Due to the way the simms stick out, those simmverters come in four different versions; "left-handed short", "left-handed tall", "right-handed tall", and "right-handed short". This would allow 16 x 30-pin simms to fit next to each other in 4 x 72-pin slots on a typical Pentium class motherboard.
I bought an Atari 800 on closeout after the ST was released (it was the only way I could afford one). Wonderful machine! I learned everything I ever needed to know about computer science on that Atari.
The Compaq portable was groundbreaking, but Kaypro quickly dominated the market and they sold a million of them. People just loved these machines and used them for as long as they could. A PC-DOS modification isn't at all surprising for this time.
I was filled with horror when you powered up the 800 without first investigating the rattle; it turned out fine, but if it had been an errant screw or something rolling around in there it could've been a disaster! Probably not the first to mention it, but the 800 used a BASIC cartridge and had no built-in diagnostic (BASIC etc. were first added in the 1200XL), and the RAM and ROM boards were only in individual cases in early models.
33:17 When you were telling us how this was on a pallet ready to be crushed, I was ready to post a comment saying "that's so shocking, this machine belongs in a museum"... And those were your exact words! I've said that a few times already but I don't get tired of repeating it: I love EWW episodes.
Nice scores . Love the Kaypro, I knew that beast would turn on. That is so useful and cool having both CP/M and DOS or at least back in the day. Glad you saved it brother.
Thanks for another EWW video. The Atari 800 doesn’t have built-in BASIC. Instead, it included a BASIC cartridge. Memo Pad is what you get if you start without a cartridge. Also, no built-in diagnostics, as you discovered. Early 800s had cases around their RAM boards, but this was dropped. Because the machine powers down when you open the cartridge door, there’s no need to turn it off to insert or remove a cartridge. Just open the door. Great content, as always. Wish I had a good e-waste place near me.
Yes, you are correct about the ROM and RAM originally had cases around them. That was because at the time Both, the 400 and 800 had the ability for the user to upgrade to ROM. And for the 800 to change the amount of RAM that it had. The 800 originally came with one 16K module, and you can upgrade the RAM by adding either a 4K, 8K and 16K module(s) to a total of 64K. You did this by opening the hatch and sliding to pieces of plastic stoppers out of the way. Lift up the lid cover. Later Atari decided to just start shipping the 800 with 64K already installed. Where Atari removed the plastic stoppers from under the hatch and just used screws to close the lid cover. And inserted the ROM and RAM modules without a covers. This change took place in the 1980's.
The Kaypro II was named as such because of the popularity of the Apple II. Looking at the pinout of 30-pin and 72-pin SIMMS, it looks like SIMMverters were possible because it appears as if they made the 30-pin SIMM 32-bits wide to make the 72-pin SIMM pinout, with a few extra signals to provide for presence detection and dual-rank SIMMs.
Sorry, but as a Donkey Kong fan, the Atari 800 port is one of the best home console ports. It beats the NES port (and most others) simply by virtue of including all of the levels. (The NES port is missing the pie factory level.) Anyone who disagrees can fight me.
Kaypro made some bangin' CP/M portables. They were exceptionally rugged, reliable, and versatile. Kaypro was one of the reasons the early Compaq lug-ables were made from "gold plated everything" - they had to at least meet the same quality as Kaypro. CRD? "Cathode Ray Display?" 😁 That Kaypro II interests me. Let's talk.
That is a very heavily modified Kaypro II. This was our family's first computer. You example is a LONG way from stock. A stock Kaypro II had Z80 running at 2.5 MHz and 2 5.25'' SSDD 191KB floppy drives. It did come with a full ton of software. Including Microsoft BASIC which was what I first cut my teeth on as a programmer. My dad also did some mods to our Kaypro II including having upto 4 disk drives on it even running a 720K 3.5'' drive. This brings back a lot of fond memories. Look forward to your full videos on these two machines!!
Those are nice computers for someone to just be scrapping. I can't believe how good a shape the Kaypro's are in. They were made like tanks, but most I've seen have pretty dented cases just from being moved around over the last 45 years. Someone stored those things well.
As of 2014, my Kaypro II (CP/M) was running fine. It only went in the shop twice - once for a bootrom upgrade, and once for a disk drive fail. (Ironically, it was the B: drive that failed. But Dad needed it.) That chassis is, in fact, solid metal; I want to say about 1.5 mm thick, but I can't get to mine to check.
The original 400/800 did not have basic built in. There was a cartridge for it. The earliest models had the ROM and ROM cards in boxes with just the edge exposed, but later on, it was just the PCB boards.
Where are e-waste facilities like this? All we have is our recycling center and everything is behind closed doors. I'd love to be able to walk up to a pallet and grab things.
Holding down START when powering on the Atari means you want to load and execute a binary from cassette tape. The audio sound is a prompt to press PLAY on the tape drive.
The OS and RAM cards were originally shipped in cartridge cases, but they tended to get hot. By the time they were shipping all 800s with 48K, they just included the bare boards with that overhead separator. No. The 400/800 had no built-in diagnostics. That was introduced with the 1200XL. Built-in BASIC wasn't included until the 600XL/800XL.
The Kleertex overlays were NOT included, but pretty good. Dad used them for Perfect Write, Perfect Calc, and DBase II; I used one for Wordstar. Yeah, 9" CRT, 80×25 char. those front panel controls are non-standard. The drive lights are....
$45!!! Wow. I wish we had e-waste places like that here. Ours seem to look up the eBay prices for things and that's what they try and sell things for, so just one of those Kaypro's would probably cost us 10 times what you paid for the whole bundle! :-(
My friend Justin (@jdmcs, who commented earlier) went through the arduous task of completly rebuilding the PSU for his Kaypro machine. I suggest buying a Mean Well PSU for the security of having a modern solution.
I love seeing this stuff but it makes me kind of hate you(not seriously just in a jealous way) cause I never find anything even close to this and I definitely don't have access to an ewaste place. 🤣😡🤣
Due to the way the simms stick out, those simmverters come in four different versions; "left-handed short", "left-handed tall", "right-handed tall", and "right-handed short". This would allow 16 x 30-pin simms to fit next to each other in 4 x 72-pin slots on a typical Pentium class motherboard.
Hard to imagine an 800 in the trash... I lusted after one of these in the early 80's. Massively expensive at the time.
I lust after one now! :-)
I bought an Atari 800 on closeout after the ST was released (it was the only way I could afford one).
Wonderful machine! I learned everything I ever needed to know about computer science on that Atari.
The Compaq portable was groundbreaking, but Kaypro quickly dominated the market and they sold a million of them. People just loved these machines and used them for as long as they could. A PC-DOS modification isn't at all surprising for this time.
Cameleon: a lizard that changes its color to match its surroundings. An appropriate name for such technology.
I was filled with horror when you powered up the 800 without first investigating the rattle; it turned out fine, but if it had been an errant screw or something rolling around in there it could've been a disaster!
Probably not the first to mention it, but the 800 used a BASIC cartridge and had no built-in diagnostic (BASIC etc. were first added in the 1200XL), and the RAM and ROM boards were only in individual cases in early models.
And there is a last board hidden in the s-100 bus under the case, with the cpu 🙂
33:17 When you were telling us how this was on a pallet ready to be crushed, I was ready to post a comment saying "that's so shocking, this machine belongs in a museum"... And those were your exact words! I've said that a few times already but I don't get tired of repeating it: I love EWW episodes.
Ha. Thanks!
Nice scores . Love the Kaypro, I knew that beast would turn on. That is so useful and cool having both CP/M and DOS or at least back in the day. Glad you saved it brother.
Thanks!
Thanks for another EWW video. The Atari 800 doesn’t have built-in BASIC. Instead, it included a BASIC cartridge. Memo Pad is what you get if you start without a cartridge. Also, no built-in diagnostics, as you discovered.
Early 800s had cases around their RAM boards, but this was dropped.
Because the machine powers down when you open the cartridge door, there’s no need to turn it off to insert or remove a cartridge. Just open the door.
Great content, as always. Wish I had a good e-waste place near me.
Oh yeah. I forgot basic was on a cartridge. I have several sitting around, I should have pulled one out.
Yes, you are correct about the ROM and RAM originally had cases around them. That was because at the time Both, the 400 and 800 had the ability for the user to upgrade to ROM. And for the 800 to change the amount of RAM that it had. The 800 originally came with one 16K module, and you can upgrade the RAM by adding either a 4K, 8K and 16K module(s) to a total of 64K. You did this by opening the hatch and sliding to pieces of plastic stoppers out of the way. Lift up the lid cover. Later Atari decided to just start shipping the 800 with 64K already installed. Where Atari removed the plastic stoppers from under the hatch and just used screws to close the lid cover. And inserted the ROM and RAM modules without a covers. This change took place in the 1980's.
The Kaypro II was named as such because of the popularity of the Apple II.
Looking at the pinout of 30-pin and 72-pin SIMMS, it looks like SIMMverters were possible because it appears as if they made the 30-pin SIMM 32-bits wide to make the 72-pin SIMM pinout, with a few extra signals to provide for presence detection and dual-rank SIMMs.
Sorry, but as a Donkey Kong fan, the Atari 800 port is one of the best home console ports. It beats the NES port (and most others) simply by virtue of including all of the levels. (The NES port is missing the pie factory level.) Anyone who disagrees can fight me.
Seconded
Whaaaaattt? Somebody tossed a cosmetically perfect Kaypro that boots immediately? Sheesh!
28:03 A build-in [CRD] or Cathode Ray Dude would be a challenge, especially for a luggable ;)
LOL. I should have added that in when I was editing.
Kaypro made some bangin' CP/M portables. They were exceptionally rugged, reliable, and versatile. Kaypro was one of the reasons the early Compaq lug-ables were made from "gold plated everything" - they had to at least meet the same quality as Kaypro.
CRD? "Cathode Ray Display?" 😁
That Kaypro II interests me. Let's talk.
Or "Cathode Ray Dude".
I just got a kaypro 2 from my father in law havent turned it on yet waiting on a youtuber to put one out Thank you
That is a very heavily modified Kaypro II. This was our family's first computer. You example is a LONG way from stock. A stock Kaypro II had Z80 running at 2.5 MHz and 2 5.25'' SSDD 191KB floppy drives. It did come with a full ton of software. Including Microsoft BASIC which was what I first cut my teeth on as a programmer. My dad also did some mods to our Kaypro II including having upto 4 disk drives on it even running a 720K 3.5'' drive. This brings back a lot of fond memories. Look forward to your full videos on these two machines!!
Those are nice computers for someone to just be scrapping. I can't believe how good a shape the Kaypro's are in. They were made like tanks, but most I've seen have pretty dented cases just from being moved around over the last 45 years. Someone stored those things well.
Those Kaypro computers have a robust, solid look! They would be quite at home on an industrial or lab setting!
As of 2014, my Kaypro II (CP/M) was running fine. It only went in the shop twice - once for a bootrom upgrade, and once for a disk drive fail. (Ironically, it was the B: drive that failed. But Dad needed it.) That chassis is, in fact, solid metal; I want to say about 1.5 mm thick, but I can't get to mine to check.
The original 400/800 did not have basic built in. There was a cartridge for it. The earliest models had the ROM and ROM cards in boxes with just the edge exposed, but later on, it was just the PCB boards.
Where are e-waste facilities like this? All we have is our recycling center and everything is behind closed doors. I'd love to be able to walk up to a pallet and grab things.
Holding down START when powering on the Atari means you want to load and execute a binary from cassette tape. The audio sound is a prompt to press PLAY on the tape drive.
CRD: Cathode Ray Device!
The OS and RAM cards were originally shipped in cartridge cases, but they tended to get hot.
By the time they were shipping all 800s with 48K, they just included the bare boards with that overhead separator.
No. The 400/800 had no built-in diagnostics. That was introduced with the 1200XL.
Built-in BASIC wasn't included until the 600XL/800XL.
awesome haul!
The Kleertex overlays were NOT included, but pretty good. Dad used them for Perfect Write, Perfect Calc, and DBase II; I used one for Wordstar.
Yeah, 9" CRT, 80×25 char. those front panel controls are non-standard. The drive lights are....
Thanks 👍
Love the intro 👍
$45!!! Wow. I wish we had e-waste places like that here. Ours seem to look up the eBay prices for things and that's what they try and sell things for, so just one of those Kaypro's would probably cost us 10 times what you paid for the whole bundle! :-(
Yeah. They are starting to do that at my place recently. I hope I can keep getting good deals.
I believe Nintendo licensed Donkey Kong to Atari for computers and Coleco for consoles, and they had ports for their computer computers/consoles.
Yeah. Quite an interesting history there.
Where in the heck do you live where there are apparently enough people to have things like that show up in E-waste?
Bay area. Doesn't get much better.
@@RetroHackShackAfterHours that explains everything
My friend Justin (@jdmcs, who commented earlier) went through the arduous task of completly rebuilding the PSU for his Kaypro machine. I suggest buying a Mean Well PSU for the security of having a modern solution.
It's insane what people will throw out, jfc.
Thanks for sharing the great gets. I would like to donate an external RGB2HDMI adapter board for Kaypros. I'm not sure how I can contact you.
Missing Atari logo key, also known as the Inverse key. Someone probably took the key just for the Atari logo.
Ok, that is funny. I just had to put the pins back in mu trs-80
How do you find the ewaste places.
Google maps
Two Kaypros and an Atari walk into a bar...
Why does your talking affect the spectrum analyzer so?
I love seeing this stuff but it makes me kind of hate you(not seriously just in a jealous way) cause I never find anything even close to this and I definitely don't have access to an ewaste place. 🤣😡🤣
Would have watched the video except you are using your hand for some reason and that is so irritating. Turned it off and won't be back.
First!
Chameleon, the colour-changing iguana. ka-mee-lee-on