9 Mar
2007
9 Mar
'07
10:03 a.m.
Thanks for the replies... I should have guessed at the value of a
Straight-8 given I too have never seen one for sale and their form is of
somewhat iconic status.
An 8/E would seem much more pragmatic, and the cost from a reseller if
still stocked and not risen too much pallatable. Will look into it more
and the benefits before decided to part with other kit.
Incidentally the first computer I owned (a 2U high PDP11/03 IIRC) had an
RX02 drive. Well, it actually came with some RL drives too but my dad
reckoned mother would kill both of us if we brought those back too. The
whole lot (with lots of floppy, RL and tape media, and docs) was 50
UK pounds from a radio amateur rally (when I was 14yo, around 1989). As
it happened the machine had to go anyway - every time I accessed the
floppy drive the motor interfered with the TV downstairs and I got
shouted at! But was way cooler than my dad's Amstrad PCW8512...
Andrew
----------------
Andrew Back
a at smokebelch.org
On Fri, 9 Mar 2007, Vincent Slyngstad wrote:
OK, so this is
a pretty dumb question, but what is the 'value' of a typical
PDP/8? Now I appreciate that configuration can vary wildly and beyond that
it is a matter of one what can be located for or what your prepared to pay,
luck and circumstance etc.
I think the standard answer is "whatever it's worth to you" :-).
There's a fair bit of variance in the prices of the rarer gear, depending on
the venue and the demand at any particular moment.
In terms of basic model I was thinking either a
Straight-8 or PDP8/E.
There's a world of difference between what those two are worth, I think.
Now I know only a few years ago a reseller had a
number of the latter in
stock, tested, for about 400 UK pounds each. Albeit likely with no
peripherals, just the card cage and some sort of base config.
That sounds about right. I'd guess an 8/E would go for $1000US give or take
a couple hundred on ePay. (They also appear there several times a year,
which helps stabilize prices.)
A straight-8 would probably go for 3-5 times that. I've never seen one
available, though, so there might be some pent-up demand leading to a bidding
war (and even higher prices). I don't have much hope of ever getting a
straight-8 for my collection. (I also dont have room for one, so I'd also
have to get rid of other stuff to make space for it.)
eBay is considered an "expensive" venue, but generally has the most stuff
available.
I've always wanted to own an 8 and have
recently been considering the idea
of trading some less easy to run equipment.
They're not at all practical, but I like them :-).
Another point is that you will have a bit of trouble locating peripherals for
them. The easiest peripherals to find are the ones also used on pdp-11's.
Terminals and RX02 are obtainable
for an 8/E pretty easily, the RX8E controller boards are around, but sought
after. Peripherals for a straight-8 would be more of an issue. (Well, a
terminal would probably be reasonably easy :-).)
Vince