In 1969, Japanese electronics manufacturer Busicom
approached a little startup called Intel to develop a chipset for their new 141-PF
electronic printing calculator. Intel’s solution was the world’s first single chip microprocessor — the tiny Intel
4004 — which powered the Busicom machine to groundbreaking success in 1971.
37 years later, Bill Kotaska has crafted a replica of this historical machine capable of running the software from the original Busicom ROMs. He even went to the trouble of buying an old calculator of approximately the right vintage and rearranging the mechanical switches to match the original Busicom layout.
The printer mechanism was originally manufactured by Epson, and Kotaska was able reuse one from an old Monroe 1330 printing calculator, although the lack of a full schematic diagram made it tough for Kotaska to figure out exactly how it was supposed to interface with the logic circuit. He eventually figured it out, and the […]

Original post by james

I wish Vanadium Corp. of America had actually produced this stunning nuclear-powered road-maker in the early 1960s.
Just imagine the thrill of terraforming America’s beautiful but useless rural hills into productive ribbons of concrete at the touch of a single button. Sadly, they probably predicted the arrival of mass-produced personal aircars before this magnificent eco-mangler could be rushed into production.
Unearthed in the Plan 59 archives

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Original post by james

Pro-Ject turntables are manufactured in the Czech town of Litovel, several hundred kilometers east of Prague. Their broad range includes several stratospherically expensive models, but my favorite is the affordable yet impressive Debut III ($379).
This uncluttered manual turntable includes a straight aluminum tonearm with an Ortofon OM 5E cartridge. The steel platter includes a felt mat and the precision motor is decoupled to reduce vibration. The turntable runs at 33/45 rpm, requiring a quick pulley change. 78 rpm is optional, but you’ll need to invest in a special 33/78 rpm pulley.
A turntable doesn’t get simpler than this — there is no automatic cutoff at the end of a record, nor is the motor digitally controlled (a quartz controller is an option). All you get is great sound and minimalist design. In fact, the hardest choice will be selecting the color. It’s available in matte black, glossy black, glossy […]

Original post by james

The Classic USB Joystick Controller ($14.99) is a faithful reproduction of the Atari 2600 joystick, except with USB. It’s the latest brainchild from Legacy Engineering, the folks who brought the Atari Flashback 2.0 console to life several years ago.
The coolest feature is that designer Curt Vendel added internal contact points for up to 10 extra fire buttons. This means you can remove the PC board to use it as a dirt cheap controller board for your own DIY arcade cabinet. Seriously wicked. It’s scheduled to start shipping the first week of
December.
Order The Classic USB Joystick Controller

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Original post by james

A couple of high profile documentaries about the classic video game era have passed before our eyes in recent years. So far these celluloid treatments of our favorite phosphorescent video relics have been very good. “King of Kong” has become one of my favorite documentaries (though there are serious questions about the accuracy of some of the events as depicted in the film). While that film discusses a modern day fight on a classic gaming battleground, “Chasing Ghosts” puts you right back into the 80’s with the titans of gaming in the glory days.
“Chasing Ghosts” has been touring film festivals to much success, and next month you can catch the documentary on the Showtime cable network (the movie is not yet available on DVD). Posted below is the broadcast schedule – now I just have to find a friend who will turn off the Atari long enough to let me […]

Original post by bohus

A couple of high profile documentaries about the classic video game era have passed before our eyes in recent years. So far these celluloid treatments of our favorite phosphorescent video relics have been very good. “King of Kong” has become one of my favorite documentaries (though there are serious questions about the accuracy of some of the events as depicted in the film). While that film discusses a modern day fight on a classic gaming battleground, “Chasing Ghosts” puts you right back into the 80’s with the titans of gaming in the glory days.
“Chasing Ghosts” has been touring film festivals to much success, and next month you can catch the documentary on the Showtime cable network (the movie is not yet available on DVD). Posted below is the broadcast schedule – now I just have to find a friend who will turn off the Atari long enough to let me […]

Original post by bohus

The much maligned second generation Chevy Camaro just might be cool again. It was introduced in 1970 and remained in production for a bone-jarring 11 years. While some possessed angry 454 cubic inch V-8 big blocks, the Camaro’s weight gradually increased over the years and its engine displacement shrank — just like many of us.
As the 1980s wore on, the old Camaro increasingly became the butt of jokes until they were handed over to a final generation of grunge kids before vanishing from the road at alarming speed. And now, 27 years since they ceased production, they’re suddenly desirable again.
Mister Jalopy of Dinosaurs & Robots fame bought this particular car in 2007 with the intent of doing a little work and flipping it. Over a year later, it’s still part of his stable.
He recently explained its peculiar charm “Though the Camaro is considerably more solid than I found it, […]

Original post by james

There’s something a little mysterious about Matryoshka dolls. Perhaps because it lets one glimpse the infinite by pulling open diminishing sizes of matronly-figured ladies in Russian folk dress? Or what about the political ramifications of those novelty sets of Matryoshka dolls painted as Russian leaders, usually with Lenin as the itty-bitty baby all the way in the middle? When you pull a Matryoshka apart, you pretty much know what to expect - a smaller version of the outer doll. So how surprised would you be to pull one of those wooden dolls apart to find a high quality five octave theremin?
The theremin is no stranger to Retro Thing. It’s the first electronic instrument ever invented, and the first instrument that one played without touching it. It’s history is fascinating, and recent years have seen a revival of the spacey and spooky instrument. Low cost kits have become many people’s first […]

Original post by bohus

A technology well over a century old may soon revolutionize transportation. Robert Stirling’s novel engine was an attempt to make steam technology safe. By repeatedly heating and cooling
gas inside a sealed chamber, he was able to avoid the nasty explosions
and scaldings that were the bane of steam engine technology.
While
quite popular in the 19th Century, Stirlings were no match for the practical electric motors that appeared a few decades later. The technology languished as a laboratory curiosity for decades - the little $379.95 desktop Stirling engine above is a typical modern example.
However, Stirling technology might get a new lease on life thanks to Segway inventor Dean Kamen, who recently announced a prototype Stirling hybrid electric car. His development mule is built on the chassis of a Ford Think, a tiny 2-seat electric car that ceased production in 2000. The little car is driven by a lithium battery and […]

Original post by james

Lots of people are looking for answers in these uncertain financial times. Coming to grips with the complex layers of the problem is tough enough, and I can only hope that the best minds are at work on this whole mess. We’re not Wall Street wizards here at Retro Thing, but we’ve got a little advice of our own to offer. First a little historic perspective…

When I was a boy, here’s what my father (and George Bailey) told me about banks. When you put your money in a bank, you trust them to invest in the community and reward you with interest. When I was eight, birthdays and mowing lawns put a little bank roll in my hands, so I opened a bank account where they had an additional surprise – Mattel Electronics Soccer! That was my free gift for opening an account.
I still have that same bank account at […]

Original post by bohus