22 May
1997
22 May
'97
5:56 a.m.
On the other hand, I got some old PCBs that had had
the gold connectors
cut off (for 'recycling' :-(), and I intend to at least remove the
socketed IC's from those. They're mostly common 68000 stuff + ethernet +
SCSI+ etc, but they are worth saving, and the boards are useless as-is.
An excellent source, and it removes the dilemma of scrapping a goodie.
I'm always a little careful about buying chips at
radio rallies
(hamfests). They're the one thing I can't fix if they are defective, so I
don't pay that much for them. On the other hand, I do buy up 2900-series
chips whenever I see them - they are sufficiently rare to be worth
grabbing.
I have had very good luck at the fests. Sure, some may be duds, but I
would wager that the number is probably less than 1 in 1000 (except for
SIMMs - there are at least a few scumbags out there peddling known
defective parts).
Argh!!!
Sorry.
Indeed. Most serious computer collectors keep all
sorts of spares in their
junk box. Would you believe a spare ASR33 motor (50Hz model), head stacks
for a TU16, head assemblies for Northstar disk drives, DEC flip-chip
cards, Anadex printheads, etc, etc, etc.
Same here. About two years ago I was helping clear out a warehouse and I
took home hundreds of cardboard bins, so some of the junk is actually
getting sorted!
Don't forget the 2708 and the 3-rail 2716 (Texas
Instruments).
Actually, just about any weird old chips should be grabbed. This includes
all of the families that are long since gone (300 series ECL, 700 series
RTL, 800 and 900 series DTL, 4000 series _TTL_, etc.).
There is a company that still produces these chips (I forget the name),
buying up the old masks as the original producers pull out. These new
replacements, however, are priced for the insane and the U. S. government.
William Donzelli
william(a)ans.net