10 Jan
2012
10 Jan
'12
4:57 p.m.
On Jan 10, 2012, at 6:48 PM, Terry Stewart wrote:
On a related note, what are people's feeling's
about the following....
I've recently had some discussions with someone who collects a particular
brand of classic computer from the early 1980s. He has a few of these but
they are never, ever switched on or tested. He doesn't want to test them
as he feels doing so may damage the old electronics. Consequently they are
never plugged in.
As I continuously clarify to my wife and other relatives, this is what distinguishes my
vintage computer *collection* from a *graveyard*. I have one bin for boards ready to be
stripped of parts (either ones that someone else has irrevocably broken or bits from old
stereos that were never that great but have lots of .1uf caps).
This attitude is an anathema to me. I strive to
maintain computers in my
collecton so they can be fired up and demonstrated to people working as
they were in the day. Otherwise they are inert "dead" collection of metal
and plastic (still of interest as regards case design maybe). I like to
know if a computer is working or not, and if not perhaps try to fix it. To
me, if you won't start up an old computer for fear that something will (or
has) failed then, for practical purposes, it's broken. The end result is
the same. It's inert.
Is this "scared to switch on" attitude common in the classic computer
community, or do most reflect the same feelings I have about it.
I think on this list, most of us will switch them on, but will also be careful about doing
so the first time (i.e. don't just plug it into the wall, flip the switch and hope for
the best). Anyone who wants to actually preserve the hardware will first make sure the
power supply is operating within range before running it on a live board.
- Dave