Hello!
I've been interested in vintage computing for a while, and I have never used anything older than a C64 and I'm really considering this Altair Clone. Just got a few questions for minor details and hopefully the experts here can laugh, er, help teach me where my ideas will go wrong.
1. I'd like to use a dedicated terminal to try to recreate what a hobbyist would have used in the late 70s, and learning what I need to learn in the process. A DEC VT100 would be my dream setup, but I don't know if that's accurate. Most examples I've seen use a terminal emulator on a modern PC. Are there any gotchas lurking for trying to use that kind of hardware? As I understand it, I just have to make sure the terminal supports 9600 baud 8N1, and I can use an ASCII keyboard... is that right?
2. I have an old cassette recorder with line in and line out. Will the cassette interface work with the usual three-conductor 1/8" TRS connectors or will I have to get mono ones?
3. It sounds like anything connectable via serial port using the right settings will work, and is controlled by a UART. Is that right? What's the voltage swing?
4. What texture is the front panel? I'm serious: octal is still kind of a foreign language to me and I think better in hex. I'd like to cut some strips of label paper and stick it between the switches/LEDs to make 4 groups of 4, instead of 5 1/3 groups of 3. I actually haven't decided, I might embrace octal anyway, but options are nice. :)