Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
> > > > > > > Random question: > > Would you have bought this one if it were maroon instead of blue? > > > > > https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-PDP-11-70-Datasystem-570-/113553953503?nordt=true_cvip=true > > > As-is for $10K seems a little bit steep for a starting bid. But I haven't > tried to buy an 11/70 recently, so maybe it's reasonable? > > Pat > I was thinking they're not quite that valuable. Has one ever sold for more than even 5000? I admit I have never seen one on ebay or privately for sale to know.
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
While I love the original purple tones and the H960 cabinets, perhaps because they fit with most of the other DEC gear I've collected, I think that the commercial blue tones and Vax style cabinets are sexy as hell too. If I had loads of space, money and time, I would love to have all of the varieties. Unfortunately, I only have a minimal of money and time and my space is pretty full. I don't think that I am alone in these conditions or more people would have collected all styles of these machines. Finding a complete machine (sans disks) like the one recently on eBay is pretty rare any more and I would not be surprised if someone would pay the asking price. I recall passing on opportunities to add a Vax 11/780 to my collection and now I wish I had, but also don't know where I would have put it or how I would have moved it. That being said, I also worry that the number of people who even care any more are dwindling and so when it comes time for someone to decide what to do with my collection, it might not easily find a home. --tom
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
Speaking of cabinet variants: if you ever run into a "Corita" cabinet, with the abstract art on the side, be sure to hang on to it. I'm not sure how many were built, probably not all that many. Another variation I know of: I think it was the Vaxstation-2 that came in a small roll-around cabinet. I once (at DEC) had a prototype version of that enclosure. I'm not sure if it ever made it outside DEC. You can tell it from the regular one because it's a bit slimmer, and especially because the top covery is a thick piece of hardwood (somewhat like a heavy cutting board) rather than the painted sheet steel with louvers that the production unit has. paul
RE: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
Bill D. wrote: >Random question >would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP >11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete >configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more >or less. >Assume space and power are not issues, consider just the machine itself. If either one showed up at my place, I would most certainly not kick it to the curb! In fact, I'd figure out how to shoehorn it into the museum, spend the money to get the power needed, and upgrade the cooling. I'd want to be able to run it periods of time, limited only by my electric bill :-) Even running the 11/34A with three RL02's, an RK05 and RX02 for a day makes a definite jump on the little bar graph showing usage on our electric bill. The PDP 8/e system, with three RK05's and RX01 running for a day makes a bump on the graph also. If I run both for a full day, my wife complains about the electric bill going up enough that it attracts her attention as an anomaly. I can't imagine what impact it'd have on the electric bill to run a loaded up 11/70 system for a full day. I suspect if I by some miracle ended up with a system like this (which I've dreamt of since I was in high school), I'd have to take a second job to pay the electric bill to keep it running. -Rick
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
On Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 12:57 PM Glen Slick via cctech < cct...@classiccmp.org> wrote: > On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 7:49 PM Bill Degnan via cctech > wrote: > > > > Random question > > would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP > > 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete > > configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, > more > > or less. > > Random question: > Would you have bought this one if it were maroon instead of blue? > > https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-PDP-11-70-Datasystem-570-/113553953503?nordt=true_cvip=true Not for $9800, can't afford that much dough. The paddle color does not mean as much to me, more interested in whether it's serviceable and supportable. I don't really have a strong preference other than "can I make this run and do something with it". I just wanted to be sure I was not missing something about the 570 to justify what seems to me to be a high price. There is nothing that I could easily find that distinguishes the 570 from the original version. Thanks for replies... Bill Bill
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
On Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 12:56 PM Glen Slick via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 7:49 PM Bill Degnan via cctech > wrote: > > > > Random question > > would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP > > 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete > > configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, > more > > or less. > > Random question: > Would you have bought this one if it were maroon instead of blue? > > https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-PDP-11-70-Datasystem-570-/113553953503?nordt=true_cvip=true As-is for $10K seems a little bit steep for a starting bid. But I haven't tried to buy an 11/70 recently, so maybe it's reasonable? Pat
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 7:49 PM Bill Degnan via cctech wrote: > > Random question > would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP > 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete > configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more > or less. Random question: Would you have bought this one if it were maroon instead of blue? https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-PDP-11-70-Datasystem-570-/113553953503?nordt=true_cvip=true
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
I have both (though the H960 variant needs restoration). I actually find that the corporate blue cabinets to be easier to deal with. One aspect is that it’s a “package” rather than multiple H960 racks. Why is that important? Because the corporate cabinets did nice things like provide cable runs to lay the various cables in so that they’re neat and tidy. Yes, it can be done with the H960 packaging but it’s more work as it’s not already provided. ;-) TTFN - Guy > On Jan 31, 2019, at 1:33 AM, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk > wrote: > > On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 10:49:12PM -0500, Bill Degnan via cctech wrote: >> Random question >> would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP >> 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete >> configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more >> or less. >> >> Assume space and power are not issues, consider just the machine itself. > > Luckily for me the local computer club has both the maroon model in a > H960 as well as the blue corporate cab model. So while space is a bit > tight I don't have to consider it :) > > I have spent more time with the H960, so I might be biased. But ignoring > any subjective preference for color I do prefer the H960 simply because > it is easier to work with, less bulky metal panes to remove in order to > gain access to the CPU. And it is easier to move arround. > > This seems like a very pleasant problem to have, are you facing the > choice? > > /P
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
> On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 9:49 PM Bill Degnan via cctech < > cct...@classiccmp.org> wrote: > >> Random question >> would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP >> 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete >> configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more >> or less. >> >> Assume space and power are not issues, consider just the machine itself. >> >> Bill >> At first i treated this as troll bait. Then thought about it some. First despite caveats I don't have space so the likelihood is nil. Also its outside what I do collect, that crates conflicts for space, power and documents. The reasons I could give for one or another are multidimensional. Esthetic, the early 11/70 was of an era and that had a look. The later one as well. Historical significance, thats limited to the general model the biggest fastest 11 made but having say serial number 001 or whatever was first off the line for sale is as significant as the last one off the line or both. Also any along the way that had a instruction set or major hardware difference of some historical note. An example of that would be an 11/74 as those were truly rare (maybe 4 assembled). Operational, as in running it. definitely a late model near last built as it would have all the ECOs, be the least old, and should run well Opportunity to save a machine that might be scrapped. In itself thats important and it would be model independent. Being a Qbus 11 collector there are still critters I might gather. Allison
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 10:49:12PM -0500, Bill Degnan via cctech wrote: > Random question > would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP > 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete > configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more > or less. > > Assume space and power are not issues, consider just the machine itself. Luckily for me the local computer club has both the maroon model in a H960 as well as the blue corporate cab model. So while space is a bit tight I don't have to consider it :) I have spent more time with the H960, so I might be biased. But ignoring any subjective preference for color I do prefer the H960 simply because it is easier to work with, less bulky metal panes to remove in order to gain access to the CPU. And it is easier to move arround. This seems like a very pleasant problem to have, are you facing the choice? /P
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
On Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 2:49 PM Bill Degnan via cctech < cct...@classiccmp.org> wrote: > Random question > would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP > 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, ... > I think the decdatasystem 570 is pretty, but coloured like an ice-cream parlour. I prefer the darker motif of the standard 11/70 posed with a string of RP06 drives, much like the original cover of the PDP-11/70 processor handbook, I think that remains iconic for the "biggest" PDP-11 (biggest for the SSI logic implementations of the mid-1970s).
Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
H960 Paul On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 9:49 PM Bill Degnan via cctech < cct...@classiccmp.org> wrote: > Random question > would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP > 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete > configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more > or less. > > Assume space and power are not issues, consider just the machine itself. > > Bill >
11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?
Random question would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more or less. Assume space and power are not issues, consider just the machine itself. Bill
