RAKJAB RetroChallenge

Retro Challenge 2017/04 Day 03 OK - The external cleaning is complete.  I have a bunch of stuff but a few parts may be missing such as one of the 9VAC power adapters but maybe it will show up. I have one power adapter to start with for now.  There were two additional VIC-20 systems but they are not in good shape so I will keep them as spares.  Time has not be kind to them. In one of the boxes there must be over 100 cassette tapes both commercial and personal. Also a box of unopened generic 5 1/4 floppies and a disk box filled with floppies. I now have many books on the 1541 as well as various manuals and the Intro to Basic Part I with cassettes. I have a lot to work with! Here is a photo gallery of most of what I have: VIC-20 System from Judy's dad Side View - 2-Pin version Our ordinal VIC-20 I will have to find the power adapter - I know is must be around here somewhere... The RCA connector was a modification to allow us to print to...

Retro Challenge 2017/04 Day 01 and 02 My first step in my Retro Challenge is to figure out just what I have to work with. I have my own VIC-20 collection that began back in 1981. My soon to be wife, Judy, and I upgraded from our Sinclair ZX80 to the VIC-20 and we never stopped! Over the years, I increased our collection and made many trips to K-Mart and Toys-R-Us as the VIC stuff was discounted to pennies on the dollar. I also have my dad's VIC-20 collection and Judy's father's VIC-20 system.  We are a family of VIC-20 loyalist! This equipment has been stored in sheds, garages and back spare rooms for well over 25 years so the initial condition is completely unknown.  I plan on cleaning up and recapping all that I can before powering up.  As a component level bench tech for 35 years, I have more than enough experience to tackle any stinky caps or bug remains that I may encounter!  One surprising discovery thus far is the effects that time, heat, and chemistry h...

RAKJAB  -  RetroChallenge 2017/04 I hope to completely set up a working Vic-20 system for my RetroChallenge. I have many pieces acquired over the years but have not actually set them up or used them for decades.   I have printers, floppy drives, modems, and boxes of stuff that I have no clue what might be in there.   The goal is to get them out, set them up, see what works or doesn't work and what it might take to get them going again.  This is my first RetroChallenge so I will also learn how to blog and share this adventure.