've been stewing over the discussion on motherboards for a few days now. Everyone has valid points and, to some degree, I agree with them. When one needs a replacement mobo, it's simple to pull it from another system because plenty exist out there.
Well, be that as it may, it isn't as if new CBM's are being built today. If a motherboard is sitting in a case and is usable, I'd rather refurbish that unit than swap it into another case with a bad board. After all, the numbers will continue to dwindle over time and the price being fetched for them will only increase. The pull for retro computing seems to be increasing too. Popular retro youtube channels are bringing attention to the hobby. I don't even want to discuss modernized versions of the CBMs with emulated drives or, even, emulated systems with usb and all that. For me it defeats the allure of the awesome platforms. They have their place, and yes I run emulated versions sometimes. And that goes the same for our beloved T's. I wuold love to see a new display PCB with a LCD panel that works with the original design. I don't care if the resolution matches the original. I just don't want to see these items slowly disappear, and they will slowly disappear. some people simply won't want to go through the effort of selling them on ebay. I've seen evidence that many of these systems are turning up in China to be dismantled and working chips being sold individually. For all I know, that chip could've come from a perfectly working system. I suppose, if it comes down to it, if I come across a CBM with a bad board that's beyond a simple repair, I'd prefer to pay $35 for a freshly created board than steal it from another. One more system returned to service beats one less. And the extra system could go to someone wishing to have/buy one. There's a point to replacing a motherboard, and I'm delighted people are making them available. Someone may go through the effort in reproducing the shells and mechanical keyboards too, with this momentum I'm seeing. If 3D printers weren't so expensive, I'd do it myself. Daniel ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
