I have three old PCs lying around, all original Pentium, roughly 90-200MHz
kind of vintage. Let's say ~1997 or thereabouts. One might be a Pentium
Pro, I'd have to check. I think two are Intel branded, the other one is a
no-brand random collection of ISA cards. The ISA one runs Windows 95, the
others have some old version of Debian on them.

I need to make space so I'd like to rehome them. But, other than tipping
them, I'm at a bit of a loss to work out how to find if anyone might be
interested. In the US there's a PC retrogaming scene, but it doesn't appear
there's a great deal of one over here - not many sales of old PC stuff on
ebay. I could part them out, but not sure there's much demand for ISA cards
or SIMMs or whatever. None of them have GPUs, just regular old 90s SVGA.

So can anyone suggest if there's any places out there where there might be
people interested in this stuff, or should I just tip them?

Thanks
Theo

Theo wrote:

> I need to make space so I'd like to rehome them. But, other than tipping
> them, I'm at a bit of a loss to work out how to find if anyone might be
> interested.

I've junked all my old 386/486/pentiums ... except the dual-socket celeron ABIT
BP6 which was a bit "special" at the time, keep meaning to see if there's any
interest in it on eBay ...

I've got a decent 14" trinitron which I similarly ought to have advertised for
"retro gaming".

On 26 Sep 2021 at 11:12:45 BST, "Theo"
<theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

> So can anyone suggest if there's any places out there where there might be
> people interested in this stuff, or should I just tip them?

Are any of them minimally-sized desktop ATX machines, by any chance? I'm
currently building an Amiga A4000tx, an A4000 motherboard recreated in
ATX shape, and I'm struggling really badly to find a box that isn't a
massive black&RGB tower to put it in...

Also interested in the simms for the same purpose :) I have a pair of
8meg FPM but who knows if they'll work.

The other innards may be of interest to some folks I know who have a
habit of building 90s-compatible computers for old games. I stick to my
MiSTer's 486@33MHz (ish) FPGA core for my pre-3D card fix, far less
trouble.

Cheers - Jaimie
--
"Don't let nouns get in the way of a good time"
-- Jasper Fforde

On 26/09/2021 11:12, Theo wrote:
> I have three old PCs lying around, all original Pentium, roughly 90-200MHz
> kind of vintage. Let's say ~1997 or thereabouts. One might be a Pentium
> Pro, I'd have to check. I think two are Intel branded, the other one is a
> no-brand random collection of ISA cards. The ISA one runs Windows 95, the
> others have some old version of Debian on them.
>
> I need to make space so I'd like to rehome them. But, other than tipping
> them, I'm at a bit of a loss to work out how to find if anyone might be
> interested. In the US there's a PC retrogaming scene, but it doesn't appear
> there's a great deal of one over here - not many sales of old PC stuff on
> ebay. I could part them out, but not sure there's much demand for ISA cards
> or SIMMs or whatever. None of them have GPUs, just regular old 90s SVGA.
>
> So can anyone suggest if there's any places out there where there might be
> people interested in this stuff, or should I just tip them?
>

IT anger therapy is getting some traction.

Hire and fill out a field, supply baseball bats and protective glasses.

Earn £5 per hour?

--
Adrian C

On 26/09/2021 11:12, Theo wrote:
> I have three old PCs lying around, all original Pentium, roughly 90-200MHz
> kind of vintage. Let's say ~1997 or thereabouts. One might be a Pentium
> Pro, I'd have to check. I think two are Intel branded, the other one is a
> no-brand random collection of ISA cards. The ISA one runs Windows 95, the
> others have some old version of Debian on them.
>
> I need to make space so I'd like to rehome them. But, other than tipping
> them, I'm at a bit of a loss to work out how to find if anyone might be
> interested. In the US there's a PC retrogaming scene, but it doesn't appear
> there's a great deal of one over here - not many sales of old PC stuff on
> ebay. I could part them out, but not sure there's much demand for ISA cards
> or SIMMs or whatever. None of them have GPUs, just regular old 90s SVGA.
>
> So can anyone suggest if there's any places out there where there might be
> people interested in this stuff, or should I just tip them?
>
> Thanks
> Theo

I am tempted, how much?

On 29/09/2021 17:34, Raj Kundra wrote:
>
> I am tempted, how much?
>

Across YouTube there are 'bearded explorer' types that venture upon a
field or barn filled with abandoned cars in various states of encrumblement.

A couple of years ago, there was a much YouTube'd find of a US warehouse
called "computer reset" that had similar items of age.

Found at Computer Reset - IBM 7496 Executive Workstation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh2OCBZpzZ8

I feel like starting a collection.

Where can I find a really cheap secure storage facility with a solid
roof and walls that won't let in the rain and weeds.

Deserted nuclear power station? Bunker?

--
Adrian C

In article <irle83F6iabU1@mid.individual.net>, email@here.invalid says...
>
> Across YouTube there are 'bearded explorer' types that venture upon a
> field or barn filled with abandoned cars in various states of encrumblement.
>

'Encrumblement' is the best new word of 2021, for sure.

(I googled it, and Google warns that "some results may be explicit". Even
better...)

--

Phil, London

Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@usually.sessile.org> wrote:
> On 26 Sep 2021 at 11:12:45 BST, "Theo"
> <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>
> > So can anyone suggest if there's any places out there where there might be
> > people interested in this stuff, or should I just tip them?
>
> Are any of them minimally-sized desktop ATX machines, by any chance? I'm
> currently building an Amiga A4000tx, an A4000 motherboard recreated in
> ATX shape, and I'm struggling really badly to find a box that isn't a
> massive black&RGB tower to put it in...

ATX? Youngsters today... no, they're all good old AT, two with a 5-pin DIN
connector and one with two PS/2 connectors in the hole where the DIN would
go.

PCPartpicker has some ATX HTPC cases, btw:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#t=11&f=2

> Also interested in the simms for the same purpose :) I have a pair of
> 8meg FPM but who knows if they'll work.

I need to go through and see what's in there. Any photos of the innards are
inevitably pictures of IDE ribbon cables and not much else.

> The other innards may be of interest to some folks I know who have a
> habit of building 90s-compatible computers for old games. I stick to my
> MiSTer's 486@33MHz (ish) FPGA core for my pre-3D card fix, far less
> trouble.

The cleanest one turns out to be an industrial PCI+ISA PC on a passive
motherboard, made by Tri-Map International. Who it appears still have a
90s-style website:
http://trimap-usa.com/index_files/Industrial_Systems.htm

There's some SIMMs marked IBM 64MB (8M x 36) which don't make sense - an
8Mbit x 36 SIMM would be 32MB ECC, not 64MB.

I kept one of the others as it has GPIB, ADC and digital IO ISA cards, but
never found a use for it.

Theo

On 30/09/2021 10:27, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
> Where can I find a really cheap secure storage facility with a solid
> roof and walls that won't let in the rain and weeds.
>
> Deserted nuclear power station? Bunker?

Somewhere with a much drier climate than the UK.

Though that one was near Dallas, which isn't that dry.

Andy