2 Jan
2005
2 Jan
'05
8:11 a.m.
I have a small NeXT collection (getting bigger ;-)) and one thing I was
wondering about was the need to maintain originality. For example, I
have one NeXT cube with an interesting pedigree (it has NeXT asset tags
on it, and some interesting bits), but it's a 68030 motherboard... the
low end cube. I have a NeXT Turbo board I can put into the case, but
then the unit wouldn't be "original" any more... does that matter?
I am, perhaps, unusual in that I _use_ my classic computers. In fact I
don't own a computer that isn't a classic by the terms of this list...
I am also primarily a hardware person.
I don't have any problem with _reversable_ changes to machines, but I do
also like to keep the original electronic design unaltered as far as
possible. This includes power supplies, BTW (I object to replacing linear
supplies with switchers, etc). I don't have any problems with plugging in
expansion cards (even ones that aten't contemporary with the machine,
provided they work -- e.g. putting a recent ISA card into an orignal
PC/AT). I ahve no problems with soldering in extra components (in fact,
if I could find 32 off 1103 DRAMs and a couple of the level shifter ICs,
I'd be soldering them into my HP9830 tonight ;-)) I don't like drilling
holes, but I will bend the rules for small screw holes and the like
What I won't do is majorly change the design of the machine. I wouldn't,
for example, replace the internals of one of my PDP11s with a PC running
a PDP11 emulator.
In the case of a motherboard-swap type of upgrade. I might well do it (it
would depent on a lot of factors), but I would keep the original board,
labelled, so the machine could be returned to the original state if I
wanted to.
-tony