15 Oct
2016
15 Oct
'16
12:04 p.m.
SOL-20s have been all over the map. ?Ive seen similar units diverge by as much as $500 for
nothing obvious I can see. ?The average for unknown, complete, decent cosmetic condition
seems to be around $900. With extras probably $1300?
Sent from my Samsung device
-------- Original message --------
From: "Mark J. Blair" <nf6x at nf6x.net>
Date: 2016-10-15 11:56 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at
classiccmp.org>
Subject: Reasonable price for a complete SOL-20 system?
I have an opportunity to make a "reasonable offer" on a fairly complete SOL-20
system. It would include a floppy drive cabinet and some software, but no monitor.
It's a "working when retired" system, so I assume that the keyboard has died
of old age and some capacitors might have dried out; none of that bothers me, but it
implies that it's probably not a turnkey system. I have to make the offer or not by
tonight, based on when the owner is leaving on a road trip that will pass near me, with or
without the system loaded up in his RV.
Now the problem is that I haven't been following SOL-20 prices, so I don't know
what a reasonable offer might be. The only prices I'm aware of are the various
buy-it-now prices I see on eBay, some or all of which I suspect are from sellers looking
for top dollar and then some.
If any of y'all can help me figure out a reasonable price range for a complete-ish but
not necessarily running SOL-20 system, I would appreciate that.
--
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/
15 Oct
15 Oct
12:08 p.m.
On Oct 15, 2016, at 12:04, Brad H <vintagecomputer
at bettercomputing.net> wrote:
SOL-20s have been all over the map. Ive seen similar units diverge by as much as $500
for nothing obvious I can see. The average for unknown, complete, decent cosmetic
condition seems to be around $900. With extras probably $1300?
Thanks for your data point! That's not as expensive as I was worried it might be.
--
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/
12:42 p.m.
On Oct 15, 2016, at 3:08 PM, Mark J. Blair <nf6x at
nf6x.net> wrote:
Keep in mind since it's not currently confirmed working that effects the price. If
there is no scratches or rust on the system it will be worth more can be a lot more,
minimum 1000 to 1500 in non working condition. Early Sol-20 were rust buckets both on the
case and the chassis. I usually can find non working rust bucket for about $500. I can
usually get them working on a few hours. A really good condition with manuals and
confirmed working Sol-20 currently sell for more than 2k. Monitors don't count and
can be found cheaply. Heck I used a $100 LCD screen mounted on the wall for the longest
time with one so I wouldn't scratch the perfect top on one of. One.
The disk drive can really affect value. If it's a Northstar system, then maybe add
400 bucks the most. If it's a Helios. A working drive can be priceless if the drive
is still the original Persci one. Non-working Helios can be like a trip to vegas. They
have a glass voice coil which tend to damage if not shipped correctly and plastic eject
gears that split. I would pay about 1k to 1500 for a non-working Helios including the two
cards depending on the condition of the case. I generally assume a non working drive as a
core drive for parts and if the glass isn't broken and the gears aren't split
it's a candidate for a complete overhaul including bearings and that takes time and
skill. I've been working on one on and off for about a year now, putting a few hours
in every few weeks or so.
I couldn't even venture to guess the price of a working Helios. There are less of
them around than fingers on my hand and toes on my feet.
A few more things to note. Assume the keyboard needs new foam, no big deal. Check the
wood to make sure it's not cracked. And make sure you have the personality module
included.
Good luck,
Cheers,
Corey
On Oct 15, 2016, at 12:04, Brad H
<vintagecomputer at bettercomputing.net> wrote:
SOL-20s have been all over the map. Ive seen similar units diverge by as much as $500
for nothing obvious I can see. The average for unknown, complete, decent cosmetic
condition seems to be around $900. With extras probably $1300?
Thanks for your data point! That's not as expensive as I was worried it might be.
--
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/
2:31 p.m.
On Sat, 15 Oct 2016, Corey Cohen wrote:
A few more things to note. Assume the keyboard needs
new foam, no big
deal. Check the wood to make sure it's not cracked. And make sure you
have the personality module included.
Does the disk system include a boot disk? Minus a few hundred, if not!
What documentation comes with it?
Some manuals, such as Digital Research CP/M manuals add only a little.
But any original ProcTology (not the official nickname) manuals are to be
prized. I've heard that a lot of that is now available online.
NO idea about price(s).
My first Apple2 was a home lashup where somebody put an Apple motherboard
into a Sol case, with an RCA membrane keyboard connected by a cable
hanging out the front. He sold it to me for $150 when he finally got a
"REAL" Apple2 in a REAL Apple case. WHY did I give that away?
Later, I was given a Sol-20, without disk drive. After it had been
hanging around for years, I loaned it to a colleague, for him to try to
get his going. But then, the college tried to FIRE him for, among other
things, retrieving computers from college dumpsters and having too much
old computer stuff. The judge of the arbitration reversed the firing, but
the college had already dumpstered ALL of "that junk" from his office.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com
2:41 p.m.
On Sat, Oct 15, 2016 at 2:31 PM, Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com> wrote:
But then, the college tried to FIRE him for, among
other things,
retrieving computers from college dumpsters and having too much old
computer stuff. The judge of the arbitration reversed the firing, but the
college had already dumpstered ALL of "that junk" from his office.
Please tell me that said institution has since been burned to the ground.
"That junk", indeed.
--
Ian S. King, MSIS, MSCS, Ph.D. Candidate
The Information School <http://ischool.uw.edu>
Dissertation: "Why the Conversation Mattered: Constructing a Sociotechnical
Narrative Through a Design Lens
Archivist, Voices From the Rwanda Tribunal <http://tribunalvoices.org>
Value Sensitive Design Research Lab <http://vsdesign.org>
University of Washington
There is an old Vulcan saying: "Only Nixon could go to China."
2:53 p.m.
On Sat, 15 Oct 2016, Ian S. King wrote:
Please tell me that said institution has since been
burned to the ground.
"That junk", indeed.
WHEN they burn to the ground (there are four campuses and a small complex
of administration buildings), I will lose my retirement health benefits.
But, my pension is managed by the state, so I would get by.
3:27 p.m.
corey cohen
u??o? ???o?
On Oct 15, 2016, at 5:31 PM, Fred Cisin <cisin at
xenosoft.com> wrote:
Boot disk is easy if it's a Northstar. There are enough of us who can help out with
that. Micropolis are also easy. I can also help if it's a Helios.
Cheers,
Corey
On Sat, 15 Oct 2016, Corey Cohen wrote:
A few more things to note. Assume the keyboard needs new foam, no big deal. Check the
wood to make sure it's not cracked. And make sure you have the personality module
included.
Does the disk system include a boot disk? Minus a few hundred, if not!
What documentation comes with it?
Some manuals, such as Digital Research CP/M manuals add only a little.
But any original ProcTology (not the official nickname) manuals are to be prized.
I've heard that a lot of that is now available online.
NO idea about price(s).
My first Apple2 was a home lashup where somebody put an Apple motherboard into a Sol
case, with an RCA membrane keyboard connected by a cable hanging out the front. He sold
it to me for $150 when he finally got a "REAL" Apple2 in a REAL Apple case.
WHY did I give that away?
Later, I was given a Sol-20, without disk drive. After it had been hanging around for
years, I loaned it to a colleague, for him to try to get his going. But then, the college
tried to FIRE him for, among other things, retrieving computers from college dumpsters and
having too much old computer stuff. The judge of the arbitration reversed the firing, but
the college had already dumpstered ALL of "that junk" from his office.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com
5:02 p.m.
On Oct 15, 2016, at 12:42, Corey Cohen <applecorey
at optonline.net> wrote:
The disk drive can really affect value. If it's a Northstar system, then maybe add
400 bucks the most. If it's a Helios. A working drive can be priceless if the drive
is still the original Persci one.
I believe that it has a Morrow Disk Jockey controller, and one or two external Morrow
drives marked "Thinker Toys" on the back (not sure whether one or two are part
of the offer yet).
Anyway, thanks for the input, everybody! I've made an offer, and I'll post an
update after the seller and I either reach a deal or decide we're too far apart on
price. Either way, this is fun!
--
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/
6:13 p.m.
As promised, I have an update: The seller and I have finished haggling, with the deal to
be completed in a little over a week, for an undisclosed sum to be paid in small, unmarked
bills. Thanks for the help, folks!
--
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/
2941
days inactive
2942
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8 comments
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participants (5)
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AppleCorey＠optonline.net -
cisin＠xenosoft.com -
isking＠uw.edu -
nf6x＠nf6x.net -
vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net