leaded solder

Hello new readers! This is the bsky account for the Leaded Solder blog at www.leadedsolder.com, which since 2017 I have been writing regular articles on repairing old computers and game consoles. Also: modern clones of the ColecoVision and the Sega SG-1000, with the VTech CreatiVision ongoing!

New blog post! As the #CamelForth RetroChallenge project continues, I test it on real hardware and solve a long-standing bug. All building up to an exciting Halloween ending! www.leadedsolder.com/2026/10/27/c... #retrogaming #sega #forth #retrocomputing #retrochallenge

It's been awhile, but a new blog post! Mahjong Bakuhatsu Junjouden-- it goes by many names, and my copy might be technically undumped? nicole.express/2026/mahjong...

Yup. That tube is necked. #retrocomputing #crtrepair #ewastethattastesgreat

New blog post! With the sound chip out of the way, it's time to introduce Forth to the awesome complexity of the TMS9918A, starting with sprites. Put a smile on your screen today! Do not taunt happy fun smile. #retrogaming #forth #retrocomputing #retrochallenge www.leadedsolder.com/2026/10/20/r...

WifeRadiant (my 3D level editor project for game developers) will NEVER be vibecoded and will NEVER accept AI-generated code or art (or ANYTHING) contributions. if that happens then i have DIED. you can quote me on that. wiferadiant.org

New blog post! I got to write some actual Forth, in an effort to make my Sega SG-1000 make sounds. Let's all learn about the stack! #retrogaming #retrocomputing #sega #sg1000 #forth #camelforth #retrochallenge www.leadedsolder.com/2026/10/13/r...

Please read Swan Boy and tell people about Swan Boy and join my patreon to see more/early Swan Boy

The #FujiNet WiFi Adapter Cartridge is coming to the #NES Bring-up threads: AtariAge: forums.atariage.com/topic/393355... NESDEV: forums.nesdev.org/viewtopic.ph... Intro video:

New blog post! If you want to tell an interactive Forth on an old Sega game console what to do, it helps if you can type. Let's write some very boring code! www.leadedsolder.com/2026/10/06/s... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #sega #sg1000 #sc3000

Holy shit, an old DOS issue of the 90s magazine GameByte included a screenshot of the level editor used for Ultima Underworld 1 & 2 - I don't think I've seen this anywhere before!

New blog post! The Sega SG-1000 is a great computer/console hybrid, but its BASIC just doesn't cut it. How about porting over an interactive interpreter for Forth? The project begins today and runs all month. www.leadedsolder.com/2026/10/01/r... #forth #retrocomputing #retrogaming #retrochallenge

Saw a guy wearing ESD safe birkenstocks at work today. I aspire to that level of drip

New blog post! It's fall, when our thoughts turn to repairing battery-damaged Sharp microcomputers. Maybe that's just me. www.leadedsolder.com/2026/09/29/x... #retrocomputing #x68000

New video game console made - A Colecovision and controller from @leadedsolder.com LEAKO project - Substack blog - virtvicstinkerings.substack.com/p/im-a-recre...

Another Sega project, written up for your consumption on Substack - virtvicstinkerings.substack.com/p/im-a-recre...

Lockard's story is incredible. He appeared on a 1987 "Computer Chronicles" to discuss turning his Mahjong Solitaire game into Activision's "Shanghai." www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...

New blog post. This time about capturing display signals from the WonderSwan and WonderSwan Color. #wonderswan #retrogaming #oshw #wonderswancolor #modding www.embedded-ideas.de/posts/260910...

New blog post! I did a post about embedding a font in a HyperCard stack, since I saw someone else do it and wanted to see if I could too. www.leadedsolder.com/2026/09/08/h... #hypercard #68kmac

@leadedsolder.com Here is your project, made by me - virtvicstinkerings.substack.com/p/sg-1000-re...

Time to think about how many precious summer nights I have left and how many I spent trying to fix a dumb old hatchback.

if you don't repent and IMMEDIATELY adopt functional programming, when Haskell becomes sapient it will put you in the Hell Monad

Hey friends, I’m in need of a new job. No, YouTube doesn’t pay the bills. 😓 If you know anyone who is looking for an experienced product/app Content Designer or UX Writer, please let me know! 🤞 Feel free to DM me or email me any leads. Thanks!

Huh, really? Here are all the JP XBAND character icons, tag yourself I'm raccoon doing the laundry

blaaaaaggghhhh

New blog post! In this, the final episode of the BBC Bridge Companion saga, I... finally write a Tetris game. There's still more to do around the release (I got sidetracked badly this month) so look forward to that in a bit. #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcbc www.leadedsolder.com/2026/08/18/b...

aw shit. rip one of the best to ever do it.

On Saturday's noon EDT stream, we will see if I can make one functional Panasonic FS-A1 #MSX2 out of two. And we'll build @leadedsolder.com's Oyanami "Megabit Mapper for Legitimate Purposes" PCBs, probably with more jank than his project deserves. youtube.com/live/IKVXsoT...

Anyone who needs a top tier electrical engineer: TechKnight is your guy. He can fix just about -anything-.

New blog post! In this, the penultimate episode of the BBC Bridge Companion saga, I try to develop a composite mod for the first time. It goes okay, but it sure takes awhile. www.leadedsolder.com/2026/08/11/b... #bbcbc #retrocomputing #retrogaming

New blog post! In Part Two of the BBC Bridge Companion adventure, I get some real hardware to take apart. It's... very nice! Too bad the cartridge slot is mangled. #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcbc www.leadedsolder.com/2026/08/04/b...

New video is up! It's a massively expanded and revised version of the first video i ever did, talking about the rival clubs of University of Tokyo Microcomputer Club and The Theoretical Science Group and how that informed games like Heiankyo Alien and the AX series. youtu.be/ZlHZoXpp0k0

If you missed it… hey, I’m alive! I’ve got a new site going so that I can put things somewhere that isn’t social media. The first truly new post is about a heretofore undocumented 2600 clone console manufactured in a state-owned factory in China. Much more to come! theatari.spot/blog/2026-07...

New blog post! What do you get when a British television channel makes a home videogame console? A really long project to make a Tetris clone for it. www.leadedsolder.com/2026/07/28/b... Come back next week for part 2! #bbcbc #tetris #retrogaming #retrocomputing

Hand printing labels for my next resin kit using an old Riso Gocco hand printer. Riso made these for the Japanese market for household projects like making custom news years cards and I’ve read that at one point like 1/4 of all Japanese households had one. Messy and imprecise, they’re neat.

New PicoIDE update on Crowd Supply! Injection mold samples! And announcing the Open Retro Storage Front Panel project, which explains why the samples say "BlueSCSI" instead of "PicoIDE." www.crowdsupply.com/polpotronics...

New blog post: how are they still making the Brick Game?! nicole.express/2026/bricked...

Can love bloom, even at the junkyard?

Looking for a handful of testers for Dottie, before release on 6th August 2026. Requirements: prior pixel art skills, Intel/Apple silicon Mac, enough free time to create detailed pixel art test. Bonus for having an iPad+Apple pencil. You'll receive the app for free on release!

New blog post! Because it seemed like a deal, I bought a CRT monitor that is meant for a computer I don't have. Can I trick it into working with a computer I *do* have? #retrocomputing #crt #crtrepair #pc98 www.leadedsolder.com/2026/07/07/f...

Lets Play: Mario Artist Talent Studio Mario Artist: Talent Studio Released for the ill-fated magneto-optical drive addon for the Nintendo 64, Talent Studio was part of the Mario Artist range of titles which also included Paint Studio and Polygon Studio. Talent Studio was intended to be used with…

Can These Fire Damaged ColecoVision Games Be Saved? Find it in my latest video! youtu.be/sJaad6oZljY #retrogaming #colecovision #80s

"This Whole Thing Smacks Of Gender," i holler as i overturn my uncle's pottery studio and turn boku no natsuyasumi into Boku no Shit

Woot! The final games from Llamasoft’s 2011/13 Minotaur Project are preserved * You’ll need a jailbroken device running iOS 10 or earlier: blog.gingerbeardman.com/2021/03/08/p... Caverns of Minos Deflex Five a Day * Goat Up Goat Up 2 * Gridrunner Minotaur Rescue Minotron: 2112 Super Ox Wars *

born into greatness

New blog post! Another little throwaway PCB, this time from Konami! What makes "Target Panic" different? nicole.express/2026/stay-on...