Enough computers for a classroom! After a post to G+ of a picture of three of my Apple IIs all setup together, a discussion started about what could be printed on a dot matrix printer that would make kids go “Wow!” The only idea was banners and several people remembered some very large posters that they had seen in computer labs when they were younger. The posters had been made of pure text, and were too large for a single sheet so they were printed in long strips and then taped...

  A few months into my graphics class in high school, a couple of brand new Mac SE computers showed up, along with a LaserWriter printer. I had a great time discovering what they could do, and I felt right at home since the Apple IIgs I had been using at home for the previous year had a very Mac-like OS. Most of the files I created I made sure to keep on a couple of floppy disks. Since it was a graphics class, the things I created were generally drawings, although there were a few...

This is part 3 in a series. Check out Part 1: Creating a circuit and Part 2: Using KiCAD . My CNC setup Some time ago I bought a small CNC with the intended purpose of using it to make PCBs. While I have used the CNC for lots of things, I have never tried to make a PCB. The amount of work involved in trying to figure out all the different software programs needed, as well as how they work, has made me constantly put it off. Most of the time I’ve found a way to work around making a...

This is part 2 in a series. Check out  Part 1: Creating a circuit  and  Part 3: Milling the PCB . Prototype on breadboard In order to make my own PCB for the CGA to analog converter project , the first step is to do what is called schematic capture, and get the schematic drawn in the computer. While it’s certainly possible to draw a schematic in a program like Paint, or using something more sophisticated like Illustrator, using a specialized program is a better choice...

This is part 1 in a series. Check out  Part 2: Using KiCAD  and  Part 3: Milling the PCB . When I got my Commodore 128 I was expecting I would just connect the RGBI TTL output to the GBS-8200 knockoff that I have been using with the BBC Micro’s RGB TTL output. Of course the moment I went to do that I realized that I had an extra pin for Intensity with no place to connect it. I found several circuits online that were supposed to convert the 4 bit TTL output to an analog...