Tim 🎮

Aussie gamer making new memories from the old. He/him. Writing from Ngunnawal/Ngambri land.

I built a giant Gravis GamePad and am working on USB adapters for old controllers. I beta-tested Secret Agent HD and UnDune2. I once made Toshiba mad at me over copyright. I post mostly #retrogaming, #3dprinting and #arduino stuff here.

Projects:
#Plasbeams
#Thrixels
#CGAPrints
#SerialStinger
#SimpleBreakouts
#SolderingStation
#GravisGamePad

https://justmytoots.com/@[email protected]

My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@timixretroplays
My 3d designs on Printables: https://www.printables.com/@timixretropl_1311503
Stuff I've preserved at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/@timixretroplays_gmail_com
My previous Mastodon account: https://fosstodon.org/@timixretroplays

Public Key

npub1x70q7w05ramc0mz3r34n8rjmkmrktmuwynmt3lxprq9t8untp7ysx2qqwa

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsr08s0886p7au8a3g3c6en3edmd3m9a78zfa4clnq3sz4n7f4slzgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsn74e2r

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1x70q7w05ramc0mz3r34n8rjmkmrktmuwynmt3lxprq9t8untp7ysx2qqwa

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Published at

2024-06-13T05:46:25+02:00

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Event JSON

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Last Notes

2024-08-10 22:51:40

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my favourite part of this is the bootleg Windows Media Player ish icon masquerading as the Cinema app

2024-07-20 01:19:40

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still chuckling at this an hour later, thanks - it's beautiful

2024-07-07 03:17:14

Incredible scenes here today at the snoozedome
#CatsOfMastodon #Caturday #SiameseCat #Cats
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/742/553/957/005/033/original/ff262d84db879772.jpg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/742/554/013/619/706/original/eac64b673ee9dd33.jpg

2024-07-07 02:30:07

Just missed out on picking up this crazy gamepad on eBay - if I hadn't had an early night I might've spotted it.
Will you just look at this thing!? It's not a gameport device, it plugs in through PS/2 or a DIN port (with what look like adapters from one to the other). It's got Alt, Control and Delete buttons. It's got an enter button. It's got a second D-pad in the middle for some reason. The most normal thing about it is the "P" button, and that's saying something. #retrogaming #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/742/339/428/438/564/original/83e5d4d270099472.webp
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/742/339/828/677/823/original/efd36beb717d1c9d.webp
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/742/342/619/676/526/original/863700e39f597edb.webp

2024-07-07 01:25:37

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fun fact: roosters use their bony crests as weapons when butting heads in fights for dominance over the rest of the pack

2024-06-30 03:10:20

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huh. I think this is one of those things where I can appreciate that it exists, and no doubt others get a sense of enjoyment and utility from it, but I don't think "a flowchart turned into executable code" in flashlight form is for me.

2024-06-30 02:53:47

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I have to know, what's the advantage of doing this? Different light patterns? Better efficiency somehow? Mining ethereum when the light's off?

2024-06-27 13:15:01

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All in all, tonight has felt a lot more like checking into a hotel room than being handed a pile of canvas and bendy poles and having to construct my own shelter for the night. I'm still not sure how long I'm going to stay in town, but so far it seems alright - and that's significantly better than I've ever felt about Linux-on-the-desktop before.

2024-06-27 13:06:38

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I had an interesting reaction to reading reviews of apps in Software Manager - instead of "ugh, here's some free marketing and good press for some money-grubbing corporation", it's much more "these are words written by other users of this free software and they were written to guide future users of it". It's similar to the comparative peace I feel using and supporting a particular Mastodon server vs being on Twitter or Facebook - I'm actually connecting with other people, not machines.

2024-06-27 13:03:04

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I really like how snappy everything is, even on this underpowered dual core i3 box. I have no fear the menu will take so long to appear it'll miss keystrokes when I got to search, unlike Windows 10.
On that note - I wish searching in the menu could also search software available for install. I'd like to type, say, "discord", and be greeted with a box that says "it's not installed yet, but hit enter and type your password and it will be shortly".

2024-06-27 13:00:05

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That might be it for tonight, but thoughts so far:
We've come a hell of a long way. Linux Mint is at least as easy to install on a PC as Windows 10, and it's more immediately useful. Hours in and I haven't had to type a single command into a terminal to do *anything*.
There's a few little issues here and there, but so far nothing show-stopping, and I assume I'll be able to find work-arounds for them all - like learning any new OS, it'll be a matter of patience.

2024-06-27 12:40:32

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Let's try some more fun stuff. Jstest-gtk seems like a competent, basic way to verify a joystick or gamepad works - this "Mega World" controller is actually a ThrustMaster Firestorm Digital 3, a very decent USB gamepad. This is kinda interesting because Mega World (to my understanding) owned the Saitek brand (Logitech does now), so maybe Saitek were ThrustMaster's OEM back then for stuff like this.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/688/145/084/181/364/original/ffbd013c318d5e3a.jpeg

2024-06-27 12:28:31

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Orca Slicer (3D printing program) was a little harder to get going. Its author distributes the Linux build as an AppImage, which was totally new to me; I had to add a PPA (Personal Package Archive - basically another source for packages, also new to me since my last Linux adventure) to make AppImageLauncher visible through Software Manager, but then opening the Orca app image magically worked.
It's not flawless - I can't see my printer's video feed - but I haven't looked into fixing that yet.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/688/093/687/725/827/original/4e6516037353a234.jpeg

2024-06-27 12:03:45

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Spotify, Discord and Steam all installed just fine from the software manager with no tweaks necessary. The all-important Crystal Caves HD works beautifully, too - except that it's snowing in every level, but that'll be a bug in the game itself, not an issue with Linux 😂
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/688/004/658/448/051/original/825c6f1709763e40.jpeg

2024-06-27 11:00:21

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This is actually something I've carried ever since I last seriously used Gnome - maybe it works for others, but I personally want my taskbar buttons to be as wide as they possibly can, and not to group them, ever - I don't want to waste time fishing through tiny icons to find the big window I was just looking at.
Also not thrilled with alt+tab's behaviour of not instantly showing a preview of every window, but I've spent enough time tonight in applet settings, so that can wait for another day.

2024-06-27 10:56:02

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Scratch that - what you'll *actually* want to do is outright remove the "Grouped window list" applet from your panel, replace it with the regular "Window list" applet, and bump up the window button width until your taskbar/panel buttons fill the width of the screen. I keep a registry key file handy to quickly change the "minWidth" value in Windows, on top of un-grouping and re-labeling buttons, so this is aspect is now also at parity with Windows on my PC.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/687/742/143/551/502/original/b65563afcb045338.jpeg

2024-06-27 10:46:10

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I really don't love that Mint/Cinnamon is doing what all the cool OSes are doing, and A) hiding labels for open applications on your taskbar and B) grouping them into a single button. This is something I undo on every new Windows install I ever do, and it's going to be no different here - it's 2024, pixels aren't that precious anymore, guys!
You'll want to go to Applets, not Panel settings (everything on your Panel is an Applet) and play with the Grouped window applet settings to fix that.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/687/704/517/895/819/original/21e9889bd7ad80a5.jpeg

2024-06-27 10:30:29

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This project has passed a critical review milestone from an important stakeholder. #CatsOfMastodon #SiameseCat
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/687/641/165/106/832/original/b7f50e061a093931.jpeg

2024-06-27 10:19:59

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Actually, sound is a super important thing for me to test - I frequently switch between wired and wireless headphones, my wired speakers, and a USB headphone DAC, depending on what I'm doing, so this is a critical thing for Linux Mint to get right.
And so far, I think it gets a pass. It's an extra click to get to the full list of output devices compared to in Windows, but it seems to perfectly detect and switch between everything I have to throw at it.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/687/601/773/903/902/original/19825e4f44d49247.jpeg

2024-06-27 09:55:25

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Also the moment this thing was on my wifi network, it'd found and set up my printer. That's just as automatic as Windows, but the fact it also did this in the live session *while installing the OS* amuses me. A Linux live environment on a USB stick has so much more utility on its own than the Windows 10 installer does.

2024-06-27 09:53:52

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Sound works with no fettling. Plugging my wired headphones in works as expected, and it was also a snap to pair a set of Bluetooth headphones and those work too.
Youtube video performance is not great (either whatever tiny Intel GPU this has is worse than I thought, or there'll be a properietary driver I need to find and manually enable), but getting sound hooked up was totally fine - a relief, since Linux generally has (had?) a pretty bad reputation for this.

2024-06-27 09:36:21

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Display scaling was very easy to find, and it wasn't difficult to turn on the "experimental" fractional scaling so I could go more granular than 100% (too small) or 200% (too big). See, Windows? You don't need to make someone scroll a mile down to find these settings.
It was also trivial to make things a bit less grey (I've gone for a sickly green theme, in honour of Acer). I have already entered my password more times than I would in a week on Windows - is this why people like Yubikeys?
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/687/430/627/137/161/original/675889003dcecd50.jpeg

2024-06-27 09:19:45

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I've chosen Mint with the Cinnamon desktop. I liked XFCE when I tried it on a lower-power PC a very long time ago, and most of my Linux experience comes from Ubuntu in the Gnome 2 era, so those options are very nice to see from the start, but I specifically want to check out what Cinnamon has to offer.
A couple of minutes in, and I like it - it's clean and fast, if a bit grey. This is a 4K screen, and it's not applied any scaling by default - checking that out will be step 1 after installation.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/687/355/758/977/278/original/8861e7643b663d8a.jpeg

2024-06-27 09:09:22

Time to check out #Linux to see if it could conceivably replace Windows 10 on my home desktop. I'm installing Linux Mint - the "you should try this one" consensus, from what I could see - on my new little Acer PC, rather than a VM or a live session on my actual PC, to get a feel for what a completely fresh start will feel like.
This won't be written as a guide to follow - this will be my first impressions as I set this up for myself. Suggestions and troubleshooting tips welcome as I go along. 🧵
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/687/320/323/810/863/original/2413398fb9ea2832.jpeg

2024-06-26 07:41:32

You very probably didn't know there was an official controller released for Westwood Studios' original hit game Command & Conquer from 1995. I'm confident about this for two reasons: one, you're reading this toot that's written in English, and two, it says Fanatec at the top of the box.
Let me explain. 🧵
#retrogaming #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/681/297/309/756/791/original/0f22be956f4fd1b8.jpeg

2024-06-26 03:19:27

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the Gravis Phoenix is the Lamborghini Countach of gaming controllers - an absolute classic and frankly their magnum opus, but you wouldn't want to have to rely on one as your daily driver today!

2024-06-25 16:12:26

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ooh, I might be able to answer that - I see a few follower posts under #FountainPens every now and then, you might have luck starting there!

2024-06-25 15:47:30

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the main question would be how well your unit has survived. I've collected two Phoenixes, one new and one near-new in box, and the analog stuff on both of them barely works - possibly the pots in them have degraded over time, I never got around to digging too deeply into it.

2024-06-25 15:45:28

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a long-term goal for me is to build exactly that adapter - maybe something Necroware-derived, maybe something original, but either way including a PS/2 socket and functionality to match.
Actually, you could get your Phoenix working with a Rockfire RM-203 or a Mayflash Joy Box 7 plus a PS/2 to USB adapter today - I'm like 90% sure the programmability was entirely in the software drivers, and remapping controls in games today is a solved problem.

2024-06-25 15:32:14

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and building a whole PC that's contemporary with old controller hardware will always be a difficult, fraught and expensive exercise that will never be worth preserving a controller alone. Retro PC gaming is such a tough nut to crack compared to what we can do with Sega, Nintendo stuff these days.
Not having a go at your thoughts and suggestions here - it's all appreciated - this is just such a dizzyingly complex topic and there's a lot more to consider than is visible at the surface.

2024-06-25 15:28:22

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talk of soundcards is a bit of a red herring in this case. They were just the ideal place to bundle a gameport into PCs at the time, and projects like the #PicoGUS which keep vintage sound tech alive also attempting gameport support on modern systems as well would be like a passenger airline trying to run a freight business under the same banner with no differentiation - they're actually very separate areas with little crossover except for the name on the box.

2024-06-25 15:23:22

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there are projects dedicated to it - the Necroware adapter is the most complete example: https://github.com/necroware/gameport-adapter
It's still a FOSS side project run by someone without the time and opportunity to work on it constantly, and maybe someday I'll skill up enough in programming to be able to contribute, but for now there's not much I can do to further it.

2024-06-25 14:47:17

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I'm already deep in the weeds on those - no off-the-shelf adapter works with digital protocols like Gravis GrIP or Microsoft's Sidewinder one, and hobbyist adapter support isn't complete. Windows dropped gameport support entirely in Vista and beyond, so this is an exercise in seeing what's possible today with Linux instead.

2024-06-25 14:05:16

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The use case here is stuffing something like an old PCI SoundBlaster into a #Linux box and seeing what I can get working using its 15-pin gameport (don't care about sound at all). Lots of searches for vintage PC game controllers wind up with discovering support for it in the Linux joystick drivers: https://docs.kernel.org/input/joydev/index.html
And I'd be VERY interested in discovering if that meant I could use, say, a Gravis Xterminator gamepad - which is gameport- and digital-only - on modern hardware under Linux.

2024-06-25 14:00:24

Slightly wild #Linux question, boosts and any advice or thoughts appreciated.
Old PCI expansion cards are basically useless on modern Windows these days because drivers would've been written for Windows four iterations ago, but:
If I bought a PCI-E to PCI adapter - it goes in a PCI-E slot, and presents a PCI slot on top of that - is there any reason that a legacy PCI card generally wouldn't work? Would the 32/64-bit divide be an issue? Would I have the same outdated/unusable driver issue?

2024-06-22 13:22:21

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The vintage gaming controller photobooth is experiencing some technical issues... please wait!
#Cat #SiameseCat #CatsOfMastodon #Caturday
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/660/002/766/739/274/original/da673d10fb795645.jpeg

2024-06-22 13:19:25

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Here's the Gravis NES joystick next to its PC counterpart. I've just noticed something different about these - both feature a tensioning system driven by turning a disc in the base, but they act very differently. The analog PC joystick becomes tougher to push off-axis, while the NES's digital joystick's range of movement is limited inwards - shortening the "throw" of the joystick, how far it can move before each direction is activated - which its manual calls "trigger points". #retrogaming #NES
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/659/991/565/160/574/original/9d3f12f168ee5fe8.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/659/997/143/033/331/original/589ebd5751901ff3.jpeg

2024-06-22 13:02:56

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This is the Advanced Gravis NES Joystick, the only controller Gravis made for consoles that I'm aware of (Logitech made the Philips Touchpad, and the Amiga/Atari and Macs were full-on personal computers). Like the limited edition clear joystick for PC, the NES Joystick featured a clear polycarbonate case, but added Start, Select and Slow-Motion buttons, and LED mode indicator lights. This would have looked cool as shit in your loungeroom in 1990! #retrogaming #NES
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/659/875/856/054/080/original/89b0ac093d7e5b5b.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/659/911/495/007/544/original/f789fb0b38fff532.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/659/911/665/488/000/original/1c348a66f7b1f70b.jpeg

2024-06-21 09:25:09

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Some quick test photos of shiny and reflective stuff. In order: a Gravis GamePad Pro, in translucent blue, bundled with EA's Madden 2002; a Belkin Nostromo N40 (yeah, Belkin tried the "gamer" thing once); a Belkin AeroCruiser, a fairly unremarkable mouse with a removable, interchangeable plastic bit on top; and a FutureTronics X-Wing, actually a pretty common pad that was sold in multiple configurations for the PC and PlayStation.
#retrogaming
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/653/395/870/846/597/original/58aba24a3bc4039e.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/653/398/056/223/796/original/c82c46e2281065c8.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/653/400/599/261/551/original/4af56d23e0fac985.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/653/402/654/804/888/original/ff187bbdb93f1349.jpeg

2024-06-21 09:12:38

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I think the photo box might be done? The LED bars just sit loosely in a couple of little brackets that were a one-off design and print effort, and I'm happy I'm at the point I can reliably just make something and have it work from the start.
Here's another big box in my collection - the Gravis GrIP system is a multi-port adapter for two 15-pin gameport devices, or four 9-pin GrIP pads, to connect through a single gameport on your PC. Four-way local multiplayer, years before USB was a thing!
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/653/293/099/580/262/original/0ecd03ab6b59fa20.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/653/351/208/204/165/original/f2351781d0da3c6e.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/653/351/306/776/807/original/bad21e7c2db1395d.jpeg

2024-06-21 04:43:54

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nice! What do you remember playing with it?

2024-06-21 03:18:48

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These photos are barely lit at all, but shows my setup is definitely big enough to isolate and photograph some of the bigger items in the collection. Cat for scale in the last pic.
This is the Gravis Phoenix "Flight and Weapons Control System" from 1994, an enormous PC joystick that plugged not only into your gameport, but also your DIN or PS/2 port - it had so many buttons it had to pretend to be a keyboard as well, in order for all the different inputs to work. #retrogaming
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/651/952/145/787/654/original/b783d006d8244b70.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/651/952/397/751/821/original/2c2a1e1c40de0e93.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/651/952/602/413/858/original/af2fd01eb38e0848.jpeg

2024-06-20 05:58:25

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Initial results are not too shoddy, considering this is with the wrong light (still waiting on some long LED bars), nowhere near enough towel coverage, and some very quick snaps with a Pixel 4A.
This is the Philips Touchpad, a Gravis GamePad licensed for the CD-i platform. While it has four action buttons, the CD-i really only had two - so two do the same thing, and one actually presses both 1 + 2 at the same time - something I think I've only ever seen on one gamepad for the PC! #retrogaming
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/646/921/225/495/927/original/e5ebb36bce1fb88f.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/646/921/476/738/834/original/3e398bbd49de49df.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/646/921/683/734/487/original/102e9199d347769b.jpeg

2024-06-19 13:14:09

This week I'm focusing on my #plasbeams photobox, because it's nearly complete enough to be functional, and as soon as it's done I can start properly documenting my controller collection.
I've been mulling over the best way to cover this thing - blackout curtains? Foamboard cut to fit? 3D print panels? Nah - a $6 towel from K-mart will do for now.
It just needs to be a matte white surface so the lighting doesn't look too weird - and in the meantime, it can serve as the cool cats' clubhouse.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/642/949/559/929/897/original/45e2a2d5bdf77b52.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/642/951/447/957/205/original/0445cd69720f8bdd.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/642/951/590/447/180/original/0142bcfeea6d7a5b.jpeg

2024-06-17 11:29:02

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tl;dr: In a world where companies will fleece you, scammers will steal your grandmother's savings, your chat program algorithmically charts your gender, and your car's manufacturer sells analytics about the way you drive without a second thought:
The only thing that matters is kindness, and we could all do with a lot more of it.
Also, I'm going to go have a drink or two now. Holy hell, that little rant has been building up for a while now.

2024-06-17 11:24:52

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Do you work in IT? Do you support a system? Do you work on a helpdesk? Do you take calls, answer emails?
Congratulations. That's no longer your job title. From the moment you read this, you're a user advocate.
Process issue holding something up? Bug in the app? Is a particular system always down? Advocate for your users. Go to bat for them with the teams responsible for their struggles.
Folks will say "oh thank christ, it's you" when they hear your voice on the phone if you advocate for them.

2024-06-17 11:19:36

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This shit is why, when banks announced they were going to stop processing physical checks and a whole wave of elderly folks protested, I understood. It's one of the last fleeting vestiges of anything in their lives that still makes sense, and arguing about the cost of supporting obsolete systems is an absolute red herring.
It's not about the money. It's not about the tech. It's about kindness, and being fucking human to each other.

2024-06-17 11:16:14

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And here's the thing: None of this stuff makes me angry. Annoyed, sure, but I've been around computers since I was a toddler, and I have to solve shit problems like these for myself every day.
What makes me angry is: What about all the folks who aren't computer people? How the absolute fuck do they survive in a world where you can no longer function as an employee, a family member, any sort of citizen without encountering this stuff?
Those people are fucking heroes, and I'm angry for them.

2024-06-17 11:08:40

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You buy a second-hand but still quite new wireless gamepad. It dies unexpectedly at the approximate age of 16 months. There's a listing for a replacement battery on Amazon and a disassembly guide on iFixit, so you take a punt on a new battery and swap it in.
The gamepad's still dead, so you email its manufacturer for A) a repair, or B) spare parts, or C) to offer them even more money to fix it, but they don't provide any of those for a device still sold new today.
Get fucked, Steelseries.

2024-06-17 11:00:50

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Your cheap home PC doesn't have the physical space for another hard drive inside, so you buy an external one and your wireless keybbbbbbbbboard starts acting up when you're backing up.
Seriously, USB 3 devices put out a bunch of 2.4GHz interference and it fucks up wireless gear. Put your dongles on cheap USB extension cables and blutack them to the underside of your desk, I promise you'll stop hating Bluetooth quite so much if you do this.
Bluetooth is still shit, but this one's USB's fault.

2024-06-17 10:44:47

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That 168-hours-and-a-bit slowly cycles later and later into each passing week, and you fucking dread when it reaches late Friday afternoon, because it means Monday morning will be written off by logging in, rebooting, and patting multiple Microsoft applications on the head, and you're useless to your busy colleagues until you do.
This program with no icon or name is preventing you from restarting. You click Cancel. It restarts anyway.
Also, how likely are you to recommend Teams to a friend?

2024-06-17 10:38:50

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Your login session at work lasts exactly 168 hours (24*7) and at 168 hours and one minute, you get two MFA prompts simultaneously. You can't click on Outlook yet because the MFA system "didn't hear from you". After logging on, you join your daily Teams standup anonymously, because you don't have time to dig through dialog boxes that ding at you when you click on them to find the one with the working login button. A password prompt appears for a moment, you start typing, then it disappears again.

2024-06-17 10:25:36

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Your oven - a device with one moving part, and which functionally can be either "on" or "off" - stops working because a tiny capacitor exploded on the circuit board buried deep in the control panel and it costs hundreds of dollars to get a visit from an authorised screwdriver turner to replace it. The oven still doesn't work until you collectively figure out you have to set the time on the digital clock first, and you're reminded of this needless complication every time there's a power outage.

2024-06-17 10:00:08

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The call centre's scripts are circular and they flat out lie to you about getting a call back or any sort of update or movement happening. The website says it's gone back to the airport but you drive three hours to a courier's warehouse in western Sydney on a hunch and your parcel is sitting on the shelf in plain sight behind the underpaid girl at the counter. You pay extra to refuel your car because you didn't have time to find an app that tells you prices and the pump plays a video ad at you.

2024-06-17 09:55:22

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You hand over your entire life story to a website for a shipping quote just for it to tell you the thing's out of stock and the product page is just weasel words. Everything you've ever told any website ever has already been sold to other companies and other countries. The thing you buy never arrives because it's possible for a courier company to operate in Australia without delivering to PO boxes. Amazon mixes legit stock with counterfeits but at least your lucky dip item ships free with Prime.

2024-06-17 09:49:30

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My phone sometimes hangs hard and reboots when I plug it into my car. It's too many taps to navigate to the single digit number of locations I have saved. I'll be mid-playlist, and Spotify will forget and switch to random songs based on the last one it played. People can't hear me on a whatsapp call even after granting it every permission it asks for. The album I had on last week won't play anymore because licensing.
And at the end of the drive it asks me if the fucking sound quality was okay.

2024-06-17 09:41:23

I think I'm becoming utterly disillusioned on tech stuff lately. I'm hugely aware of the "you like stuff you grew up with" and "you have less patience for stuff as you age" biases, but even so...
Streaming is shit.
Searching is shit.
Researching is shit.
Shopping is shit.
Troubleshooting is shit.
My phone is shit. Autocorrect, touchscreen keyboards, Bluetooth, AI, Android Auto, Spotify, all shit.
It's not even capitalism or consumerism, I'm just tired of arguing and fighting with things I own.

2024-06-14 13:14:52

It's Friday night, it's cold outside and I'm still working on that whole social life thing, so here's a long rambly thread about the 15-pin PC gameport and its historical significance, because it's something I want to practice writing about at length (if anyone was silly enough to give me a PhD for something, it'd be for this nonsense).
Feel free to mute this thread if that's not your thing - or if it is, bookmark it for later, or prepare to be en-knowledge-ified!
#retrocomputing #retrogaming
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/614/674/440/731/833/original/cafc682b95ed80af.jpeg

2024-06-07 04:18:48

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it was an unfortunate incident during a secret ceremony the night before the photographer was due in. The engineering team were invited to collectively put a finger on CM040 serial number 0000 before chanting "Connection Machines!" together but #9 used a bit too much force and cracked their only working prototype.
Technically the tenth guy did see the chip, but not das blinkenlights.

2024-06-07 04:08:43

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unfortunately that ninth person was why there was never a tenth or eleventh

2024-06-05 23:54:50

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ooh, measuring tape lanyard is a cool idea!

2024-06-03 08:44:18

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So, question: Can I get some suggestions for software / tips and tricks for recording and reviewing raw data coming off a serial port? I'm a very long way from trying to reverse-engineer a novel protocol myself, but that's the eventual goal, and the next step I'd like to take is compare what I'm seeing coming out of a serial mouse with documentation online to make sure I really understand what's going on and how all this works.
Uh... #retrocomputing #reverseengineering ? boosts welcome.

2024-06-03 05:29:36

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And, yep - with Windows 10 told to enable serial mouse detection on boot, all you need is the right kind of adapter installed and a serial mouse plugged in when you boot up. Here's the FTDI-derived one working with my Microsoft Home serial mouse - you can see the adapter blinking to say it's receiving data when I move it around. #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/550/547/646/201/166/original/b9f55ab735a01dfa.mp4

2024-06-03 05:23:22

This is an IOCREST-brand USB to RS-232 serial adapter, which I bought from a seller on AliExpress. It arrived in exactly the same time as an identical eBay listing said it would, for literally half the price - if eBay is still your default go-to for weird stuff like this, keep in mind dropshippers are probably fleecing you.
This adapter contains an FTDI chipset, not the much cheaper CH340, and it's time to see if this is the reason I couldn't get serial mice working natively on Windows 10.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/550/533/529/313/086/original/9506d10cb2f9b0ab.jpeg

2024-06-01 23:45:50

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there's a smartphone app I've used in a pinch before that detects everything about your screen size- and DPI-wise and displays a ruler along the long edge of your phone screen. Not quite what you're looking for if you're set on getting a physical tool, but if your EDC is already quite bulky maybe a virtual tool is an option!

2024-06-01 08:40:51

? ??? Siamese Meerkat ????? ??
#CatsOfMastodon #Caturday #Siamese #SiameseCat #Cat
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/539/988/573/732/703/original/926604fe40ce56cf.jpeg

2024-05-28 05:21:35

Retro PC games:
✅ Download quickly
✅ Can be played with a D-pad or a joystick and a couple of buttons
✅ Are incredibly well-documented now
✅ Had their DRM stripped out decades ago, or... see point above
✅ Will run on 0.03% of your PC's capabilities
✅ Are cheap to acquire in digital form
✅ Are interesting historical artefacts
✅ Are celebrated by inclusive and collaborative online communities
Save a classic gamepad from ewaste and start playing retro games today! 🎮
#retrogaming #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/516/517/296/546/303/original/e7995c3b5c654f26.jpeg

2024-05-26 12:20:30

Sigh - you open a game to take a couple of brief screenshots for an idea you had for a toot, and-- hey, when did it become night-time? #retrogaming #xcom #openxcom
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/506/879/478/029/540/original/261698ad12bf85a1.jpeg

2024-05-25 07:09:25

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Unfortunately I think the coating on this one was at least partially rubberised, and it's just beginning to decay - it's not at all sticky, but it smells slightly sweet, the texture is starting to feel a bit powdery in places, and there's a couple of patches on top where it's starting to come apart - so this one won't be finding its way into regular use, but it still (to me at least) looks utterly beautiful! #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/499/987/876/918/543/original/738b0b4096d08cc6.jpeg

2024-05-25 07:06:06

I saw an inexpensive listing on eBay for a Logitech Sensa mouse last month, so I jumped on it without really looking at it - and the result arrived this week. As far as I can tell, "Sensa" was a sub-brand of their at-the-time MouseMan models, with interesting external finishes - I've seen wood-grain, carbon fibre, and... whatever this thing is, Damascus Plastic? #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/499/967/479/984/920/original/c4559d9cc8f6aced.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/499/967/615/400/004/original/d27c0145b9deb9d4.jpeg

2024-05-24 08:00:41

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And with that, my new home workstation is open for business. This setup is the result of 20 years of development, experimentation, the march of technology, and not just shaping my workflow to suit my work, but adapting myself to it as well. Reaching this point has made me very, very happy, and I'm going to make some really cool stuff here in the coming years.
If someone could take a moment to appreciate what I've done with my monitor arms, that'd be swell. Also there's a cat on a laptop.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/494/499/915/158/966/original/6f278b44d32ae3db.jpeg

2024-05-24 07:08:56

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I know this because the #FractalDesign Ridge, which claims compatibility with Noctua's NH-L12S cooler, actually doesn't have enough room for it with some boards, unless you buy a crazy adapter to move the cooler 7mm downslope. My PSU also put the power socket at an odd angle, so wrangling that to fit was tough. I also don't love Fractal's apparently random use of identical-looking #6-32 and M3 screws throughout... but when all's said and done, this is the most beautiful my PC has ever looked.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/494/330/446/817/611/original/02e86dd6207788f6.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/494/331/235/089/011/original/79da8c674e4c7017.jpeg

2024-05-24 06:56:32

Fun language/free market convergence thing: A "right angle" is where two lines intersect at a 90 degree angle, and you can buy "right angle cables", where the plug at one end is rotated to point at a 90 degree angle away from the cable.
But what if you want a cable to go the *other* way? Well, in that case, you want to search for a "left angle" cable, and it'll point in the opposite direction to a typical "right angle" cable.
There also exist "up angle" and "down angle" adapters, like these.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/494/273/191/138/886/original/724b19d2d5475887.jpeg

2024-05-24 02:35:48

Here's a great article (in Dutch, your browser can translate) about efforts to archive and preserve Dutch-language educational games, and some of the challenges involved (copyright law has its good points, but really does hold back a lot of good-faith excellence). https://tweakers.net/reviews/12068/nationaal-archief-educatieve-games-nostalgie-van-redcat-tot-lingo.html
#retrogaming #pcgaming #retrocomputing

2024-05-20 04:45:26

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Abby continues to micromanage the re-construction efforts. She admits she doesn't really understand the project brief, but thinks it's pretty cool regardless. #CatsOfMastodon
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/471/115/816/391/922/original/0a23c7e8fdd356e4.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/471/115/966/994/929/original/0c0714a813e28713.jpeg

2024-05-19 02:35:47

First full assembly of the photobox (and of course Abby immediately claimed it for cat-kind). It's clear I built it too big - it sags, it sways, and my carefully fussed-over hinge clamp assemblies just glide apart with this much mass behind them - but because #plasbeams are totally modular I can now pare it down beam by beam until it reaches a stable size. It's still the largest 3D printed thing I've ever made, and that's pretty cool.
#3DPrinting @npub1d4n…dptf @npub1hgu…ljf3
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/464/921/500/030/786/original/fe0f8fffe4ee4f1c.jpeg

2024-05-17 04:24:49

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I'm most interested about the joystick ports on this thing. This thing pre-dates the Gravis GRiP protocol, which allowed daisy-chaining of multiple controllers using digital serial comms, so where the instructions say it functions as a "Y adapter", it means everything's connected to the first port, but buttons 3 and 4 will be wired to 1 and 2 on the second port, leaving two buttons for each of your two joysticks or gamepads.
#retrogaming #retrocomputing

2024-05-17 04:21:23

This is probably the only Gravis UltraSound-related thing I'll sensibly collect. This is the Gravis MIDI and Joystick Adapter, and I'm super thrilled to have picked one up for a reasonable price in this condition. At some point I'll carefully pull things out for a closer look, including scanning the paperwork, but in the meantime - did you ever have/use one of these? What'd you use it for/with? Let me know!
#retrogaming #retrocomputing
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/454/013/206/528/337/original/211aea89efbfb44c.jpeg
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/454/013/500/366/653/original/c70d4f5c2650914e.jpeg

2024-05-15 13:47:13

Bedside lamps need a "see me home" feature like modern car headlights that stay on for a few moments after you switch everything off. I don't want to reach back out from under a warm blanket just to turn a light off once I'm settled.

2024-05-09 15:24:51

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Q-Connect? I wish every motherboard manufacturer started using that the moment ASUS had the idea. Unfortunately ASUS boards haven't been the right value choice for any of the builds I've done in the last little while, and I'm not a fan of spending $20-30 extra to pick a board with a feature that will save me a couple of minutes two or three times in my life.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/411/339/098/474/955/original/be0c778d9798988d.jpg

2024-05-09 12:50:39

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This is literally all the information I have ever needed from a motherboard manual. It's the only header that needs to be plugged in manually, every other connector is a standard plug and only goes in one way. Print this on the back of the PCB or something and stop shipping a book of USB and ATX pinouts with every PC motherboard ever!
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/410/730/923/447/336/original/e7fac5d7b8c8078b.png

2024-05-09 10:55:58

Building computers continues to be harder than it should be. Gigabyte didn't label the front panel connector pins on my motherboard, likely because they ran out of space in which to do so, but it seems like their support website has also run out of something today.
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/410/282/755/581/559/original/ffbe3445a149c41e.png

2024-04-14 06:16:54

I'm proud to announce the first public release of #Thrixels, my system for #3DPrinting pixel art! After several months of work, I think it's finally ready to inflict on other people - please give it a go if you're interested, and let me know how you get on with it.
https://www.printables.com/model/843125-thrixels-a-system-for-3d-printed-pixel-art
Boosts, suggestions, and any other feedback would be highly appreciated!
@npub1d4n…dptf @npub1hgu…ljf3
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/267/624/362/462/547/original/34f2ebef4e2c23ad.jpeg

2024-02-26 08:56:27

So, uh, I collect old game controllers - mostly gamepads, but a few joysticks, mice, and weirder things here and there. You can see some of them in the photo below. This collection - and attempting to appropriately document and meaningfully share it - is why I joined Mastodon in the first place. For those of you who follow me for #retrogaming and #retrocomputing stuff but have been cursed by endless 3D printing posts - sorry, the good stuff's coming, I promise. 1/🧵
https://digipres.club/system/media_attachments/files/111/996/637/598/186/231/original/16f65c4a50e6de2d.jpeg

2023-09-30 14:11:54

New server, new #introduction! I'm Tim, an Aussie #retrogaming maker and collector. Right now I'm working on some USB adapters for old gaming controllers, which I collect and research - ask me about Advanced Gravis!
I do a lot of #3dprinting and design, and make a lot of little gadgets to make life easier or more fun. I also collect, scan and upload rare manuals for things, and used to be fairly active in the #righttorepair space (and still quietly run my old laptop service manuals site).