Re: things you don't do with a retro PC
Posted on Today, 11:26
My biggest task right now that is related to retro stuff: trying to figure out how to get more space to store my things without buying a new house. It's a hopeless battle.
Re: Monochrome monitor with cut DB9 cable: how to find out pinout?
Posted on Today, 08:51
Got the manual so it's all good now, didn't expect to find it. Now it's time to repair it, it's quite rusty.
Monochrome monitor with cut DB9 cable: how to find out pinout?
Posted on Yesterday, 20:06
The monitor type is unknown, it's probably a Casper GM-1489/D hercules/mono CGA. The 2 GND wires are obvious but what about the other 7 wires? My guess is: Black and grey are GND. The red-green-blue wires are for RGB pins (I know it's mono) or NC, no idea about the rest. Maybe these wire colors are …
Re: Why does some don't adapt newer storage types into their older systems every 10 years?
Posted on Yesterday, 07:57
chrismeyer6 wrote on Yesterday, 02:21: that is a very long and very expensive process. And it's pointless to change a system that works. What's the gain? Some IT guy uploading the update faster? Not worth the extra.
Re: Looking to buy 3dfx Voodoo 5 5500 PCI
Posted on 2020-08-10, 19:34
Wow, that description in the UK listing! 😁 I feel like a criminal just reading it. 😁
Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today
Posted on 2020-08-10, 13:16
I have a thing for full-length ISA cards from the 80's even if they aren't particularly useful!
Re: AT cases, PSUs, and builds--are they really as hard as I've heard?
Posted on 2020-08-10, 10:59
One important thing: Don't turn on anything before you inspect it carefully first. Just last week I got an AT desktop case with an incorrectly wired PSU switch and it tripped the circuit breaker when I turned it on. Always check the 110/220 switch on the PSU. The power connector thing is easy, the …
Re: Hardware failure.
Posted on 2020-08-10, 06:34
Plenty, because that's what I'm looking for. Repairing faulty hardware is my hobby in the hobby! But I see your point, it's frustrating when you spend money on something that doesn't work or fails quickly. Luckily most of these failures are fixable if you are willing to get your hands dirty.
Re: Old hard disks lifetime?
Posted on 2020-08-09, 19:28
I wouldn't expect much from drives sold by scrappers. A recycling station looks like this: huge piles of different hardware on the floor, thrown around like... e-waste. The better ones are selected for retro business, the rest gets recycled. By the time you buy them many of them are dead (they call …
Re: Testing capacitors in circuit
Posted on 2020-08-09, 14:11
If you have 3 blank resistors in a circuit, can you measure R1 and determine it's exact value with a multimeter? You can't unless you remove at least one leg of R1. Repairing electronics is often a trial and error thing.
Re: Radeon 9700 Pro - Artifacts on Boot
Posted on 2020-08-09, 10:42
Ah, the good old AS-IS trick AKA "I know it's junk so I use Ebay's loophole to sell it and refuse returns or refunds because the buyer bought it at his own risk." But they are wrong. You can contact the seller for a return and ask Ebay to get your money back if he refuses. Don't let him scam you, he …
Re: My Tandy 2500 SX/33 386
Posted on 2020-08-08, 19:42
I see. You may call them "Double-A" batteries.. I call them "mainboard killers". ;) That's exactly what I have in my IBM 6747, 3xAA batteries. :D When I first saw them I thought somebody left them there accidentally. No, turns out it's an essential part of that typewriter. The batteries were fused …
Re: Novell suggestion: upgrade your PC speaker
Posted on 2020-08-08, 05:03
I love speakers and wouldn't change them. I grew up playing on my parents' work computers and haven't had a computer with a sound card until 1999. (sad violin tune playing in background) Those crappy little speakers represent my childhood.
Re: Doubt with COAST (Cache On A STick) module
Posted on 2020-08-07, 19:02
Size is 512K, it's legit.
Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today
Posted on 2020-08-07, 07:31
Yet another IBM product... no idea what system it was used for.
Re: Could you identify this card (made by Sanyo)?
Posted on 2020-08-06, 09:40
Okay guys, thank you very much!
Re: Could you identify this card (made by Sanyo)?
Posted on 2020-08-06, 08:14
I don't see a motherboard, does this work in any standard ISA slot or is it proprietary?
Could you identify this card (made by Sanyo)?
Posted on 2020-08-06, 06:37
Images are not mine. SAT-402A 2EC0BIPB49900
Re: Kids destroying computer hardware
Posted on 2020-08-04, 10:12
I'm trying the opposite approach, let him in and take away the mystery and he'll loose interest. Depends entirely on the kid's personality. My daughter (10) is a daddy's girl and wants to be with me 24/7. My boy(5) is a little adventurer so nothing is safe that isn't locked away. He loses interest …
Re: Types of capacitors to recap computer stuff (motherboard and PSU)
Posted on 2020-08-04, 04:34
It doesn't matter. People build and test these computers for a few days or weeks at most then get bored with them, sell them or put them in storage for a long time. They won't be used 10 hours a day for years like modern computers. It's pointless to overthink this "issue". Use whatever reputable …
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