Found my first videogames and computer

[KITTfan]

Recently found from my parents storage the first videogame console I ever played with, a Conic TVG 201-4. My parents bought it maybe in the late 70's and loved playing with it as a kid. It's been in cold storage at least 25 years and unfortunately batteries were still inside, rusted through, leaked and really ugly mess
It probably wont work anymore but I'm going to try to clean it anyway and if possible, fix it in working condition.

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Leaked and rusted old batteries look like a nightmare:


Another find from the same cold storage, one of those first handheld electronic games from 1983. Nintendo Game&Watch is probably more well known but mine is probably less known Q&Q King Kong game. It also has digital clock and alarm clock. Luckily this was stored without the battery so that was a plus but cold winters and hot summers have caused something because when I installed battery in it, the screen came alive and sound did work but there's glitches and crashes. Seems like there's a bad connection in the power leads because pressing the battery compartment does affect to it.
I'm planning to open it in the following days and hopefully it's just an easy fix of reflowing a solderjoint or something similar.



Third recent find in warm storage was my first home computer, a Salora Manager which is Finnish version of Vtech Laser 2001 computer. It stayed unused at least 20 years but as it was stored inside in a cupboard, it started after all these years without problems which is kind of amazing. Only unusual thing was that when I switched the power on, the power LED came on only after 3 second delay but after that first start, it has been coming on immediatly, as it normally does.
I remember when there was the Knight Rider episode "Sky Knight" (original run in the 80's) and there was that codename "Deep Sleep", my mom insisted that I should enter that "password" in this computer as well, even I tried to explain it only displays "Syntax Error" on the screen but she believed it only after she saw it


My current laptop (with Microsoft Windows 10) and the first computer (with Microsoft Basic) side by side

[jup]

Just checked with e-bay and found one of those Conic pong consoles. Granted, it's a more complicated version with a light gun and is sold as sealed. Going for 129 EUR. (Translates to $160 and change.)

That Q&Q King Kong has a listing for 79 EUR. (Or nearly a hundred dollars.)

And nothing on the Salora.

Ahhh...nostalgia is an awesome thing.

As for the battery damage, I would say with a little luck, the internal plastic liner may yet have kept the acid contained and it may yet be possible to install new contacts and clean up the acid...carefully. Or get a little more techy and rewire the two battery leads to a nine volt power supply and go A/C. (I did it once with an NES Satellite. Worked great. Fairly easy with a soldering iron and a little workmanship...plus a local Radio Shack. (Guess e-bay, these days.))

[KITTfan]

Just checked with e-bay and found one of those Conic pong consoles. Granted, it's a more complicated version with a light gun and is sold as sealed. Going for 129 EUR. (Translates to $160 and change.)

That Q&Q King Kong has a listing for 79 EUR. (Or nearly a hundred dollars.)

And nothing on the Salora.

Ahhh...nostalgia is an awesome thing.

As for the battery damage, I would say with a little luck, the internal plastic liner may yet have kept the acid contained and it may yet be possible to install new contacts and clean up the acid...carefully. Or get a little more techy and rewire the two battery leads to a nine volt power supply and go A/C. (I did it once with an NES Satellite. Worked great. Fairly easy with a soldering iron and a little workmanship...plus a local Radio Shack. (Guess e-bay, these days.))

I have now cleaned the battery compartment and opened the case to see if battery leak had done any damage there and happy to report that the leak indeed did not get there Battery terminals were completely destroyed so had to rig two wires and 9V battery to test if it works. It works but the image on TV starts fading away pretty soon. Not sure if it's the battery or some component at the PCB. Have to find new battery terminals and test it then properly.
This thing has the General Instruments AY-3-8500 "Pong in a chip" and has a date stamp "7750", the 50th week in 1977.

Also, fixed the Q&Q electronic game by re-soldered a bad battery connection to the PCB.

Recently bought also the new C-64 Mini so now I basically have all 70's to 80's computers & videogames again. Sold my original Commodore 64 C in 1991 but now I have C-64 again, sort of Now, where can I find the Knight Rider game for C-64 as a .d64 file...