Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
The capacitor problem is/was a _vendor_ issue. The caps themselves should have lasted much, much longer than they did. In particular, the ones Apple was getting would leak, and the juices would erode the fine traces of that era away, resulting in permanent death. -- Jim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
I never got rid of a computer. The only old one I have that's likely of any interest is the NeXT cube, with printer. Maybe the Grid Compass with the orange plasma display... (The only DOS machine I ever owned, and only because of the display. Bought out of the thrift stream, cheap.) Still have my first two computers, in their homebuilt wooden cases. -- Jim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
On 2021-01-05 19:57, Curt Raymond wrote: Tandy 1000 was apparently the rocketship for the era. I thought it had an 8086 or 8088 at 4.77MHz just like IBM, but I could be wrong. For all I know it might have had a V20 or V30. My Zenith MiniSport (RIP) has a V20, IIRC at 8MHz. Wiki is silent as to the T1000's power, but the 1000-HX, SX, and TX had 8088-2 CPUs running at 7.16MHz. And the TX had an 80286. The MiniSport might have refused to power up ten years ago, but I bet between my T1000 and my Dad's I could come up with a functioning system. I'm not sure if I have enough IBM pieces to make up a PC, but I have a case, some power supplies, and two keyboards. I loved those old IBM keyboards with the ALPs keyswitches, even if they only had ten function keys. Anybody make a PC (not AT) to USB keyboard adapter? ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
Its probably worth more now than what you paid for it. Unfortunately the capacitors on those older Macs are known to fail. Standard wisdom is to recap any new-to-you machine since the caps will leak and cause damage.On the one hand its kind of rotten that it happens, on the other hand 30 years ago I'm sure no one thought that computer would still be used in 30 years. -Curt On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 8:29:18 PM EST, Peter Frederick via Mercedes wrote: The only old computer of any interest I have is a Mac II I got from my next door neighbor when the company he worked for surplused out all the Mac equpment -- probably around 1995 or so. Got it for something like $25 -- not bad for a computer that cost $10,000 new minus monitor. Pretty spiff for 1990 -- 24 MB of ram (in the days when most MS-DOS boxes could only use 1MB), 20MB hard drive that I had to replace shortly. Used it for the home-brew club newsletter for years, and it probably still works. Only kept it because it was SO expensive new ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
The C64 lived a surprisingly long life. I watched a video yesterday about a CPU upgrade that was made in '96... Tandy 1000 was apparently the rocketship for the era. I actually missed out on the early DOS machines, my Atari 130XE was long in the tooth when I got it and in school we had Macs. I have a soft spot for the 9 inch all in one Mac machines. I've had a few but sold my last one soon after we bought our house. Today there is so much new hardware being made its much easier to keep an old computer going. -Curt On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 7:19:36 PM EST, Mitch Haley via Mercedes wrote: My dad's first computer (1981 or 1982) was a C64. I think he gave it away, but I can ask mom about it. Had the tape drive, but that might have been about the extent of the accessories. He quickly set it aside for a Tandy 1000 with hard drive and letter quality Epson printer. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
The only old computer of any interest I have is a Mac II I got from my next door neighbor when the company he worked for surplused out all the Mac equpment -- probably around 1995 or so. Got it for something like $25 -- not bad for a computer that cost $10,000 new minus monitor. Pretty spiff for 1990 -- 24 MB of ram (in the days when most MS-DOS boxes could only use 1MB), 20MB hard drive that I had to replace shortly. Used it for the home-brew club newsletter for years, and it probably still works. Only kept it because it was SO expensive new ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
I sent my first computer, a TI-99/4a, to e-waste about five years ago. Had the expansion box and a dozen or so games. Could have sold it on eBay but didn't want to deal with packing and shipping it and the chance of getting scammed, so just tossed it. Allan Curt Raymond via Mercedes writes: > Commodore 64. > Last year I traded for a Commodore 64, I figure its time to expand my vintage > computer collection. Well I didn't get around to doing anything with it until > recently. I ordered an Easy Flash 3 cartridge so I could get some software > onto it. Got that in, fired it up and, nothing. Black screen. > Fortunately this is a common problem in a C64, most likely the PLA > (programmable logic array) chip which was a seriously weak point. There is a > modern replacement and they're cheap so I ordered one. While I was at it I > ordered a VIC-II since those also fail and tend to cause this issue. While I > was at it I ordered a Dead Test cartridge so I can see if there are any other > issues. > C64 power supplies are another known weak point that, if they fail, will > produce high voltage and ruin the computer. Fortunately theres a guy making > replacements. > > The computer I traded away was one I'd gotten for free so I thought I was > getting a C64 for the price of shipping. So I far I've spent just over $100 > and I haven't gotten the machine to work yet. I'm learning a lot and its kind > of fun. It looks like a working C64 is worth just under $100 so if the parts > I've ordered get it working I'll probably be okay... > -Curt ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: Nothing more expensive than a cheap...
My dad's first computer (1981 or 1982) was a C64. I think he gave it away, but I can ask mom about it. Had the tape drive, but that might have been about the extent of the accessories. He quickly set it aside for a Tandy 1000 with hard drive and letter quality Epson printer. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
