0056 A "motion tracker" snall TV, the Tandy WP-2, the Cosmo Communicator, a gallon of WD-40 and more

Fun fact: the Panasonic Ranger 505 was what the prop department based the motion trackers on that the crew of the Nostromo used in the original 1979 Alien film, although they were most likely the UK branded equivalent (National Commando 505) as the film was shot in the UK. I really dig these rugged looking little TV's and own three!

I still say Adrian should have a youtube channel called "Adrians analog Attic." For all the old TV and other analog equipment he works on. It just fits so well.

Adrian: gesticulating wildly with razor knife Me: [ screaming internally ]

@6:25 SCART has indeed S-Video without any Trick on the adapter itself 😄 ...but... The Luma input shares the COMPOSITE pin on 20 and Chroma shares the same pin from RED on pin 15. Therefore, the SCART device just as a TV or VCR must have S-Video capabilities on the appropriate input. I've used such S-Video to SCART adapter quite often, back in the days, due the lack of a dedicated S-Video jack on the back of the TV (the jack was only at the front and therefore quite "ugly" for a permanent usage)

I´m the same age as you Adrian (born 1975) and it´s kinda funny that a lot of young people probably don't know about the cigarette lighter/12v output formfactor thing LOL I've been in plenty of cars with the actual lighter in it so hehe!

Usagi Electric might have a socket that PDP coprocessor can go in

I remember as a teenager back in the 80's I was working as an agriculture tractor driver and radio did not work so using my Kit Kat wrapper around the fuse gave me radio entertainment.

As an European I can tell you that S-Video is definitely supported via SCART/Euro connector. For example, I've recently picked up a Panasonic TX-29PS12P with two SCART/Euro inputs, one supports component+composite, and the other S-Video+composite. I'm using the exact adapter you've shown in the video and it works with S-Video.

WP-2 has a membrane keyboard. I fixed mine with conductive paint. For floppy support, Tandy actually made a disk drive that works over RS-232! There is software out there you can run on a raspberry pi or whatever to emulate a floppy drive. (I haven't tried it)

BTW: if you do automotive repair, the larger set of picks are handy for removing rubber hoses (like the ones on a radiator) if they’ve got crusty corrosion on them. Learned that trick from Rainman Ray’s Repairs (YT channel). After removing the hose clamp, slide the pick (the right-angled one) into the seam between the hose and the metal/plastic fitting, then run it around with the bent part parallel to the fitting. This’ll help loosen up the hose. Of course, it goes without saying, NEVER work on your car’s cooling system when the engine is hot; you’ll be SORRY!! 😬 Oh, and don’t poke holes in the hose with the pointy end! 🤣😆

The TRS-80 Model 100, etc., were popular with field news reporters, because they included a modem. They could type up their stories remotely and connect via phone/modem to upload their stories.

I remember using a Game Gear via the cigarette lighter in my mother's car (well, the one for the back seats - she was using the drivers one at least every ten minutes). I also recall adverts for the UK Amstrad PPC computers saying you could power them from the lighters..

The CPU in the WP-2 is apparently a low-power Z80 clone. I found a service manual with complete specs down to timing diagrams. You can have a lot of fun with that thing! You could get CP/M running on it pretty easily.

Usagi Electric might be able to use that DEC PDP-11 math co-processor in the PDP-11 he's currently working on.

Adrian giving a history lesson of the car cigarette lighter. I love it. 😁

That Cosmo Communicator had my interest piqued with its actual keyboard and whatnot, then I saw they cost £599, and now I'm back to normal again, given my current Asus Zenfone I paid just over £100 for a few years back, shiny and new too, albeit from Banggood... :P

God I loved Space Quest when I was a kid. King's Quest, Space Quest...those games taught me how to type as a little kid. So much fun.

I use a RetroTINK 5X Pro with my Amiga over RGB SCART and it works incredibly well. Its ability to keep up with switching between interlaced and progressive video modes is excellent.

FWIW, we use WD-40 at my shop to remove sticker residue from various devices (PC 'feature' stickers on palmrests, etc). It's safe to use and works very well without damaging surfaces!

Holy crap, what a haul. :) That Cosmo Communicator would be perfect as an 8bit emulator, (Spectrum/ZX81/C64 ect), thanks to the keyboard. (Shame about the top screen, that's why I never try updates on old tech.).