Flip-Chip selloff

[Tom Uban]

I suspect many of us are in similar situations. I have been collecting and storing
my treasures for about 35 years. I even recently moved it all into one nice climate
controlled space. (It has mostly all been in climate controlled space, but now it
is all in the same space with room to work on it.)

At this point in my life, reviewing how much time I have been able to find in the
previous years to play with my hoard, I am realizing that I have way more than I
will ever be able to enjoy. Then I consider that the others like me are also coming
to a similar conclusion and as a result there is likely lots of equipment looking
for homes other than the scrap heap.

With museums that seemed like they were funded and safe for the foreseeable
future closing with uncertain ends, I worry (just as others) that we are the only
ones who will be the custodians of these wondrous marvels of human genius.
As those who understand and care for such marvels pass, the number of people
who care also dwindle.

I've come to realize that perhaps it isn't just the theory that I might one day be
able to retire and enjoy keeping my mind engaged with tasks of restoring old
PDP-11s to their former glory, but that the 35 years of collecting and storing
might lead to a younger generation's wonder in seeing what led to the technology
they have at present. Perhaps they don't care and all is for not...


On 2/2/21 5:28 PM, Josh Dersch via cctalk wrote:
> Since we're talkin' sell-off... on the off chance that anyone has a TC11 or
> TC01/08 gathering dust (for something less than eBay prices), I, uh...
> could use one.  Along with many other people, I suppose.
>
> - Josh
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 3:12 PM Bill Degnan via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> wrote:
>
>> I think it's good to hold onto that which is realistic to support, no point
>> in holding hardware hostage in a rodent and moisture-vulnerable old
>> garage.  We don't live forever.
>> b
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 5:57 PM Chris Zach via cctalk <
>> cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> What do I have...
>>>
>>> Decsystem/20 CPU box+supply (blt.ai.mit.edu), pdp11/05/83/24/23+/150, 2
>>> 8L's, an 8/e, 3 RL02, RM80, RX02,TK50,2 Professional 380's. And a
>>> Minc-11/MiniMINC.
>>>
>>> Several Perqs, that HP 1000e thing, and a few dozen MFM disks.
>>>
>>> A pair of Sun 386i's, Nextstation, NS Turbo, Turbo Color
>>>
>>> Probably a lot more.
>>>
>>> On 2/2/2021 4:13 PM, Bob Smith wrote:
>>>> I am down to 2 vaxes and an 11, along with 10 Alphas, a pro380 and two
>>>> DECMante II boxes.
>>>> bb
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 1:48 PM Chris Zach via cctalk
>>>> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>>>> Might be a good time: I remember my dad saying I should encase each
>> one
>>>>> in lucite plastic and sell them as paperweights. That was 30 years ago
>>>>> but it would have preserved them well :-)
>>>>>
>>>>> C
>>>>> (Went from 3 8/I's to 2 8/L's so progress?)
>>>>>
>>>>> On 2/2/2021 1:22 PM, Zane Healy via cctalk wrote:
>>>>>> On Feb 2, 2021, at 9:19 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk <
>>> cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>>>>>> I don't have any equipment that uses them any more, so I'll be
>>> ebaying off my
>>>>>>> A-W series flip chips over the next few days. The W's and PT08
>> boards
>>> are up now
>>>>>>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/184647476832
>>>>>>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/184647420812
>>>>>> That makes me wonder if I shouldn’t do the same.  That would be part
>>> of a camera lens, which may, or may not take up less space. :-)
>>>>>> Then again I’ve been saying I need to downsize my collection for the
>>> better part of 20 years.
>>>>>> Zane
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>