Cam's Obsolete

• Feb 2024

  • Added a VHS capturing guide after STRUGGLING to get decent smooth capture. ALL guides don't capture VHS correctly! Yes, EVEN HARDWARE doesn't! See top header page link

• Oct 2023

  • Pax Australia went great! We set up *12* working systems with 4 beige box PCs in a Quake 1 network. It was loads of work but lots of fun.

• July 2023

  • CinemaNova played a short documentary starring... ME! haha It's a great little showcase of the local Melbourne retro computer/console goings on

  • Here's the trailer (hopefully it'll be avaliable online later)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Xj7ul1HTI

• Nov 2022

  • Done! Here's me showing the "Vectrex Captrex" Vectrex capture printer device! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSCxOKE-s0E

• Oct 2022

  • We've started making the "Captrex". A Vectrex screenshot machine!
    Read the blog post here  The Vectrex Captrex
    Chat about it here ACMS Forum 

• Props and consulting for film and tv

  • Custom displays running on REAL hardware

• Photography

• In-School expos

• Public events

• Private rentals for partying like it's 1999

• Quite mad custom inventions and physical builds

Inventory overview

• Specialising in early computers and technology from the 70s, 80s and 90s

  • Over 100 systems and thousands of items.

• Early computer hardware

  • 70s era such as Apple II, Commodore PET, kit computers etc

  • 80s era such as IBM, Commodore 64, Macintosh, Amiga

  • 90s era such as bubble iMacs, beige box tower PCs and CRT monitors, boxed software (Windows 98, games etc)

• Early gaming consoles

  • Eg Atari, Sega, Nintendo, Intellivision, Colecovision etc

  • Later consoles, Dreamcast, Megadrive, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 etc

• Handheld ‘arcade’ games

  • Nintendo Game and Watch, those glowing tabletop ‘arcade’ games, early mechanical games etc

• Original technology such as Walkmans, Laserdiscs, VHS/Beta, fat video cameras

• Some very early 60s computers and items. Punched cards, giant harddrive platters etc

• Some hifi gear, 90s hifi, 70s speakers

• Some other non-technology, but still funky items

• Various types of events with working machines for the public to try.

• Expos, large and small. Schools, from primary to high school, highlighting different decades.

• Scroll through, or click a category

• There's A LOT more yet to be photographed! If you want photos of anything specific from the inventory below, just ask.

• A raw up-to-date inventory of the major pieces in the collection.

  • Click tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet for categories.

• There's lots of smaller items not catalogued yet

• We can source specific items if we don't have it

Film and TV consulting

If you need period correct technology, we’ll either have it or can get it. We’re massive geeks. We’ll make your scenes so authentic, even the most pedantic neckbeards will love you. Once nerds notice the tiny details you got right, they’ll dedicate their lives to telling anyone who’ll listen how great your production is! Free marketing!
But if you get it wrong? The internet never forgives, never forgets!

• Filming techniques for original CRT monitors. 

• Audio recording and sound design of original systems. What to play when.

• Age correct hardware and software for period productions. Including ‘age relevant’ knowledge for when hardware might have still been used and by who, even though it was old at the time.

• Sourcing very specific items through our network of collectors.

Custom displays created for scenes

• We can create REAL displays with text and graphics actually running on the original systems, perfectly synchronised to the actor's fake as hell typing. Can’t get any more authentic than that.

  • We can provide raw footage for post processing or consult on techniques for filming old school CRT monitors.

Overview

The history and future of computing is an important topic most kids have never thought about. They take the current state of technology for granted and have little idea how far we’ve come.

Without a sense of the past, it's hard for them to comprehend where we’re going and we need kids to get interested in future technologies.

This hands-on expo gets kids involved with the timeline of progress, from early 70s computing, up to the start of modern PCs.

They love it! Sure, mostly because they can play games, but that is the clearest way for them to understand just how far we’ve come since they’re already playing modern games. Trick them into learning!

What’s odd is that even though the games are incredibly primitive compared to what they’re used to, they still seem to love it. Feeling and using the actual hardware, with the clacky keyboards, buzzy glowing monitors, beeping sounds and floppy discs whirring is something most of them have never experienced and is something modern devices completely lack.

Available programs

The programs aim to give the students a proper chance to get to know the machines beyond the fleeting “don’t touch” type of museum visit (Victoria doesn’t really even have a technology museum!)

The multi era programs work the best, as it focuses the students on a specific period and let's them get a feel for it. We’ve found that having things like a working Nintendo 64 with Mario Kart causes the older ‘worse’ systems to be ignored. Without distractions from the later ‘better’ systems, the students actually give the more primitive ones a proper chance and end up liking and appreciating them. Then when later systems are introduced, they can get a sense of the difference and progress.

All programs also include a selection of interesting technology from the era. Eg Huge phones, laser discs, walkmans etc

All computers can be set up and left with the school (Library etc) to give them a real chance to get to know them.
Talks and tours can be added as desired.

One week, overview

• Single set of working devices. Selection from 70s, 80s, 90s

• Some consoles on display only (Nintendo original, Nintendo 64, Megadrive etc), so as not to distract from the historic systems (they're too good!)

Two week, two eras

• First week - Mid 70s to mid 80s.

• Second week - mid 80s to mid 90s

• Some consoles on display only (Nintendo original, Nintendo 64, Megadrive etc)

Three week, three eras

• First week - Mid 70s to early 80s

• Second week -  early 80s to late 80s

• Third week - 90s computers and playable consoles

Email : octamed@gmail.com

Stuff I've made : https://www.cameronbonde.com

Twitter : https://twitter.com/Octamed

Phone : 0403 735668

Two locations. Kew, Melbourne and North West Tasmania.