the privations of the video toaster collection process have decimated body/mind + continue to flummox & bamboozle daily
to date, I have obtained
- original video toaster NT card (for VTNT, VT[2], VT[3])
- video toaster pro card (for VT[4]/[5])
- breakout box (for all above)
- copies of all software except VT[2]
- third gen tricaster (pro)
- fourth gen tricaster (XD)
in-flight, I also have
- tricaster (original, 2005 model)
- second VT[5] setup (complete, w/control surface)
- VT[3] setup (complete, w/control surface)
- amiga 2000 w/ original toaster
all of these present novel problems. the amiga comes sans monitor, for instance, and solving that problem is an ongoing and pernicious issue w/i the amiga community. no solution tabled, "will figure it out later"
the VT[5] setup, to date, has been through three cases and i think four motherboards trying to match hw compatibility and physical space constraints. the latest board is period-accurate and worked perfectly until it no-shit-quit on me last night. now intermittently posts. 40 capacitors inflight to attempt repair (RIP)
the 05 tricaster will also need to be fully disintegrated for a complete recap, without question (RIP)
the VT[3] setup currently lives in a wretched doublewide PC case From The Day. the pentium 4 sticker on the front heralds another 15 blown caps (RIP.) it also lives in illinois, and i am split entirely on whether to ship the whole thing at great expense or have the owner gut it and send only the juiciest fruit, condemning the blemishes and tree alike
today, spent $$$ (restaurant-average-price-on-google scale) on absurd lark, find images attached. have spent 12 years ignoring this sort of nonsense the same way i do barcode scanners, e.g. all instincts say "useful, purchase" while all rationality disagrees. finally, beset by thoughts of ein großes Projekt, could no longer resist the urge.
Gator Case represents first practical solution to how to assemble all this nonsense. the toaster breakout box is meant to go in a rack, but i am never going to install it in one, because that implies a permanence that is incompatible with a museum piece that has no museum in which to live. in other words: the only realistic way I'm ever going to use this thing is by pulling out the pieces, setting them up on a table, and demoing the system for half an hour before putting it all away.
to that end, having 3-5 separate devices (pc, monitor, keyboard/mouse, breakout box, control surface) several of which do not wish to be on a tabletop is really not ideal. Gator Case offers a place to mount the BoB (pic 3, above) without eliminating portability; a built in monitor (composite SD, or 1280x1024 VGA) so i don't need to awkwardly drag one out; and if I am very, very lucky, a place to put the entire machine so the whole shootin match can live together in harmony.
i would also like to install two DTV decoders inside, with a powered antenna outside, the idea being that one of the biggest pains in the ass about demoing a device like this is getting video sources. hooking up cameras or god forbid VCRs is a tremendous pain, and any kind of computer gadget requires too much touching. (no. not a raspberry pi. no.) so the DTV tuners will provide a pair of composite video sources immediately on powerup, without any 25 foot cables or extra power supplies or the need to set up any separate devices at all.
it will all simply plug into a power strip internally, attached to an IEC inlet on the outer case. castors on the bottom; collapsing "airport" pull handle; 120mm fan installed on side to keep everything cool. one complete, self-contained system that doesn't even really require an external display to demo, since the software has builtin program/preview monitors.
the ultimate dream is that i would be able to take this to something like the VCF computer show and just pop it up on a table, plug in one cable, and have a system people can play with instantly. it is somewhat beautiful an idea. but of course, das großes Projekt; many questions to answer
- can i get a rack case that will house this machine, and a hard drive, without cramping the fragile blue ribbon cables
- will there be enough room inside to mount the DTV converters
- can i get weatherproof IEC and RF connectors that will fit on this case
- will there be a gap up front through which to route the 4 VGA cables from the back of the machine to the front of the BoB
- what about the cables from the DTV converters to the BoB
- will it cool effectively
- i will have to replace the rack bolts with those plastic quick-release rack studs because i'm going to be tearing this thing apart to fix some Nonsense every time i touch it, guaranteed. will those actually do a good job
- is this monitor actually any good, and if not, can i replace it affordably with one that is
- can i add castors / dragging wheels without making it impossible to set up on a desktop
- can i add an "airport" pull handle aftermarket without paying a fortune
- in general: will it be a Goddamned Miserable Piece Of Shit that i always detest dragging out because it's more trouble than its worth
so. the road is long.