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Jan Beta

@janbeta.net

4.3K followers 450 following 630 posts

I repair/hack/make/destroy stuff on YouTube/PeerTube. Retrocomputing, VintageAudio, Tinkering. As unprofessional as it gets. Chaotic good. Anti-fascist. C64 rules. https://janbeta.net/

janbeta.net

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 9d

New video! I'm showing two (and a half) ways of getting the TL866 EPROM programmer to work in Linux.

YouTube: youtu.be/_oacXhtaLsk

#TL866 #EPROM #EPROMProgrammer #XGecu #MiniPro #Linux #LinuxMint #Wine #VirtualBox #Tutorial #HowTo #EPROMBurner

Using the TL866 EPROM Programmer in Linux

YouTube video by Jan Beta

youtu.be

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Reposted by Jan Beta

C64 Discord @c64discord.bsky.social · 1d

Interview with Christian Bartsch: The story of X-Copy on the #Amiga spillhistorie.no/2025/10/10/t...

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Reposted by Jan Beta

10 Minute Amiga Retro Cast @10marc.bsky.social · 3d

Reports of my Demise have been greatly exaggerated... I'm here, and working on a new video for the 40th anniversary of our beloved #Amiga - and I think I should be back on track and making regular videos in November.

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 2d

a close up of a man 's face with a purple glow on it .

ALT: a close up of a man 's face with a purple glow on it .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Jan Beta

Benj Edwards @benjedwards.com · 2d

What can I say? It's perfect

Photo of a box for "MULTI-FUNCTION TV/RADIO LANTERN" that is real!! It's a flashlight with a black and white TV set in one unit.

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 2d

Just realized that I accidentally (I swear!) have 3 #Amiga centered videos lined up next. Just in time for #Amiga40, although I don’t ever plan for things like that. Sometimes my usual chaos just falls into place by sheer coincidence… 😅

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Reposted by Jan Beta

Tynemouth Software @tynemouthsoftware.co.uk · 3d

New blog post - Changing SD2IEC Device IDs
blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/10/chan...
Several techniques you can use to change the device ID of your SD2IEC from ID #8 to ID #9, and several reasons why you shouldn't do it.

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Reposted by Jan Beta

Sardonicus @sardonicus.eu · 4d

Pantogram’s miniature binary typewriter
spoon-tamago.com/pantograph-i...

tiny typewriter with two keys 0 and 1 the paper in it is covered with 0's and 1's

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Reposted by Jan Beta

More Fun Making It @morefunmakingit.bsky.social · 4d

You may have noticed my latest C64 repairs have not all gone to plan. So I asked a couple of very generous pals in @adriansdigitalbasement.com and @theretrochannel.bsky.social to lend a hand.
I picked their brains clean!

Ultimate Team C64 Repairing - The Final Episode ft @adriansdigitalbasement and @TheRetroChannel

YouTube video by More Fun Fixing It

youtu.be

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Reposted by Jan Beta

L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 5d

This article rings true to me, having recovered data from 3” and 3.5” floppies, my first-pass success rate at the moment is about 70%. I’ve recently recovered data for a friend off a 40MB hard drive including an unfinished book.

Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 5d

Lovely article on University of Cambridge's Future Nostalgia project - rescuing knowledge from old floppy disks! Much of it resonates with the preservation work we do at GTW:
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

via BBC_Future

A digital dark age? The people rescuing forgotten knowledge trapped on old floppy disks

From lectures by Stephen Hawking to the letters of British politician Neil Kinnock – it's a race against time to save the historical treasures locked away on old floppy disks.

www.bbc.com

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 5d

I would guess it’s generally better quality. The battery pack lasts for hours and hours (haven’t managed to deplete it yet), the iron heats up in seconds and is very lightweight. The USB cable is heat resistant silicone and super flexible. The list probably goes on but I only just got it. :D

Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 5d

No sponsored links at this point, they literally just contacted me and asked me if I wanted one. :D Perhaps there’s going to be some more official collaboration in the future (I like their stuff and their philosophy a lot, too)!

Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 5d

*_from_ USB-C, of course. 😅

Anyway, thanks a ton iFixit! ✊

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 5d

Apparently, somebody at @ifixit.com liked my videos enough for them to send me their new FixHub portable soldering station for free. It’s "a bit" faster and more powerful than my aging Weller soldering station from some decades ago. The battery pack is optional, the little iron also works USB-C.

FixHub portable soldering station on my workbench with the soldering iron attached to the battery pack. The readout on the battery pack says it’s set to 350C and the battery is at 92%.

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Reposted by Jan Beta

Retro Computers @retrocomps.bsky.social · 5d

To highlight their "Commodore" brand, Commodore Business Machines once brought an actual ship to the waterfront for the 1983 CES show, meaning there was in fact a brief time where you could be a Commodore Commodore.

A report from the August 1983 issue of Commander Magazine, showing the 'Commodore Clipper', a fairly large ferry decked out in Commodore colors, docked on the Chicago waterfront for the 1983 Consumer Electronics Show.

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 7d

I never had any major grudges with Apple‘s MacOS and have happily used it both professionally (as an audio guy and as a video creator) and privately for years and years. The new Liquid Glass stuff completely messes up the experience. MacOS used to be fun and it actually looked good. That’s all gone.

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 8d

The CLI tool works well on Macs. Couldn't get the WINE install to work on MacOS yet, though. I used to cheat and ran the software in an isolated WinXP virtual machine (which worked well but was a bit clumsy, of course). :D

Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 9d

Watch the video on PeerTube here: makertube.net/w/kKdacAjugv...

Using the TL866 EPROM Programmer in Linux

I'm showing two (and a half) ways of getting the TL866 EPROM programmer to work in Linux. Blog post about the process: https://reversatronics.blogspot.com/2016/12/tl866-minipro-under-linux.html Xge...

makertube.net

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 9d

Using the TL866 EPROM Programmer in Linux

YouTube video by Jan Beta

youtu.be

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 9d

New video is up early & ad-free for all monthly supporters on Patreon, Ko-fi and for the YT channel members! Thank you so much for your support! <3 www.patreon.com/posts/using-...

Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 10d

I like the fact that you CAN do plenty of nerdy stuff in Mint but you don’t HAVE TO. :D

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 10d

No, I planned on diving into Linux for a long time anyway so I just saw this as a good opportunity to finally do it. :)

Reposted by Jan Beta

ChinnyVision @chinnyvision.bsky.social · 11d

Your favourite Youtube channel has a new video out. But since he's now pulling cars apart (Technology Connections) watch some throbber review Friday The 13th on the C64, Speccy and CPC instead. You'll shit your pants with fright or your money back.*

youtu.be/7a6N3ZyTWvM

* No refunds.

ChinnyVision - Ep 568 - Friday The 13th - C64, Amstrad CPC, Spectrum

YouTube video by ChinnyVision - The Retro Game Review Channel

youtu.be

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 11d

Can confirm that the webcam doesn’t work. 😅 I think there’s drivers for it but I don’t really need it.

Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 11d

Mine wakes up just fine after 2-3 seconds. Admittedly a bit less instant than what I’m used to from MacOS but perfectly okay.

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Jan Beta @janbeta.net · 11d

One workaround for graphics not working in Mint seems to be installing 22.1 and then upgrading to 22.2 from that through the internal updater. Seems there’s an issue with older NVIDIA drivers in the newer Kernel they used in 22.2. (Not guaranteed to work, just from memory of a forum post I read).

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