Ask HN: What are your favorite “retro” electronic products?

8 pointsmanaskarekar3y ago22 comments

For reasonably generous interpretations of "retro". A bit vague, but I'm curious about all the possible categories of electronics.

I have been feeling the urge to pick up a nice old computer/laptop/device as a digital typewriter. I would love for it to have near instant response time and a nice keyboard.

This led me to the question, although I hope the responses aren't limited to that category.

8 pointsmanaskarekar3y ago22 comments

For reasonably generous interpretations of "retro". A bit vague, but I'm curious about all the possible categories of electronics.

I have been feeling the urge to pick up a nice old computer/laptop/device as a digital typewriter. I would love for it to have near instant response time and a nice keyboard.

This led me to the question, although I hope the responses aren't limited to that category.

22 comments

21 comments · 11 top-level

fullshark3y ago· 3 in thread

Anything without a useless internet connection (e.g. dumb tvs which don't exist anymore).

jpl563y ago

I have the chance to still use my dumb TV from 2010. No firmware update notifications, no ads in the menus... I watch Youtube from my PC using this TV as a second monitor. I use a BT keyboard to control the PC and its mouse.

speedgoose3y ago

You don’t have to connect your tv to internet though.

jpl563y ago

I'm afraid you'll get constant error messages if you don't

derwiki3y ago· 2 in thread

I bought a nice JVC 80’s audio cassette deck. Higher quality than anything I ever had when cassettes were in vogue, tapes are $3 at the record store, longer play than records, and I can record my own.

manaskarekarOP3y ago

Nice! Which model?

derwiki3y ago

KD-V6 — I really wanted a 3 head and this fit the budget

1 more reply

eimrine3y ago· 2 in thread

Lamp amplifiers for their great sound (but only for no-bass music).

Incadescent lamps for their deep red color, ideal choice for bedrooms (so hard to get them nowadays).

manaskarekarOP3y ago

>Incadescent lamps for their deep red color

Any specific ones that you like but are hard to find now?

eimrine3y ago

There are regulations to all lamps with light-emitting wolfram filaments. Last few years they may be sold only as "heaters". Today they are not only cannot be sold, but also there is a campaign of replacing them with LEDs.

sneed_chucker3y ago· 2 in thread

IBM Model M buckling spring keyboard

manaskarekarOP3y ago

Nice, do you just use USB adapter for the DIN connector?

Did you consider the one from Unicomp?

sneed_chucker3y ago

Mine is a 1994 so I just used a USB to PS/2 adapter.

I also have a Unicomp New Model M which is a pretty nice keyboard as well. Wish they made the housings in grey instead of black though.

sgbeal3y ago· 1 in thread

The Palm Pilot and its clones, e.g. the Spring Visor (i think it was called). i read my first e-book on one around 2000 or 2002 (Alice in Wonderland) and have fond memories of them.

anotheruser133y ago

Close! It was the Handspring Visor. Handspring was the company Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky founded after leaving Palm. The Sony Clie was also a nifty PalmOS gadget.

helph673y ago

ANALOGUE AM/FM 4 channel stereo system + 12 inch turntable + 4 track cassette deck. Regularly play Long Play (12 inch) records via large (mid + woofer) speakers. Neighbours appreciate the quality of the music!

k3103y ago

My "retro" computer is a Mac Cube. Also an IMSAI with lots of cards.

Also in the retro category is a HeathKit HD1250 Solid State grid dip meter. Came (from the thrift store) with one coil missing, so I made one.

I still use the 80's audio gear and speakers.

linguae3y ago

Some of my prized possessions include a collection of NeXT workstations (including a cube), a few classic Macs (the oldest being a Macintosh SE), an HP-48SX graphing calculator, and a Brother word processor I received as a Christmas present in 1995 since I enjoyed typing on my mother’s typewriter. I’d love to own an Apple Newton one day, and my dream retro purchase would be a Symbolics LISP machine, though those are quite rare and are very expensive whenever they show up on eBay.

shortrounddev22y ago

I haven't found any good feature phones in 2023. They all have shortcomings or bugs that make them useless to me. They're also all really boring and ugly these days (like all electronic devices).

The one "retro" thing I find myself using most is my Casio digital watch

k3103y ago

My "retro" computer is a Mac Cube. I was keeping it to run hypercard, but I got the MacOS9 emulator to run on M2 hardware, so who knows?

Also in the retro category is a HeathKit HD1250 Solid State grid dip meter. Came (from the thrift store) with one coil missing, so I made one.

Well, there's the IMSAI with lots and lots of cards.

sralbert3y ago

13” CRT tv for video game tournaments and LAN parties

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

22 comments

21 comments · 11 top-level

fullshark3y ago· 3 in thread

Anything without a useless internet connection (e.g. dumb tvs which don't exist anymore).

jpl563y ago

speedgoose3y ago

You don’t have to connect your tv to internet though.

jpl563y ago

I'm afraid you'll get constant error messages if you don't

derwiki3y ago· 2 in thread

manaskarekarOP3y ago

Nice! Which model?

derwiki3y ago

KD-V6 — I really wanted a 3 head and this fit the budget

1 more reply

eimrine3y ago· 2 in thread

Lamp amplifiers for their great sound (but only for no-bass music).

Incadescent lamps for their deep red color, ideal choice for bedrooms (so hard to get them nowadays).

manaskarekarOP3y ago

>Incadescent lamps for their deep red color

Any specific ones that you like but are hard to find now?

eimrine3y ago

sneed_chucker3y ago· 2 in thread

IBM Model M buckling spring keyboard

manaskarekarOP3y ago

Nice, do you just use USB adapter for the DIN connector?

Did you consider the one from Unicomp?

sneed_chucker3y ago

Mine is a 1994 so I just used a USB to PS/2 adapter.

I also have a Unicomp New Model M which is a pretty nice keyboard as well. Wish they made the housings in grey instead of black though.

sgbeal3y ago· 1 in thread

The Palm Pilot and its clones, e.g. the Spring Visor (i think it was called). i read my first e-book on one around 2000 or 2002 (Alice in Wonderland) and have fond memories of them.

anotheruser133y ago

Close! It was the Handspring Visor. Handspring was the company Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky founded after leaving Palm. The Sony Clie was also a nifty PalmOS gadget.

helph673y ago

k3103y ago

My "retro" computer is a Mac Cube. Also an IMSAI with lots of cards.

Also in the retro category is a HeathKit HD1250 Solid State grid dip meter. Came (from the thrift store) with one coil missing, so I made one.

I still use the 80's audio gear and speakers.

linguae3y ago

shortrounddev22y ago

I haven't found any good feature phones in 2023. They all have shortcomings or bugs that make them useless to me. They're also all really boring and ugly these days (like all electronic devices).

The one "retro" thing I find myself using most is my Casio digital watch

k3103y ago

My "retro" computer is a Mac Cube. I was keeping it to run hypercard, but I got the MacOS9 emulator to run on M2 hardware, so who knows?

Also in the retro category is a HeathKit HD1250 Solid State grid dip meter. Came (from the thrift store) with one coil missing, so I made one.

Well, there's the IMSAI with lots and lots of cards.

sralbert3y ago

13” CRT tv for video game tournaments and LAN parties

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse