This lovely little Dragon 64 has sat unused in its box since the mid 1980s, with nearly a decade of that time spent in my collection. I needed it for an upcoming LGR video, and it's finally time to unbox it and see if it works!
Пікірлер: 677
@LGRBlerbs3 жыл бұрын
To those wondering if the RF signal _always_ looks that bad, check out the same Dragon BASIC running on a TRS-80 Color Computer through the same setup. Not great by any means, but a lot better than what's seen in the unboxing! The machine just needs a little repair work :) i.imgur.com/zRxqLsf.png
@realcourte3 жыл бұрын
We all know your doing the best you can :) Very interesting FRESH discovery !
@MrBillmcminn3 жыл бұрын
Dried out electrolytic capacitors in the video output stage and the RF modulator could also be the culprit causing the poor video quality
@coreybarnett21583 жыл бұрын
I half expected a crossover episode with The 8-Bit Guy! This was very enjoyable to watch. Looking forward to the full review!
@vwestlife3 жыл бұрын
If you get an Atari 800XL monochrome (not color) video cable, it will work perfectly as a video cable for the Dragon -- the pinout matches its audio and color composite video outputs.
@jansenart03 жыл бұрын
Dude, could you do me a solid and make like a Blerbs Digest on your main channel every week or so? Just like, a 3 minute video showing the highlights of the more recent videos posted here, but at your main channel, set to the tune of that great Thrifting organ music? I'd enjoy that as crossover promotion! A lot of folks don't know this channel exists and they should! : (
@koz-87273 жыл бұрын
"Like an MRE bag... Nice..." In Steve We Trust. Great unboxing! Sucks that the color didn't work.
@Wikcentral3 жыл бұрын
I wasn't the only one to catch that Steve homage "nice" ? lol
@tstahlfsu3 жыл бұрын
So many channels across KZbin where Steve gets a shout out lol. I often wonder if he's into any of this or ever sees it hahah
@CathrineMacNiel3 жыл бұрын
Let's get that Dragon onto a tray, nice mkay.
@invictus0x03 жыл бұрын
I am so glad I wasn't the only one to catch that!
@TheTreesKill3 жыл бұрын
I was gonna comment the same thing about the "Nice."
@beast03393 жыл бұрын
other retro tech enthusiasts: "wow this looks so cool!" LGR: *instinctively sniffs*
@bitwize3 жыл бұрын
"Mmmmmm..."
@JohnnyBareToes13 жыл бұрын
On the uk dragon's the channel select switch at the back is the power on/off switch and the power brick does not have a switch on it. Those sticking keys are caused by a misaligned top half of the case. It's a common problem. The keys are actually touching the case at the sides. Take the top of the case off and realign it
@LGRBlerbs3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the tips! Good to know it's not just me and the sticking keys are a known thing.
@rautamiekka3 жыл бұрын
Ha, the design was rather flawed if THAT's a common, known, thing.
@JohnnyBareToes13 жыл бұрын
@@rautamiekka yeah lol, these machines were made on a low budget. Its an easy fix though
@rautamiekka3 жыл бұрын
@@JohnnyBareToes1 But how shitty could the machine be ? Low-budget computers were nothing unheard of back then.
@Milamberinx3 жыл бұрын
I thought the channel switch was weird, never seen that on a British computer, we'd have tuned the television to the RF frequency of the computer.
@LMacNeill3 жыл бұрын
The first time I ever got paid to write a program, a friend of my father owned a small shop that made custom picture frames, and he wanted a point-of-sale system that would print out receipts and save transactions. He'd bought a Tandy Color Computer from the local Radio Shack, but had no clue what to do with it. So in the summer of '82 (I was 12 years old) I wrote him some software and taught him how to use it. Also taught him BASIC so he could maintain it himself, and make changes as needed. Got paid $50 -- I thought I was *rich!* LOL! $50 for a 12-year-old in 1982 was a ton of money, honestly. That was when I first realized I could turn my fascination with computers into a career. :-)
@worldofretrogameplay69633 жыл бұрын
There’s an entire online community for the Dragon computer. There are people who actually develop and sell new games for the system!
@troytakesphotos3 жыл бұрын
Well, here’s something interesting. The old address of Tano is now a movie soundstage for a small studio in New Orleans.
@samholdsworth39573 жыл бұрын
The more you know! 🌠
@backdoorwolf6663 жыл бұрын
I work a few blocks from there. It’s all warehouses around that area. Never knew.
@KK-bk3dm3 жыл бұрын
lol yeah that's not interesting
@phoenixzappa73663 жыл бұрын
It's a front company for the Chinese Mafia
@SavestateComic3 жыл бұрын
"First time it's been touched in like 36 years" one minute later pounding on case. ^_^
@rautamiekka3 жыл бұрын
But it actually worked. It's a perfectly good method if there's any real chance it could improve or fix something. At least it saved him the trouble of opening the thing, without any further damage.
@CreamAle3 жыл бұрын
Percussive maintenance.
@Quickened13 жыл бұрын
That's a diagnostic procedure.... and it worked!
@ezioauditoredafirenze54533 жыл бұрын
@@rautamiekka Aivan. Se on hyväksi havaittu ja todettu konsti... etenkin vanhojen kuvaputkitelevisioiden kanssa. 😂 Nice to see other finnish folks here too. 😄
@rautamiekka3 жыл бұрын
@@ezioauditoredafirenze5453 Ikr :D
@phrtao3 жыл бұрын
The Dragon 32 was the first computer I ever used. One of my teachers at school had one and brought it in to school. Of course, all the cool kids got to use it (or try to use it) first. No one could even get it to load any software so I was left alone with it for an afternoon. It was one of the most memorable days of my life. Happy memories
@BenState Жыл бұрын
sad
@ChrisHightower3 жыл бұрын
LGR, Techmoan, 8BitGuy, and Technology Connections all with new stuff today. Awesome.
@figureheaduk3 жыл бұрын
Today should be a good day, just need new Ashens and Nostalgia Nerd to go with it...
@Feslmogh3 жыл бұрын
and Adrian's Digital Basement, Retro Recipies,...
@CommodoreFan643 жыл бұрын
@@figureheaduk Ashens would be good long as it's not another boring AF Wish buying video.
@son3mendo3 жыл бұрын
ok, we survived Techmoan singing skills, the kind of bond that forges a community
@CommodoreFan643 жыл бұрын
@@son3mendo We were also graced with Gun Jesus from Forgotten Weapons giving us an overview of a great light machine gun from the proud mud people of Elbonia.
@offrails3 жыл бұрын
At 16:10, my thought was "He's going to make it print FARTS on the screen a bunch of times". I was not disappointed.
@theblacksheephorrorshow26733 жыл бұрын
Blurbs is UNDERRATED! Always bringing random goodness to my life.
@goeland45853 жыл бұрын
I know right?! That Blurb guy just came out of nowhere. He should do a collab with LGR.
@HamishPaulWilson3 жыл бұрын
@@goeland4585 And maybe that guy who makes sandwiches.
@EclecticWizard63 жыл бұрын
Who is underrating it?
@rautamiekka3 жыл бұрын
Why'd you advertize him here ... ?
@moosemaimer3 жыл бұрын
"COURIER PILOT was written in DRAGON BASIC by 14 year-old Tyson Sawyer of Jaffery, New Hampshire." Wonder whatever happened to him, and if he's still upset they misspelled Jaffrey.
@thegalli3 жыл бұрын
"Like an MRE bag... Nice" ----- Now lets get this out on to a tray
@John-mp2kq3 жыл бұрын
Nice hiss!
@KingKoopa013 жыл бұрын
No hiss...lol
@KingKoopa013 жыл бұрын
Good ol Steve1989
@CarterGregg253 жыл бұрын
Nice mmmmkay
@KingKoopa013 жыл бұрын
@@CarterGregg25 😂
@Kae65023 жыл бұрын
7:45 - MD: Proudly gathers family to watch video, "I packed this!!!!" LGR: Turns on computer MD: Weeps silently.
@kathrynradonich39823 жыл бұрын
“It’s like an mre bag.... nice” Somebody’s been watching steve1989 😂😂
@willm50323 жыл бұрын
was gonna comment the same thing
@Michael-im5mq3 жыл бұрын
same here lol
@KlingonCaptain3 жыл бұрын
So true! 😆
@dusk_ene3 жыл бұрын
Love him ❤️
@playingwithdata3 жыл бұрын
If you'd told me in 1980-something that in 2020 I'd be watching a video on my PC of someone taking near pornographic pleasure in unboxing a Dragon computer I wouldn't have believed you. In fact I barely believe I'm not imagining posting this comment.
@lukey666lukey3 жыл бұрын
yea this comment makes me feel very old, wonder if there will be videos like this in 30 years time un boxing a switch maybe? lol
@ashkitt77193 жыл бұрын
Watching this unboxing of a Dragon with a Bad Dragon
@theannoyedmrfloyd39983 жыл бұрын
@@ashkitt7719 Bad dragons are good dragons. Nice dragon! 🐲
@Denvermorgan20003 жыл бұрын
He is chasing the dragon like other addicts.
@WintrBorn3 жыл бұрын
Honestly. I couldn't imagine back in the day. Think of the monitors consumers had access to back in the day, and imagine watching something like this 😳
@benanderson893 жыл бұрын
Possible reason for the power switch: the UK has switches on every socket. Computer like the Acorn Atom and Sinclair Spectrum don't have any kind of power switch because you'd just turn it off at the wall. I imagine the same is true for the dragon, so for the USA they just slapped a button on the external brick.
@linalmeemow3 жыл бұрын
Modern sockets in the UK have a switch. At the time of launch for the Atom, the Spectrum and the Dragon it certainly wasn't common and there are still many, many houses in the UK where you won't find switched sockets - my parents' house for example, which is modern in almost every other way doesn't have a single switched socket.
@benanderson893 жыл бұрын
@@linalmeemow Well, TIL! Guess you were just expected to yank the power brick from the wall.
@linalmeemow3 жыл бұрын
@@benanderson89 If you had a Spectrum you'd pull the lead out of the computer and plug it back in. Eventually you'd get a loose connection in the barrel plug and have to tape it up securely to hold the connection together until it finally died and you had to manually call every computer shop in the Yellow Pages until you found one that sold new PSUs! The one thing I envied my C64 owning friends was a proper power switch on the computer itself!!
@benanderson893 жыл бұрын
@@linalmeemow Earliest computer I used was the Amiga so I had a chunky power switch on the giant external brick.
@kevinh963 жыл бұрын
UK Dragon 32/64 computers had a power switch on the rear, pretty much where the channel 3/4 switch is on this US model.
@El_Guapo743 жыл бұрын
"So weird turning off the power supply" says the man who never spend any time on an Amiga
@kins7493 жыл бұрын
Can't wait for the full review, there's some fun games and decent conversions on the Dragon.
@LGRBlerbs3 жыл бұрын
That there is, I've been having fun with the different conversions lately! Hope you enjoy the CoCo review coming this week in the meantime :)
@kins7493 жыл бұрын
@@LGRBlerbs Yay, SepTandy!
@idj203 жыл бұрын
Oh yes, I remember in the Spring of 1982 when my boarding school here at Englandshire was donated two brand new Dragon 32s including new Ferguson portable colour TVs & cassette players with grand plans of introducing computer lessons into the curriculum. Straightaway they both took pride in the corner of the classroom to be admired by us starstruck pupils,, but the reality was that no one - not even the teacher - really knew how to use them and they never came with any software, so they sat left untouched most of the time (apart from the one time when someone did type up a simple Pacman game from a magazine). It was only a few months before they were moved to a small side room no bigger than a broom cupboard to be left forgotten and gathering dust. The Dragon 32 never really got anywhere as much love as the Spectrum 48 and Commodore 64, and to be honest wasn't that of a surprise looking back.
@mxc0bbn3 жыл бұрын
oh man! that graphics grid...I TOTALLY remember drawing jets firing lasers and tanks and other SH...tuff on those back in 6th grade so I could program them in BASIC. WOW! Why I love this channel...it's like digging up old memories I didn't even remember I had...lol...great stuff
@chriscrossan80343 жыл бұрын
Gosh, I love that TV. Amazing aesthetic! The knobs and switch sound so satisfying to turn and push.
@scorchio703 жыл бұрын
Clint is the master unboxer, makes you feel like your there with him, love it
@chloexianah30703 жыл бұрын
I had one of these for my tenth birthday in 1984 (had to share it with my brother). I already had a commodore 64 We had endless novelty fun typing gibberish
@Neur0nauT3 жыл бұрын
Whoh nostalgia!!! I'm in the UK. My father owned a Dragon 32 & 64 that he used for RF packet radio. They were my first experience with "PC's" when I was around 6 or 7 years old. I'm an IT engineer now. So many fun memories with these systems. I can't believe how pristine this one is!! You would get a good price for this from a collector!
@RetroHamer3 жыл бұрын
Memories right there. Dragon 32 was my first love in 1984. Now I have many lovelies
@bubblynubs3 жыл бұрын
Awesome to see something from here in Wales! Had never heard of it before, thanks for covering it.
@hjalfi3 жыл бұрын
The Dragon is Wales' second most famous computer, after the Raspberry Pi.
@jacobpowell35212 жыл бұрын
Bora da! Very exciting to see this here. My grandfather brought one home once after going to their factory in Kenfig Hill, near Bridgend. I had a space invaders cartridge for it and used an old tiny black and white Sharp TV to play it!
Dragon 64 packed by Mo 30-something years ago. "Hey Mo!"
@wayland71502 жыл бұрын
That box is in good nick for 40 years. I cycled 12 miles home from the shop in the rain with my Dragon bungee strapped to that carrier on the back. With no mud guard the box got soaked.
@alibizzle20103 жыл бұрын
Being a Welsh computer I'm curious if they make the L key spring extra robust. How else could you type real welsh words such as Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?
@LLavery3 жыл бұрын
As a Welshman this makes me so proud 😂
@Petertronic3 жыл бұрын
I've been there!
@MCAlexisYT3 жыл бұрын
I just realized that there is an english word hidden in this gibberish/jibberish and that is: “fair”
@kryan3 жыл бұрын
Cllucking under-rated comment.
@NaeMuckle3 жыл бұрын
My neighbour had that on the windscreen of their Ford orion. Barely fit.
@asystole_3 жыл бұрын
7:31 let's get this out onto a tray!
@merlyworm3 жыл бұрын
Nice!
@montyish3 жыл бұрын
Nice, mkay
@shorty1k3 жыл бұрын
Fun fact: If you plug that power supply into a Sega Genesis's controller port, you'll get extra blast processing power.
@KiraSlith3 жыл бұрын
You'll get a blast alright, but no processing! 🤣
@pinakinkale3 жыл бұрын
Oh you’ll sure get a blast
@tgdm3 жыл бұрын
So that's how you overclock a Genesis...
@theinternetking13153 жыл бұрын
prove it in a VIDEO lol
@MuscarV23 жыл бұрын
@@theinternetking1315 uuuuh
@briero3 жыл бұрын
I had a Dragon 32 and the same joysticks as the one you were using. I later got a Quickshot 1. What a trip down memory lane 🙂
@EpicLebaneseNerd3 жыл бұрын
dude orders a 36 years old compute thay say 26 years in a warehouser, keeps it around for 10 years, suffers moves and stuff, box is still good. i order a genesis mini and a pc engine mini from amazon, box comes like someone was playing soccer with it from their warehouse until it reached new york.... WHAT THE HELL ?
@DavidLee-df8883 жыл бұрын
Was that damage to the Amazon box? Here in the UK, they sometimes cheap out and don't bother with the outer box. Just slap a delivery label straight onto the retail box so everyone can see what you bought🤦 Other retailers use just a polymer postal bag which provides little to no protection but at least keeps all the broken bits together in the bag.
@EpicLebaneseNerd3 жыл бұрын
@@DavidLee-df888 not the amazon box, the box of the item, both items came inside a bag, just an amazon bag, imagine sending tech in a bag....i wept and wept and wept for days after days, how can they package a collectible piece of tech inside a bag and send it to someone ?
@EpicLebaneseNerd3 жыл бұрын
@@hunterjayfilm they sent the items to me in an naylon bag, not a box, not even a padded bag....a gray one with amazon logo on it....that is really messed up from them, sending a very nice piece of collectable tech in a bag...
@DavidLee-df8883 жыл бұрын
@@hunterjayfilm That may be the case in the US. Here, the option exists for "no Amazon box". I tried that out in early August for my PC case, and yup it was literally the retail box with an Amazon label on it. Lucky it was a PC case so big and bulky but not too heavy, I think it said 10 kg(22lbs). Not really worth nicking, but still £65🤷
@DavidLee-df8883 жыл бұрын
@@EpicLebaneseNerd Yup, that's how some retailers send stuff. A poly mailing bag, to hold all the broken pieces in one place, lol. I had a Seasonic PSU sent that way, lucky they're tough.
@TimLeeSongs3 жыл бұрын
‘The Welshness of it’ haha! If you ever get chance to visit Wales it’s a beautiful country. Especially the hills of Snowdonia and the castles like Caernarfon and Conwy. Great video - so nice to see old computers like this in such good condition!
@danleedev3 жыл бұрын
You really need to upgrade FARTS.BAS with a full line print command: 10 PRINT "**FARTS**"; 20 GOTO 10 The semicolon suppresses the newline.
@DavidWonn3 жыл бұрын
Or use a , (comma) instead to tabulate the text. I don’t know for certain if it works on this machine, but it does on the Apple ][ and some other 8-bit micros.
@HisVirusness3 жыл бұрын
Just like "Gob's Program".
@hugovangalen3 жыл бұрын
Yeah, absolutely. Without a newline the scrolling pattern is much more mesmerising. (Well there actually *is* a pattern -- otherwise it's just boring.) And it can be a one-liner too, saves on a few keystrokes. Real programmers are lazy. :)
@w.w.71483 жыл бұрын
Smart ass.
@bobblum59733 жыл бұрын
@@DavidWonn Ah, someone who knows how to properly spell "Apple ][". My original owner Apple ][+ applauds you!
@makers_lab3 жыл бұрын
Wow, a real blast from the past. One of my favourites. Along with several other makes, sold lots of the Dragon32's when I worked in a little Apple dealership in the UK before starting Uni in '84. Great times.
@b.w.3023 жыл бұрын
"I don't want to ruin the box, kinda tight fit here." Nice double entendre!!
@Axemun3 жыл бұрын
As a welsh man I've been waiting for you to get your hands on one of these.
@vaderman2123 жыл бұрын
Just want to say this was a great food video, Clint. Great job!
@Xs2...3 жыл бұрын
Never heard of Dragon nor Tano here in the west of Europe. So quite a relic. I've been to some PC/Games expo's back in the late 90's early 00's. And have seen some odd stuff, but never this. Love the fact they have the Welsh dragon in the logo as well.
@DasenClark3 жыл бұрын
I freaking LOVE new-old stock videos. Thanks for sharing it!
@KOTYAR03 жыл бұрын
19:10 "Dang it the button doesn't work!" I just 2 days ago visited retro computer exhibition in Yandex Museum in Moscow, and played same looking game! And button on their joatik didn't work too!
@Michael-im5mq3 жыл бұрын
haha
@bk649cc3 жыл бұрын
I believe that dragon also had an "unofficial" MSX machine in the late 80s. Would be nice to have more MSX stuff on KZbin.
@linalmeemow3 жыл бұрын
Only a prototype according to Wikipedia, and this was after the original company went to the wall and was sold to a Spanish company.
@RealKajiggers3 жыл бұрын
I hope you decide to film any repair work or cleaning you do to this thing. I would love to see the inside of it! Love seeing new old stock things like this.
@AdamSmithNES3 жыл бұрын
I'm almost positive we had that same little Panasonic Tv back in the day. Watched tons of old I Love Lucy reruns, Star Trek, and even brought it up to a campground and hooked up an NES to it.
@JeremySiedzik3 жыл бұрын
Great unboxing! Maybe a revisit for you, notice the black knurled knob on the 1-12? selector of the Panasonic monitor/television. If you slide that inward, you can fine tune channel 3. That might improve the signal. Things from my childhood. Keep up the awesome work! I am a huge LGR fan. (It's like a safety cap on prescription medicine. It prevents you from spinning it accidentally. So if you push it inward and spin at the same time, it makes contact with a gear within the tuning mechanism.)
@ezioauditoredafirenze54533 жыл бұрын
I hope you'll get the picture fixed, those keys to not get stuck and that new display cable hooked. Waiting for a second video from the Tano Dragon at some point. Thanks Clint once again. 👍😃
@colinsmith64803 жыл бұрын
Awesome ! I always wanted a dragon at the time, but couldn't afford one ! I now live in Wales and it feels even more like i should get one for my collection
@TheVintageApplianceEmporium3 жыл бұрын
I live in the town in Wales where this machine was manufactured. In fact my mother lives about half a mile away from where the Dragon factory once stood :D
@henryatkinson14793 жыл бұрын
Love new old stock stuff. Got an 81 5150 a while back new-in-box, unconfigured.
@greedygreggor3 жыл бұрын
Wow! my first computer, popular here in the UK, I used to get Dragon user magazine and my mate and me would take turns to input the basic programs listed. Microdeal was a popular Dragon games software house at the time, with clones of donkey kong, Cuthbert in the jungle (Pitfall) etc. lots of fond childhood memories. Chuckie egg was great on it :)
@KlingonCaptain3 жыл бұрын
I've never had anything this nice in my life. Every time I try to buy anything like this it's either freshly sold out or just out of my price range. I've finally decided to build a Commodore 64 from scratch because the individual components are the only thing I can afford. I figure it will take about a year. Buy the time it's done I imagine that the prices on the ororiginal will be even higher, placing one permanent beyond my reach. I've asked people (relatives and friends) in three states to keep an eye on yard sales for Commodore and Tandy machines in my price range but so far no luck. Back in 2008 when the Tandy Dragon was $40 I was unemployed. Now that I've been to school and am a certified pharmacy technician, the things are $300.
@johnathanstone42593 жыл бұрын
"Let's get this out on a tray" Nice
@Daijyobanai3 жыл бұрын
It's actually a good video when we get to see what to expect from a 30 yr old computer emerging from hibernation. Look forward to the video of it being fixed >D
@GenialHarryGrout3 жыл бұрын
I had a Dragon32 back in the early 1980's. The UK version didn't come with a cassette tape, just the cable to connect to one, it don't remember it having an external power supply and it didn't have the box for connecting to the tv, it was plugged straight into the tv with the supplied cable. Great machine with limited graphics, like all computers at that time. The Dragon32 monthly magazine was a great edition to the user experience
@Haltedboy3 жыл бұрын
Now let's get this Dragon out on a tray, nice.
@Ale.K73 жыл бұрын
That Panasonic TV is absolutely gorgeous.
@jstinn1233 жыл бұрын
I'm looking forward to seeing the repair video. Keep up the good work.
@richardadams49283 жыл бұрын
I loved Downland! One of my CoCo favorites. I must defend the 'awful' CoCo joysticks. Although lightly built, they were legitimately quite precise once you got used to them, particularly the non self-centering aspect. It took time, but I grew to love them.
@keithwhisman3 жыл бұрын
Modern kids wouldn’t have survived computer gaming back in the early 1980s. I remember typing out code and saving it to cassette tape and playing games from the cassette tape that took forever compared to today’s standards. I am so glad DOS became the standard, it made using a computer so much easier.
@TheRetroArchive3 жыл бұрын
My first computer was the Dragon 32 and I still have it, remember my family unboxing it back in 1983 so this was an interesting video for me as those early experiences slowly entering 'type ins' from magazines and writing silly Basic programs lead to a career in software including a degree in computer science & AI and a while working as a video game developer followed by 20 years of professional software development. I don't have the power supply anymore though and don't fancy wiring one up, they don't come up often on Ebay :( I recall being a bit jealous of Spectrum/C64 owners though however in retrospect the Dragon/Tandy does have a respectable Motorolla CPU 6809 but wasn't very capable at graphics especially in the UK where our TVs couldn't do the artifact tricks to create more colours.
@daishi55713 жыл бұрын
You could do the colour artifacts on some TV's. All you had to do was open up the Dragon, and on the modulator there is a screw buried that is used to tune/detune. I was able to get brown and blue quite easily, however the cost was image quality. In the monochrome games it was ok but in actual colour on on any kind of text it was awful. Needless to say the top of my case stayed off so I could retune the modulator often.
@TheRetroArchive3 жыл бұрын
@@daishi5571 interesting
@damwaterthomas19803 жыл бұрын
Drinking a IPA beer and watching you review a good retro video game console.
@simonlb243 жыл бұрын
IIRC, in the UK these were sold as the Dragon 32 and Dragon 64 with 32k and 64k RAM respectively. The Dragon 32 case was beige, and the Dragon 64 was light grey.
@SomePeopleCallMeWulfman3 жыл бұрын
The games actually look better in black and white. The Dragon's color palette was a bit of an acquired taste.
@michailokeefeMooMoo3 жыл бұрын
You should fill in the guarantee card and see if you get a reply from them lol
@Christopher-N3 жыл бұрын
Not the original, though. Make a copy on cardstock, and send that in.
@WintrBorn3 жыл бұрын
The address is no longer that company, sadly.
@michailokeefeMooMoo3 жыл бұрын
Jo Luffman it would be worth sending to just confuse the postman lol
@MonteKristof3 жыл бұрын
That was like... a nostalgia shower... Watching this I even smelled the false wood panneling on the walls and faux leather couch of the basement where the NES was plugged... So much brown everywhere.
@matthewcb19703 жыл бұрын
I remember seeing a Dragon32 in the UK, in the Boots store, back in the 80s. The overwhelming green screen is my ensuring memory...
@expulsado3 жыл бұрын
MRE bag.. NICE! Steve and LGR forever.
@MetalDeathMusic3 жыл бұрын
As soon as you pulled out those cables i was thinking, sniff it! lol
@nicwilson893 жыл бұрын
It'd be worth going over everything in it and refreshing the solder joints, replace the caps, stuff like that. Old electrolytics that have been sat for 30odd year do not work at their best haha, that could also contribute to visual noise. The filter caps in the PSU should be changed, too. Just generally give it a bit of a refresh and a bit of attention and it'll be fantastic.
@LGRBlerbs3 жыл бұрын
That's the plan, yep! It's always a gamble with computers this old, especially lower-budget micros. I've had much better luck with sealed IBMs.
@NeilRoy3 жыл бұрын
I used my C64 with my TV via RF interface for years. Hard to believe looking back now.
@TheLz893 жыл бұрын
I don't know anything about computers outside the basic essentials, but when you talk I just shake my head in agreement, like yes that's absolutely right 😂
@blogrovic31383 жыл бұрын
I love those new/old stock unboxing stuff. It's like opening after aeons a Pharaoh's tomb :)
@shai41293 жыл бұрын
looking at it still in its protective plastic gave me chills (all of the visual noise on the tv is rly beautiful imo. through the camera at least, seems like an utter pain trying to use it like that lol)
@alakani3 жыл бұрын
Haha I love how you feel about that switcher box thing. I was like 4 or 5 the first time I saw one of those, and the first thought that popped into my head even at that age was "I'm not using this"
@SwissArmyTin3 жыл бұрын
Man, I'm still kicking myself for never picking one of these up when the California Digital still had a large stock of these. First became aware of it after Vwestlife made a video on his, and now I wallow in regret for putting that off. Really fascinating machines, and I love their aesthetic especially.
@TripleEye_Josh3 жыл бұрын
"First time it's been touched in like 36 years" Lucky.
@CaveyMoth3 жыл бұрын
I'm only 8 years out.
@alastairward27743 жыл бұрын
Nice, a Dragon 32 was our first home computer. A lot sturdier than our later Spectrum 48k+.
@igfoobar3 жыл бұрын
So many people didn't realize that the RF modulator on Coco, Atari, Commodore, etc. computers and game systems was simply a 75 Ohm antenna connection. During the last couple of years of the 8-bit era I ditched the "TV/GAME" or "TV/COMP" slide switch adapters, and simply used an F-to-RCA adapter.
@urbanagoge75983 жыл бұрын
I had one of those in the mid 80's - it was a good 'tinkerers' machine - the tape cable can be controlled in software and the joystick port was easy to hack and build some custom programmable buttons for.
@mephustowest18763 жыл бұрын
I love videos like this one. I hope to see more of this little computer on your main channel soon.
@Patchuchan3 жыл бұрын
You found a new in box computer from the 1980s that's crazy.
@TheBananaPlug3 жыл бұрын
Sadly, the flaky operation you are seeing was very typical of the Dragon 32/64 when new back in the 80's, part of the reason they went under. Power supplies were a big problem, so was the cart port, wobbly carts killed the mobo. This coupled to manufacturing issues and QC problems at the factory led to their demise. Strange coincidence I found a pile of old schematics today that included the complete set for a D32, then suddenly this video....
@psicobra3 жыл бұрын
Love the Steve from MRE info quote Nice!!!
@StephenSE93 жыл бұрын
My second microcomputer, The Dragon 32. Great times.
@MikeSmith-sh3ko3 жыл бұрын
Yes I think you have got some leaking capacitors in the power supply it seems a bit unsmoothed . Still glad to share the moment . Thanks 👍
@alanharkleroad43763 жыл бұрын
Only someone like Clint would get fascinated by the bag used in packaging.
@Brian-vs9sd3 жыл бұрын
Oh wow. I am so jealous of you right now. I would love a Dragon.
@terraspent3 жыл бұрын
also, they was never really "a thing in the uk" more a flash in the pan, like so many other models at the time. the early eighties in the uk was quite an exciting and dynamic time, with the explosion of the micro computer becoming a thing back then.
@BertGrink3 жыл бұрын
Here in Denmark, we also followed the situation closely via magazines like "Your Computer", and I remember my friend and I joking about "which new computer will they write about _this_ month?"
@jasejj3 жыл бұрын
Really the Dragon was little more than a cynical cash-in by a near-bankrupt toy company desperate to get into the computer thing, so unlike Sinclair, Acorn, Oric etc who put in years of expensive engineering research to build entirely new machines, Mettoy just bought an off-the-shelf, two year old design and built it in an under-utilised factory in Wales. The kids saw right through it. It's a competent enough computer but was never really cut out for games.
@MrDuncl3 жыл бұрын
@@BertGrink You obviously didn't get "New Computer Express" which was published weekly in order to be up to date :-) Your Computer was a good magazine though as it covered lots of different machines. Later specialist magazines like Your Spectrum came out. I used to get MSX User which was the only way to find out what was happening in the small world of UK MSX then ST USer when I switched to that machine. By coincidence one of the rarest home computer of all time is the Dragon MSX.
@MrDuncl3 жыл бұрын
@@jasejj I don't think "Years of Engineering expertise" went in any of the computers you list :-) . O.K Two Years at the most. The Japanese MSX machines probably did incorporate years of experience which is why they were almost out of date before they hit the market. The reason the Dragon and Tandy Color Computer are so similar is that they were both based on a design Motorola published in order to try and sell more 6809 processors.
@BertGrink3 жыл бұрын
@@MrDuncl You are right, i never saw New Computer Express in my small Danish town; only the biggest magazines came our way, unfortunately. It is only in recent years that I've become aware of those weekly magazines, in a large part thanks to Jim Grimwood's "The Type Fantastic" webpages that cover type-ins for the Sinclair machines. :)
@raihankibria51123 жыл бұрын
Why is this so exciting to watch!?
@bryndaldwyre30993 жыл бұрын
I guess given the age of it, it was expected to maybe Dragon it's feet a bit. :)
@d33b333 жыл бұрын
Odd, the power supply ends in a joystick plug.
@LGRBlerbs3 жыл бұрын
Right? That's the first time I've seen a DE-9 connection for power.
@linalmeemow3 жыл бұрын
@@LGRBlerbs Have you got an old C64 or Atari you could plug it into to see what happens?
@TheRealColBosch3 жыл бұрын
@@linalmeemow That sounds like a really bad idea.
@linalmeemow3 жыл бұрын
@@TheRealColBosch It sounds like a really fun idea!
@CptJistuce3 жыл бұрын
@@linalmeemow The two are not mutually exclusive!
@gamedoutgamer3 жыл бұрын
Very nice, Clint. Enjoyed seeing exactly how it was packed 36 years ago. Too bad about the video quality. Probably an easy solder reflow as you noted.
@johnknight91503 жыл бұрын
That Panasonic TV is gorgeous.
@SengirIndustries3 жыл бұрын
That was my Family's first ever computer, we had the 32 to start and upgraded to the 64 later. Such great memories :D
@555pontifex3 жыл бұрын
I had a Dragon 32 back in the day!!! I wrote my own assembler for it!!!!!!!