Very good!
Now Tony, you have the responsibility to completely photograph this machine
and try to find a correct keyboard and PSU. Some of us will appreciate
seeing the photos and comments to learn (or relive!) this interesting
machine. I know I'll keep an eye cocked for the parts to help get this
machine restored. And to think this machine was only about 3 or 4 hours
drive from here!
Good luck with it :)
Regards, Chris
Upon the date 05:35 PM 2/1/99 -0500, Brad Ackerman said something like:
>Tony Eros was the first to respond (by 90 minutes), and so claims the
>computer. Thanks for all the offers -- I really didn't want to see this
>computer junked.
>
>Christian: [re your query] The machine has been sitting in an office as
>is for a while. I imagine the missing parts got Dumpstered(tm) long ago,
>unfortunately.
>
>Brad Ackerman N1MNB "...faced with the men and women who bring home
>bsa3(a)cornell.edu the pork, voters almost always re-elect them."
>http://skaro.pair.com/ -- _The Economist_, 31 Oct 1998
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
URL: http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/
Tony Eros was the first to respond (by 90 minutes), and so claims the
computer. Thanks for all the offers -- I really didn't want to see this
computer junked.
Christian: [re your query] The machine has been sitting in an office as
is for a while. I imagine the missing parts got Dumpstered(tm) long ago,
unfortunately.
Brad Ackerman N1MNB "...faced with the men and women who bring home
bsa3(a)cornell.edu the pork, voters almost always re-elect them."
http://skaro.pair.com/ -- _The Economist_, 31 Oct 1998
were executed. We had 32K of 2114 1Kx4 SRAMs. Our board performed oddly,
<but it still worked. AFAIK, all MC68000 chips work to spec.
There were many mask revisions early on to correct microcode bugs.
Apparently the microcode was either difficult or very complex contributing
to many errors.
<Anyone want to buy a vintage 1982, gold and ceramic Motorola MC68000? Mak
<offer. Not available in stores. Not found on eBay.
I have two. ;)
>Where can someone purchase a copy of your book? Its not listed on amazon.com.
>
> Thanks
>
> Noel
>
Thank you for inquiring. The book is self-published.
Ordering details are at the bottom of this message. I also
had an arrangement with the Vintage Computer Festival for
copies to be sold at the VCF 3.0 and given away as prizes.
Some copies are still available; see the VCF web site.
----------------------------------------------------------
A Guide to Collecting Computers and Computer Collectibles:
History, Practice, and Technique
1st Edition
----------------------------------------------------------
This book is about the hobby of collecting computers and
things related to computers. It's about the hobby in
general for novices who are interested starting, building
and maintaining a collection.
It's also for veteran collectors as an attempt to bring
us and a few of our stories, experience, and advice
together.
This book wouldn't be complete without also paying tribute
to the pioneers in the field and so it includes coverage
of many wonderful private collections and related
"how I got started" stories.
This book is simply the best resource you'll find to help
you get started and flourish as a computer collector.
This book has nine chapters, plus a section on resources.
By reading this book you'll discover what to collect, how
to collect, and how to manage your collection, including
how to clean and store computers. Each chapter opens with
an Anecdote and ends with an Profile.
A Profile tells you about another collector - why or how
they started collecting and a description of their
collection. I am humbled by their acceptance to
participate in this endeavour. You'll know what I mean
after you read about them.
Anecdotes are mostly from my own experiences. They no
doubt pale in light of your own. Each Anecdote is a brief
story about the trials, tribulations and thrills of collecting.
I have not tried to make this a pricing guide, although
the topic of Appraising is covered, and there isn't any
photographs.
I have tried to make this book:
* a practical reference;
* an entertaining piece of popular history;
* an encouragement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------------------------------------------------
1. Collecting Computers
ANECDOTE.........How A PDP-9 Fixed A Leaky Garage Roof
Why do people collect computers?
Who collects computers?
History of the hobby.
Future of the hobby.
How to collect computers.
PROFILE.............Kevin Stumpf
2. What's collectible?
ANECDOTE.........The Last Sigma 9
Collecting terminology.
Collect computers.
Don't collect computers.
What will you collect?
PROFILE.............Doug Jones
3. Sourcing
ANECDOTE.........Stupid Internet Thread Yields 360/75
Sources.
Techniques.
Where will you go?
PROFILE.............Jay Jaeger
4. Appraising
ANECDOTE.........B220 Control Panel Not Lost In Space
Techniques.
What is value?
How much would you pay?
PROFILE.............Thierry Schembri
5. Acquiring
ANECDOTE.........The Case of the Shrinking 705
Establishing terms of ownership.
Getting your acquisition home.
PROFILE.............Bob Roswell
6. Cataloging
ANECDOTE.........Old GUI Computer Helps Resolve Sticky Situation
What should you catalog?
Tell it's story.
How to catalog.
PROFILE.............Bill von Hagen
7. Storing
ANECDOTE.........An Old Car For An Old Computer: Fair Trade?
Where are good places to store computers?
Storage conditions
Preparing for storage.
PROFILE.............Bob Manners
8. Restoring/Repairing
ANECDOTE.........Here's A Couple of Computers Beyond Repair
Cleaning.
Authenticity.
Before you turn it on...
PROFILE.............Carl Friend
9. Interesting Things to do with old computers
ANECDOTE.........What Does A Crane and A 360/22 Have In Common?
Educational.
Crafty.
Practical.
PROFILE.............Tom Carlson
ORDERING INFO
----------------------------------------------------------------
Copies are available for $18 + $4 (S&H) prepaid each, direct
>from the publisher.
Please send your order to:
Unusual systems
220 Samuel Street
Kitchener, Ontario
N2H 1R6
For more information send a message to kstumpf(a)unusual.on.ca.
Please allow 4 weeks for shipping.
WE'RE READY TO TAKE YOUR ORDER. THANK YOU.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
Kevin Stumpf * Unusual systems * www.unusual.on.ca
+1.519.744.2900 * EST/EDT GMT - 5
Collector - Commercial Mainframes & Minicomputers from
the 50s, 60s, & 70s and control panels and consoles.
Author & Publisher - A Guide to Collecting Computers &
Computer Collectibles * ISBN 0-9684244-0-6
.
Greetings. There was a two month gap in my participation on the List until
recently. Somehow, and no one has yet explained it, my subscription was
removed (this happened again two weeks ago). Unfortunately, I missed a brief
discussion of the book I wrote - it was reviewed in Dr. Dobb's Journal. Had
I known, I would have contributed. To make matters even worse, the
Classiccmp archive maintained by Kevan Heydon (many thanks man), also
suffered from a technical glitch and needed to be restored. Now I've finally
read the thread and please accept two observations and two invitations.
Observation #1 - the books' identity crisis
The book is a guide about the hobby of collecting computers and not a
traditional collector's price guide. In a perfect world one would first read
the guide to collecting and then want to read a collector's guide - the
first guide stokes and refines the interest while the second guide assists
in ensuring a collection is complete and in determining how much to buy and
sell for.
Observation #2 - the book's other identity crisis
The book is for both seasoned collectors and beginners. It is not JUST a
book for anyone who thinks collecting computers could be neat. Sure the
guide will, by design help the novice, but it's equal strength is in helping
the existing collector by affirming our practices and techniques and, by all
means, sharing some of the practice and techniques the veteran collector
might not know about. We should all be open to accepting our knowledge-gaps.
In fact, a computer collector might not consider their collection complete
without a copy of the first-ever book about collecting computers.
Invitation #1 - answering questions about profilees
I've been asked why some collectors were omitted and even why some were
included. I expected such questions. As an author with a deadline and goal
in mind I invited collectors who exemplified the experienced collector, the
new collector, the big collector, the small collector, the international
collector, etc trying to show how collecting is the same all over the world
- same passions and problems. These collectors would/could also be
role-models. The book might have included more profiles if the collectors
had responded on a timely basis and with answers to the questions I asked.
One collector didn't remember the dates and circumstances surrounding his
most important acquisitions so I rejected the story because it was
incomplete (even after several attempts to help improve its accuracy).
Please send your questions about the book to me directly.
Invitation #2 - my first attempt at building a web site
Please take a moment to visit my site. See the orphan 360/22 mainframe
(orphan because it was announced the same year the 370 series was!) and a
few other systems that aren't that popular.
Thank you. Happy collecting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
Kevin Stumpf * Unusual systems * www.unusual.on.ca
+1.519.744.2900 * EST/EDT GMT - 5
Collector - Commercial Mainframes & Minicomputers from
the 50s, 60s, & 70s and control panels and consoles.
Author & Publisher - A Guide to Collecting Computers &
Computer Collectibles * ISBN 0-9684244-0-6
.
Well well, people throw out the darndest things..
I found a copy of a book by someone named Peter Norton. Looks to me like it
may have been his first book. Called 'inside the IBM PC'.
His 2 test systems for developing the book were:
IBM/PC with 64K standard memory and 512K on a jumbo memory board that
he bought as a lark. The jumbo board is populated with 64K chips.
he mentions tha this board does provide astonishing improvement in
his Pascal programs.. (Duh!). Monochrome monitor.
Second system has a Amdek color II monitor, 128K of true blue IBM memory,
twin Tandon TM 100-2 diskette drives, and the standard color graphics
adapter.
Oh yeah, he mentions that he uses teh Jumbo card to simulate a 360K
virtual diskette drive ;)
He disassembles roms, disusses bios calls, and explains how the cassette
tape interface works, among other things. Personally, I think this
guy could go far...
-Lawrence LeMay
-> I had a couple of disks that crashed on my HP CD writer when the energy
>saving program put the computer to sleep. Make sure this is turned off!!
>However was able to re-install the disks and make them recognizable using
>the Adaptec software.
>
> Regards
>
> Charlie Fox
Thanks Charlie, I will also check this out to, as the computer is also in
energy save mode..
Phil...
Hi Gang:
I learned this morning of two DEC 11/70s that are available for free in
Vancouver, BC. Taker will have to pickup. These are large systems that will
need a few strong people to get into the back of a truck.
Both were operational when last fired up 3 years ago, and have been in dry
storage and covered in plastic since.
Included are disk drives, 2 tape drives, consoles, and all documentation
including, it appears, print sets. Tons of software as well, including a
few compilers. I haven't seen them yet but will try to do so if there's
much interest.
My basement is far too full already to take one myself, :-(
There's also a Microvax II in a BA23 case (that's the bar-fridge size model
on casters).
I live in Vancouver and will be able to assist in the removal and loading.
Please contact me via email or at the office (604) 215-4812 for more info.
==========================================================
Sgt. Kevin McQuiggin, Vancouver Police Department
E-Comm Project (604) 215-4812; Cell: (604) 868-0544
Email: mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca
Have you all seen the latest G3 PowerMac on the TV ads? Instant classic!
I want one in fact.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 01/15/99]
-----Original Message-----
From: Hans Franke <Hans.Franke(a)mch20.sbs.de>
>rather offer something to subscribers (like 'Get my old junky
>Altair Serial number 0000001, I wil pay $$$ to have it removed').
Speaking of Altair Serial number 00000001.... rumor has it that the first
one was lost in transit to that PE guy. Has this machine ever surfaced?
Mike: dogas(a)leading.net
