Welcome to TRCAre you passionate about the charm of past technology? Welcome to The Retro Center, a place created for the curious, the restorers, and the dreamers who find magic in objects with history.
If you’ve ever felt an irresistible urge since childhood to take apart a toy, explore the insides of a computer, or try to repair that device your grandmother had left forgotten in a corner, this site is for you. Here, restoration projects turn into adventures that bring back the ingenuity and nostalgia of the past.
Note: Some of the content you'll find here comes from a blog we wrote years ago. We're slowly bringing it back to life, giving it a fresh touch while preserving its original spirit.
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Latest Blog Posts
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HP Visualize B2000 that helped win a Nobel Prize in Physics
I acquired an HP Visualize machine from the ESO observatories in Chile; it was part of the VLT Paranal hardware used during research into the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* in the 2000s. Thanks to this equipment, the theory regarding the existence of a black hole in our galaxy was verified, helping three prominent researchers win a prestigious award.
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Improving the Command Line Experience in MS-DOS
Although MS-DOS is often considered a very limited environment compared to modern shells like Bash or Zsh, the latest versions of the system have incorporated tools that have significantly improved the user experience. Here's how to get the most out of them.
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Restoration of a ThinkPad 750Cs, one of IBM's most important machines
During the summer of 2025, my wife and I traveled to Orlando, Florida, to visit the Visitor Complex at the Kennedy Space Center. Before leaving the city, I wanted to visit some thrift stores, like Goodwill, and I was lucky enough to find a ThinkPad 750Cs that, coincidentally, turned out to be from the same series that first went into space.
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Restoring a robot forgotten in its box for 40 years
An '80s robot, completely new and stored away for 40 years because it never worked. In this restoration, I disassemble, clean, and rebuild its internal mechanism, only to discover that the issue was something as simple as a missing gear. A precise mechanical repair that finally allowed it to walk for the very first time since leaving the factory.
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Restoring the consistency of a box using a steam iron
Unfortunately, my Windows 95 box didn't have much luck before it came to me. It was poorly cared for; someone crushed it, weakening its structure and leaving it flimsy and deformed. Since it turned 30 this year, it's time to give it some TLC and a spa day with steam and all that.
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Handmade roll bar for my TYCO Mutator
In a previous video, I showed you one of the toys I always wanted as a kid: the TYCO Mutator. We tested it, I took it apart, and I did a full review. However, it was missing something important: the roll bar.
Since I couldn't find the original part, I decided to make it myself. It could have been easy with a 3D printer, but I don't have one, so I opted to make it by hand, combining a bit of creativity, precision, and patience.
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PS/note, the laptop that IBM forgot
A couple of years ago, I got this laptop; it caught my eye because it looked exactly like the first Thinkpads. Despite having worked for IBM back in 2006, I had never seen, heard, or read about this model in IBM documentation; it's been completely removed from the company's historical information...
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Sharp PC-1251 Pocket PC Back to Life
A few years ago, I got a Sharp PC-1251, which came with its docking station, printer, and cassette drive. The system was practically complete, including several tapes with programs from its previous owner. However, nothing is perfect; its display was damaged by "Vinegar Syndrome"...
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I Built a RetroPC for a LAN Party
In the early 2000s, the internet was slow and unstable. To play with friends, the best option was to physically bring computers to a friend's house and connect via a local area network. Recently, a group of vintage computer enthusiasts decided to revive this experience with a clear rule: computers had to be at least 20 years old, which put us at a maximum age of 2003.
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TYCO Mutator: A Childhood Dream Come True
It was December 1996, Christmas Day. My childhood dream was to receive the TYCO Mutator, the most incredible remote-controlled car ever created. But instead, a TYCO Dagger arrived. While it was a great gift, something always remained unfulfilled. Twenty-six years later, in December 2022, I decided to treat myself to what I never had in my childhood. The search was complicated...
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