Something that has been providing me with plenty of inspiration for my Zolatron homebrew project lately is the Usagi Electric YouTube channel, particularly the series of videos on restoring a Centurion mini computer.
For one thing, it’s comforting to know there are people more nuts than you. I can just image the reaction I’d get from my More Significant Other if I brought home a non-working piece of junk that takes up most of a room.
Except that it isn’t junk. David, whose channel it is, has taken us on a fascinating journey getting this thing running again, in spite of what seems like an endless procession of hurdles.
There’s something about seeing messages finally appearing on a CRT screen – like a communication from the past – that evokes in me a nostalgic thrill. I’m reminded of the days when I used my 300 baud modem to hook into mainframe computer systems, back in the early 1980s and… well, no, I’ve already said too much.
Anyway, there’s plenty more to like on this channel, but don’t miss the Centurion videos.