On November 15, 2022 I was given a heads up about some retro New Old Stock vintage NABU Personal Computers for sale via eBay and ordered one the following day. Fast forward to November 26, 2022 Adrian's Digital Basement posted a video about the NABU PC on his channel, then the vintage NABU computer frenzy began!

Founded in Ottawa, Canada in 1982, families and schools used cable TV modems to connect NABU PCs to a country-wide network. In addition to standard PC capabilities, the NABU computer could download software and information content through the cable feed. Applications included games, programming languages and news.

The NABU PC and NABU Network was said to be ahead of its time, described as the internet, before the internet.

Subscribe:
https://youtube.com/geekwithsocialski...

--- Video Index

0:00 - Intro: New Old Stock NABU Personal Computer from 1984 in 2022
1:34 - How did I find out about the NABU PC eBay sale?
3:13 - What are the specifications for the NABU Personal Computer?
3:20 - Motherboard with Zilog Z80A @ 3.58MHz Z80 processor, 64 KB RAM (8 HM4864P-2 chips)
3:33 - 4/8K EPROM - jumper select 4K or 8K (eBay units comes with 4K ROM)
3:46 - TMS-9918 NTSC video display chip with 16 KB Video RAM (8 TMS4116-15NL chips)
4:05 - Graphics resolution 256 x 92, text 40 x 24, 32 sprite planes, 15 colors plus transparent
4:19 - AY-3-8910 Sound Generator design by General Instrument in 1978
4:33 - The AY-3-8910 was also used in arcade games, consoles and other retro computers
4:58 - Fun Fact: The Mockingboard and Cricket sound cards for Apple II computers also use the AY-3-8910 Sound Generator
5:20 - Who and what was the NABU PC and NABU Network company in Ottawa, Canada?
5:48 - How did the NABU Network actually work back in 1982?
6:27 - Sadly in 1986 the NABU Network went away, however in December 2022 it's been reborn!
6:32 - Thanks to Leo Binkowski (NABU Developer from the 1980s) NABU Network is alive again
7:10 - New Old Stock NABU PC's have power supply fan issues to be aware of
8:22 - Listen to my NABU fan before I fixed it, then after my quick fix repair
8:40 - Fixing the NABU PC power supply fan from making noise and rubbing inside the shroud
9:36 - Checking out the mechanical NABU keyboard with Alps SKCC Cream switches
9:53 - The NABU has two DB9 joystick controller ports like the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64
10:14 - NABU PC rear panel and all the connector ports
10:44 - First boot: My NABU PC connected up and using my laptop as a gateway to the 2022 NABU Network Server
12:18 - Viewing the NABU Network Category Menu
12:43 - Using the NABU menu shortcut option and load Pac-Man
13:06 - Playing the NABU Pac-Man port done by Leo Binkowski in the 1980s
15:25 - Resetting the NABU PC back to the NABU Network Category Menu
15:50 - Selecting RetroNET online chat program via my laptop server
16:00 - Power cycling the NABU Personal Computer before loading NABU RetroNET chat
16:25 - Chatting in real time on December 21, 2022 with peeps on RetroNET online NABU chat
20:16 - Outro

--- Video Links

NABU Network:
https://www.nabunetwork.com/

Download NABU Internet Adapter Software:
https://www.nabunetwork.com/resources...

Adrian's The 80s computer you've never heard of: The NABU PC:
   • The 80s computer you've never heard o...  

NABU PC eBay seller:
https://www.ebay.com/fdbk/feedback_pr...

Original 1980s NABU PC software developer Leo Binkowski:
   / @leo.binkowski  

--- Parts needed to make a NABU Adapter cable (affiliate links):

DTech USB to RS422 RS485 Serial Port Converter Adapter Cable with FTDI Chip:
https://amzn.to/3jpYXfk

YCS Basics 6 Foot DB9 9 Pin Serial / RS232 Male/Female Extension Cable:
https://amzn.to/3YJ4EVD

CESS Metal Body 5 Pin DIN Male Plug MIDI Cable Connector Soldering:
https://amzn.to/3hMNjuj

Monoprice MIDI Cable - 10 Feet - Black with Keyed 5-pin DIN Connector:
https://amzn.to/3WnXCEn

--- Channel Links

Subscribe:
https://youtube.com/geekwithsocialski...

#retro #computers #computerscience