HP stuff on ebay

[Jay West]

By now, many have seen the 2100A on ebay (item # 141602578927). Those are
truly wonderful machines and a great example of HP engineering at the time.
IMHO, the best (usability) front panel of any machine I've ever touched. It
looks to be in good shape and from what little I can tell from the pictures
it looks to be complete (foggy memory makes me think there was an A9 card as
well, but don't recall for sure, probably optional). Only downside is it has
8K (give HP-IPL/OS a try), no terminal board, and no disc controller; the
only thing missing that is really essential is the terminal board (either
12531 {HS TERMINAL} or 12966 {BACI} is what it needs). I suspect it will go
for "substantially" more than the current bid ($290). Note that by and
large, I/O boards for the 1000 series (21MX M/E/F) are compatible with it.
The auction states there is no key, I have a whole box full of keys for the
2100 if someone here gets it. I have several 2100's, plus a couple spare
machines, so I have no dog in that hunt. Hope someone gives it a great home.
Whoever gets it - there is a chance I have a spare set of rails for it, not
sure.

 

Also of note is the 7970E tape drive (ebay item # 141603907013). I can't
really tell from the pictures, but careful inspection of them makes me
wonder if there isn't some corrosion present. Of particular concern is the
condition of the capstan surface. It may be completely fine, but the grainy
picture raises that question. On the bright side, the seller says the load
button produces the expected results which is a fair sign of some amount of
life. Bidders should be aware that the electrical interface for this drive
is "HP Only", not a common standard. I asked the seller to get a picture
inside the unit, particularly so I could see the date code and options
placard but didn't get a response. At the least it would be nice to know
what speed the drive is and more importantly if it is a "slave only" unit
(requiring a master). Lastly, can't tell from the pictures, but I'm guessing
it does not include the oddball HP mounting bracket. It is unlikely you'd be
able to mount this thing in a rack at all without that bracket. If someone
here gets this unit, contact me off-list as I did actually get one extra
bracket manufactured in the recent order that is unspoken for. I was going
to bid on this unit because if it arrived and was in poor condition - it
would be a complete spare board set for my other two units. However, the
bidding has already gone above what I was willing to pay for a spare
boardset J Again, hope someone gives this a good home!

 

Best,

 

J