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Computer Terminal Replica Inspired By 70s Hardware
Not so long ago, most computer users didn’t own their own machines. Instead, they shared time on mainframes or servers, interacting with this new technology through remote terminals. While the …read more
Computer Terminal Replica Inspired By 70s Hardware
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Not so long ago, most computer users didn’t own their own machines. Instead, they shared time on mainframes or servers, interacting with this new technology through remote terminals. While the rise of cloud computing and AI might feel like a modern, more dystopian echo of that era, some look back on those early days with genuine fondness. If you agree, check out this 70s-era terminal replica from [David Green].
The inspiration for this build was a Lear Siegler ADM-3A terminal seen at a local computer festival. These machines had no local computing resources and were only connected to their host computer via a serial connection. The new enclosure, modeled on this design, was 3D-printed and then assembled and finished for the classic 70s look. There are a few deviations from a 70s terminal, though: notably, a flat LCD panel and a Raspberry Pi 3, which, despite being a bit limited by today’s standards, still offers orders of magnitude more computing power than the average user in the 70s would have had access to.
On the software side, there are a few modifications to allow the Pi 3 to emulate a CRT-style display. It also runs the i3 windows manager, which was the easiest way to replicate the feel of an old terminal without going command-line-only. With the Pi’s computing power available, though, it’s easier to run emulators for older computer systems, and there’s perhaps no better way to get a sense of how these systems behaved than to use a replica from the era. Another excellent way is to completely reimagine what these computers could have been like in an alternate past.