What is this website all about?
Please take some time to explore our site and read our About page. After you click around and read a bit you may find that you are indeed a nerd and you need to add something to your machine or maybe you would like some help selling something of your own. Don’t hesitate to drop us a line via our contact form. We will respond within one business day!
I would like to buy something but I don’t really want to create an account at some other website. Do I have to create an account?
No you don’t! You may checkout as a guest and you will receive an email confirmation once your order has been placed. Thereafter, once your order has been processed and shipped you will receive another email which will include your tracking number. You may then track your shipment by entering your tracking number HERE or directly via the courier’s website. However, if you create an account you will be able to track your orders more conveniently in your order history found in the My Account section at the top of our website. We do not send emails other than order confirmations and we do not share your information with anyone. Your privacy is very important us.
I don’t have an account but would like to create one, how do I do this?
You can create an account at checkout or by clicking My Account at the top of our website.
I want to login but I don’t see a login link. Where do I login?
Just click on My Account at the top of our website to login.
I forgot my password, what do I do?
You can regain access to your account by clicking HERE or by clicking on My Account at the top of our website.
Do you collect sales tax?
Yes, 7.25% sales tax is applicable to residents of the state of Texas only.
What type of payment do you accept?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Can I place my order over the telephone?
We are not set up to take payments over the phone, fax or by mail. All orders must be made through our website. However, we do have the ability to create an order for you so if you have trouble please don’t hesitate to contact us via our contact form.
Do you offer any coupons?
From time to time we may run a promotion/sale, and yes we do have ongoing coupon codes available. Search our site for the latest sales and coupons. Coupon codes are valid only on the days stated for the promotion. Order total adjustments/refunds will not be made if coupon is not entered at time of order.
Do you offer gift certificates?
While we don’t have any available at this time, we may offer them in the future.
Can I change or cancel my order?
Of course, as long as we have not yet shipped your order we can work with you on cancellations or changes to your order, just contact us via our contact form. We will ship according to the shipping address you provide at checkout, please notify us of any address change before your order is marked “Completed” and has been shipped to avoid package loss. If your package is shipped to the incorrect address, we cannot be held responsible and no refund will be issued.
When will my order ship?
We package and ship every business day. All packages will be dropped off with the carrier by 12:00pm CST each business day. Any orders after that time will be dropped the following business day. You will receive an email once your order has been shipped with the tracking number. Be sure to check your spam and junk mail folders for emails from us if you are not seeing any. You can track your shipment in your order history found in the My Account section of our website or if you have your tracking number ready you can track your package HERE. Alternately, detailed tracking can also be found by searching your tracking number directly on the carrier’s website or even on Google. Still having trouble? Contact us via our contact form.
How long will it take for my order to arrive?
To see all shipping information please click HERE.
Do you ship outside of the United States?
We do plan to offer international shipping soon. We are keeping it in the US for our soft launch only. To see more about international shipping please see our shipping page HERE.
My ordered arrived but there is a problem, what do I do?
While we never intend for mistakes to happen, sometimes they do. If you have a missing or incorrect item or an item in your order is defective, please contact us via our contact form. We will gladly reply within one business day. Please be sure to read our shipping and return policies carefully.
I plugged Lo-tech CF Adapter in backwards and now it’s not working, what now?
We know it can happen, the card has no bracket and it’s small. This is by design to accommodate many different vintage machines. The PC REAR sticker serves as a reminder but we all get tired and frustrated after trying this and that to fix our vintage computers, we are all human and mistakes are made. Don’t worry! It’s likely the ROM chip was damaged when the machine was powered on with the card in backwards. Just contact us via our contact form and we can create an order for you that includes a programmed replacement ROM chip if needed. The chip is socketed so replacement does not require soldering, just make sure you line up the notches when installing the new chip.
What is your return policy?
Please click HERE to view our return policy.
Do you plan to stock ENIG or Hard Gold PCBs?
When we first launched our website we had all PCBs produced using HASL to save on costs as we tested the waters. We have since started ordering ENIG PCBs for most all of our products. For your convenience, here is a link to see all of our products and updates regarding ENIG products. We do not currently have any plans to order Hard Gold PCBs. If you are interested in Hard Gold boards please contact us via our contact form. If we get enough requests we will consider Hard Gold orders. However, please realize that there will need to be many requests as the cost for Hard Gold is significantly higher so the requests will need to be quite numerous.
Where do you source your parts?
The majority of our parts are purchased new from Mouser and other well-known vendors such as Digi-Key and the like. Typically, this works out fine but because we deal in vintage computer parts, sometimes parts are reaching end of life or have been discontinued completely. Most of the time we can find these discontinued parts surplus and occasionally we will find new old stock that is priced so high there is no way we can afford it and keep our prices reasonable. In these cases, we will tap the grey market. Grey market chips are long discontinued chips that have been recycled, resurfaced and remarked. There are also chips out there that are completely different chips than what is remarked, but others are the correct chip and remarked with a later date after being resurfaced. When we purchase chips from the grey market, we are very careful who we order from. Through research and testing we have found some sellers to be more reliable than others. When we receive grey market chips we inspect and test a random selection of chips from the batch to ensure that they are the correct chips and that they are functioning properly. Then we test each chip prior to installation on any product. Finally, once the card is completely built and cleaned, we test the card in a working machine.
Did you really test my card prior to shipping?
Yes! We aren’t a big operation sending hundreds of cards out each day. It is just us, Kevin and Sara designing, ordering parts, building, cleaning and testing cards, listing and shipping it all from our home. We test every card before it hits the door!
Where can I find out more information about Lo-tech products?
We have many helpful links, including product specific links, conveniently located on our site footer and in the product descriptions themselves. However, here is a quick link to James Pearce’s Lo-tech homepage: lo-tech.co.uk.
You seem to be out of stock or not offering something I need. Do you plan on making this product available?
We do receive requests for Lo-tech and other product form time to time. Out of stock products will likely be restocked soon! Please feel free to send us email with product specific inquiries. Other proposed new products will be stocked based on demand. Let us know what you are looking for, maybe we can help! Drop us a line via our contact form.
You are out of stock, can I back-order?
We have recently decided to offer back-ordering on select products. If an item is available for back-order you will see it noted next to the quantity on the product detail page. Typically wait time is a week or less unless otherwise noted in the product description. If your order contains items currently on back-order as well as in stock items we will hold the order until it can be shipped in it’s entirety. If you would like items shipped separately please place separate orders for each shipment.
Will you build and help me sell my project or PCB?
Yes! We will definitely consider any project related to vintage computing, retro gaming or possibly anything else we find interesting. Please contact us via our contact form to discuss the details of your idea or project.
I need further assistance.
Please contact us via our contact form for assistance. We will gladly reply within one business day.