8 Apr
2001
8 Apr
'01
12:12 p.m.
At 07:07 PM 4/7/01 +0200, you wrote:
I know a lot of people find their machines by dumper diving but I don't.
Every machine that I get, I buy at a hamfest, trift store or on the surplus
market. I've had very good luck finding machines by simply searching out
the local scrap compannies and asking them if I can go through their yard
and look for anything usefull. Most of them think it's pretty weird that
someone wants the OLD computers but they're not going to turn down a chance
to make money! FWIW I stopped at one scrap metal dealer Friday and dug
down through a barrel of old cards and found at least 10 S-100 cards. About
half of them were Crommeco cards. It's that easy. (The same place just got
a huge lot of manuals including a lot of very old Zenith computer manuals
and a LOT of HP 85, 86, 87 and 9825 manuals. I'm trying to buy that lot.)
Joe
On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, Joe wrote:
Most of the HP 98xx series machines have cartridge ports in the front.
Does it have a monitor? Then it's probably a 9835A or a 9845 (the 9835B has
a single line LED display). The 9835 is slightly larger than a Commie 64.
The 9845 is much larger. The 9020 doesn't have any cartridge ports. If it
has cartridge ports in the rear then it could be a HP 85 (small built in
CRT) or a HP 86 or 87 (external monitor).
First, are we talking about the same machine?
I'm talking about the HP
9000 520. Aka 9020. It's a large desktop machine with a built in keyboard
and monitor. It looks like a grossly oversized Commodore 64. I think the K
520 is an entirely different machine.
Are there any other similar HP machines? I've seen such a beast at a
mate's, but I could be mistaken. It had several cartridge ports, IIRC. Next, I was speaking of old computers in
general. Some of people on the
list are always complaining about how the internet, E-bay (and now the
ex-MITS building computer museum) are driving up the prices of old machines
and how they can't afford old computers any more, etc, etc. However I
manage to find something interesting nearly everytime that I go looking. I
didn't even go out this week but still managed to aquire some HP Integral
manauls, a HP documentation index and found the auction listing for the two
9000 520s. Last week I did go looking and found two NICE Kaypros with loads
of original disks. The week before that I found an IBM L40SX, IBM P70, a
Sun 635 MP, a HP 9000 520, a HP 9836, a HP 9000 series 300 and a HP 9000
835. My point is there are still loads of old computers out there and for
cheap prices if anyone is willing to get off their a** and go look!
I don't believe that's the case where I'm at. I don't know where old
machines go here, but I suppose a lot of them have either wound up in the
collections of the academic computer clubs and their members, or gone to
the "recycling" plants. There even doesn't seem to be that many collectors
over here.
Then again, I'm not the kind who likes stealing or begging. I'm such a
coward, I won't take chances.