Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-05-04, 18:33:

Today, I had all the parts laying around for it, so I modded a Dallas RTC for the first time. Was fun and easy.

I saw somewhere that with enough heat, the resin becomes really brittle. It's then easier to separate the top cover and extract the resin in pieces, till the base and components become cleared.

Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-05-04, 18:33:

Today, I had all the parts laying around for it, so I modded a Dallas RTC for the first time. Was fun and easy. […]
Show full quote

Today, I had all the parts laying around for it, so I modded a Dallas RTC for the first time. Was fun and easy.

The attachment 20250504_120334.jpg is no longer available

I set the chip on a heatsink with suitable spacing to hold it while I heated and chiseled away at it. HEAT GUN. Should've borrowed one. Would've made the process even easier.

The attachment 20250504_123002.jpg is no longer available

The resin removal was the hard part. The rest is easy (easier if you don't puncture the crystal, 🤣)

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I don't have an AT PSU easily accessed ATM, so I'll have to test it later.

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That looks very tidy considering how hard it is to get rid of that potting compound / resin stuff. Last time I tried I broke the + pin off the DS1287 and had to grind all the way into the package to reconnect it.
What sort of temperature did you use?

kinetix wrote on 2025-05-05, 02:11:

Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-05-04, 18:33:

Today, I had all the parts laying around for it, so I modded a Dallas RTC for the first time. Was fun and easy. […]
Show full quote

Today, I had all the parts laying around for it, so I modded a Dallas RTC for the first time. Was fun and easy.

The attachment 20250504_120334.jpg is no longer available

I set the chip on a heatsink with suitable spacing to hold it while I heated and chiseled away at it. HEAT GUN. Should've borrowed one. Would've made the process even easier.

The attachment 20250504_123002.jpg is no longer available

The resin removal was the hard part. The rest is easy (easier if you don't puncture the crystal, 🤣)

The attachment 20250504_131508.jpg is no longer available

The attachment 20250504_131518.jpg is no longer available

I don't have an AT PSU easily accessed ATM, so I'll have to test it later.

The attachment 20250504_132211.jpg is no longer available

I saw somewhere that with heat, the resin becomes brittle. It's then easy to separate the top cover and easily extract the resin in pieces.

I've tried heating it with attempting to remove the resin on one or two but I didn't have much luck adding heat. Perhaps some of them are tougher than others.

Today I've been getting familiar with my IBM Portable Drive Bay and PDB 2000. The first one takes drives from an IBM Thinkpad 600 and the PDB 2000 takes drives from the later T20 series, but otherwise they're basically the same with the same PCMCIA card that connects the drive. I'd been trying to figure out how to get the Portable Drive Bay to work in DOS after getting it working in Windows 98 - which it did just fine once the drivers from here were installed: https://archive.org/details/ibm-portable-drive-bay-2000
Though I was confused for a while that after installing the driver for the PCMCIA card in Windows, the driver showed (code 10) and I then realised that the cable wasn't connected to the Portable Drive Bay 😁
Before I got to that though, I took apart both of them to figure out how they worked, whether the 3x AA batteries that power it had to be Alkaline or could be rechargeables (which I've confirmed are fine with it) and the condition of them. The original IBM Portable Drive Bay confused me a bit because it has no DC input jack while the 2000 does. Turns out the IBM Portable Drive Bay 2000 also got USB support with the USB adapter cable that comes with it - the DC power input is required when running the portable drive bay 2000 from USB, otherwise it just doesn't detect.

The interesting part for me is once I looked inside there wasn't much voltage regulation equipment and 3x AA batteries would not be sufficient to run the 5v CD-ROM drive even with PCMCIA bus power. It looks like that's because they're using supercaps - a pair of 2.5v 10F capacitors or 4x 2.5v 4.7F capacitors. When the drive bay starts up, if you don't have any batteries installed then you have to wait ~20 seconds for the drive bay's power to come on because it's charging those caps up through the limited PCMCIA power available. Everything stops til that's charged like Windows / DOS will stop loading til it's got enough power.

Taking them apart first was absolutely the right thing to do, the PDB2000 was new old stock but the original Portable Drive Bay I got used with a Thinkpad 240 a long time ago (without the IBM 00N7942 PCMCIA lead, which is why I got the PDB2000, to get that cable). The original Portable Drive Bay must've had leaky batteries left in it for a long while - there's a long cable that runs to the battery terminals and the LED board at the front of the drive and that was covered in green battery corrosion. The positive terminal's wire had rotted off, I had to replace a JST connector's pins that were too heavily corroded to work and reflow the solder on some SMD resistors but it's all working after cleaning. 😀 It was all far from the main circuit board so no real damage done.

Since there's very little documentation about the IBM Portable Drive Bay I think it's worth sharing. The Windows driver disk is fine and there seems to be documentation for that but none for how the drive bay is used in DOS any more. I thought there was none any way, but with some pointed searches I found there's mention of it on a German speaking forum and it links to the real IBM page: https://web.archive.org/web/20040906052029/ht … cid=MIGR-4DXQKX

So the devbaycd.exe is an enabler that works like a CD-ROM driver. Although it's using PCMCIA, the enabler doesn't need to have PCMCIA software installed or running so it's easy to use on a bootdisk. In fact it seems to work better without other PCMCIA software running. It has to be run from config.sys as

1DEVICE=C:\DEVBAYCD.EXE /P:320 /d:pcmcd001

and then in autoexec.bat it has

1MSCDEX.EXE /d:pcmcd001

to initialise the drive and assign the drive letter. When devbaycd.exe runs it'll detect the PDB in DOS and you have to wait for it to start up, but it works pretty well overall - it can get weird doing CD heavy stuff with no batteries so installing an OS should have the batteries in the PDB. Light use is okay without batteries though.

I pulled out my Albatron KX400 to test some components, and I looked up the XP2500+ CPU that I had in it; there was a note that before a certain date code some of them were factory unlocked. So I tried changing the multiplier in the CMOS settings (much faster and easier than removing the heat sink to check the date code) and this CPU is unlocked! I had never bothered to try because I was sure that it would be locked. So that's a nice way to start my day.

Thermalwrong wrote on 2025-05-05, 02:43:

Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-05-04, 18:33:

Today, I had all the parts laying around for it, so I modded a Dallas RTC for the first time. Was fun and easy. […]
Show full quote

Today, I had all the parts laying around for it, so I modded a Dallas RTC for the first time. Was fun and easy.

The attachment 20250504_120334.jpg is no longer available

I set the chip on a heatsink with suitable spacing to hold it while I heated and chiseled away at it. HEAT GUN. Should've borrowed one. Would've made the process even easier.

The attachment 20250504_123002.jpg is no longer available

The resin removal was the hard part. The rest is easy (easier if you don't puncture the crystal, 🤣)

The attachment 20250504_131508.jpg is no longer available

The attachment 20250504_131518.jpg is no longer available

I don't have an AT PSU easily accessed ATM, so I'll have to test it later.

The attachment 20250504_132211.jpg is no longer available

That looks very tidy considering how hard it is to get rid of that potting compound / resin stuff. Last time I tried I broke the + pin off the DS1287 and had to grind all the way into the package to reconnect it.
What sort of temperature did you use?

I initially tried letting it rest in boiling water, then chisel at it - the casing came right off. The resin was still pretty solid. I grabbed a tiny butane torch and blasted it; this is the winner. When the resin was THAT hot, it peeled off like rubber.

I'll get to try again! I have a SCSI MO-Multi disc changer that has a RTC inside (already socketed, too!). I'll be playing with that thing soon!

I tested the newly-modded clock and it works! It booted without battery, but couldn't remember anything after a reset. I started it just now and the time is correct.

I finally got a CF adapter to work, too! I've been trying it in several computers and even formatted/tested the cards on several tiers of computers (modern/mid/old, etc). I could NOT get it to work.

It was easy to have it show up as a drive, but it did NOT want to take an install. Win98 would complain about incorrect partition (even if I used Fdisk/format right before) and DOS was the same. It would pretend to format, then say it couldn't do it. Not sure what I did differently this time. It just worked when I removed the partition, made a new one, then formatted it. No clue why it hasn't worked in other computers.

Nothing special, just replaced one mini-PCIe WiFi card (b/g/n) in a laptop with a different one (a/g/n) to get slightly better speeds and coverage.

Did a fresh Win98 SE install on the Athlon system. I made the error of installing DirectX9c in the past. Too high for a GeForce256 / Voodoo2 system. The voodoos were 'gone'. I'm gonna go with DX7 I think.

P.S.
When WELCOM98.WAV plays, you let it finish. 😎

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

I took two NexGen based ADDX computers, some Olivetti stuff, and many mechanical keyboards but everything else is still there. If you are from southwestern France, let me know to get in touch with the old man. He needs everything to be gone.

PS: I gave more than 1€ each as I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went wit […]
Show full quote

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

The attachment IMG_0884.jpg is no longer available

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I took two NexGen based ADDX computers, some Olivetti stuff, and many mechanical keyboards but everything else is still there. If you are from southwestern France, let me know to get in touch with the old man. He needs everything to be gone.

PS: I gave more than 1€ each as I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

It is now your duty to test those NexGens.
And post pics, lots of them.

Well, he was parting with stuff for 1€. You just decided to do the right thing.

Nexxen wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:29:

It is now your duty to test those NexGens. And post pics, lots of them. […]
Show full quote

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went wit […]
Show full quote

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

The attachment IMG_0884.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0890.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0900.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0893.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0891.jpg is no longer available

I took two NexGen based ADDX computers, some Olivetti stuff, and many mechanical keyboards but everything else is still there. If you are from southwestern France, let me know to get in touch with the old man. He needs everything to be gone.

PS: I gave more than 1€ each as I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

It is now your duty to test those NexGens.
And post pics, lots of them.

Well, he was parting with stuff for 1€. You just decided to do the right thing.

I made a video but I was not aware of everything (I'm still not).
https://youtube.com/shorts/_ebEBj7VUUo
At the end, we see how remote the place is, it kind of fascinated me.

The number of pictures is limited per post, but I chose what I thought was the most interesting. There’s also some brand new software, sometimes obcure.
I’ll inspect the NexGen machines tomorrow

Some more :

I recently received a large collection consisting of an IBM 486slc2 cpu desktop PC circa 1992 and a large games collection on floppies that the original owner played on this PC. Given how unusual it is these days to get a giant time capsule collection like this from the og owner, I made a few videos about it today.

Overview of the PC, it's specs and how the og owner received it and used it.
https://youtu.be/-S6Al1OSrnY?si=m-jR1Mf_9gG6E5yI

Overview of the og owner's software with a focus on the games the og owner played on the system
https://youtu.be/gZjv4IGd6no?si=NqCIXO9YFJZqChYL

Bonus video testing Doom out on the machine recently after I was able to get it to post and install dos
https://youtu.be/rLD_nx4BBvM?si=yswZOGEWdC3ItxgH

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

The attachment IMG_0890.jpg is no longer available

I have the same monitor but with LG markings instead of GoldStar. It'll probably need some adjustments, but a good monitor all around. It supports up to 1024x768@60Hz and 800x600@75Hz.

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!
I took two NexGen based ADDX computers, some Olivetti stuff, and many mechanical keyboards but everything else is still there. If you are from southwestern France, let me know to get in touch with the old man. He needs everything to be gone.

PS: I gave more than 1€ each as I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

Wow. Right here, right next to me, I have an Olivetti M4 too, but a slightly different model, and with a 100MHz Pentium.
And that IBM keyboard reminds me of the condition of a PS/2 Model 50 I rescued from being thrown away, after spending more than 20 years in a filthy attic. The keyboard was even worse, with cement dust on it and even inside. I had to disassemble the keyboard into its smallest pieces to be able to clean it; putting it back together was the hard part.

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went wit […]
Show full quote

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

The attachment IMG_0884.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0890.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0891.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0900.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_0893.jpg is no longer available

I took two NexGen based ADDX computers, some Olivetti stuff, and many mechanical keyboards but everything else is still there. If you are from southwestern France, let me know to get in touch with the old man. He needs everything to be gone.

PS: I gave more than 1€ each as I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

Wow, looks like an amazing collection!

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 23:06:

Treasure trove. 😀

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

I took two NexGen based ADDX computers, some Olivetti stuff, and many mechanical keyboards but everything else is still there. If you are from southwestern France, let me know to get in touch with the old man. He needs everything to be gone.

PS: I gave more than 1€ each as I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

a small bubble of history, it was good that you gave more that 1€ - the seller isnt looking to maximise income just clear out so its nice to give a little more.

I wonder how many such collections exist - computers, cars, radio, televisions and all the other hobbies - and what proportion of these collections eventually makes it back into the world, and how much is lost forever

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

Wow!!! Isn't that Archimedes super rare nowadays? Also, that Bull whatever it is?

EduBat wrote on 2025-05-09, 10:06:

JustJulião wrote on 2025-05-08, 22:17:

I responded to an ad for 'very old computers at €1 each,' with no photos. Since it was only 20 minutes from my place, I went without asking for pictures, thinking someone wanting to get rid of them wouldn’t bother taking photos, especially an elderly seller. I found some nice stuff!

Wow!!! Isn't that Archimedes super rare nowadays? Also, that Bull whatever it is?

Yeah, it's the Archimedes from Acorn. It's still there as I have limited space and it's too old for me to invest time in it.
The Bull DPS 6000 seems to be a Honeywell computer for the french market, not sure if it's from the 70's or the 80's.
The Olivetti/At&T 3B2 382/400 desktop computer seems very rare, couldn't find any in any online collection I know. I found PDFs about it only.

In the video, at the very top, we can see an Amstrad CPC 6128 too.

I got Sound Blaster-compatible audio working on an i815E motherboard with an Avance Logic ALS4000. I find this pretty interesting, since the "readme" file in the driver package explicitly states that i815 will not work.

Well it's more like "what retro activity did I not get up to today", since I had an unexpected result with a repair attempt.

I bought some replacement switches to fix my Amiga tank mouse's buttons, since the left button had gotten very difficult to press and very unresponsive - so much so that I've been using regular USB mice on my Amiga for the past couple of years via an adapter.

So I got my desoldering station out ready and then I decided to test the mouse on the Amiga first to see if I needed to do both buttons, or just the left button. The right button tested fine... and then so did the left button!!! The mouse is working perfectly fine and I don't remember ever fixing it. I put the mouse through a test playthrough of Lemmings and it worked great. Not a clue how that's fixed itself without me even having to get out the soldering iron. 🤣

The only thing I can think logically, is that I must have sprayed some contact cleaner into the switch in the past and gotten it working again, but then forgot all about fixing it and just replaced it with a USB mouse instead.

Sometimes just taking mice apart and putting them back together again just clinches them tight enough together to compensate wear on the backside of the button "pimple" that presses the switch.

Edit: heh, can't believe it didn't occur to mention a very similar thing that happened just today. Got a soldering station from a yard sale with "bust" written on it, for a buck, examined it, took the thermally controlled bit of the tip out, blew dust out, put it back together. Think "I wonder what's wrong?" and plug it in, and taadaa, it works.