• Another system brought to you by the walking, talking, time machine
    35 replies, posted
Spotted this little box buried in the corner of our recycling warehouse, hiding under a pile of sacrificial PC and XT clones. The Rainbow 100, by the Digital Equipment Corporation. [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1225.jpg[/IMG] [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/DECRainbow100Logo.png[/img] I find it ironic that while its name is colorful and even the logo shows a colorful rainbow, by default it was not capable of color graphics. That was an option. :v: Anyways, let's look inside. To do this we pull two small latches and lift the top of the case off. No screwdriver required. [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1220.jpg[/IMG] Hmm, I can see a power supply, a Seagate ST-412 hard disk and an RX-50 floppy drive (single sided, single density if I can recall) The floppy drive is really weird. It's nicknamed the "toaster" and both drives share a common spindle so you load a floppy normally in the top slot but in the bottom slot, you have to put it in [i]upside down[/i] or else the disk turns the wrong way. It also looks really weird. Truly a unique design. Anyways, on to the back. I'll remove the motherboard by untwisting four screws and sliding it out. [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1221.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1223.jpg[/IMG] Damn, this thing is loaded. All the sockets are filled with various boards. I can see knockouts for additional ports on the rear (though for now all I have is video, serial, and parallel). Anyways, I'll close it up for now and take a look at the monitor. [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1224.jpg[/IMG] Hmm, it seems like it's developing cataracts. This happens to older CRT onitors when the shatter guard (a layer of material that prevents the glass from flying out should the tube implode) has started to detach from the tube. I'm not quite sure how I will be able to fix this. Anyawys, the monitor plugs into the system where it also receives power. The keyboard plugs into the back of the monitor. I would like to point out that the keyboard has a giant [b]DO[/b] key. Anyways, this scrap of paper was taped to the top of the system. DAYUM! This shit's tight! [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/Rainbow.jpg[/IMG] Look at those wicked specs! Look at that awesome software! It even does CP/M! I gotta see this. Let's power this shit on. [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1227.jpg[/IMG] Hey! Multiple partitions. Let's try DOS. [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1228.jpg[/IMG] Wow. 1983. This thing is awesome. Too bad the screen is amber and very, very dim. How about CP/M? [IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer%20related/Rainbo%20100/100_1229.jpg[/IMG] Huh. Just as old. I wish I ahd software for something like this other than Microsoft Multiplan. Just what I always wanted: Spreadsheets. Anyways, that's all for now. I need to find some more software to run on this thing.
mail it to me you bum
Looks like a computer straight out of fallout.
dibs
back in time
Obligatory: "But can it play Crysis"
[QUOTE=dude2193;25773884]Obligatory: "But can it play Crysis"[/QUOTE] Fuck crysis, can it play Doom? [quote]Minimum System Requirements: CPU: 486 processor operating at a minimum of 66MHz or any Pentium /Athlon� processors OS: Windows 95/98/ME/ 2000 operating system RAM: 8 MB RAM Harddisk: 40 MB of uncompressed hard disk space 100MB of free hard drive space for the Windows swap file (in addition to install space)[/quote] I fail to make ANY of the minimum requirements! :v:
can it play Rogue?
Wow, i love this kind of retro stuff
Holy shit, look how much of that is just RAM chips. 320k worth. Wow. [editline]31st October 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=MIPS;25774094]Fuck crysis, can it play Doom? I fail to make ANY of the minimum requirements! :v:[/QUOTE] Try ADVENT.
[QUOTE=gman003-main;25774813]Holy shit, look how much of that is just RAM chips. 320k worth. Wow. [editline]31st October 2010[/editline] It's a text game so probably. No idea about rogue though. I can't find specs for it. Try ADVENT.[/QUOTE]
how big is the HDD?
[QUOTE='[EG] Pepper;25776450']how big is the HDD?[/QUOTE] If that scrap of paper is right, a whopping five megabytes.
Might find this useful for repairing the monitor cataract. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l1EoMmmOcQ[/url] Looks like a big project though.
Oh balls, that's a lot of work. I think we got a VT220 that's hidden somewhere that I can sacrifice for the tube as this monitor is almost identical. Edit: Actually, I should just say screw it and find a color monitor. Then I can at least run BASIC applications in color.
Man, your computer sucks. Mine can play Wolfenstein 3D at full speed. :smug: [editline]31st October 2010[/editline] "IMB-PC programs will NOT run on the rainbow" Hah.
That motherboard...
Run rogue on it
So many delicious components. D: What CPU's at the heart of that bad-boy?
Can it run Super Mario Brothers ?
[QUOTE=Laserbeams;25787753]Can it run Super Mario Brothers ?[/QUOTE] No, because if I read that specifications sheet right, it can only display text. So can it run Dwarf Fortress? :v:
awesome find! Do you think i would be able to find some gems in my local scrap yard?
That is the greatest thing I have ever seen.
[QUOTE=MacTrekkie;25788293]No, because if I read that specifications sheet right, it can only display text. So can it run Dwarf Fortress? :v:[/QUOTE] Dwarf fortress would bring the poor 8088 in this thing to its knees. Yeah, all three included games are all based off the ASCII table.
dwarf fortress has trouble on a pentium 3, an 8088 would die [editline]2nd November 2010[/editline] so what about rogue?
[QUOTE=ButtsexV2;25798070]dwarf fortress has trouble on a pentium 3, an 8088 would die [editline]2nd November 2010[/editline] so what about rogue?[/QUOTE] It ought to run. There was a port to the TRS-80, which was far weaker than the pictured machine.
if Ic an be directed to a download of the game, I'll give it a shot. I'll try and break into my office's stash of SS/SD floppies tomorrow.
man, the sheer nerd-peen of having an ancient DOS computer to screw around on is amazing. loving the amber screen. how i freaking envy you! [editline]2nd November 2010[/editline] where would you find such awesome things outside museums?
Pretty amazing
[QUOTE=MIPS;25801980]if Ic an be directed to a download of the game, I'll give it a shot. I'll try and break into my office's stash of SS/SD floppies tomorrow.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/rogue/[/url]
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