I still have a floor mount style MicroPDP11/73 chassis in Kansas City. I
used the machine several time but mainly it sat in the garage next to the
microvax2000 and PDP 11/23+. When I ran out of space because of 2 new
Microvax II's and extra disk drives I decided to sell it to somebody on this
list. I sold the boards and the purchaser didn't want the chassis because
of the weight and size. You all can fight over it, $10 plus you pay
shipping I'll provide packing and transport to the FedEx pickup for free.
Mike
mmcfadden(a)cmh.edu
The highest unsuccessful bid was also for $700 by
someone with a feedback rating of 232. He didn't
succeed because the winner had placed his $700 bid
the day before.
There were four bids for >$600, and one for $250.
(from http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=359971659)
I do think it was the well-written description and
all the pictures that pushed the price up into the
stratosphere.
--Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Dwight Elvey
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 12:40 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: RE: $700 TRS-80???
"Passer, Michael" <PasserM(a)umkc.edu> wrote:
> I saw that one too--it had to be the description!
>
Hi
Did anyone ask the bidders why they went so high?
There may be a valid reason. Looking at the other bidders
history, the next higher bidder was a regular buyer.
The winning bid was by someone that has made no other
purchases. He could have been a fake and wanted to see
how high things would go. I would be quite interested
to see how the sale goes through. The buyer has also
resently changed his handle. Makes one wonder?
Dwight
From: Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) <cisin(a)xenosoft.com>
>The original TRS-80 Level 1, 4K, with monitor and cassette was $599.
The
>level 2 WAS $700, wasn't it?
Initially then it was dropped in price. I thik the 4k/L1 went down to
$399
and the 16k/LII was $599 later on.
Either way there were some 300-400 thousand of them sold! In the first
year of sales the total sold was 250,000! Rare, hardly.
What would be rare is a completely stock system with a real working
early model expansion interface!!!
Allison
Does anyone out there have a boot disk, software
and/or documentation for the Wang Professional
Computer?
I liberated one of these from a local thrift store
for the grand sum of $2.97 (keyboard, monitor,
and computer/drives all individually priced @ 99c).
It appears to be in working order--startup
diagnostics and the keyboard work fine. The
monochrome display is one of the nicest ones
I've seen.
An interesting note is that the startup ROM contains
an option to boot the machine from the serial port!
Thanks for anything anyone might be able to spare--
I am, of course, willing to pay shipping plus a
reasonable amount for the time involved, particularly
if someone copies me a boot disk.
Mike Passer
passerm(a)umkc.edu
several messages:
>> If in fact it truly requires specialized equipment and this hacker
>> can demonstrate that it doesn't, I'm at a loss to understand why said
>> hacker is unemployed save by choice.
>
>With all due respect, Chris, and acknowledging that this may vary
>from region to region, the ability to find gainful employment
>has less to do with one's technical skills than it does with the
>balance of one's employment skills and personality. For example,
I'd agree, I looked for two years in the other H-1B capital eastern MA,
and no one was interested in me. I saw who they were hiring, and
they were young, male and going cheap. Emplyment right now is a
game, everyone is looking for a few and the wnat list if bizzare. The
best example, a local comms firm wanted techs (not engineers) that
had a minimum of BS in Math and 2 years DSP experience!
Allison
From: Mike Ford <mikeford(a)socal.rr.com>
>This is such a crock, if you want a cheap computer do the same thing you
>did before eBay, turn over a LOT of rocks. Just about everybody on this
>lists that is actively looking, ie making phone calls, driving places,
>etc., is still finding a LOT of computers.
Amen!
In the last year for free and not actively sought...
Coleco Adam from the trash
Zenith Xt laptop "here you want it, or the trash"
Hyndai 286LT laptop in the trash, works!
486dx/66 system even 4x cdrom complete, if I didn't take it
guess what... the trash.
and other odds and ends. Granted the PC stuff is mostly for giving away
as I don't need it all.
There is stuff to be found the trick is to catch it before it's landfill
in
many cases. Maybe it's me but far to much good hardware is going
landfill.
Allison
On Tue, 27 Jun 2000, Charles P. Hobbs (SoCalTip) wrote:
> An aside: It's amazing, how some people over on E-bay, will add "Imsai
> Altair" to descriptions of all these non-descript S-100 computer boxes
> and parts. Of course, nobody is fooled, and the prices stay low. (Same
> with
Well, the prices staying low must be a new thing. There's a reason they
put "Altair IMSAI" on their ads, that being that lots of people would fall
for it for lack of an understanding of recent computer history (i.e.
suckers).
Sellam International Man of Intrigue and Danger
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for a six in a pile of nines...
VCF 4.0 is September 30-October 1
San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California
See http://www.vintage.org for details!
IMHO, it's arrogant to think that ANY old computers (other than a few very
rare exceptions) are all that "valuable". If all the TRS-80s, ALTAIRS,
SWTPs, all the documentation, and software, etc... were to disappear
tomorrow, life as we know it would not change.
The reason that I collect is that I enjoy tinkering with and restoring old
machines. It has nothing to do with monitary gain, historical preservation,
mentoring children about the "old ways", or saving the world from the loss
of some irreplacable techno-saur. With the exception of "monitary gain" all
the other reasons above are BS!
Frankly I do have enough money to buy almost any computer I want and I do
buy from E-Bay. I also buy from garage sales, flee markets, thrift stores,
and other collectors. I have driven as much as 800 miles to pick up a system
that I particularily wanted but, I have NEVER paid too much. I've always
paid EXACTLY what I was willing to pay. The good thing about forums like
Ebay is that they give you the opportunity to set the price that you are
wiling to pay. If someone else is willing to pay more, so be it.
Sure I've been disapppointed because I didn't get a system that I was
bidding on but, so what. By the same token, I found a system that is the
only surviving member of it's species for $50. Is it irreplacable? Sure it's
irreplacable because there aren't any more. Would it really matter if I
tossed it in the trash? Maybe to a few people on this list but other than
that... not really.
Before anyone goes on another rant about throwing a machine in the trash,
let's take a poll:
Assuming I was to offer it for free, who on this list (other than captain
napalm who's only 10 miles away) would drive to South Florida to pick it up?
Steve Robertson
> > Try telling it to the unemployed hardware hacker who's figured out how
to
> > fix things that the manufacturer claimed could only be repaired at their
> > factory with special equipment.
>
> If in fact it truly requires specialized equipment and this hacker
> can demonstrate that it doesn't, I'm at a loss to understand why said
> hacker is unemployed save by choice.
With all due respect, Chris, and acknowledging that this may vary
>from region to region, the ability to find gainful employment
has less to do with one's technical skills than it does with the
balance of one's employment skills and personality. For example,
it's far more important to my employer that I wear a crisp shirt
and tie each day than that I know trend <x> or technology <z>
(unless I hadn't said so before, I'm a programmer working as a
system administrator; long story behind why). YMMV, etc.
-doug q