Memories of my first video game console

 First I'll start with I was born in November of 1970. By the time I was 7 or 8, home computers, and video consoles were starting to become a normal thing. 

While I don't really remember our first console, I have a vague impression that we owned an Atari Pong, more specifically I remember something called a Tele-Games Pong console, sold by Sears.

While this is my first memory of a video game, I wouldn't really call it a console. The first true console I remember was owned by my friend who lived down the street from me.  He had an Atari 2600, another friend of mine had a Magnavox Odyssey 2. For some reason my family saw Pong and thought, that is good enough. I doubt we bought it when it first hit the market, thou we could have. It much more likely we got second hand when the new shiny Atari 2600 came out. 

So I was stuck with Pong, I honestly don't remember playing it much, I remember hanging out at my friends house and playing on the 2600. This started my love for video games, honestly, it's the first console I can remember, the sounds, the controllers, etc. He even had the Atari Basic cartridge. 

As far as me, I remember when the Apple II came out in 1977, and how the high school had some. They started to offer free basic programming classes. And I begged to go and learn, there wasn't an age limit, anyone could go learn.  I happened to be the youngest in the class thou, but I picked it up programming faster then most of the other people. 

I started to ask for a home computer, and keep getting told that we just couldn't afford one. I keep it up asking daily, while my friends and neighbor all started to get computers. My neighbor that lived across the street got a Commodore Vic-20, my friend who's family really like Atari, got an Atari (something), another friend got a Timex Sinclair. I was able to keep up with all of that, I would go to a local book store and buy Compute Magazine, and read books about programming.

Finally one day, I was able to get a computer for Christmas. By this time I was asking for a Commodore 64, it happened to new on the market, and from everything I remember reading, and hearing about it was just so much better then the Vic 20.  I remember finding the box that I was sure was the Commodore, only to open to find a TI-99/4a, another package had a bunch of TI Cartridges, and another had the TI tape drive, and joysticks. That feeling of sadness that I felt - but my parents tried. Honestly, I know what happened - As Commodore took more and more market share, TI lost more and more - finally discounting the systems to the point that they were affordable.

I was sad, but I hooked it up and started playing with it, I started looking at the Compute Magazines, and typing games in, I started playing the games, I remember fondly Wumpus, Alphiner, Miner 2049, TI-Invaders, Munch Man, and so many more.  This was my first computer, this was my first "real" video game console, and it only took 5 or 6 years to get one. I worked around the house for money to go buy books written for the TI, and subscribed to Compute Magazine. 

I learned what I could about it. While it's not really a video game console, this is what I consider to be my first console, the games were good, and fun. The graphics were descent, the bonus of it also being a computer made it more special to me.  I could spend my time programming my own games (or at least games found in magazines and books), I could learn how to debug errors, and figure out how to make graphics and sound.  And because this was near end of life, Cartridges were cheap, and stores has a lot of them.  Things like the disk drive, and memory upgrades were not as easy to find, nor were they cheap when you did find them. 

By now thou, my friends and neighbors had all upgraded. Commodore 64 here, Atari (something) there, NES, Atari 7800. I think even a master system or two. I was starting to get to the age of being able to get a job, and I made it my goal to get a Commodore 64. Finally I did. By the time I could get one the prices had dropped, I finally had the Computer I wanted, with games, disk drive, modem, and printer.

My time line maybe a little off here because I'm sure I was in high school, but the next memories I have is going to Radio Shack, and marvel at the size of the pocket computers, and the TRS-80 Model 100.  One day I would finally get my hands on those as well.

Now as far as a game console only, I have no real memory, I'm sure it was a NES, and I'm sure it was 2nd or 3rd hand by the time I got it.  I'm sure that by the time I got it, the Sega Saturn and Playstation was already on the market. 

But by the time I reached my mid twenties I had acquired, mostly from making trades, A Sega Genesis, SNES, PS1. And over the years, I've owned many consoles, 3DO, CD-i, Atari Jaguar, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, XBox, Xbox 360, WII, WIIU, PS4. And finally a Nintendo Switch.

I have bought and sold video games both as a hobby and as a business. I've sold all my consoles, and bought it all back more times then I care to admit.

My love for video games started early in my life, and has never really ever left me.

I still own many systems, and many games. One day I may even get around to playing them all.

My current collection, NES, SNES, N64, 3DO, Saturn, PS2, Dreamcast, PS4, WII, WIIU, and Switch. I recently gave my Xbox 360 and games to my grandson because he loves to play the "classics". His Xbox Series X stopped working and he was driving everyone nuts to get him a new one (I remember those days.) I guess he got my hand me down, just like I got a second hand Pong console. 

Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that I am a Nintendo fan. As I have far more games for those systems then any other I own. 

I still own a TI-99/4a and a bunch of cartridges, thou it's not my original TI. I'm not sure what happened to that. I also picked up an Apple IIc, and recently sold my Commodore 64. I live in a small apartment, and just didn't have the room to leave it hooked up, it needed to go to someone who will enjoy it. Beside in todays world, emulation is a thing, and works pretty good. And I also own a retro-games Commodore Maxi console. I can still enjoy my C64 if I need to, only now it's just a little different.

At the time of this writing I'm 54, since I already am having a hard time with the time-line of my life. I thought it better to write out what I think I remember and when I think I remember it. Thou this is not to say it's at all a complete time line - or even close. I have owned many other computers and terminals, and have worked on and played on machines like a Digital VAX/VMS, and unix boxes. But those were/are owned by large universities, and don't count as a home video game console. 

The 1.8" IPS Capacitive touch ESP32-S3 Round Display (JC3636W518C)

This display costs about $20.00 U.S. has an ESP32-S3. Generally the specs are QSPI IPS 360x360 1.8inch, 8M PSRAM, 16M Flash. It has a capacitive touch display, I2S digital microphone, I2S analog-to-digital conversion circuit, TF card interface.

The display is a ST77916 with a CST816 touch controller. At the time of this writing I've only found two display packages that work with this. LVGL and Arduino-GFX (The latest version 1.4.9 by Moononournation https://github.com/moononournation/Arduino_GFX).

Can be programmed using Arduino, and various other IDEs. (I've only tried Arduino so far)

It was apparently designed for AIDA64 as a 2nd display. The seller only provides a LVGL example.

Doesn't provide the firmware that is currently installed on it.

However there is a 1.8_demo.bin provided - this appears to be the original demo code that is installed.

It would be safe to say, they don't provide the source code to this demo. But the original demo can be reloaded if you want it back.

They do provide just enough information to get the display working using LVGL. 

Moononournation provides more examples found here:

https://github.com/moononournation/JC3636W518 I could really only get a couple to work, and one of those I had to modify the code to read the SD card. 

It appears to me (at least at the time of this writing) this is a work in progress.

But provides a nicer way to display pictures, and mpegs (off the SD card).

My next step will be to see if I can get MP3 to play, and use the on board microphone for something.

Below are some pictures of mine: (NOTE: I don't recommend opening this, I broke a small piece while attempting to get the cover off. There is heat tape and a temperature sensor (I think), I got mine back together, but it's night quite as tight as it was and it does seem like it gets a little hotter then it did)

The inside

Using LVGL

Using Arduino-GFX

Microcenter Inland MK-87 TKL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard a good keyboard?

It's been a while since I made any type of blog post, and this one is being made on my new MK-87 TKL Inland mechanical keyboard.
A little background, over the past month or so friends of mine have been talking about their mechanical keyboards. Features, and other things about them. Yes I said keyboards, they have spent upwards of 200 per keyboard, and own three or four, they buy replacement keycaps, replace the switches, make macros, change the LED patterns. And just in generally really really like the keyboards.
Last week I finally broke down, and started to look for one - I found a few Keychron keyboards on eBay for a reason price. See for the most part I'm cheap, and I don't want to spend much on a keyboard even thou it is something that I use all the time. $20 to $30 seems like an ok price, with $30 certainly being on the high side for me. (*Spoiler*) it turns out, I probably should have spend a little more and got something a little different.
Enter the Inland MK-87 TKL keyboard, while I was looking on eBay, I came across an Inland keyboard - it looked ok(ish), the seller wanted almost retail for it thou. So I looked at the Microcenter website, turns out a brand new keyboard was cheaper then what the seller on eBay wanted. I know shocker, sellers are always going to try to get more then they should.
The keyboard is actually an ok keyboard, it works surprisingly well for a $30.00 mechanical keyboard. It comes with brown switches, that are NOT hot swapable. The case is (I believe ABS), but feels good. And has a good enough weight to it. It doesn't slide around while typing, the keys feel good in my fingers, I am still getting a little use to them, but I've only had the keyboard for two days.
Unfortuntally I knew the day I got it, that I should have spend a little extra and got one of the used Keychron keyboards I had found. Yes, you can find pre-owned Keychron keyboards on eBay for a decent price.
I do feel like I type faster on my old membrane keyboard, but the online typing tests don't support that. In truth I type about the same on both keyboards. I have noticed I error a bit more on this keyboard. But I think that has more to do with how the keys are spaced and how I'm use to the other keyboard. And not anything this keyboard is doing.
This keyboard has "RGB" lighting, which is true and false. It has multi-color LEDs, each in a zone, so you have a "GREEN", "ORANGE/YELLOW", "RED(ISH)", "BLUE" and "PURPLE" Zone. It has I think 10 different animations, some of them are pretty good, others not so much. The speed of the animations can be changed, but I don't really see much point to that. The brightness of the LEDs can also be changed. They are top lighted LEDs, I've read various reason why this wasn't a great choice, but I think it's fine with the keycaps that are currently on it. Speaking of the keycaps - the font used on them is a little strange, I'm not really sure what font it is, mostly I notice the 4, 6, 8,9, 0, @, #, % and the Q, R O, P A, D, B all have little gaps in them. It's fine, just weird to me, and something I'm sure I would get use too.
OH I forgot the LED under the "R" key is barely visable, I'm not sure what is causing it - but it looks like the led maybe facing the wrong direction. I don't mean in the wrong place (Like it is at the top like all the other LEDs) I mean it kind of looks like it might be upside down. I need to explore this later if I decide to keep the keyboard. Or I just need to live with it like this. (Picture below)
The user guide, which is short and too the point, included with the keyboard does say you can program macros into F1 - F12 keys. I haven't tried that yet but I'm sure it will work fine.
The only weird quirk is that sometimes there seems to be latancy between a key being pressed and the input on the computer. I really only have noticed this when you do a double space, sometimes the next character doesn't register. Is this a problem? Well, yeah kind of. When you are typinging and use a double space, you think you hit a letter, but it doesn't register that is a problem. At first I thought maybe it had something to do with the animation pattern of the LEDs, so I turned them off, and it didn't change anything.
That is really the only "problem" that I've seen so far with the keyboard. And I guess if maybe you might get use to it, but it shouldn't do that.
The brown switches have a nice tactile feel to them, and there is a noticable "clunk" it's not really a "click" - but it's close. I have noticed that some of the letter will register quicker then others, so maybe not the best switches used? I mean after all this is a $30.00 keyboard.
The keyboard uses a SINO WEALTH controller, and from my understanding is either a 8051 or emulating a 8051. There are a couple of github projects that will let you flash new firmware. BUT I wouldn't do that with this keyboard, first you have no idea how the controller is hooked up to the leds, or how it is scanning the keyboard. Maybe you could dump the current firmware and figure out that information. It's my understanding Sino makes the controller, but OEMs can wire it however they want, the controller IDs the same for every keyboard "Device 020: ID 258a:002a SINO WEALTH Gaming KB" so it is really impossiable to tell what keyboard you might be using. So using something like OPENRGB or Via would NOT be possiable or advisable for this keyboard. As a number of people have reported a bricked keyboard after using OPENRGB.
I actually tried OpenRGB before I knew this, lucky for me OpenRGB took support for Sino controllers out of it's scan, so, that probably prevented problems.
In short, this is an ok basic mechanical keyboard, I would say it's ok entry to the world - but if you have the money get a Keychron. You can find Keychron keyboard for reasonable prices. As far as the switches goes, every one has a switch they like, the fact that I like brown or blue switches, was a bonus for me with this keyboard. But not being able to swap switches easy was kind of a bummer. I have to remember this is an entry level keyboard. And not all Keychron keyboards have hot swappable switches either. For just a little more then the cost of a membrane keyboard, this is an okay keyboard. It's a good replacement if you need a new keyboard.
It is probably a gateway to other mechanical keyboards. As I've said I've have the keyboard for less then 2 days, and already know that I should have spent a little more for a slightly better keyboard.
I'm now looking at getting a Keychron C3 Pro QMK/VIA with brown switches and hot swappable keys for $46. Which is probably what I should have done in the first place.