Figure out what this machine is - Difficulty Level *IMPOSSIBLE*

[CoryBee]

So I was talking with the lady friend about my origin story and was going over all of my first encounters with technology that was significant and this machine popped into my head.

This is a very, very vague memory and have no idea its original use.

So one day when I was around 8 (I am 25 now), on "junk" day where you can put some stuff out on the street and cleaners pick it up the next day I spotted on my walk back from the park a very peculiar pile of electronics. Being the curious type I investigated and found a couple things I felt like tinkering with.

One of which was this black box that had several inputs on the back. Including but not limited to a keyboard port that was an old and big "DIN connector" (pre ps\2), a tv connector that was of two wires that went to the screw terminals on them old televisions like so,



and some other ports that I can't remember now.

When I finally got it powered up and working I was greeted with a prompt screen, you know with the little blinking text cursor * _ * that I think was green on a black background (that might be wrong because I was toying with them old Macintoshs a year later or something). I had no idea what I was doing and just started typing random shite and hitting enter. Then like magic a command worked, I thought I was the coolest ever. Stuff started happening on the screen.

Visual stuff, like the thing was programmed with screen savers or something. I remember trying a bunch of different things and typing in "bubbles" started creating bubbles all over the screen and weird noises played with it. Other commands worked as well that all resemble windows xp screen savers, abstract and random. There was no instruction manual either.

I even waited for the end of commercials so that I could type in the "url" for their websites thinking it would connect.....obviously I had no bearings on what the internet was at the time and there was only one or two commercials that even had a website so I would wait very patiently when they showed up. None of them worked, of course.

Anyways, let's see if any of you older techy folks know what the blasted I am talking about. I figure it had to be kind of old at the time because it was in working condition and was thrown out. I also assume that it wasn't used to just play screen savers......

Thanks a million, I am trying to come up with a prize. I have some Arcade related things I wont need for a while so we will see.

 

[404]

That's just way too vague. With the exception of the 'bubbles' screensaver or whatnot, you pretty much described half of the PCs from the first half of the 80's.

If you are state-side, popular monochrome computers of the era that had tv output were early Tandy and Atari computers.

[Vigo]

can you remember anything about how it looked? Was the keyboard just a keyboard, or was the keyboard housing more?  Where did the power go? Did it have built a in disk drive, cartridge port, tape player etc? Did you use disks, or was everything already loaded into the machine.

Your biggest clue, to me, is that it you said it was black. I dont think too many early computers were black. Is it a Sinclair computer? Like a ZX?

Other than that, is it possibly an early windows machine, but you were stuck in the dos prompt? I don't remember screen savers hitting it big until the 90's. I guess it could be in that blurry era, like a apple IIc

[zanna5910]

If you google image search for "computers from the 80s" you get a pretty good collection of different pics.  May want to start there and say what it kinda looked like to help us determine what computer you are referring too.

[yotsuya]

Vic-20 or Commodore-64?

[Fursphere]

Give your age description, it puts the year around 1996.   I think Pentium 120 mhz computers were cool at the time.

The "internet" was just coming up to "regular" people.  Windows 95 had just come out.

Curbside junk at that time would be like 8086s, 286s, maybe even 386s.   Could of been a DOS 5.0 / 6.22 machine w/ Windows 3.1 / 3.11 ?

But the "black" color is curious.  Almost everything was tan / beige / white at the time. 

[matt4949]

sounds like one of the Tandy's. Try google image Tandy Computer and see what comes up.

[matt4949]

I wonder how much 16 Gb would have set you back?

[CoryBee]

can you remember anything about how it looked? Was the keyboard just a keyboard, or was the keyboard housing more?  Where did the power go? Did it have built a in disk drive, cartridge port, tape player etc? Did you use disks, or was everything already loaded into the machine.
Your biggest clue, to me, is that it you said it was black.
Other than that, is it possibly an early windows machine, but you were stuck in the dos prompt? I don't remember screen savers hitting it big until the 90's. I guess it could be in that blurry era, like a apple IIc

I believe the keyboard was just a keyboard, I mean, it wasn't attached and I don't remember anything else about it. You plug it in and was fairly slim, nothing bulky about the keyboard for the time.

It seemed like everything was already loaded on the machine, I do not remember any ports on the front for any kind of disk drives. In my head it looks like the size of a slimish VCR, no ports on the front. It was definitely not a windows drive and if I had to guess it did not contain any hard drives. It seemed like a self contained system.....

It is hard to super impose my new found knowledge of electronics onto my 8 year old memories....

I have messed with apple II computers and it definitely was not one of them.

Typing in actual DOS, as far as I know, will not execute commands in the same manner as this machine did. I don't remember it giving me any errors when typing in something that was not a real command.

If you google image search for "computers from the 80s" you get a pretty good collection of different pics.  May want to start there and say what it kinda looked like to help us determine what computer you are referring too.

Kinda looked like this, except I remember more black on it and I don't think it had a any ports on the front. I remember them all being on the back and very few things on the front. Can't even remember there being any status LEDs on the front.



The keyboard was also black, I think. At least the keys were not shaped weird like that.

sounds like one of the Tandy's. Try google image Tandy Computer and see what comes up.

Nope...

Well, i will try to conjure up more memories about the machine and give more details. Keep at it guys, and when you have an idea or a suggestion it would be helpful it you could post a picture of the machine in your post.

You think an Xinmo 2 player encoder is a good prize? I am sorting through a bunch of my stuff.

[404]

Atari XL

[CoryBee]

The keyboard was a separate entity

[404]

The keyboard was a separate entity

at this point, without more details I'm afraid you may never figure it out, friend.

My last guess is that you somehow managed to find a generic XT formfactor PC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer_XT

[Rick]

Lunchbox Computer

[zanna5910]

Its also highly probable you had some type of mainframe type or educational pc since it booted up to some weird dos type programs right from the start.

[Rick]

Or the good old Luggable Computer

[CoryBee]

Its also highly probable you had some type of mainframe type or educational pc since it booted up to some weird dos type programs right from the start.

It could be an  educational  PC. Didn't seem like it had fuction but to take random commands. Granted I didn't know what I was working with at the time. There was probably a ton of commands that I could have input that would "draw" more things than just bubbles.

[matt4949]

ok hal

[Rick]

ok hal

Dude, that's so not HAL. That's the WOPR.

[matt4949]

ok hal

Dude, that's so not HAL. That's the WOPR.

You Sir are correct and win the prize... oh yeah, there is no prize.

[Rick]

You Sir are correct and win the prize...

Yay!!!

oh yeah, there is no prize.

Oh.

[shponglefan]

I believe the keyboard was just a keyboard, I mean, it wasn't attached and I don't remember anything else about it. You plug it in and was fairly slim, nothing bulky about the keyboard for the time.

It seemed like everything was already loaded on the machine, I do not remember any ports on the front for any kind of disk drives. In my head it looks like the size of a slimish VCR, no ports on the front. It was definitely not a windows drive and if I had to guess it did not contain any hard drives. It seemed like a self contained system.....

TRS-80 Model I w/ expansion interface?  That's about the only thing I can think of that fits the h/w description somewhat...

[Rick]

Coleco Adam

[matt4949]

I believe the keyboard was just a keyboard, I mean, it wasn't attached and I don't remember anything else about it. You plug it in and was fairly slim, nothing bulky about the keyboard for the time.

It seemed like everything was already loaded on the machine, I do not remember any ports on the front for any kind of disk drives. In my head it looks like the size of a slimish VCR, no ports on the front. It was definitely not a windows drive and if I had to guess it did not contain any hard drives. It seemed like a self contained system.....

TRS-80 Model I?

Now that's what I thought but Cory said

sounds like one of the Tandy's. Try google image Tandy Computer and see what comes up.

Nope...

[/quote]

[matt4949]

oh WOPR cut it out.

[SavannahLion]

oh WOPR cut it out.

stop that 

[jdbailey1206]

[jdbailey1206]

But seriously...WebTV?

[rpgposer]

TI99 4/a?

Edit:  I don't know how to post images.

[Rick]

ITT: Old Farts. (Seriously. The first hard drive I ever repaired professionally was a Miniscribe 3650.  40MB in a 5.25" size for $500. Who could resist?)

[CoryBee]

Nope none of that.

I am thinking it was an educational device and not something that had an operating system on it. Something you could just type crap into to mess with what the hardware could do.....

[jdbailey1206]

Did it have cartridges?  If so here is another guess.

[CoryBee]

Nope, no cartridges.

[jdbailey1206]

TRS-80 Color Computer? 


Oooops.  Note to self.  Read entire post dummy.   

[Vigo]

I am convinced it is one of these two machines:

[RandyT]

Based on your description, I'd guess it was one of a few dedicated "graphics generators" used for displaying canned animations and images for spicing up video productions.  They weren't computers in the traditional sense, and were intended for use by those in that field.  At the dawn of computers' ability to do anything approaching decent graphics, these were very expensive, but were rapidly devalued as computers advanced.  Sounds like something you would find in a trash heap 10 years ago

[charlieram]

What about the Oric 1 or Oric atmos, I had the Oric 1 and it was cool My first computer and you could program it really easy, 'Ping' on the command line would make a Ping noise!!

Edit, Just found this little bit in the programming manual
CIRCLES
To draw circles, simply type in CIRCLE, followed by two numbers -first the radius, then the FB code. The centre will be at the
current cursor position. Be careful your radius does not take the circumference off the screen.
 Try this as a direct command in HIRES mode.

CURSET 120,100,3
then
CIRCLE 50,l
Is that your bubbles?

[CoryBee]

Based on your description, I'd guess it was one of a few dedicated "graphics generators" used for displaying canned animations and images for spicing up video productions.  They weren't computers in the traditional sense, and were intended for use by those in that field.  At the dawn of computers' ability to do anything approaching decent graphics, these were very expensive, but were rapidly devalued as computers advanced.  Sounds like something you would find in a trash heap 10 years ago

What about the Oric 1 or Oric atmos, I had the Oric 1 and it was cool My first computer and you could program it really easy, 'Ping' on the command line would make a Ping noise!!

Edit, Just found this little bit in the programming manual
CIRCLES
To draw circles, simply type in CIRCLE, followed by two numbers -first the radius, then the FB code. The centre will be at the
current cursor position. Be careful your radius does not take the circumference off the screen.
 Try this as a direct command in HIRES mode.

CURSET 120,100,3
then
CIRCLE 50,l
Is that your bubbles?

You guys are getting closer. These sound exactly like what I had. Doesn't match the look in my head though. Mind you I was around 8 at the time. Also sometimes I have a bad memory.

Typing in bubbles plus a number sounds exactly like what I was doing.

Progress, I knew you guys could pull something out of your arses! I love it.

[Vigo]

I consider myself a scrounger since a young age, but even I was not dumpster diving at age 8.

[Vigo]

Is it a vector graphics machine?

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/company.asp?st=1&l=V

[404]

He said it had a din connector.  That would make it either an XT and AT form factor computer.

1984-1995

[CoryBee]

I consider myself a scrounger since a young age, but even I was not dumpster diving at age 8.

I wasn't dumpster diving you uncultured swine! 

Just messing. My neighborhood had this once a year put recycling\garbage pickup thing where you put stuff out the day before and in the morning it is all cleaned up service thing. And I was always interested in electronics but being the middle child of 5 boys I never got anything I asked for. I saw electronics and wanted to salvage them. I remember getting a stereo system once and thought I was the biggest hacker because I wired up a set of speakers to it that I found.....all I did was put the wire in the screw terminal on it 

He said it had a din connector.

This could actually be wrong now that I have had more time to think about it....

I could have tinkered with a computer around that time that had a DIN connector for the PC and getting them confused.

[Vigo]

Haha, right now the only criteria I am following is "Old Black Box"

[matt4949]

Haha, right now the only criteria I am following is "Old Black Box"

I know there's a joke there but it't too easy.

[jdbailey1206]

Cory was it an Amiga 1200?

[HanoiBoi]

ZX81 by Sinclair?

[Vigo]

I found your black computer box. You could of told us that you are only 14 though. 

[Rick]

You could have told us that you are only 14 though. 

That wasn't already obvious?

 

[SavannahLion]

You could have told us that you are only 14 though. 

That wasn't already obvious?

 

Most 14 year olds aren't that productive.

[rpgposer]

I still think RandyT's video graphic generator is the best answer.  GoogleImageFu didn't turn up much, so I have nothing to show.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Just to rule this out... It wasn't the Commodore 128d was it?  The "D" version had a separate keyboard, unlike the previous models which had everything built in.

Also, here's a screenshot that found from the 128 (green).  It probably would have appeared as blue on a normal TV, but green on a monochrome monitor.  Unless of course your tint setting was off on your color TV.   

DeLuSioNaL29

[jdbailey1206]

Unless of course your tint setting was off on your color TV.   

I think Cory's tint is off.