26 Jan
2004
26 Jan
'04
4:05 a.m.
On Sun, 25 Jan 2004, William Maddox wrote:
At the time of the last e-mail I exchanged with David,
he was hoping that a
restoration was possible. He wasn't sure of the exact extent of the damage,
but seemed to think that the power supply, the front panel glass, and the
plexiglass covers had taken the worst of of it. Since the minimum
restoration effort would require one-off fabrication of the covers and panel
glass, this would not be cheap.
Cheap, no. But the side panels I made for the PDP-8 replica I built only
cost roughly $200 each in materials and labor. The front panel glass will
be a challange, but I already have a very nice high resolution (600dpi)
scan of it. I had the scan printed and then applied to foamcore for the
replica, but a real panel would have to be somehow layed over acrylic to
allow for the lamps to show through. This is how I wanted to do the front
panel initially but at least Kinko's wasn't equipped to do something like
that.
The process that Bob Armstrong used for
the SBC6120 front panel would produce a very nice replacement, though it be
plastic. Doing the work as an insurance settlement would probably require
that it be contracted to a professional who could provide a quotation.
I'm your huckleberry :)
Honestly, I have no knowledge of anyone who works
professionally on stuff
quite this old! There are apparently a few caches of flip-chips from that
era around, though getting a collector to part with some spares could be
expensive as well. In any case, that was David's thinking moreso than
reaching a cash-for-scrap settlement.
The FlipChip handles can be manufactured in small quantities using the
stuff you can buy at a plastics supply place without too much fuss.
Imprinting the module number on the front is something I haven't
researched though.
You used to be able to find caches of FlipChip modules for sale on eBay
(I've bought a few) but nowadays they come in spurts and sometimes get bid
up to eBay levels. In any event, the selection is not very varied
(usually the more common ones come up for sale, not the ones you need).
What would need to be found is a large cache of unused or un-needed
FlipChip modules from scrap hardware that can be spared. Otherwise, the
boards can be repaired (they are quite simple) and the handles re-done.
The power supply in the picture looks like it can be bent back into shape.
I would wager that some resoldering will be in order (possibly even some
parts replacement).
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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