep-beep sounds of the disk loading. But it's tough to mod it. That's why I really like those Arduino micro-controllers. This jumble of wires is one that I made for my daughter. She wanted a Nintendo Switch Light, so I made her a light switch. Turning it on would activate the remote "finder" - a circuit with a piezo speaker that would chirp for 120ms at around 4.7khz randomly every 30-60 seconds. It worked perfectly since she was looking for it in a completely different room. The joy it gave me watching her try to find it was priceless...

I'm surprised you didn't add a "Nintendo" label to the switch:  "But I thought you said you wanted a Nintendo Light Switch..."

I'll bet it was fun watching her try to find it.  Pretty much along the same lines as that Davlav tsr....

Nice find. My first set I got as a Christmas gift back in '79 or so. It was about 5 years later when I finally got to truly play it during study hall with a bunch of friends in school...

My box came with the Keep on the Borderlands also, and I convinced Sue to play.  She hated every minute and once a damn kobold got her, she was done and it took a while before I found any friends that were also interested...

It honestly took me a while to figure out how to play since no one in my house had any inkling because they were all board game types that only understood simple rules...