Enjoy retro computing? It seems one company does, as My Retro Computer have revived the classic Commodore 64 as a barebones PC case.
Inspired by the Commodore 64x replica PC released in 2011, which met an untimely end when the Commodore USA founder Barry Altman died back in 2012. Not to be confused with the original Commodore, as this was a newer company that acquired the name. Commodore USA had a pretty murky history too following multiple controversies, which My Retro Computer are hoping to improve upon and they're not using the Commodore name.
Here we are again though, as someone else is now taking the reigns to keep the spirit of it all alive with Sean Donohue, Director of My Retro Computer Ltd. They've announced today they're going to be shipping two classic styled mini-PC cases inspired by retro systems like the Commodore 64 and the Commodore VIC-20.
Retro is the new modern, according to My Retro Computer. Designed to fit Mini-ITX hardware inside, What do you actually get with each apart from a very cool retro case? They say each has:
- Unique low noise USB Mechanical Cherry Switch keyboard.
- Multi-format SD card reader.
- DVD/hard drive cradle.
- Chassis 40mm cooling fan.
So it needs you to source your own Mini-ITX motherboard and everything else. Even so, if you love building systems it looks like a nice set of retro casing. This means you can run whatever you want with it and whatever operating system.
You can also see a video of them putting one together with a parts list on YouTube. They used Windows at the end but you get the idea clearly at least.
Direct Link
It seems they plan to expand to cover more retro computing inspired cases, plus they also plan to support mini-computing devices like the Raspberry Pi & OROID. To do that, they will be offering an adaptor plate and panel mount cables which they hope to have before the end of the year.
You can find out more and buy one on their web store.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
wvstolzing Oct 12, 2020
Quoting: NanobangSomeone needs to tell Sean Donohue that this isn't retro. It's kitsch.
My first computer was a VIC-20. I bought it in 1981 from a local stereo store for $300, so I could maybe see someone getting a kick out of playing around with an original VIC or C-64 nowadays, or maybe retrofitting a modern computer into a real VIC or C-64 shell, but I don't get this.
This is a fake antique. This is the equivalent of one of those phones that look like a rotary phone, but have buttons instead of holes in a dial, and have modern electronics inside.
And how'm I gonna get my GTX 1070 into that? ;)
Yeah, I think so too. My first thought was that this is an attempt to sell off 10-year old unused stock from the 2011 thingy, and it looks like that really is the case. (No pun intended.)
By the way, if anyone's inclined to use their existing Commodore machines for their keyboards on modern pcs*, there's long been an add-on board that allows doing just that: http://wiki.icomp.de/wiki/Keyrah_V2
(* I haven't touched a C64 in a *long* time (I'm an idiot, so I got rid of mine the day I got my first 486); but as far as I can remember, the original keyboards on those devices were pretty awful, with thick springs under each key (*not* buckling spring style, just a straight spring that the keycap bounces on) with ridiculously long 'action', and no real sense of feedback. So unless you're using the original keyboard specificially on VICE, there really is no point.)
follower46 Oct 12, 2020
Quoting: whizseQuoting: follower46I must be missing something here. Is it powered by hopes and dreams?This https://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-90 and an external power brick. It's in the video at around 4:11 or so.
I don't see a PSU plug for the computer, lol.
I see a fan, I assume it cools the PSU, but it doesn't have any information on the site about power output or PSU requirements like SFX (if it's bring your own).
Yup yup! I'm dumb and watched the wrong video. thank you!
I don't want to go back to the beige days. Honestly, as a mechanical keyboard fan, that thing looks horrible.
slaapliedje Oct 12, 2020
Quoting: randylThere was a VIC-20 in the science room when I was in 8th or 9th grade around 81 - 82. It had a cassette tape drive to load programs. They took minutes to load. It was a nightmare of impatience for a young kid. I loved playing that program where your cannon was supposed to shoot the other cannon. You were given the mass, distance, and wind velocity and were supposed to calculate your shot.I do believe someone made a mechanical keyboard for the C64 / VIC-20s. Yeah I mean for me, why would I want a 'retro' case for a modern PC? I'd rather an actual Retro computer. Granted these days instead of dealing with the old parts (which can be fun as well) I ended up getting an FPGA based C64 called the Ultimate64. It's pretty sweet. And is currently my only working 'c64'. Now being the Atari guy that I am, I do own multitudes of Atari 8bits now...
I don't want to go back to the beige days. Honestly, as a mechanical keyboard fan, that thing looks horrible.
wvstolzing Oct 12, 2020
Quoting: slaapliedjeQuoting: randylThere was a VIC-20 in the science room when I was in 8th or 9th grade around 81 - 82. It had a cassette tape drive to load programs. They took minutes to load. It was a nightmare of impatience for a young kid. I loved playing that program where your cannon was supposed to shoot the other cannon. You were given the mass, distance, and wind velocity and were supposed to calculate your shot.I do believe someone made a mechanical keyboard for the C64 / VIC-20s.
I don't want to go back to the beige days. Honestly, as a mechanical keyboard fan, that thing looks horrible.
He was hand-building and selling that (the 'Mechboard64') in small batches; but earlier this year he open sourced the project: https://www.breadbox64.com/blog/diy-mechboard64/
There are occasionally crowdfunding campaigns to produce small batches of keycaps as well. If I can (ever) sort out my current ... stuff ... I seriously intend to put together an almost-all-new C64 with the help of projects such as these.
64C-style new cases have been in production for a while now: https://shop.pixelwizard.eu/en/commodore-c64/cases/37/c64c-case-classic-beige
Avehicle7887 Oct 12, 2020
Quoting: follower46I must be missing something here. Is it powered by hopes and dreams?
I don't see a PSU plug for the computer, lol.
I see a fan, I assume it cools the PSU, but it doesn't have any information on the site about power output or PSU requirements like SFX (if it's bring your own).
In the end of the video, he had a power brick off camera and used it to power the PC
oldrocker99 Oct 13, 2020
Quoting: NanobangThis is a fake antique. This is the equivalent of one of those phones that look like a rotary phone, but have buttons instead of holes in a dial, and have modern electronics inside.Doesn't mean it's not cool and that people won't buy it though. Personally, I genuinely like the style of a lot of older things but I like how far things have come. Merging old styles with the new is a good thing for some. A lot of "modern" styling is junk.
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