A Living Museum of Computing

Preserving the Roots of Personal Computing

One collector. Thirty years of salvage, repair and documentation. Every machine that taught the world to compute — restored, scanned and kept alive for the people who come next.

Explore the Collection Support This Mission
311
Hardware Artifacts
5,558
Publications in Archive
602 ›
Documents Digitized
The Archive, By the Numbers
311
Hardware Artifacts
5,049
Publications
599
Software Titles
602
Documents Digitized
26,924
Pages Scanned
Featured Hardware

From the Collection

A selection from the collection — real photographs. Hover the large pieces for the story.

All Artifacts →
FS-1300
FS-1300

The National FS-1300 is an MSX1-standard home computer released in 1985 by Matsushita under the National brand. It is powered by a Zilog Z80A-compatible NEC D780C-1 processor running at 3.58 MHz and includes 64 KB of main RAM and 16 KB of video RAM. The ROM contains 32 KB of firmware, including the MSX BASIC interpreter, and is fully compliant with the MSX1 standard. The FS-1300 features a clean, compact design with an integrated full-size keyboard and a distinctive gray-silver…
SPC-800
SPC-800

The Fenner SPC-800, released in 1984, was an Italian-market adaptation of the Samsung SPC-800, aligning with the MSX1 standard. Manufactured by Samsung and rebranded by Fenner, this model corresponded to the second revision of the Korean original. Notably, it lacked a built-in speaker and reset button but included an expansion bus for peripheral connectivity.([MSX Resource Center][1], [Oldcomputr.com][2]) Powered by a Zilog Z80A processor at 3.58 MHz, the SPC-800 featured 64 KB of RAM and 16 KB of video RAM. Its…
LC80
LC80

The LC80 was a compact single-board educational computer developed by Kombinat Mikroelektronik Erfurt in East Germany and introduced to the public in 1984. It marked one of the first microcomputers available to retail users in the GDR, primarily intended for teaching digital logic, programming, and microprocessor fundamentals. The system was built around the U880 processor, a Z80A-compatible 8-bit CPU, running at 0.9 MHz. It included 1 KB of RAM and 2 KB of ROM containing a simple monitor program for…
ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum

The ZX Spectrum A was one of many unofficial clones of the original Sinclair ZX Spectrum developed in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe during the 1980s. These machines were produced to meet the growing demand for affordable personal computers in a region where access to Western hardware was restricted. The ZX Spectrum A replicated the core functionality of the original 48K ZX Spectrum, often with locally sourced or substituted components. Powered by a Z80-compatible processor running at 3.5 MHz,…
From the Archive

Read the Source Material

Magazines, books, manuals, newsletters and catalogues — scanned page by page and free to read on the Internet Archive.

All Publications →
Exhibit

Magazines

Digital-age innovations, trends and the technologists who drove them.

Explore
Exhibit

Books

Foundational knowledge tracing the evolution of computing.

Explore
Exhibit

Manuals

In-depth guides to the software and hardware of the era.

Explore
Exhibit

Newsletters

Timely updates, industry news and expert insight.

Explore
Exhibit

Catalogues & Co.

Brochures and catalogs full of period visuals and specs.

Explore
Field Notes

Latest from the Bench

Read the Blog →
Workbench / Live

Active Projects

Preservation isn’t only storage. These are the open initiatives keeping dead hardware running.

All Projects →
archivist
● Active

□ Digital Archivist

Digitizing and restoring vintage software, documents, and media for preservation and global access.

View pipeline →
pcb-recreate
● Work In Progress

□ PCB Recreation

Reverse-engineering and producing classic hardware designs for repair, restoration, or DIY building. Gerbers released free.

Browse boards →
edge-drive
● Work In Progress

□ Edge Drive

A secure platform for syncing files between edge devices and cloud storage, built for retro and modern hardware integration. In open beta on Tindie.

Get the board →