The Turbid Plaque

A confusing mixture of ongoing projects

Tag: retrocomputing

  • Building a Custom Keyboard for my AlphaSmart

    Building a Custom Keyboard for my AlphaSmart

    Continuing my AlphaSmart keyboard infatuation, I decided to fix the one major drawback of the AlphaSmart 3000: the keyboard. While the stock keyboard is usable, it’s not very pleasant, especially if, like me, you’ve been spoiled by using a custom-built mechanical keyboard on a daily basis. In typical internet fashion, others have already gone down…

  • Updating an AlphaSmart 3000 on Linux

    Updating an AlphaSmart 3000 on Linux

    I recently acquired an AlphaSmart 3000, a brutally simple word processor from the early 2000s. These have surged in popularity in recent years as a distraction-free writing platform, and now that I’ve tried one I’m completely sold on the concept. I won’t repeat all the praise that’s been lavished on these odd little devices (here…

  • Restoring My Apple IIc

    Restoring My Apple IIc

    Sorting through boxes of old technology my dad had cleared out of his basement, I find a half-remembered piece of my childhood. After hauling the grimy components out, arranging them on my workbench, and hooking up the cables, I flip the switch. There’s a beep, then the chugging of an ancient disk drive, and a…