sjw@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Steven J. Walsh) (02/21/90)
I used to work with someone who had used a C64 as the center of his home security system. Anybody know of any similarly creative uses for a C64, VIC20, or even (though I'm embarassed to own one) IBM PCjr? Perhaps someone knows of a book that lists such projects. I'm not terribly good with electrical work, but I'm also not afraid to break anything. Thanks. __ _ _ ( __ __ _ / / ____...___/> Walsh@Wilma.Wharton.Upenn.Edu __) / /= \/= \_X_/. ~ (_III_) \> SJW@Eniac.Seas.Upenn.Edu
TRL3@psuvm.psu.edu (Tim Larson) (02/23/90)
In article <20668@netnews.upenn.edu>, sjw@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Steven J. Walsh) says: > >I used to work with someone who had used a C64 as the center of his home >security system. Anybody know of any similarly creative uses for a >C64, VIC20, or even (though I'm embarassed to own one) IBM PCjr? >Perhaps someone knows of a book that lists such projects. A couple weeks ago, I dug out my VIC20 and started to wonder whether it still worked. I plugged it in, tripped over all the darn wires :), and turned it on. Unbelievably, there was that familiar READY prompt that used to warm my heart (ah, the good old days). I thought to myself, "What am I going to do with this thing now?" I gave it to my wife's cousin. Lo and behold, he took an interest in this beast that BYTE magazine once called the "most expensive computer per kilobyte." So, I thought, "I wonder if I can still find anything around for him to use?" I checked out the MENU guide of software information and found, to my utter astonishment, 17 listed programs still available for the VIC20, from 10 separate companies. Not PD stuff, or shareware, but living, breathing, commercial products! B) Why did I followup on this posting? Simply because one of the products is called the "Hardwire Security System" from Jance Associates, Inc. This may or may not fall into the posters category of a project, but it sounds close. Furthermore, I got a little more enthused about this little monster the more I thought about it. Forgive me if I wonder out loud (so to speak), "Do you think anybody out there has any old VIC add-ons or software that might still work? I wonder if they would be willing to part with them? Especially, an old memory expansion cartridge? (Hint, hint)" So this posting may answer questions even as it raises them. (Isn't that so often the case?) Wonderingly, -Tim Larson trl3@psuvm.bitnet