Hi Dave,
I have been looking for a 565, no joke, for fifteen
years.
Wow! I've never even seen a vintage computer before autumn of 2004 when I
bought my H316 out of the
blue. Ok, perhaps somewhere in a museum but those dead boxes were boring to me.
Since then I collect old computers. And collecting means collecting. Like you collect
apples under a
tree.
I had one
on my very first PDP-8/e when I was about 15, I loved the thing, then I
stupidly sold it.
But now you have some new ones?
I regretted it badly about a year later and have been
looking for one ever since.
I once had a Tandy 200 computer. I still remember me
throwing it away in the mid nineties. With
original cover, documentation, everything. In pristine working condition. It was junk. Ok,
it's no
pdp8/something or other really cool minicomputer. But I still sometimes feel sad about
that.
If they're so common over there, would you
consider shipping me one? (when I can afford it, which should be soon)
Hm.
Shipping will cost a fortune. I once shipped a Honeywell H316R (no other unit known to
survive)
from US. That cost me $$$ plus more $$$ and some $$$
more... The machine itself was bought for an
epsilon. But in the end I've never
paid more for a vintage computer than the 316R...!
I currently have a 563 and three 565 plotters. I'd like to keep the 563 and two 565
units because
they have different resolutions. And I have at least three computers fitted with
interfaces to drive
them. The third 565 ist just being swapped away as part of a bigger deal. Sorry. But
I'll remember
you when the next plotter drops in.
What I
don't have are the ink pens. I'm still looking for them.
If you have the solenoid assembly, it's not difficult to take a
standard ball-point pen ink tube, trim it down and fit it in there. I
last did it 25 years ago, and I don't recall the details, but I don't
remember it giving me much trouble.
Oh, ball pens are no problem. I have those normal ball pen holders where you can put a
normal ball
pen in. Even in two distinct sizes. And I have a holder for fisher space pens. VERY much
better.
That's basically the same but has a different end piece and inlay. I have some spare
inlays. But not
the ends.
And there was an INK pen assembly. I have most of the parts - multiple times. But I again
miss the
end piece. So I cannot use an ink pen. I know only one person having the complete ink
stuff:
http://pdp8.de/pages/calcomp_ip.htm
You can see the end piece in the middle of the upper row in the picture.
BTW it's
the same with Teletype ASR33 and 35. In fact it's not always
easy to get rid of those if they're not in pristine condition.
...it took me nearly a decade to find one of those.
Hm?
I'm not
particularly bad at finding stuff, but I live in a part of the (my)
country where there is NO classic hardware.
"Old computer" here means
"2GHz Pentium-4". Yes, sometimes I really want to move, and I probably
will, because this area doesn't support the lifestyle that I want to
live...which includes getting cool computer hardware on a regular basis.
Where do
you live? I never understood why it is as difficult to get old hardware in US. Ok, in
Germany they sometimes pay $$$ (better: ???), too. Most of the stuff we're talking
about has been
manufactured in US. And was used far more widely there than anywhere else.
Perhaps there are different management approaches. Here "that once was very
expensive" can be a
reason to keep stuff for decades. At least in universities and other more or less public
institutions.
Here it is sometimes difficult to save stuff from scrap. Just because of the physical
volume. I'm
currently literally drowning in DEC docs I saved from the dumpster in the last few days.
Yes, cool
to have them. But...Ohhh!
And I don't know yet if the pdp10 software documentation will be endangered as well.
Saving that
would generate real problems at my side: currently counted 20 boxes. But be sure: I'll
ensure that
it won't get thrown away.
My ASR-33 came from Boston; I picked it up when I
was up there with a
truck moving a mainframe for my employer. I'd have driven up there just
for that if I had to.
Me too! At least for the first one.
I know YOU find a lot of this stuff...I assure
you that's not the norm. I sure wish it were!
Ok, I probably have to admit
that I've been quite (very?) lucky sometimes. But in general its still
far easier to get the good stuff here in Germany. So move to Germany! We also have some
mountains
one can climb and some lakes :-)
Regards,
Philipp
--
http://www.hachti.de