Your Digital Time Machine to Electronics History
Welcome to RetroTrace
Step into the golden age of technology. Experience over 200 fully restored vintage devices from 1950-1990. No museum barriers, no crowds—just you and the machines that shaped our world.
Our Story
Discover Our Journey So Far
It all started with a single Amiga 500 Plus in 2018. Lucas was suddenly overwhelmed by childhood memories and had one burning mission: he absolutely had to show me Settlers, his favourite game from youth. Born in the early 1980s, he grew up surrounded by Amigas and Commodores—machines that defined his generation.
So he bought his first Amiga. Unfortunately, it didn’t work properly. But instead of giving up, Lucas dove in and fixed it himself. His stepfather was an electronics technician, passing down both the passion and the knowledge needed to bring broken machines back to life.
And then… well, let’s just say it went downhill fast. One device became two, two became ten, and suddenly our home was filling up with vintage electronics, each one calling out to be rescued and restored.
That’s where I came in—Bela, born in the late 1980s, raised on Famicom consoles and desktop PCs rather than the exotic Amigas and Commodores of Lucas’s world. While he continued diving deeper into vintage hardware with the enthusiasm of someone reliving their childhood, I saw something different: incredible stories that needed to be shared with the world.
Perhaps that’s why today he’s still elbow-deep in vintage circuits while I’m building this website—we each gravitate toward what shaped our early tech experiences. Together, we realized this growing collection deserved more than just our living room. It deserved a global stage.
From one broken Amiga 500 Plus to over 200 fully restored devices, RetroTrace has become our shared obsession. And it all started because Lucas really, really wanted to show me that one game…
RetroTrace Museum
Our Mission
At RetroTrace, we believe vintage electronics deserve an audience, not a dusty shelf.
Around the world, collectors guard their treasures behind closed doors—beautiful, rare devices that few will ever see or experience. We chose a different path. Our mission is to open our collection to everyone, creating the world’s most comprehensive online platform for vintage electronics history and hands-on digital experiences.
We rescue forgotten machines from attics and basements, restore them to perfect working condition, and most importantly—share them with the world. Because these devices weren’t meant to sit silent in private collections. They were built to hum, glow, beep, and inspire. By keeping them active and accessible online, we preserve not just their physical condition, but their living functionality for future generations.
RetroTrace exists for two reasons: for everyone who’s curious about technological heritage, and for the machines themselves—ensuring they continue doing what they were designed to do. We’re more than collectors. We make time travel possible, bringing vintage technology to life for anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Because the best way to preserve the past is to keep it alive.
Discover RetroTrace
Explore what makes our vintage electronics museum unique
Time Travel—No Flux Capacitor Required
Remember when electronics had personality? When every television had its own warm-up glow, every radio carried distant voices through the night, and every record player filled homes with ritual and warmth?
Step back to an era when technology was tangible, when you could feel the weight of quality in your hands and hear the mechanical poetry of gears, switches, and spinning reels. This was a time before everything became sleek, silent, and identical—when each device had character, quirks, and a story to tell.
RetroTrace is your digital time machine to this golden age of electronics—1950 to 1990. A virtual museum where nostalgia meets innovation, and where machines with soul tell the story of how technology shaped our modern world.
When Technology Had Soul
Switching on a vintage television wasn’t just a click—it was a ceremony. The hum of transformers, the glow of vacuum tubes, the satisfying clunk of mechanical switches. These devices were built with pride, designed to last, and crafted to inspire wonder.
In that golden era, every manufacturer had its signature sound, its distinctive design philosophy, its own approach to bringing electronics to life. A Telefunken radio had a different character than a Philips. An Amiga computer booted up with a completely different personality than a Commodore 64. Each device was an individual—with quirks, charms, and a soul that modern electronics have forgotten.
At RetroTrace, we preserve not only the circuits and components, but also the stories, emotions, and craftsmanship behind them. Because when technology had soul, it didn’t just work—it inspired.
Every Device Tells a Story
Behind each artefact in our collection lies human history:
– A family gathered around their CRT for Sunday night shows
– A 1970s Telefunken radio that still picks up stations from across Europe
– A Commodore 64 that sparked a bedroom programmer’s career
– An Amiga that revolutionised home computing and digital art
That’s why every device in our Collection includes a free written description that anyone can explore online. To truly experience the machine—its hums, beeps, music, and motion—you’ll need to step into our interactive video tour, available through a 24-hour digital ticket.
The People Behind RetroTrace
RetroTrace is powered by passion. Our collection includes over 200 fully restored devices:
Bela
The storyteller and builder of the RetroTrace experience. She shapes the museum’s voice, designs the website, and brings the collection to life online and across social media—making sure these treasures reach the audience they deserve.
Lucas
The master restorer who brings life back into machines that haven’t run in decades. Every device you encounter has been lovingly revived—tubes glowing, speakers singing, displays flickering to life just as they once did.
Why Virtual?
Explore for free:
The internet’s most comprehensive collection of vintage electronics—real photos, authentic histories, detailed descriptions. Plus our Retro Stories Blog: the ultimate destination for electronics history, available in multiple languages.
Upgrade your visit:
Purchase a ticket for full access to the immersive video tour—where you’ll see, hear, and feel the past come alive.
Begin the Journey
Ready to step back in time?
RetroTrace is more than a museum—it’s an invitation. A chance to relive memories, discover forgotten innovations, and share the magic of vintage technology with someone new.
Your journey through electronic history starts here.