First post, by torindkflt
Greetings, first-time poster here.
I have recently developed a fit of nostalgia. In order to satisfy said nostalgia, I have begun to recreate the first PC my family ever owned, using the specs it had when we first received it in the summer of 1995. I want this to be as close as I can possibly get to the original, right down to the case.
With that said, there is a particular style of case I am looking for that, although seemingly fairly common back in the day (I've found lots of pictures on Google, many of them on these forums even), are exceedingly difficult to acquire today, either used or NOS. The very first picture on this thread is one example. Here's several more examples of this style of case I'm wanting:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-AT-Computer-Cas … =item27f1e1ae1e (WAY too expensive!)
http://www.pcrproinc.com/servlet/Detail?no=3166 (I actually tried to order this, but the order was cancelled with no explanation)
https://ancientelectronics.wordpress.com/2014 … f-a-386-dos-pc/ (About 3/4 of the way down on that page)
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2 … iw=1600&bih=709 (Google cache of an image that used to be on a different post here)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i7xexgj3cw260hy/IMG … 31_HDR.jpg?dl=0 (This is the ONLY picture I have of our original system, a still from a home video recorded in July 1998. If you're curious, the case badge says "Dream 486")
This is the style of case the original system had, and it is the style of case I want the recreation to have. I know I could never get one that has the exact same colors on the control panel that the original had, but that's ok...I at the very least want that same style of case. Two 5 1/4 bays, two 3.5 bays, large toggle switch to the right of the 3.5 bays, vertical vent lines running down the center below the buttons. The original didn't have the speed display on the front, but it's ok if the recreation does have that display (I can simply disable it).
As shown above, I did find a website that claims to have this style of case in stock (PC R Pro), but the order was cancelled with no explanation...I presume they actually don't have it and the website was just incorrect. As for eBay, there is currently only a single specimen of this case currently on there. But, it is missing the Turbo button, it is in Bulgaria, and with shipping the final cost would be $180. I tried convincing the area electronics salvage to let me look through their to-be-scrapped pile to see if I could by pure luck find the right case or a last-resort substitute (Also to see if they had any Apple II stuff), but they denied my request. Their storefront only sells salvaged parts from 2000 or newer.
So, does anyone have or know where I could get a case of the type I am looking for? My nostalgia would be eternally grateful.
If you're curious, here's the specs of the system I am planning to build. I actually remembered the exact brands and models for many of the parts, while others I only remembered the specs and am OK with using equivalent substitutes.
-Five-Bay Baby AT Tower Case (I believe that's the proper term for the case I'm looking for)
-QDI V4P895GRN/SMT Motherboard (I actually HAVE the original motherboard, but I doubt it still works. It's been stored under less-than-ideal conditions for the past 15+ years)
-AMD Am486DX4-100 CPU
-16MB RAM
-VLB Multifunction I/O Controller for IDE, Floppy, Parallel, Serial & Game port
-Conner CFA810A 810MB Hard Drive
-Trident TGUI9440 VLB Video Card (I don't remember the exact brand, just the chipset and that it had 1MB of video memory)
-Reveal SC-500 Sound Blaster Pro Compatible Audio
-14.4K Modem
-Quad-Speed CD-ROM Drive
-Travan-style IDE Tape Backup Drive (It actually never worked, but I still want to include it for completion sake)
-3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Drive
-Windows 95 Original Release
-Microsoft Home Blue Two-Button Serial Mouse (http://www.telecommander.com/pics/links/mice/ … ftHomeMouse.htm)
-Standard AT Keyboard without "Windows" keys (It didn't originally have one, but this might be a good opportunity for me to get an IBM Model M!)
-15in CRT Monitor (The original was an Eye-Q branded monitor with digital controls, but I'm fairly certain I'd never find one of those again since apparently they're German. How we ended up with one, I don't know!)
-Epson FX-850 Dot Matrix Printer (I THINK this was the model, it's the closest match to how I can remember it appearing)
I acknowledge that some of these parts may be considered subpar by hard-core 486 builders. But, please keep in mind that my goal isn't to build a "souped up" or "ultimate" 486 system. My goal is to build a system that is as close as I can possibly get to the system we first received at the moment we received it in 1995.
Thank you!
