15 Responses to “The View From My Workbench, Episode 1”

1. Kitsunexus Says:
   November 14th, 2008 at 10:53 pm

   As all that stuff is yours, thus being related to you, and you being VC&G, I say everything.

2. kyle Says:
   November 15th, 2008 at 12:51 am

   that is way too clean to be a workbench……:)

3. Dave Says:
   November 15th, 2008 at 12:59 am

   Is that a Vectrex controller?

4. Benj Edwards Says:
   November 15th, 2008 at 10:50 am

   You’re right, Kyle. I’ll put some more stuff on it. 🙂

   P.S. Yep, it’s a Vectrex controller.

5. Layne Says:
   November 15th, 2008 at 11:29 am

   Looks like a disassembled SNES cartridge in the front left.
   Speakers in there….who knows on the brand, but I’d guess Creative.
   Is that the circuits for a floppy drive back there? Beneath it is the case it came out of.
   I see the cover for an expansion port for a PC.

   Layne

6. SirPaul Says:
   November 15th, 2008 at 11:59 pm

   Looks like I’m not the only one who cleans electrical contacts with a toothbrush. Unless, of course, you brush your teeth while you work =P

7. Benj Edwards Says:
   November 16th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

   You’ve got sharp eyes, SirPaul. (I bet you were a champion Waldo watcher as a kid.) There’s no end to a toothbrush’s versatility.

   Layne’s on the right track in general, although there are two hard drives in the image, and no floppy drives at all. And believe it or not, even I don’t know what that white/gray box is with the terminal strip on it.

8. Chrisbones Says:
   November 16th, 2008 at 9:36 pm

   What I’d like to know is: What’s the fate of that Vectrex Controller? I’ll take it off your hands if it’s in the way. 😉

9. Benj Edwards Says:
   November 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pm

   Chrisbones, the controller is not in the way. 🙂 I was just meaning to sort it (i.e. put it in its correct storage bin in my garage). It’s a spare controller for the 2nd player, and I think I even have the box for it. Pretty neat stuff. Playing two-player Armor Attack! is fun.

10. Ralph Hyre Says:
    November 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 pm

    Looking past the obvious vintage gear, I believe I see a blue D-sub connector in the drawer, above what looks like an IDC-style crimp-on ribbon-cable connector (behind and above the soon-to-be-vintage ribbon cable on the desk)

11. Benj Edwards Says:
    November 24th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    You’ve got sharp eyes, Ralph. I’m impressed.

12. Sellam Says:
    November 25th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    Vectrex controller.
    8″ disk holder
    What looks to me an MFM hard drive circuit board (unattached) sitting on top of the drive itself
    An open Nintendo game cart?
    Altec-Lansing speaker pair
    Some sort of desk calculator
    A PC expansion card slot cover
    The thing with the terminal strip on the back reminds me of an old-school modem

    I must say, Benj, not too impressive 🙂

13. Sellam Says:
    November 25th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    The above was based on the small photo. I didn’t realize you could click on it for a larger version.

    I declare myself the winner 🙂

    P.S. The HD is a Seagate, most likely an ST-225 (the most common).

    P.P.S. Are those a bunch of chips inserted into a block of styrofoam in the back on the tool cabinet?

    P.P.P.S. What’s the circuit board underneath the notes on the right?

14. Benj Edwards Says:
    November 25th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    At last, Sellam mentions the MFM HD. It’s an ST-251. There’s actually another HD tucked in there just under the shelf from an old Zenith laptop. Great work — and sharp eagle eyes there. Like I said, it was a bunch of misc junk that I needed to sort. And you’re right about most of it, Sellam. Those are indeed chips in the styrofoam, and the board under the notepad is a Western Digital MFM controller card. If this were a contest, you’d win.

15. Rockin' Kat Says:
    November 30th, 2008 at 3:00 am

    …I have those same Altec Lansing speakers… except I bet those don’t have the groovy Radio Shack toggle power switch on the back… or the square hole mysteriously labeled “Power”

    The power button died so I ripped it off the pcb and wired in the togle switch and drilled a hole in the back of the case…. it’s got some spiffy white on yellow embossed labeles for “on” and “off”. it was the first time I’d ever used a soldering iron without someone elses assistance.

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