The Retrocomputing Thread

[stewartsage]

Mmm, aftermarket RAM upgrades.... They made my Lily the beast she is today!

[Bella]

The Osborne 1 started smoking today; in case you missed the memo, smoke emanating from the interior of a computer = NOT GOOD. I'll go scream now. ><;;;

@Chozo: Basilisk II or Mini vMac, but never having installed a classic Mac system on either one I wouldn't be able to help out. This site has a tutorial, albeit for installing System 7... http://wiki.oldos.org/Mac/68kEmulator

Another site I stumbled upon concerning System 6; this might point you in the right direction: http://www.euronet.nl/users/mvdk/system6.html

[Aurora Borealis]

I've used Basilisk II to run System 7.5.3, and it didn't work very well. I don't know if I did something wrong with the process, or that version of Basilisk just wasn't a good one (I've tried 7.5.3 under Mini vMac and it worked better).

Use Mini vMac. Installing System 6 on it is very easy!

[Krizonar]

Thank you for the resources! It was very easy and it even emulated my SE's startup beep. (although I was actually emulating a Mac Plus)
However... it's just not the same. Going through my SE's hardrive and seeing "last modified: 1987" is one of the finer points in life. With this one, it just doesn't feel real (probably because it isn't).
I just don't feel soulfully attached for some reason.

This was honestly my first attempt at an emulation though, so I'm happy it went by well, it gave me experience I could possibly use for the future.

However, if I had to write ONE MORE "800k.dsk" to install something... :p

[Bella]

So, I think I know why my Osborne 1 spewed SMOKE ALL OVER ME AND MADE THE DESK-AREA SMELL FOR FIVE MINUTES.

Poking around a but has revealed a blown electrolytic capacitor behind the monitor assembly. It's intact but appears bulged and has a hole in the top. I'm slightly relieved, since I was expecting there to be carnage inside (and there might still be -- I haven't completely disassembled it yet -- but nothing seems out of place besides that).

Also, this blog documents such issues (THE OH GOD BILLOWING SMOKE issue) quite well, and with a favourable outcome: http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2008-12-06-osborne-repair-1.htm

Actually, that entire blog is hella cool. Who'd have thought so many vintage machines settled in New Zealand?

[NejinOniwa]

That does sound a tad more promising than the initial outline for little Ozzy. -w-

[stewartsage]

There's a MONIAC in New Zealand.... so, yeah.

[Dr. Kraus]

God my dad has made recovering the password for my old iMac even harder for me because he got rid of all his apple software like the Mac OSX 9 disk and the Mac OSX 10.2 disk and the imac recovery disk and the list go's on and on. such a hassle -.-'

[Bella]

Ugh... ><;;; I'm so sorry to hear that. :\

[Dr. Kraus]

oh well it would of been a useless attempt anyway, the disk drive seems to have died and can't read any CD you put in so I have another set back. My dad wants to trash it but I'm probably going to smuggle it into my room and stick it in the closet for a while

[Bella]

Ah, the closet.... the last refuge of an abandoned computer.... (I have about seven in mine) ><;;;

I'm already trying to devise a plan to fix the Osborne 1; seeing as my desk is too small to support having a half-gutted computer on it for god knows how long, we're probably going to do surgery on it in the basement when we get the heat installed. Dad's volunteered to do soldering (>>;;), I think I know where I can get my capacitor(s) (the local used electronics shop), all I need is to figure out exactly what's wrong and if it's more than that one capacitor that's popped its top. :\

But whenever I ask techie people about it, they either give me a weird look or tell me how brave I am, poking around a monitor assembly, and it's shaking my confidence a lot.

It's worth noting that I operate under the assumption that old computers are hard as hell to kill and every malfunction, no matter how dire, is fixable with the right parts, skill, and time -- all of which can be found, hired, or even made -- and that you should keep a never-say-die attitude unless, you know, the computer in question is in pieces or melted. What say you OSC? Is this naive, stupid, or the result of watching too much Gurren Laggan? D,:

[Red-Machine]

Quite commendable attidude there, Bells.  I would lend you my magic hands, but I can't swim that far...

[Dr. Kraus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuQ3fg9knGo&feature=related

Go get'em bells, your Retro Computers are the Retro Computers that will pierce the heavens...or...yea, go get'em!

[NejinOniwa]

too much Gurren Laggan

There is no such thing as too much Gurren Lagann, my dear. Row row, fight tha powah! -w-

[Bella]

Thanks guize. =w=

So, anyway, I have a situation.

Basically, a source in the Boston Metro Area informed me that a collector is purging about half of his private computer museum. The machines have been in his garage for the last two years, and now he wants to pass them off on somebody who'll have more use for them.

For $300 he's selling a collection of Apple hardware (including two ][s, 1980s and 90s Classic Macs), two Tandys in original boxes, two SPARCs and an Idris workstation, an IBM 5150 and PC Convertible, a DEC GIGI and several micros - C64, VIC-20 (>>), Timex T100 and TI 94/A. About two dozen in all, remaining accessories, software and documents included. Some have been tested (supposedly the ][s, Idris and SPARCs and 5150), some haven't, none are guaranteed to work.

Thoughts? My main concern - besides how the hell I'll get them home in the backseat + trunk of a sedan, and of course the chance of there being tons of irreparable issues - is that I'll find another collector selling off an even BETTER lot and I'll be out of mad-money for purchases like this.