Project List:

I started this list a few years ago as a motivational tool. I figure if you can see what I'm working on, I'll actually make progress. It also helps me look back on completed projects.

There are also some projects which require more information before I can do anything: Looking for Information.
There is also a wishlist of equipment which pertain to some of the projects here: Wishlist.

Some of these are half-baked ideas without any serious progress, but enough motivation to want to try. Others are projects I've started, and then left for dead. I've got so many ideas and projects, I need to keep track of them all. Many are just concepts without any physical manifestation (yet), and those are marked in gray. Items marked in gold are top priorities.

Robots:

Arsonbot fireball cannon completion - final assembly & programming
Zumo robot completion & programming
Hero Jr. BASIC terminal program storage system
Hero Jr. sensor "hat" - flashlight control?
Hero 1 rebuild
VCFed Hero 1 repair (some motors, a few sensors, I/O board, battery cage) - I/O board profession scans are back, gerbers need tweaking before production, need to order new batteries
D2 beetleweight combat robot - awaiting assembly

Old Computers:

IBM 5150 repair and case refinishing
Commodore 128T
Commodore RTC board (VIC-20 maybe?)
Commodore VIC-1541 drive re-alignment
Toshiba Satellite T1960CT Battery Replacement
Toshiba Libretto 70CT Battery Replacement
Altair 680 Replica Kit Assembly
Reverse engineering paper tape punch & reader - Made some progress with this one! Needs additional modifications
Zenith ZVM-122 monitor repair
Data General Nova 1200 Restoration - Built new power supply! Need to fix core boards, configured for additional serial, front panel and logic debugging
Ohio Scientific 540B replica color video board build - it works! Needs additional calibration.
Looking for schematics and/or service manuals for the GRiD 1530 prior to repairs
Ohio Scientific 400 replica CPU board - running!, 420 RAM board added, 440 video board being interfaced to Sanders 720 keyboard
Assembling, debugging Galaksija replica

Less Old Computers

C*NET Asterisk server - need to install OS
Commodore PC40-III web server (Setup)
AST Bravo upgrades - fresh 95A install complete, 5¼" floppy installed, VLB card not worth it
Offsite storage server - awaiting SMB share configuration
Setup dot-matrix printer website logging
Debugging various 5¼" floppy drives - several seem to be hit/miss, 3 appear to work fine

Telephones:

Mechanical PBX build - a dream which will take a ton of time, learning, and parts before it can be realized
Fix Northern Telecom phone x2

DIY Electronics:

Homebrew 6502 computer "Cactus"
Homebrew optical paper tape reader
BMO MK II
PiDP-8 case completion
New NES Zapper Mod
Aether Rifle MK II prop for Teslapunk Voltigeur costume (nixie/dekatron?)
Reverse engineer tiny IBM monitor
IBM 49-key Soarer's mod reprogramming
Homewbrew .mp3 Player
Design and build 6507 badge
Rebuild C64DTV
Test Passive vs. Active EGA splitting for simultaneous display/capture
Build Pi into shell of bricked T19XX Satellite - gathering parts, testing fitment
Repairing SL-1700 turntable - bad right channel, poor speed control response
Rewire brass floor lamp - gathered parts, dissassembling

Completed Projects:

These are the things I've actually accomplished. It makes the previous list seem far less daunting.

Dallas RTC Replacement on tiny 286 and Commodore PC40-III
Repair spare 5170 enough to sell it
Upgrade Knox RS16x16 with remote video readout option
Repaired VIC-1112 IEEE-488 cartridge
Migrated commodorez.com from a Raspberry Pi 3B+ to proper server hardware!
Installed fresh batteries in my colocation server UPS's
Reverse engineered Sanders 720 keyboard - part of OSI 400 project
Assembled Glitchworks replica OSI-400 board
Created new web server VM
Created Minecraft server for friends
Added LEGO section to website
Built modern replacement power supply for Nova 1200
Added photo galleries to website
"Fixed" PVM (by dusting it)
Replaced Extron DVS-304 power supply
Upgraded Multi to GTX 1080TI
Commodore VIC-20 brightness/color phase repair
Assembled workbench lighting
Repaired and configured Data General Nova 1200 to run BASIC (before the PSU blew up)
Setup CanoScan FS 2710 SCSI film scanner
Confirmed C64C SID chip working
Repaired VIC-20 from broken data bus buffer and BASIC ROM socket
Built Snark Barker (Sound Blaster replicaa)
Toshiba Satellite T1960CT Refurbished, Windows 95 installed
Fixed VIC-1540 floppy drive
Installed Iomega Buz on Vega
Repaired Keytronic Trak101 keyboard
Assembled new electronics workbench
Setup SDR Pi 4
Installed new server UPSs in colocation and move servers accordingly
Assembled Glitchworks R6501Q SBC
Found suitable floppy drive for AST Bravo
Replaced failed tube on nixie clock
Configured new XP powerhouse "Tima" with music collection
Upgraded to RS16x16 composite video switcher, integrated mixer into home audio chain
Rebuilt desk, A/V infrastructure
Packed workshop for transport
Built PET composite video adapter
Repaired and modernized power supply for Xetec Super Graphics Gold printer adapter for C64 & VIC-20
Repaired power regulator in Heathkit H89, and upgraded to switchmode
Replaced battery on Nexus 7 tablet
OSI Challenger 4P repaired - RAM replaced, keyboard repaired, short to ground eliminated, linear PSU replaced with higher amperage switchmode, A15 installed, fan added.
Repaired Nova 1200 PSU, reformed capacitors, dummy load tests
Designed, ordered, and assembled my first PCB
Built new Windows 7 utility machine "Multi" and salvaged previous install
Programmed VIC-20 War Dialer for VCFMW 14 in-house phone network. Made more calls than everyone else combined!
Configured new iteration of Vexus VM host
Rewired composite video infrastructure
Setup XJ-8 - it's running and doing its job!
VIC-20 custom paint job, switching regulator upgrade, KERNAL ROM mod
1541 switching power regulator upgrade
Replaced Vega's 5¼" floppy drive
Repaired Mini OSI-300 kit (bad diodes)
Repaired Cactus Seed, minimal 6502 machine
Repaired Glitch Works 8085 SBC Kit
Aether Rifle MK I Baker dekatron upgrade
VIC-20 motherboard swap/refurbishment
Desktop tethering over SDI to TV
LightChii SSD + GPU upgrade
Installed Vega power supply replacement
VIC-20 PET keyboard repair
Commodore PC40-III HDD Replacement using XT-IDE Rev 3
Repaired Commodore rotary phone
Prepared and delivered VCF Midwest talk and didn't make a fool of myself
Connect the Cactus to the MOnSter 6502.
Prepared and delivered DEFCON HHV talk and survived to tell the tale
NT2017 Rotary Cellphone build & rebuild
Toshiba Satellite P25-S507 screen replacement
Breadboard Grant Searle's minimal chip-count 6502 computer
Overhauled home network
40th anniversary 6502 badge build
Tiny serial terminal kit build
Commodore 64 rebuild, PLA, & RAM repair
VIC-20 rebuilt + C16 keyboard splice
IBM 5170 customization & configuration
Live unboxing of IBM 5170, and basic configuration
Configured new HDMI twitch signal path for VGA and composite
VIC-20 refurbished
VIC-20 customized ROM
PET 2001-32N picture dropout & nonlinearity repair, datasette port repair, keyboard intermittent response cleaning
Toshiba 1910CS/200 new Windows install (with no floppy drive!)
Hero Jr. fully upgraded
Hero Jr. post VCFEXI repair (RS232 issues, wheel encoder sensor issues)
H89 New FDD installation
Zumo robot sensor board
Custom desk build
Libretto Windows 95 install
Vega rebuild
Windows 2000 & XP reinstall on Pentium 4
BMO MK I & MK I Kai builds
Gameboy Advance SP screen replacement
H19/H89 custom EPROM
H19/H89 composite video combiner board
Cast aluminum Commodore belt buckle
Mini OSI-300 kit build
1802 ELF Membership Card build

This page was last updated on 4-3-2024
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