Category: Mods

  • Syphus’s Ghettosette

    dsc00308-300x225C64 Datasette – you remember it. The Datasette embodies Commodore cheapskatery from start to finish: it was a cheapo alternative to a proper disk drive, it’s got a crudely thrown-together connector with wires hanging out and it’s even got a skinflint mono drive head apparatus. All expenses spared, so that Jack could keep the costs down!

    dsc00308So it turns out they last pretty well. And in this age of 1541 emulators, MMC64 interfaces and the like, it’s sad to see a Datasette sitting unused and unloved. So I decided to lavish about four quid on mine and turn it into a block-rocking pimp star supreme with:

    * an internal speaker

    * internal 9v battery power

    * an external in (for when I eventually get the recording head to work)

    * a line/headphone output

    * a switch/knob for power and drive motor speed control (though this doesn’t really work yet)

    * an unfeasible amount of mystery line noise, which I’m going to pretend is intentional and adds ‘character’.

    via syphus» Blog Archive » Ghettosette – C64 Datasette/audioplayer conversion.

  • Mark Salud on Yourself Presents

    I guess Tim and Eric got inspiration on this to do the Minivan video…

    “amiga desktop mod techno, performed live on san diego public access tv show ‘yourself presents!’ ”

    Amiga 2000 + Octamed powa xD

    You can download all of Mark’s music here

  • Little-Scales fatter SN76489 bass

    via 8bc

    Big Bass:
    Normally with the SN76489 (on the Sega, for example) there isn’t much bass at all (ie. the chip can’t go very deep in pitch), which is why I thought I would underclock a discrete SN76489 and see what it sounds like.

    Read more with audio examples.

    Let’s Change The Duty Cycle:
    Some further experimentation with the under clocked SN76489 revealed that it is possible to change the duty cycle of the sound output without too much effort.

    Read more with audio examples.

    Timbral Droner:
    A hypnotic droning sound, due to phase differences and duty cycle changes.

    Read more with audio examples.”

  • The “Retr0brite” Project

    Cue the Sham-Wow Meth Dude in 3...2..
    Cue the Sham-Wow Meth Dude in 3…2..

    via Lazerbeat

    “Anyone who has dug their old computer or console out of the cupboard or loft for some retro gaming will probably have noticed that it maybe hasn’t worn too well with the test of time. The plastics these machines were made of is called ABS and to make it flame retardant (just in case it catches fire after a marathon session) the plastics manufacturers added chemicals that caused the plastic turn yellow or, even worse, brown over a long period of time.

    It was originally thought that the yellowing was permanent and that the only solution to this was to paint the plastic in its original colour and cover the problem up. However, a chance discovery was made in March 2008, by The CBM Museum at Wuppertal in Germany, that immersing parts in a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide could partially reverse the process. This was initially taken up by the Amiga community in Germany (http://www.a1k.org) and the idea eventually found its way to the English Amiga Board (http://eab.abime.net), where a madcap collection of chemists, plastics engineers and retro hackers managed to perfect this concept and put it on steroids, with help from other forums.”

    More info


  • Sega Death

    [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/SsHGet3HpWk" width="425" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]

    “sega death is a 2 member experimental sega genesis project. the members of this band are ian (dramacore) and lucas (sickmode). sega death started in 2008, in chicago illinois usa.

    nothing in this album was sequenced, no outboard effects were used. EVERYTHING is from the sega genesis audio out, recorded directly into a computer. some bits of silence and excess noise were cut out. using a sega genesis, if the cartridge is pulled out while the game is playing and music is audible you will hear a tone.”

    I remember back in the genesis days there were some game hacks where you yanked the cart and inserted another (maybe with the sonic game?) so this is an interesting application of the trick.

    Download.
    more info.