First post, by MMaximus
- Rank
- Oldbie
You know the story... you're not really planning to buy anything but you're browsing ebay for no particular reason and before you know it you've clicked on the "Buy it Now" button... 😲
Anyway I decided to pull the trigger on this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/322005747384
I actually find it hard to believe that something could sit unsold and unused in its box for almost 30 years, but from the pictures it looks like the computer has indeed never been used. Add to that the fact that it comes with the original user manuals, and that the price while not cheap didn't seem excessive to me... I decided to take the plunge.
Now I'm well aware that it might not work. I thought it would be less risky because XT don't have batteries, but on second thought I realised it comes with an I/O card that probably has a CR2032, is this possible it would leak enough to damage the mainboard? I guess my main question is really about the PSU. If something goes wrong with it and it blows on the first try, then it might ruin all the rest too? I was thinking of unplugging it first and powering it while unconnected to the mainboard or peripherals, but would that be enough to ensure risk-free operation?
Is there anything else I should be aware of or any particular precautions I should take?
Sorry if all these questions sound silly, but I know that XT machines are more "hands-on" than let's say Socket 7 systems, and I don't really have any experience in repairing PCs or electronics. I always thought it would be really nice to own an XT again someday, as we got rid of our family XT in the early '90s and I never even used another one since then. And after all, a NOS machine like this seemed less risky than buying an old beat up system with missing parts like they often show up on ebay.
BTW it seems the seller has a few more of these if anyone else is interested. I got the model with the mechanical keyboard included because I don't have an XT compatible keyboard at hand and this model seemed nice, but apparently you can also get the computer on its own for cheaper.
I guess the fact that the seller has several of these available adds some unknown to the equation as well. From what I understand they opened one box to take photos but didn't open the other ones... so how can they be sure the contents are identical? Or maybe there are missing bits. I guess I'll have to find out... the only problem is that I had it shipped to my folks place back in Europe, and I won't travel there until a few weeks or months and it might be too late to complain. I guess the whole thing is a bit of a gamble really! 😐
