From: "Pat Fitzpatrick" <Pat_Fitzpatrick
at pmc-sierra.com>
Hi List,
I've been a collector (and user) of obsolete computer systems for many years.
This list looks like a great source of information. Anyhow...
Until our basement flooded a couple of weeks ago, I had:
IMSAI 8080 with NorthStar Disk, KSR33 Teletype and Lear-Siegler ADM3A Terminal
A very strange home-built S-100 system
Apple II plus with Pascal Language System
Intel intellec 800 and MDS230 development systems
Sun 3/160 Solaris (some version or other)
HP64000 development systems with HP7912 disk
HP9816 computer
IBM PC and XT, 286, 386... (yeah, who cares)
One thing I have learned form this experience is that computers do not, in
general,
swim well. Anyhow, I now have a whole lot of partially useful
computers, boards, documentation, software etc.
The only things I care deeply about are the IMSAI ('cause I've raised him from
a pup) and the HP64000s (which I use as my logic analyzer and EPROM programmer
-- among other things).
The IMSAI box and the terminal are ok, but the disk drive (an SA400, I believe)
and
(worse) the box of floppies didn't make it. The drive might be salvageable,
but I'm afraid the diskettes are toast. Does anyone out there have any 5-1/4
inch 10 sector (hard sectored) floppies? And a copy of the NorthStar DOS and
BASIC that they'd like to sell/trade/etc?
Hi Pat
I think that the floppies will make it if you remove them
from the envelopes and rinse them off. I don't
think there
are any problems with being in water, otherwise.
Most everything else should be cleaned up except switches
and bearings. Mostly just washing the stuff with clean water
and drying well.
As for the HP64000s, the consoles are ok, but the disk drive drowned. From a
quick
search, I'm not real optimistic about finding another HPIB disk drive and
I'm not too excited about plunging into this one to try and fix him (he was
running when the waters came and he smells very bad).
This is not good. Anything that was powered up when inundated
is most likely in poor shape.
Dwight
Has anyone ever taught a PC (for example) with a GPIB card to think it's a CS80
Drive?? Does anyone have a spare disk gathering dust? Failing that, does anyone
(besides me) still use these things? The consoles are probably too heavy to
ship, but I have lots of cards, software, manuals etc in working order if anyone
needs them.
As to the other stuff, some is good, some isn't but if anyone needs any parts,
I might be able to help out.
Pat Fitzpatrick