National Semiconductor IMP mini

[Josh Dersch]

On 1/2/17 7:58 PM, Brad H wrote:

>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Josh Dersch <derschjo at gmail.com>
> Date: 2017-01-02  7:37 PM  (GMT-08:00)
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: National Semiconductor IMP mini
>
>
> On 1/2/17 7:22 PM, jim stephens wrote:
>> This system looks pretty interesting, though pricey. I'm thinking it
>> is going to be a development machine as all the switches and display
>> would not probably have been on a production machine.
>>
>> I don't think National made many minicomputer format machines, in
>> their history, someone correct me.  That might make this pretty rare
>> on that front as well.
>>
>> thanks
>> Jim
>>
>> Beautiful-1974-NATIONAL-SEMICONDUCTOR-COMPUTER-model-imp-16p/
>> http://www.ebay.com/itm/252700755919
>>
> Yeah, it's pretty cool but I don't think the seller has reasonable
> expectations for actually selling it -- the auction started (I believe)
> at $1500 (which may have been a reasonable price), then the seller
> raised it to $2500, now it's at $3500 (which is fairly outrageous, in my
>> opinion).  I'm not sure what his strategy is.
>> Bitsavers has manuals (of course...)
>> - Josh
> I think he figured toggle switches and lights = $$$$.  He might be correct, given the obscene money I've seen laid out just for a PDP 8/e faceplate. You never know a) what will motivate a collector and b) when just the right collector for a given item will show up.  Every day I thank my lucky stars they didn't, for whatever reason, show up for my Mark-8 boards.

With the "No shipping cash on pickup" proviso the seller provides, I 
feel fairly certain no one's biting.  But I've been surprised before...

- Josh