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ggambetta 11 hours ago

I learned to solder as a pre-teen so I could make a nullmodem :) Then I learned that resistors were a thing when I made a parallel port sound card (this thing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covox_Speech_Thing). Fun times!

d3Xt3r 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I wasn't allowed a soldering iron as a kid, so I ended up just chopping and splicing a regular serial cable and turned it into a null modem, all so that I could play OMF2097 with my friends without having to share the same keyboard (we would always fight over right side, which defaulted to using the arrow keys for movement - and so the person who got the right side generally had the advantage, as back then arrow keys were the default movement keys, unlike these days where WASD is default.)

jacquesm 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I wasn't allowed one either so I soldered with a screwdriver heated up on the gas stove when my parents weren't home...

orthecreedence an hour ago | parent | next [-]

"We need laws to keep children away from soldering irons"

Later that day...

ggambetta 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

That's pretty hardcore, respect :)

giantrobot 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Your parents: A soldering iron is dangerous!

You: I'll show you!

pixl97 an hour ago | parent [-]

I am not in danger.

I am the danger.

[Sticks glowing hot screw driver in molten lead]

khafra 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Shared-keyboard OMF 2097 also had an overwhelming advantage for the first mover, since most keyboards had 2-3 key rollover--if you hit wd to jump forward, your opponent had to be fast to do anything before you hit your attack key.

ukuina 41 minutes ago | parent [-]

I wonder if OpenOMF has the same limits.

c-hendricks 39 minutes ago | parent [-]

It's a keyboard thing and less of a software thing.

lll-o-lll 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Really fun times. I “learned” to solder around that time and age also. Playing Mod files through a DIY version of that “thing” piped into a portable stereo speaker was awesome.

Years later I learned what flux was, and soldering became quite a bit better and easier.