BitWrangler wrote on 2023-10-11, 17:29:

I think there's only 3 PSUs total, not too fussed if those don't work, as I have 3 or 4 AT boards with ATX power connectors, so by the time I swap everything around, I can be using ATX with those. I am kinda more excited to have "any metal vaguely resembling the shape of an AT case" because I had more AT board projects planned than cases available. They might not get restored to original color though. I have half a dozen rattle cans of silver paint, same of bright white, so odds are they're gonna get the covers painted with that at least. That fourth in line may get attention first. Because I have two more similar pattern minis, one midi and one full tower kinda matching. So I might do a 286, 386, 486, Pentium and PIII matched set. I may swap the cover to another mini though so I don't have a bright white one standing out.

The middle one might in fact have it's cover preserved indoors, I keep thinking I seem to have one more cover than machines. I think it's the one that is like a quarter inch shorter than common, which the 4th one represents, there's a number of almost identical chassis in shape and size with different facias in mini-towers. Not sure number 2 is part of that group, but might be similar to number 5, which was a later, fast 486, slow pentium era kind of common one.

I don't know if you've ever used a bead blaster, but these cases would be a perfect candidate for your first time if you haven't. Paint doesn't stop rust - bead blasting down to bare metal or phosphoric acid are the two main options for preventing it from returning.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-10-11, 17:58:

BitWrangler wrote on 2023-10-11, 17:29:

I think there's only 3 PSUs total, not too fussed if those don't work, as I have 3 or 4 AT boards with ATX power connectors, so by the time I swap everything around, I can be using ATX with those. I am kinda more excited to have "any metal vaguely resembling the shape of an AT case" because I had more AT board projects planned than cases available. They might not get restored to original color though. I have half a dozen rattle cans of silver paint, same of bright white, so odds are they're gonna get the covers painted with that at least. That fourth in line may get attention first. Because I have two more similar pattern minis, one midi and one full tower kinda matching. So I might do a 286, 386, 486, Pentium and PIII matched set. I may swap the cover to another mini though so I don't have a bright white one standing out.

The middle one might in fact have it's cover preserved indoors, I keep thinking I seem to have one more cover than machines. I think it's the one that is like a quarter inch shorter than common, which the 4th one represents, there's a number of almost identical chassis in shape and size with different facias in mini-towers. Not sure number 2 is part of that group, but might be similar to number 5, which was a later, fast 486, slow pentium era kind of common one.

I don't know if you've ever used a bead blaster, but these cases would be a perfect candidate for your first time if you haven't. Paint doesn't stop rust - bead blasting down to bare metal or phosphoric acid are the two main options for preventing it from returning.

Good point. I am lacking a bead blaster, but have some phosphoric acid on hand I think (Home Hardware has it, CLR used to have it in until they changed formula a decade back, some competitors might still have it, or might be different in other areas.)

Holy crap I am a monster. Literally "dug" these out of a pile of rotted cardboard and particle board. They were boxed, sitting in an old entertainment unit, and the whole thing just turned into mulch and compost.

Think I've got there, a memory expansion, not sure if it does EMS, CGA or EGA card, Mono/LPT card, IBM PC motherboard with cassette port, Clone XT motherboard, and an industrial? Z80 motherboard off to the right, beside that some chips in tubes, under it, a floppy controller, not sure what that board is poking out, clone mono/LPT maybe, might do something a bit better.

So that Clone XT board is actually one I've been looking for for my pimped out XT project. I thought the poor thing was still lost in the basement. Damn I might have a lot of socket replacing to do here. Or can you get a discount on like a case of Deoxit? 🤣

edit: awww man that's an actual Hercules mono card by Hercules.
editII: XT might be this board https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/fountain-ftn-88
editIII: but the Beltron and the Unkown 8mhz are really similar.
edit4: That's not an arcade board that z80 board is it? Anyone recognize it. Just dawned on me I got Ms Pacman and Galaga bootleg in same batch random stuff that maybe came in.

PD2JK wrote on 2023-08-27, 20:48:

And last but not least, this lovely Escom Pentium 60 machine. The HSF snapped off, but that's an easy to fix. The Intel Batman's […]
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And last but not least, this lovely Escom Pentium 60 machine. The HSF snapped off, but that's an easy to fix. The Intel Batman's Revenge is equipped with 16MB FPM, Pioneer CD-ROM drive, 1MB Mach64 and an Iomega Ditto 800 drive, connected to a Ditto Dash ISA card.

Nice. I got this a while back, they were sold badged as Commodore in the UK after Escom bought the brand. Does yours have the L2 cache missing/unpopulated? Mine has none, and no sockets. Tempted to try and solder some on but I suspect it may not be so simple.

BitWrangler wrote on 2023-10-11, 19:45:

Holy crap I am a monster. Literally "dug" these out of a pile of rotted cardboard and particle board. They were boxed, sitting i […]
Show full quote

Holy crap I am a monster. Literally "dug" these out of a pile of rotted cardboard and particle board. They were boxed, sitting in an old entertainment unit, and the whole thing just turned into mulch and compost.

Think I've got there, a memory expansion, not sure if it does EMS, CGA or EGA card, Mono/LPT card, IBM PC motherboard with cassette port, Clone XT motherboard, and an industrial? Z80 motherboard off to the right, beside that some chips in tubes, under it, a floppy controller, not sure what that board is poking out, clone mono/LPT maybe, might do something a bit better.

So that Clone XT board is actually one I've been looking for for my pimped out XT project. I thought the poor thing was still lost in the basement. Damn I might have a lot of socket replacing to do here. Or can you get a discount on like a case of Deoxit? 🤣

edit: awww man that's an actual Hercules mono card by Hercules.
editII: XT might be this board https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/fountain-ftn-88

Yes, you are. 🤣
Tell me you are gonna save them.

There will definitely be an attempt.

edit: light going on me. Dry brushed them quick to get the worst off... but I was starting to knock off tantalums and a resistor pack on the XT board, which has the identical PCB markings to this one https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/unknown-xtpc640k-8509 but blue switchpack and ROMs more similar looking to the other. There's actually about 10 boards that look like they're all the same design, this one "Made in Japan" but others from Taiwan and elsewhere. Don't know if this one was the original cloned clone or what. I had the impression back when I got this board, which was in a system I wanted the case of (XTs were super cheap or free back then) I had the impression it was 8/4.77 turbo.

Got everything else pretty clean, but the XT board and z80 board need more careful cleaning to keep track of discretes shedding off. I kinda snuck them into the basement, don't think they were clean enough for WAF, but being in a delicate state, I wanted to ensure their safety. Anyway, as with the AT cases, gotta pretty much ignore them for a while because of too much else to do.

The unknown card with RCA sockets says "color card" on it and has similar printing to XT. Still no warmer on the z80 thing after gawping at it a while. Kinda similar layout to a TRS80 model 4. Paper label on it has "NC" before a bunch of numbers and I wondered if it was NCR, and had a memory about looking up about a POS board before.

kp73 wrote on 2023-10-11, 20:56:

Nice. I got this a while back, they were sold badged as Commodore in the UK after Escom bought the brand. Does yours have the […]
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Nice. I got this a while back, they were sold badged as Commodore in the UK after Escom bought the brand. Does yours have the L2 cache missing/unpopulated? Mine has none, and no sockets. Tempted to try and solder some on but I suspect it may not be so simple.

Yes, mine has L2 cache, 256kB. Could it that you have some early revision board? A Pentium (mainboard) without L2 cache seems a little off. Hmm...

PD2JK wrote on 2023-10-12, 11:05:

kp73 wrote on 2023-10-11, 20:56:

Nice. I got this a while back, they were sold badged as Commodore in the UK after Escom bought the brand. Does yours have the […]
Show full quote

Nice. I got this a while back, they were sold badged as Commodore in the UK after Escom bought the brand. Does yours have the L2 cache missing/unpopulated? Mine has none, and no sockets. Tempted to try and solder some on but I suspect it may not be so simple.

Yes, mine has L2 cache, 256kB. Could it that you have some early revision board? A Pentium (mainboard) without L2 cache seems a little off. Hmm...

I did a bit of digging. Pretty sure it is an Intel advanced/zp zappa board, which apparently did come in versions without cache. Bit of a shame for my machine, still love it anyway.

BitWrangler wrote on 2023-10-11, 19:45:

Holy crap I am a monster. Literally "dug" these out of a pile of rotted cardboard and particle board. They were boxed, sitting in an old entertainment unit, and the whole thing just turned into mulch and compost.

Nice find! And congrats on your enrollment in the tantalum capacitor replacement college! (Joke!) But serious, those things are going to be popping like crackers on xmas morning the first time you give them power.

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy have lotus 123 spreadsheets with date july 2023

theelf wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:02:

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy have lotus 123 spreadsheets with date july 2023

that in itself is amazing!

i wonder what the story is behind it - why a very old computer was being used in this way and then suddenly thrown out

i'd imagine, sadly, that the previous owner was old and either died or something changed such that use of the pc was no longer possible

i cant imagine upgrading from an old pc like this and lotus 1-2-3 all in one giant leap! 😀

theelf wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:02:

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy have lotus 123 spreadsheets with date july 2023

The condition looks immaculate. Did you get a matching monitor with it as well?

That's a gem... protip, don't leave parts of it in a rickety shed too long.

gerry wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:15:

that in itself is amazing! […]
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theelf wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:02:

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy have lotus 123 spreadsheets with date july 2023

that in itself is amazing!

i wonder what the story is behind it - why a very old computer was being used in this way and then suddenly thrown out

i'd imagine, sadly, that the previous owner was old and either died or something changed such that use of the pc was no longer possible

i cant imagine upgrading from an old pc like this and lotus 1-2-3 all in one giant leap! 😀

Hi! thanks, i dont know much the story, but from what i know the guy did not pass away but retired because very old

I work programming in assembler for industrial robotics for many years, and I know some guys that was older than me now retired and some time they call me to give me stuff. Most of this people have old computers still working because old hardware that have no replacement or just they dont need the feel to change just to write, coding or doing simple tasks

Kahenraz wrote on 2023-10-13, 18:46:

theelf wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:02:

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy have lotus 123 spreadsheets with date july 2023

The condition looks immaculate. Did you get a matching monitor with it as well?

Yes condition is great and work too. Sadly no monitor or keyboard, no idea what happen to them, i get for free the computer and a 5.25 floppy

BitWrangler wrote on 2023-10-13, 20:00:

That's a gem... protip, don't leave parts of it in a rickety shed too long.

I have all computers in my house, i even have computers in bathroom, my wife is complaining all time

theelf wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:02:

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy […]
Show full quote

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy have lotus 123 spreadsheets with date july 2023

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Heck of a find!

Looked in the other case with a pentium board, which wasn't the 1st one, OCS but the 2nd along in picture, which was Touch computer systems case. I was looking for this board also, but had only got it recorded as a "VP3 board" in old notes. It seems to be a QDI Advance II https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/qdi-p5 … -vp3-advance-ii

Look at this thing though, is that weirdly shiny or what? No green/blue fuzz, can't see any white oxidation really, few speckles on the clock crystal. Damn. I have boards in "dry" storage in a static bag that have got more oxidation on than this thing. Weird. Might be some rust staining along bottom edge, or it might just be powder that wipes off, didn't really investigate too close. Bath in CLR and it might look factory fresh. Kind of a between eras board though, it's what, a semi-super 7? AGP slot but no 100Mhz bus. Still... excited to play with another AGP socket 7 board... presuming I don't have to sacrifice too much blood, sweat and sanity to get it running.

Also pulled out an IBM PS/1 SVGA branded monitor, not easily seeing pics of the exact one online and I stashed it in temporary storage without taking one. Also a "fishbowl" Hyundai, 1991 VGA, that I am saving because it's what VGA looked like to home users 89-93 before crisper 14 and 15" SVGA monitors got less than the price of a used car. IIRC most of the monitors in there were not that good for one reason or another, I'm thinking the Hyundai might have worked but been VGA only, not sure about IBM, had 17" monitors by then, maybe it was just a size thing. Both were a bit more sheltered than some other theoretically "nice" monitors, which may have been non-functional when they went in there. Don't think those are gonna get saved, the wrecking/junking crew are arriving Monday, I'm out of places to put stuff. If I find another monitor sized space, it might get an NEC multisync in it, but like I said, unsure it worked before a roof beam hit it and and pounds of rotten particleboard and plywood smothered it.

BitWrangler wrote on 2023-10-13, 22:38:

Looked in the other case with a pentium board, which wasn't the 1st one, OCS but the 2nd along in picture, which was Touch computer systems case. I was looking for this board also, but had only got it recorded as a "VP3 board" in old notes. It seems to be a QDI Advance II https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/qdi-p5 … -vp3-advance-ii

Look at this thing though, is that weirdly shiny or what? No green/blue fuzz, can't see any white oxidation really, few speckles on the clock crystal. Damn. I have boards in "dry" storage in a static bag that have got more oxidation on than this thing. Weird. Might be some rust staining along bottom edge, or it might just be powder that wipes off, didn't really investigate too close. Bath in CLR and it might look factory fresh. Kind of a between eras board though, it's what, a semi-super 7? AGP slot but no 100Mhz bus. Still... excited to play with another AGP socket 7 board... presuming I don't have to sacrifice too much blood, sweat and sanity to get it running.

Also pulled out an IBM PS/1 SVGA branded monitor, not easily seeing pics of the exact one online and I stashed it in temporary storage without taking one. Also a "fishbowl" Hyundai, 1991 VGA, that I am saving because it's what VGA looked like to home users 89-93 before crisper 14 and 15" SVGA monitors got less than the price of a used car. IIRC most of the monitors in there were not that good for one reason or another, I'm thinking the Hyundai might have worked but been VGA only, not sure about IBM, had 17" monitors by then, maybe it was just a size thing. Both were a bit more sheltered than some other theoretically "nice" monitors, which may have been non-functional when they went in there. Don't think those are gonna get saved, the wrecking/junking crew are arriving Monday, I'm out of places to put stuff. If I find another monitor sized space, it might get an NEC multisync in it, but like I said, unsure it worked before a roof beam hit it and and pounds of rotten particleboard and plywood smothered it.

In 2004 I had a coworker who brought in a cardboard box with old motherboards that he had no use for, so I snagged a few. One of them was a Tekram P5VP3 - I still have the email exchange with Jan Steunebrink where he patched a BIOS for K6-2+ support. I wish I still had the board.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-10-14, 00:03:

One of them was a Tekram P5VP3 - I still have the email exchange with Jan Steunebrink where he patched a BIOS for K6-2+ support. I wish I still had the board.

I don't know if I'll want to try a foreign BIOS on this one because the chip is soldered. Also a weird jumperless type which might be a bit unique. Not sure if I will go for a plus either as top end is limited to 500... So might get my "slow" K6-III non-plus.... or it might get my Cyrix MII 366... I keep wanting to stick Cyrix on Via because of the enhanced support. Damn though, I am trying to build like 8 socket 7 systems in my head 🤣 How many of more or less the same performance bracket do I need? ... well 12 obviously because now I've got 12 boards to build out 🤣 3xAli, 3xVia, 1 Sis, 2TX, 3HX... and that's not counting 2 complete MMX systems and a bunch of single voltage boards... hah, I probably need to build a test rig based on one of these with multi motherboards of one type on it.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookwheel

Not in a dumpster but in my garage buried under some boxes: an AT mid tower case with a 20GB IDE HD and 5.25" floppy drive. I new about the empty case but did not remember leaving drives in it...

theelf wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:02:

This IBM was going to trash in a store near my house, i think was used to do accounting stuff until recent, because the floppy have lotus 123 spreadsheets with date july 2023

JFC! I've spent over £400 (and rising) putting a 5150 together piecemeal yet somehow someone is tossing a full system into the bin. Bravo, sir.

gerry wrote on 2023-10-13, 15:15:

i cant imagine upgrading from an old pc like this and lotus 1-2-3 all in one giant leap! 😀

From the device that escaped the mainframe to leap into the cloud. I'd call that a downgrade.