Author: Dave Farquhar

What does silicone mean when wiring trains?

Dave Farquhar model railroading
What does silicone mean when wiring trains?

Hobby shops sell silicone wiring with high strand counts for wiring train layouts. But what is silicone wiring? What does it mean? And what is special about silicone wire for model trains and do you need it?

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3Com 3c509 in an 8088-based PC/XT

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
3Com 3c509 in an 8088-based PC/XT

Officially, the old reliable–and super common–3Com 3c509 Ethernet card requires a 286 or better processor. Unofficially, you can get one to work in an 8088-or 8086-based based XT-class system. Here’s the trick to using a 3com 3c509 in an 8088 PC/XT.

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How to fix Minecraft not installing

Dave Farquhar Games
How to fix Minecraft not installing

If you haven’t played Minecraft in a while, and you are trying to install Minecraft and getting an error message, even though you tried both the app store version and the alternative Java edition, I have something for you to try. It’s an easy way to fix Minecraft not installing.

My son was having this problem after he got a new computer running Windows 11. But the problem can happen in Windows 10 as well.

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Crooked handle on Ryobi lawn mower

Dave Farquhar DIY
Crooked handle on Ryobi lawn mower

If you have a crooked handle on your Ryobi lawn mower that leans awkwardly to the left, it doesn’t mean it’s broken. It’s pretty easy to fix. But it can cause other problems that are harder to fix. So here’s how to fix it right now, before that crooked handle leads to a bigger problem.

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Lionel T-Rail track

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Lionel T-Rail track

Lionel T-Rail track was high end pre-war O gauge track. It was available from 1935 to 1942, and Lionel featured it on its legendary 1937 showroom layout in New York City.

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What eggshell finish is

Dave Farquhar DIY
What eggshell finish is

What is eggshell finish? Eggshell can be a very versatile finish for paint, polyurethane, or hardwood floors. It has some disadvantages but also has notable advantages in most cases. Let’s take a look at what eggshell finish has to offer.

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MCGA vs VGA

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
MCGA vs VGA

VGA and MCGA were two new video standards introduced in April 1987 with the IBM PS/2 line. They were meant to make the new IBM computers more competitive with Amiga, Atari ST, and color Macintosh computers, all of which had ability to create high resolution graphics with more colors then IBM’s first generation of PCs. MCGA vs VGA confused people in 1987, and it can confuse people today.

Of the two standards, VGA proved the most enduring. The GPU in your desktop or laptop PC is fully backward compatible with VGA, and whatever graphics mode you’re using right now is an extension of VGA. The 15-pin VGA plug is still very common 35 years after the PS/2’s introduction. VGA approved to be the most enduring element of the PS/2 line.

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Marx Glendale station

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
Marx Glendale station

The Marx Glendale station is the largest tinplate passenger train stations Marx produced during the post-war era. It, along with three other stations, replaced an earlier, smaller, and less ambitious station from the pre-war era, and solved more than one problem for Marx.

The Marx Glendale station bore the name of the West Virginia town where its largest factory stood. It had three variants, including one that played back a voice recording when you turned a crank.

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Why Don Mattingly isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Dave Farquhar Baseball
Why Don Mattingly isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Don Mattingly had only been a full-time player for five years when people started calling him a future Hall of Famer. He hit like Rod Carew and fielded like Keith Hernandez, except he hit with power. Opposite-field power at that, so he wasn’t just taking advantage of Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field. So why isn’t Don Mattingly in the Hall of Fame?

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Why did the Atari ST fail?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Why did the Atari ST fail?

Why did the Atari ST fail? It is hard for me to be objective about the Atari ST, because I was a dyed in the wool Amiga fanboy in the early ’90s. I am not supposed to like the Atari ST. And I’m not sure if that makes it easier or harder for me to see it as a failure, but I don’t see the Atari ST as a failure.

Then again, since you probably are not reading this on an Atari ST, there is an argument that it did fail. So it could be that I am grading on a curve. I expected the machine to be a nothing burger, and it ended up selling 2.1 million units at a time when 2.1 million units shipped still was a pretty impressive number.

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