I Bought the Computer from WarGames
Dave’s Garage
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Dave takes you on a tour of the IMSAI 8080, from history to setup and configuration to running Microsoft BASIC and CP/M. For my book “Secrets of the Autistic Millionaire”:
Neil’s ShadowTron Blog Retro-Tech channel:
IMSAI 8080 Replica Kit:
Discord Chat w/ Myself and Subscribers:
Primary Equipment (Amazon Affiliate Links):
* Camera: Sony FX-3 –
* Camera Lens: 50mm F1.4 Art DG HSM –
* Microphone: Electro-Voice RE 320 –
* Teleprompter: Glide Gear TMP 100 –
* SD Cards: Sony TOUGH –
TCP Server command-line on the Mac, for the curious:
tcpserver -q -H -R -d 0.0.0.0 6400 lynx frogfind.com
28.10.2022
It won't let me subscribe more than once or I would!
Love the film War Games and grew up in that era. Seems relevant again today. Also being another David as was main char made it personal.
Too unfriendly a system for me to use but big fan of computer history and it's important to document this stuff while we are all still here.
Zork looks like fun. I miss those early text adventures. We had a MUD at Leeds running on Silicon Graphics SGIs – quite an irony.
I have ser # 13 😉 I also have a Processor Tech Sol
Where did you buy it from?
Where did the CDs go?
I got the Upgraded Version.
The Whopper,.. WITH CHEESE 😋
wow
Back when one could smell each bit and byte
That was one of my favorite movies! My first computer at that time was the Commodore 64. Time passes. 🙂 I didn't like the 2 part at all! Great channel!
That switch device computer looks like something out of either Star Trek or Star Wars!
It’s nice to see how it all started COM+[1:25:16]: Start OC_ABOUT_TO_COMMIT_QUEUE Component = com Subcomponent =
COM+[1:25:16]: No PendingFileRenameOperations
COM+[1:25:16]: End OC_ABOUT_TO_COMMIT_QUEUE Return Value = 0
COM+[1:25:16]: Start OC_ABOUT_TO_COMMIT_QUEUE Component = com Subcomponent = com
COM+[1:25:16]: Subcomponent com state: O+,C+,R+
COM+[1:25:16]: End OC_ABOUT_TO_COMMIT_QUEUE Return Value = 0
COM+[1:25:23]: Start OC_CLEANUP Component = com
COM+[1:25:23]: Stopping service COM+ System Application…
COM+[1:25:23]: Memory usage for setup process…
COM+[1:25:23]: PeakWorkingSetSize: 46344 Kb, WorkingSetSize: 27460 Kb
COM+[1:25:23]: QuotaPeakPagedPoolUsage: 82 Kb, QuotaPagedPoolUsage: 68 Kb
COM+[1:25:23]: PeakPagefileUsage: 16144 Kb, PagefileUsage: 7508 Kb
COM+[1:25:23]: End OC_CLEANUP Return Value = 0
COM+[1:25:23]: ******************************************************************************
COM+[1:25:23]: Setup finished – [DATE:06,25,2003 TIME: 01:25 am]
COM+[1:25:23]: ******************************************************************************
COM+[4:56:20]: ******************************************************************************
COM+[4:56:20]: Setup started – [DATE:07,02,2003 TIME: 04:56 am]
COM+[4:56:20]: ******************************************************************************
COM+[4:56:20]: Start OC_INIT_COMPONENT Component = com
COM+[4:56:20]: INF VERSION (com) = 2001,12,4414,42
COM+[4:56:20]: Instantiating CMasterNT5Wks
COM+[4:56:20]: Memory usage for setup process…
COM+[4:56:20]: PeakWorkingSetSize: 7468 Kb, WorkingSetSize: 7468 Kb
COM+[4:56:20]: QuotaPeakPagedPoolUsage: 43 Kb, QuotaPagedPoolUsage: 43 Kb
COM+[4:56:20]: PeakPagefileUsage: 3608 Kb, PagefileUsage: 3524 Kb
COM+[4:56:20]: MTSS: Answer File =
COM+[4:56:20]: Calling SetupOpenInfFile.
I remember doing this in middle school and high school. Aced the classes. My trs-80 had two floppy drives. Was fun playing with it
I thought he bought the actual prop used in the movie… Peace, I'm outta here! ✌
I was really hoping you found a WOPR
In my high school computer class, we had to start with OLD equipment and work our way to more modern stuff. The beginning? An IMSAI 8080 with a teletype interface and paper ribbon feed. Interesting, but not for me…
Out of all the "purges" I've heard creators talk about, your channel was the first one ever that I know I was subscribed to, and then when I checked, I wasn't anymore.
That is a perfect video to Nerd-out on. Thank you and I subbed immediately. 😀😀😀😀
Is it Thermo or Thermal?
Absolutely amazing! Memories of my youth are awakened again. 🙂
No WHOPPER
not impressed
I started to work on computers back in 1987, on an Apple IIe.
i had a Sirius 1 running cpm86 via 10 inch floppy drive i never had any luck with the hard drive that couldn't be moved after formatting
thanks bro it's really help
When they came out, they were about $600 as a kit or a full grand assembled. You have to wonder where David got the money for his set-up.
No you didnt.
But… does it speak??
Ya know….
Had you titled your video, "I Bought a REPLICA of the Computer from WarGames"… I may not have clicked on your video.
That's intentionally misleading the viewers. That's CLICKBAIT.
Hehehehe. I'm just kiddin. Thanks for the cool vid, Dave!
It's just a light show to dazzle ignorant audiences.
Did you buy this directly from the movie studio? Was it just kept in a box all these years?
I always wanted to build a fake "Electric Dreams" computer and completely wire it to my home…. but now days, they just sell parts plug & play to do such.. stll love the movie though, even though it is a spooky movie…
Used to work on DEC 10's and PDP 11's in the early 80's…love the old tech.
The back door is the big secret
I remember War Games came out and I thought the computer was way way way out of date. At work I had used a Xerox Sigma 9, a PDP 11 and a VAX 11/780.
At home I had used an Apple II, a Trash 80 and sometimes I used a LISA. So the IMSAI and WOPPER looked stupid to me at the time. But I said "most people don't really know what a modern computer looks like". I do remember though that 1200 baud was pretty fancy. And then a few years later I saw a 9600 baud terminal and I was blown away.
LOVED this movie.
So does this mean you will be able to help out subscribers with their report cards????
AT S registers … that takes me back!
Oh ok, I thought you bought the whopper! 🤣
I'd like a WOPR with cheese please.
So you didn't buy the computer from WarGames. You bought a model that was used in the movie. Correction.
Back in the day operating a computer took training, aptitude and brains. That's clearly not the case anymore as evidenced by the state of social media these days.
You are right my first thought was the WOPR even if it was just the prop
This was absolutely awesome. Love the golden days so much….
I really dont see a practical use for this even back in the 70s
"Wouldn't you perfer a nice game of chess ?"
Boy this brought back memories! Thank you man….LOL
I bought an IMSAI 8080 for $5 at a D.A.V. (Disabled American Veterans) thrift store in Mesa, Arizona in 1999 or so. It didn't say IMSAI on the front – the front panel was blank. I found the present IMSAI company, the "Fischer-Freitas company" and bought a new front face "mask" for it to go under the Plexiglas and then it looked more correct. Those suckers are heavy! Huge ol' S-100 bus backplane, and the power supply taken right out of an Electronics 101 textbook. Big ol' honkin' transformer, a full-wave bridge, and a couple huge electrolytic caps.
Man… makin me watch war games again…
Can it run Doom?
Oh dear