Old School Clear Case - my first custom case

I stumbled across these pix cleaning up my HD - they are of my "first custom case mod" circa 1980. Heck, this is really my first computer too...Yes, this computer is older that 80% of the forum members - I posted these a while back and I got asked to post them again. The board was called the "ELF" and came in kit form. The CPU is a Motorola 8 bit, and the "current" config has 2.5 KB of RAM, cassette interface, video out, modded teletype keyboard for input, and a home brew power supply.

Here it is in all it's glory:


Mainboard, hex imput and LED displays - the CPU is the largest chip (yes, it's overclocked by 10 Khz - modded the timing circuit)


Shot of the powersupply, RAM expansion board (with 2 KB !) and the video and other I/O to include the expansion bus (right rear)




modded teletype keyboard (diode array)


back I/O panel -


Here's what we (Dad and I) upgraded to... and Altair (cookie if you even heard of them) with dual 8" floppies !!! (that we modded from some other system and built the interface for)

I must say, brings back memories.....the questoin is do these still work?

JEEVES

Older than I am but hey, I still deserve a cookie.

By the way, we've probably met (albeit a while back and probably briefly) at a TCLP. Haven't made it up to a SpokLAN yet but it's been my intention to for a good while now.

Wow, great pics! That still looks cool.. even if it is older than I am. Especially since I can't imagine modding would be "all the rage" back in the 80's, heh.

slap a 6800/x800and you'll get at least 10,000 3dmark03 score!!!!

nice mod brings back memories of when i was 10 and we got our first computer....... i found an old 486 IBM in my basement.... im gonna mod the case when i get a chance. i turned it on today and it still worked

*bow*

I worship thy leetness of modding cases in the 80s.

Originally Posted by JEEVES/whohasmyname?

I must say, brings back memories.....the questoin is do these still work?

JEEVES

Both the ELF and Altair still work, still have my Atari 2600 too...
We've come a long way in terms of hardware over the years that's for sure. It still blows me away that my Hard Drives have more memory (cache) that a lot of the sytems that I've owned over the years. <sigh>

Peace,
Tim

But will it run Quake 3

nah, nice job... that's gotta be some of the original case modding work ever done... you sir are a pioneer!

Originally Posted by HRslammR

slap a 6800/x800and you'll get at least 10,000 3dmark03 score!!!!

lol if he slapped either of them in there it would overheat and have a meltdown

Originally Posted by somecallmeTim

Here's what we (Dad and I) upgraded to... and Altair (cookie if you even heard of them) with dual 8" floppies !!! (that we modded from some other system and built the interface for)

duh!? wargames!!!

build several million of them and win the folding competition after you manage to network them

I"m sure that computer is way older than me.... that's some awesome old school stuff.

Awesome.

That's AWESOME!

That looks cool, I have never seen an ELF, but that puts the computer that Bill gates and his partner built to shame.

I was about to say 'Oclock that mficker but it seems you already have!

reminds me of my first computer- an Apple IIc. had the combo CPU/Keyboard with the built in floppy. Had a green 6 inch CRT that hooked to it via composite video. Good times.

Tim,
Your machine has it all, minus computing power! now I want to go to the dump and grab me some old 286 glory machines for decorations!
Thanks for the awesome pics, that thing is great! And I'm still older than that thing, by about 12 years

wow pre-TRS-80 days , now thats something

Ahh yes, the Trash 80 days were cool!
That old Altair is in the computer museum I believe. That was back in the day for sure. Anyone remember Heath Kits? Now that was fun. They send you all the parts and you put it all together, heh. Ok I will leave this thread, I am too old.