The Blog

Leaking NiCad Batteries and Motherboards

Nix McRetro // 28th October 2012 // Categories: IBM PC, Repairs

I hate NiCad batteries. I hate them so much. Here’s another old 486 motherboard suffering from a leaking rechargeable battery, and this time the corrosion has made its way towards the keyboard connector. Not exactly where I’d like to find it! This board came with an optical drive I’d purchased,... Continue reading

Sega Dreamcast PAL VA0 Internal Update

Nix McRetro // 27th October 2012 // Categories: Sega, YouTube

Today I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve pulled apart the PAL VA0 Dreamcast again to take a proper look at the internals, because I’m still rather curious about how this machine compares with the more common PAL VA1 models. I’ve got several VA1 boards to look at, but unfortunately I... Continue reading

Sega Dreamcast PAL Revision VA0

Nix McRetro // 25th October 2012 // Categories: News, Sega

A Dreamcast post? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Here’s a Dreamcast I picked up from the UK some time ago and somehow never properly wrote about after it arrived. It has shown a few problems, including occasional random restarts. That said, I’ve had it running Bomberman Online for about... Continue reading

IBM PS/2 Model 30 8086 Sound, Video and CPU Upgrades

Nix McRetro // 25th October 2012 // Categories: IBM PC, YouTube

I’ve been doing a few upgrades to my IBM PS/2 Model 30 8086, and it’s becoming a rather nice little machine. I’ve been debating whether to keep it or replace it with the Model 30 286 I originally wanted, but this early PS/2 certainly has its charms. Let’s see how... Continue reading

Osborne 486 Windows 95 Installation Demo

Nix McRetro // 24th October 2012 // Categories: IBM PC, YouTube

Finally got the video together! Windows 95 is running on the Osborne 486, although getting everything installed has taken a little more fiddling than I originally expected. Between the Creative CD-200, the floppy drives and a few other surprises, the old machine certainly hasn’t made things boring. The Creative CD-ROM... Continue reading