Like old computers? Check out my website!

[frcguy]

Besides robotics, on of my other major interests is computer collecting. I started out several years ago collecting old Apple computers, and have since ammased a collection of 20+ machines ranging from your run-of-the-mill Apple computer to more exotic machines from the likes of SGI and DEC. I realised that other people might be interested in my collection, so this past week I decided to create a website to house info about my computers.

If you are interested, check it out here: http://www.classiccomputerconservatory.com

If you have any comments, suggestions, etc. please reply to the thread. Also, note that I am still working on adding all of the computers and photos of them to the website.

Thanks in advance!

[Bkeeneykid]

Wow, this is quite an impressive collection. One thing, the navigation bar is a little wonky. I'd suggest moving the computers and test equipment to their own main menu drop, because when I mouse over a third level link, it covers the first level, which is a little odd.

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by Bkeeneykid

Wow, this is quite an impressive collection. One thing, the navigation bar is a little wonky. I'd suggest moving the computers and test equipment to their own main menu drop, because when I mouse over a third level link, it covers the first level, which is a little odd.

Thanks! I just changed it to that menu configuration you suggested. I agree, before it wasn't great.

[sanddrag]

Cool collection. I used to be very into the old Apple stuff. to me though, a lot of your stuff is somewhat "new." However, I'm a little envious of that Mac 128K. My oldest Mac is a Plus (fully functional), but I do have an Apple IIC and a IIC+ (functional). For over a year around 2005, I ran my classic as a web server using a SCSI to ethernet adapter, and it did great! You can actually stick 4MB of RAM in a Classic. I almost got my Plus to be a web server, but I was about 22K short of making it happen on a single 800K floppy.

If you're looking for a real speed demon, and you like the compact macs, try to pick up an SE/30. 16MHz and I believe up to 16MB of RAM. Lightning fast for it's time. I also have an LC III "pizza box" form factor mac, which you can actually get OS8 to run on with quite a bit of trickery. I always wanted a Color Classic, but they were too expensive.

Anyhow, it's getting harder and harder to keep these things alive and work with the software, but the experience of using early Apple computers was a great part of my childhood, and one I'll never forget. If you're looking for resources for the old Macs, one of the best ones out there is Jag's House. I don't care much for the guy who runs the site, but it's a wealth of resources, and I appreciate that he has compiled them all and kept them around. University of Michigan used to have all the old Apple OS downloads too. Not sure if they do anymore. You might want to look for a program called TransMac to write mac floppies from a Windows PC.

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Cool collection. I used to be very into the old Apple stuff. to me though, a lot of your stuff is somewhat "new." However, I'm a little envious of that Mac 128K. My oldest Mac is a Plus (fully functional), but I do have an Apple IIC and a IIC+ (functional). For over a year around 2005, I ran my classic as a web server using a SCSI to ethernet adapter, and it did great! You can actually stick 4MB of RAM in a Classic. I almost got my Plus to be a web server, but I was about 22K short of making it happen on a single 800K floppy.

If you're looking for a real speed demon, and you like the compact macs, try to pick up an SE/30. 16MHz and I believe up to 16MB of RAM. Lightning fast for it's time. I also have an LC III "pizza box" form factor mac, which you can actually get OS8 to run on with quite a bit of trickery. I always wanted a Color Classic, but they were too expensive.

Anyhow, it's getting harder and harder to keep these things alive and work with the software, but the experience of using early Apple computers was a great part of my childhood, and one I'll never forget. If you're looking for resources for the old Macs, one of the best ones out there is Jag's House. I don't care much for the guy who runs the site, but it's a wealth of resources, and I appreciate that he has compiled them all and kept them around. University of Michigan used to have all the old Apple OS downloads too. Not sure if they do anymore. You might want to look for a program called TransMac to write mac floppies from a Windows PC.

Thanks! Your collection sounds pretty awesome too. I like that you got ethernet on your Classic, I'll defiantly have to look in to that. The 128K is a special one for me. One of my middle school teachers had it in his classroom and he knew I was really in to computers so he gave it to me when I graduated. I have the original MacPaint disk for it too as well as the keyboard, mouse, and power cord. Unfortunately it has a bad memory chip, and I've been meaning since last fall to pick up a IIe RAM card and harvest the chip from there. Robotics took over I haven't had any time to do it, but I'm hoping to soon. The Plus has issues too and displays horizontal lines on the screen whenever I power it up. Still trying to figure that one out. The reason I have so many newer Macs is that PowerPC machines are relatively plentiful and people love to give them away.

As far as future additions, I would love to add an SE/30. I'm also looking into a PDP from DEC as well. Thanks for the resources, I've been meaning to load up some software besides MacPaint and MacWrite on my Classic and now I'll have to do so!

[MrForbes]

Fun stuff. A few years ago I got rid of a bunch, I had around a hundred. Down to about fifty now. Kaypros, macs, PCs, etc. There are pics of some of them on my web page.

http://selectric.org

[hardcopi]

No Amigas? For shame... For years I had a "portable" CP/M machine in my basement. Just didn't seem right to through it away.

[Jay H 237]

Neat stuff!

I remember Sanddrag's link that would post a page from the one he had set up as a server.

First computer I ever used was an Apple IIe, in school. School was the only place I'd mess with any Apple's, my father worked for IBM so any computers we had at home were from them as he got employee discounts on them. First one at home was a PC Jr, which we had for a few years but very limited what was available for it. Next was a 386 DX, dual 3.5 floppies, dual 500mb hard drives and originally had OS2 Warp and later reconfigured with Windows 3.1. An Aptiva followed that in 1999 at around the same time my father retired.

[Botilicious]

Originally Posted by frcguy

Besides robotics, on of my other major interests is computer collecting. I started out several years ago collecting old Apple computers, and have since ammased a collection of 20+ machines ranging from your run-of-the-mill Apple computer to more exotic machines from the likes of SGI and DEC. I realised that other people might be interested in my collection, so this past week I decided to create a website to house info about my computers.

If you are interested, check it out here: http://www.classiccomputerconservatory.com

If you have any comments, suggestions, etc. please reply to the thread. Also, note that I am still working on adding all of the computers and photos of them to the website.

Thanks in advance!

Nice collection. Would love to see some old school home computers like the zx spectrum. A generation of UK games people learned to code on this classic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum

[Jay H 237]

Here, obscure 'old school' would be Tandy or Wang.

[Michael Hill]

I remember as a kid playing popcorn on my grandpa's (I think) TRS-80 color computer. Good times.

Also, if anyone here hasn't checked out the Computer History Museum, I strongly recommend making a stop if you're out near Mountain View.

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

I remember as a kid playing popcorn on my grandpa's (I think) TRS-80 color computer. Good times.



Also, if anyone here hasn't checked out the Computer History Museum, I strongly recommend making a stop if you're out near Mountain View.

The Computer History Museum is awesome! I've been there 3 times and on average I take about 600 photos each time I'm there

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by frcguy

The Computer History Museum is awesome! I've been there 3 times and on average I take about 600 photos each time I'm there

My wife and I went there during our honeymoon last year (guess whose idea that was). We got to see the Babbage difference engine demonstration, which was awesome. Too bad they had to pass it on. I was a little sad that my camera battery died about halfway through.