Huge IBM 1800 find (and need some help)

[Johannes Thelen]

Hello everybody!

It is quite big system as everything in that place. However, somehow they made that stairway still small... :/ I know there is few people who would do something like this big/crazy project even they would want, it is question of time/space/money, but mostly will and too far gone old computer obsession :D

By the way, my girlfriend saw first time this 1800, and she said "that is not that big computer"... What?! I'm not sure who I'm with, maybe she has some IBM Strecth on hers basement and she has not told me everything :D

One more fun thing, this computer have name: Heili. It is Finnish girl's name, usually computer are named here man's names far as I know. It can be named later by workers, I think it probably had no name originally. However, even it have almost pink dress, I would not called couple tons weighted monster as "girl", there could better expressions for it ;) ...but she is pretty in her own way for sure!

Anyways, I have rolled cabinets on Inventor (3D designing soft, not on real life!) and it seems all cabinets can bend on the stairways easily. I hope I can done whole thing under three days nice and clean, without breaking anything (IBM either donaters walls/floors)


I'll make now official moving plan for donater, make needed tools, get trucks, safety equipment and insurances for the crew then we are ready to go! Also I'm taking with me welding equipment and wood working stuff, so we can make backup plan on the scene if needed.

Any ideas or questions are welcome! 

Ps. Happy weekend for everyone!


- Johannes ThelenFinland
Before microcomputers blog (Finnish) http://ennenmikrotietokoneita.blogspot.fi/



> Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 17:20:53 -0400
> Subject: Re: Huge IBM 1800 find (and need some help)
> From: wdonzelli at gmail.com
> To: cctech at classiccmp.org
> 
> That has to be just about the biggest 1800 system ever made.
> 
> --
> Will
> 
> On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 5:19 PM, Mike Stein <mhs.stein at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Wow indeed! Now THAT's a project!
> >
> > m
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave G4UGM" <dave.g4ugm at gmail.com>
> > To: "'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts'" <cctech at classiccmp.org>
> > Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 5:12 PM
> >
> > Subject: RE: Huge IBM 1800 find (and need some help)
> >
> >
> >> Wow.....
> >>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: cctech [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of
> >>> Johannes Thelen
> >>> Sent: 27 March 2015 21:03
> >>> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts
> >>> Subject: RE: Huge IBM 1800 find (and need some help)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I just visited see 1800  (900 km of driving! I'm little bit exhausted...)
> >>
> >> and we
> >>>
> >>> had big time with plant manager when we went throught the stash! I think
> >>> I
> >>> have infected him of old computer disease, he had very excited this
> >>
> >> project
> >>>
> >>> too, haha! :) Original plan was to pickup some small items today, but it
> >>
> >> was
> >>>
> >>> impossible, because of all my hurry at work :/ But now I have good,
> >>> interesting and of course,  bad news ... Lets take the bad news first: it
> >>
> >> seems
> >>>
> >>> that machine have donate some parts as can be seen at the pics. That
> >>> company had another 1800, maybe some parts have been picked out for it...
> >>> Also there is "small" dust problem, it is every freaking place!
> >>> Then interesting news: it have been used to since 1986, longer as I
> >>
> >> excepted.
> >>>
> >>> Second, and more interesting fact, that same warehouse had used as
> >>> mushroom farm ;) Good news: There is documents every where! Just quick
> >>> look, and I found tens of IBMs original documents! And also it is still
> >>
> >> fully
> >>>
> >>> enough to fix it up. Some spare parts are laying around and almost all
> >>
> >> stuff
> >>>
> >>> what is know used back then, is still there (except Tektronix displays,
> >>
> >> GRRR!).
> >>>
> >>> ****
> >>> And that moving... Somebody recommend sleigh and thats really only
> >>> option,
> >>> it is absolute enourmous work to but it small pieces. I have to make
> >>
> >> sleigh of
> >>>
> >>> RHS beams, plywood and polyamidi slides. This whole set is lowered on
> >>
> >> stairs
> >>>
> >>> by winch. That's the plan and it should (and would) work!
> >>> More coming later! Now I have to sleep!
> >>> Oh, the pictures: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_DR111cK6W-
> >>> SFJpMm16MVgyVFk&usp=sharing
> >>>
> >>> Ps. And thank you for all for good advices! :D Thaaaaanks!
> >>>
> >>> - Johannes ThelenFinland
> >>> Before microcomputers blog (Finnish)
> >>> http://ennenmikrotietokoneita.blogspot.fi/
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> > Subject: Re: Huge IBM 1800 find (and need > some help)
> >>> > From: paulkoning at comcast.net
> >>> > Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2015 13:53:04 -0400
> >>> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> >>> > CC: publicmail at jwsss.com
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > > On Mar 21, 2015, at 11:23 PM, Jon Elson > > <elson at pico-systems.com>
> >>> wrote:
> >>> > >
> >>> > > On 03/21/2015 05:15 PM, Jim Stephens wrote:
> >>> > >>
> >>> > >>
> >>> > >> On 3/21/2015 12:50 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
> >>> > >>> OK, a quick search shows the 2311 was > >>> indeed hydraulic!
> >>> > >> The University of Missouri, Rolla 9 drive > >> 2314 was hydraulic,
> >>> > >> and on
> >>
> >> night
> >>>
> >>> a drive's actuator unloaded into the pack area, and took it out, but the
> >>> damage from that major failure was contained w/o the pack or actuators
> >>> exiting the enclosure.  however the debris took out all the packs and
> >>
> >> drives.
> >>>
> >>> > >>
> >>> > > This one wasn't when I was there.  I think > > we also had a oil
> >>> > > spraying
> >>
> >> event
> >>>
> >>> there, but it was relatively contained.  We had one at Washington
> >>
> >> University,
> >>>
> >>> also that might have contaminated several spindles before they got all
> >>> the
> >>> packs unloaded.
> >>> > > I think this one is fairly quickly detected > > if the computer room
> >>> > > is
> >>
> >> occupied,
> >>>
> >>> it causes a strong oily smell that is quickly spread by the A/C system.
> >>> >
> >>> > We had a 1620/II in college with a pair of > 1311s, which are similar
> >>> > to
> >>
> >> the
> >>>
> >>> 2311.  The system drive sprung a leak.  The field service tech replaced
> >>
> >> the
> >>>
> >>> failed seals, and I obtained some reagent grade isopropyl alcohol from
> >>> the
> >>> chemistry department.  He used that with Kimwipes to clean the oil from
> >>> pack and heads.  The result was complete success.  Packs and heads in
> >>
> >> those
> >>>
> >>> days had tolerances far larger; I wouldn't want to try that with anything
> >>
> >> much
> >>>
> >>> newer.  But if you have a 2311 with contaminated heads or packs, you
> >>> might
> >>> give that technique a try.
> >>> >
> >>> > paul
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >