Oh we have lots more to do don't worry, and even when we're open there will be lots of maintenance to keep up with and work to keep it fresh for repeat visitors
this is only part of a whole, Neil isnt going anywhere anytime soon, plenty of cups to be had watching retro gaming and more on this channel no doubt ;)
Watching your journey to make this museum a reality has been a nice respite from the miserable pandemic. I hope I get to visit someday. Cheers from New England.
Excellent to see this all coming together Neil, cannot wait to get into the final place once complete. Really chuffed for you and the nucleus behind all this, treasure history and Computers/games and all things binary.
All the retro stuff looks great, but you guys ahve really done a well job with the design. It somehow feels "era-appropriate" in several ways and brand new and clean as well. Already wanted to visit the UK once things have settled a bit more, but this is definitely going to be added to the list of places to visit.
Can’t wait to visit the Cave once you’re up and running, Neil. Huge congratulations on this journey and for what you’re doing in keeping the memories alive.
What an amazing journey this has been, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this series, the sheer amount of hard work and dedication that you’ve put into this is just amazing ! Im really looking forward to visiting when all is up and running, and the good thing, it’s not so far away from where I live too :D Nice work chaps !
Looks fantastic this Neil. Great to see Mark has become a regular. It's been a brilliant few years, possibly one positive of the pandemic! All the very best for the future and look forward to visiting at some point in the future.
I'm currently back from France and staying with my mum in the Forrest of Dean, due to Covid and her having mixed health. I grew up in Gloucester. The other day, she called me into the living room saying "You like retro computers! They're on the news!", so I came in, only to see my good friend Neil on the news! 😯 I've been enjoying following your journey with this new location, but for some reason hadn't twigged that it's in Stroud, which is pretty close to where I currently am! Very much looking forward to coming and checking out the results, also, if you need any man power to help get things ready, I'm just down the road! 👍
After the covid-situation clears, and traveling becomes an option again, I think this will be my first destination. Never been to UK, and was going to visit it before the lockdowns. Now I have a good reason and something to look forward to!
The Discord sound at the beginning tripped me off :( Also congrats for the success on the cave! It has been a long way since watching your channel for a long while!
@5:50 I helped a buddy out with the exact same model of TV about 9 years ago. We both lifted at opposite sides just like you guys did, but we only manage to move it a couple of meters before my friend told me he could not do it. We put the TV down on the floor. I had no trouble on my side, but as an old TV repair guy i have carried a couple of TV's in my days. I told him to get out of the way and i lifted the TV up on my own. I carried it the 20 meters it needed, and put it down. I have never strained my self harder in my life. And atop of this, i was almost 40 years old. (In my 20s it would probably not have been a problem) This was a baaaad. Idea. The "mind over matter" is bull***t. Sure... Mind will win in the short run, but the "matter" will hurt for a lifetime. I ripped fibers out of my muscle on my right arm, and could not use it for weeks. The long term damages is hernia on both sides of my stomach. And i have a hard time sleeping on my left side. It hurts like a b*** to this day. Moral of the story: Use your f***n brain when lifting heavy stuff.
Oh wow, I never realized how close this all was to my home county and i've been following the channel for years. Hope I can come and see it when it"s all done, cause it's an amazing place you've created 😃
Looking good Neil! You've come a long way, with the 'Cave'. Like you mentioned, things will glitch, from time to time. That’s the nature of this sort of thing. Many people in our ranks consider our hobby a labor of love. My wife has other colorful words to describe it, but she understands. Either way, it’s what we do, and we’re proud of it. As part of my job, I build or 'Frankenstein' old computers, to replace failing CRT Dumb Terminals & Teletypes, for my employer. Sometimes, it takes four cannibalized computers, to make one good one. And since it's all made with used parts, one can only guess how long the bastardized machine will run. Load an O.S., from DOS to Windows XP SP3, and a terminal emulation program, like ProComm Plus, and it's off to the races. Sometimes I have to fabricate a serial cord or adapter, for a proprietary or specialized application. It's a slow, occasionally frustrating process, but the finish line is eventually reached thanks to determination, patience, & resourcefulness. I look forward to the 'Cave's' Opening Day, its Success, and many happy patrons. The finish line is within sight! :)
Great to see everything going so well for you (besides the Galaxian cabinet of course). Taping away on some of the keyboards in that space you've created is something I've put on my bucket list. Good luck with the final push, and best of luck for the future ;)
From my experience with Galaxians boards, the rom board pcb and it's sockets and also the RAM on the main PCB lead to many, many hours of fun trying to keep things working correctly and reliably. Those old ROM sockets and the sockets that the daughter board plugs into are definitely a major cause of problems.
The air conditioning is soo important. My memories of sitting in an ICT room at School with 30x kids and 30x RM Desktop PC's with CRT monitors in 2001 is not a good memory!
You could use the wrenches as a side challenge prize during competitions! At some point, you can stand up, brandish a wrench, and say “ATTENTION COMPETITORS! It's time to throw a Spanner In The Works!” and whoever finishes the side challenge first wins the wrench (plus maybe a real prize).
Former video game store owner here! The extruded aluminum cabinets you've picked are amazing. One piece of advice on them: They have press-fit fixtures between the pieces, and on front counters that we had we'd find that they'd get worried loose over time. If I were putting some together now, I would put a dab of JB Weld or similar metal epoxy on that little fitment piece that slides into the aluminum pieces. They look great and they'll serve you well.
I hope one day i get to visit the cave from Tasmania, Australia. We had a huge amiga/C64 scene here and recently i got my dearly departed pops Amstrad CPC ready to get back to tip top shape.
Excellent, can't wait to come and see it! Love the idea of an old (independent!) computer game shop...and tiny is cool because it would remind me of my favourite old computer shop: Software City in Wolverhampton
Looking absolutely brilliant Neil, you and your supporters should be proud. I bet you have to pinch yourself when you take a moment to take it all in, especially from the humble beginnings of your channel.
all zeros displayed like that indicate bad ram at position 3h but can manifest it's self with tarnished chip legs or bad sockets as well, just a starting point for you to look at. I would ring out the power supply as well
Congratulations for getting on the telly! And the radio. Although it's a shame they couldn't have had you on at the start of the kickstarter campaign, at least it might have helped more directly with the funding of fitout.
The Cave is on my list for my next visit to the UK from the States. I love seeing what you're planning, especially with the UK slant that's different from how we experienced the PC revolution here.
I used to manage a retail store and explored re-shopfitting with the owner to change the store. We were quoted thousands of GBP pounds in the late 90s even then for probably the same type of space. The worst & best thing is that when the business goes belly up and is then so you may be able to search for insolvency auctions for such things. Just an idea.
I might've misread the kickstarter, but I would've booked that if there was an option for _no_ physical reward, aside from a ticket for the official opening. Did I overlook that? I've been kickstartered out on stuff, and it'd be good to get something transient that can support what you're doing.
Haha, I can relate to the "bag of spanners", I had a crate of the blooming allan keys, it weighed more than a box of the tri-structure bolts we have. ! it was a thig to behold, I recycled them.
That office looks just the right size for the recreation of an upstairs game shop, with a free-standing shelf down the middle so visitors really can recreate the feeling of having to squeeze past one another to get to the demo machines.
Another cracking update Neil. Those cabinets are going to look wonderful. I am however starting to think you are a TIME LORD... I have no idea how you manage to get so much done and still keep us all entertained with top notch video production too. Go on admit it, you are popping back to 1986 Dixons & WHSmith at the weekend to grab a few spare C64 games and check out the shop displays. Pick me up WizBall if you see it :)
my brain did the same thing with shoplifting as well Neil, so its fine LOL. very lovely to see it getting closer tho! you guys are freaking killing it!! 🤍
Neil, looks great and i can't wait to come check it out coming from Australia! The only thing that concerns me about your awesome museum is thefts. Some of the stuff you have on open display is quite valuable and whilst most people are well behaved I'm afraid you're going to have a few rotten eggs that will ruin it for everyone! Keep an eye on your stuff dude!
For the A/C unit.. I am guessing it'll be installed in the rafters? If it looks like a big piece of out of place equipment, why not vinyl decals to pretty it up?
Superb work and I've been enjoying the journey. Thinking of the general public who may not have found you here but have seen/heard you on TV or radio in the last weeks, will there soon be a website for the museum? Sorry if I missed it being discussed already, what will it be known as to differentiate from other 'computer museums' or other retro / game / cave / computer online sites - is it "The Cave" ? Are the YT channel branding and the museum one and the same? (I just went to one site incorrectly thinking it was you!) Best wishes.
That Galaxian looks pretty original. If you want some advice on it, Joe's Classic Video Games (youtube channel) have done repairs on similar units before. Might be worth checking out for some advice. They do a lot of repair videos. The "Big Blue" (as it is called) capacitor in the PSU can be problematic in these. Try to repair the existing power supply if you can. They never work well with modern switchmode supplies. RAM is likely next thing that could cause issues.
