Tek
4115B systems for sale cheap ... what's the difference between them and
are they worth "cluttering up" my storage area with. He indicated they
were large & heavy!!
The Tek 4115Bs were an early engineering workstation based on the intel 8086
processor. The 412X series were based on the 80286 processor otherwise they
were basically the same chassis. Up to 8 planes of color graphics with it's
own memory. I believe the monitors were 1280X1024 and extremely heavy, about
120 pounds each it seems. Some of the 4129s came with Sony Trinitrons.
You often cannot tell a 4115 from a 4129 without looking at the card set,
they were upgraded so often. The upgrades are listed as obscure option
numbers on the component plate. You cannot tell the model from any numbers on
the monitors. Most of the ones I have seen have 4115 on the monitor but could
be up to 4129s inside.
Some of the "B" model monitors while the same case are of different
configuration? cabling? frequency? I know there is some difference but my
manuals are not accessible. There is also a weight difference. The "B"
monitors were about 100 pounds instead of 120 pounds.
The CPU came in two styles the Plain and the "B" (i.e., 4115"B"). The
Plain
looked like a desk with room for this large monitor. The front of the CPU
cabinet extended out for a keyboard shelf with feet and bad casters extending
out in front. This part of the case with cards and drives may weigh about 150
pounds.
The "B" model was a largish deskside rollaround about 14" wide
X24"high X32"
deep on casters, weight about 100 pounds. Not a bad box for a collectable
workstation. It is shippable too. The monitor was same as the 4115 with the
noted "B" exceptions and meant to sit on a table or desk and connect with the
CPU by cables.
As to shipping weights a Plain with monitor & keyboard is about 270-300
pounds and a pure "B" is about 220-230 pounds.
As to drives, the 41XX came with one or two 8" DSDD floppy drives. There was
a 10 meg 8" HD option that was very rare. I have seen & sold over 30 of these
systems and have never seen the Hard Drive option. The "B" model hides the
drives behind a front tiltdown shelf. I like that design. The "plain" has
both drives laying flat side by side across the front above the keyboard
shelf.
Needless to say you need the matching Tek keyboards. There were two kinds.
One with a standard D (9/15 pin???) for the 411Xs and one with a round
connector for the 412Xs. Other options available were digitizing tablets, a
joystick, 1, 2, 4 & 8 plane color graphics, a tiling card set for the 4129, a
3 serial port option, hard drive interface, and more.
If you find a "B" with an HD save it. I think they are rare....and nice. I
bet there is software among the list members.
You can ship a "B" in two Boxes and get it under the UPS limit of 150 pounds.
I have done that. The original "plain" uprights have to be palletized with
care. If the monitor is shipped in it's normal configuration, on top, it has
a lot of inertia and has to be restrained by more than lots of shrink wrap.
Even though it weighs 120 pounds it loves to slide around. Careful packing
with heavy cardboard is essential here.
I have some circuit cards for the Tek 41xx series that I am interested in
parting with if anyone out there is interested.
Paxton
Astoria, Oregon
P. S; The bad news is that these have a fair amount of Aluminum, Mu and gold
in them so a scrapper tends to look at them as valuable but work to get
apart. The cards in the early 4115s are heavy with silicon and gold and are
worth about $2 per pound.