>>12461859Boomer here (literally: born 1965).
Been working in electronics and computers my entire life.
When I was a kid I would have *killed* to get my hands on one of those, but my dickhead father the carpenter didn't see any future in any of that 'junk' and wouldn't shell out for any of it.
So I tried to make one myself, using old transistor radio parts, wood, and wood screws.
No internet, so no data sheets on parts, so it really didn't work all that well. :-(
However I also really wanted a Pong game, but again he wouldn't buy one. Then I saw an issue of Radio Electronics magazine where there was a project to build one. Never built that, but learned digital electronics from it.
Then was the Popular Electronincs article in 1976 for pic related. In a couple years I managed to afford to build that.
Then later, designed and built an 8kB RAM expansion for it.
Then a UART interface and 20mA to RS232 interface for the Model 33 ASR Teletype I got for free from a local highschool. Then a big purchase: 2kB integer BASIC in 2708 EPROMs.
..and so on.
Much later: S100-bus CP/M systems.
Learned to repair arcade games.
Got a job at a defense contractor helping design training systems for the military.
Then a water quality sensor company.
Then an ophthalmic ultrasound company.
..and so on.
You got to start somewhere. Learn what you can from that. Then buy kits. Then learn to design things yourself. I wouldn't know all the thigns I know now if I'd've let people tell me what I was doing was dumb.
