Anyone here collects old computers?
- Thread starter Telecolor 3007
- Start date
DonQuixote99
just give me some truth
Hmmm...I know it goes the other way--you send a resolution to a CRT that's too high for the CRT, and THAT can kill it. Learned the hard way, in fact. But if you do have a 15-pin vga connector on the computer, any monitor with a matching connector should work. 'Standard' VGA--640x480--remains a 'lowest common denominator' resolution.
So what you need is an ISA VGA adaptor board for your 286. And yes, you can get one.
BTW, here's a forum that's got a real forcus on this stuff: http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/forum.php?
So what you need is an ISA VGA adaptor board for your 286. And yes, you can get one.
BTW, here's a forum that's got a real forcus on this stuff: http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/forum.php?
Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
Peanut Head
Here's my blast from the past...
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1340509&postcount=21
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1340509&postcount=21
DonQuixote99
just give me some truth
Main trick will be to get, or be able to get, appropriate sw drivers for the ISA VGA card. But ISA and VGA are 'standards.' Get a board with those specs, and it should work. Compatibility across manufacturers is an astonishing strength of the 'PC' lineage of computers.
Of course, you may have to tinker with 'interrupts' if you swap hardware in and out of a machine of that vintage....
Of course, you may have to tinker with 'interrupts' if you swap hardware in and out of a machine of that vintage....
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hrballenger
Well-Known Member
Still have my ( 2 ) TI-99/4's, Coleco Adam, a few Commodore 64's, two Commodore A2000's, and an old windoZe laptop. Regret parting with my two original home computers, an Altair 880 ( built from a kit in 1976 ) and a HP2000A ( purchased used in 1979 ). Didn't enter the windows world at home until 2001, with a home assembled Athlon based Win200Pro system I set up to dabble in the digital photography world with ( typing this on that system 
). Also have two pentium 4 desktops with XP Pro and a Compaq Laptop with XP home all networked together with this Win200 system.
). Also have two pentium 4 desktops with XP Pro and a Compaq Laptop with XP home all networked together with this Win200 system.
Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
Thanks a lot for that site!
You guys around here have a lot of nice old stuff, stuff that I can only dream about.
B.t.w., I got me some ol hard disks. I will use one to make my 386 working.
AnalogDigit
Realistic fan.
I remember back in the early 1990's, I had a ISA card that supported a VGA monitor. I think the name of the company was ATI. The resolution was 640 x 480 with 256 colors. Maybe you can locate one on the used market.
Anybody remember Geoworks? It was a GUI interface that ran over DOS but can be run on XT computers.
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Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
Someone owns a nice Romanian computer: http://acoustiq.ro/vintage/Systems/ICE Felix Student PC-XT/StudentXT - Unit.jpg
And on the inside: http://acoustiq.ro/vintage/Systems/ICE Felix Student PC-XT/
All of his computer collection: http://acoustiq.ro/vintage/Systems/
And on the inside: http://acoustiq.ro/vintage/Systems/ICE Felix Student PC-XT/
All of his computer collection: http://acoustiq.ro/vintage/Systems/
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That's the computer I cut my teeth on, only it had 4K of ram and tape drive. We programmed our own games like artillery and Hamruabi until flight similator and asteroids came along.
Geoworks was written for IBM's OS/2.
AnalogDigit
Realistic fan.
I don't think so, here the version that I was talking about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEOS_(16-bit_operating_system)
BrianR
Randomly Variable Anomaly
Got an old Tandy TRS-80 Model 4D sitting here. It was given to me by a coworker who wanted it out of his shed. Initially, it powered up with gibberish characters all over the screen, but after warming up half an hour or so, it booted normally.
I've also got a new in the box Tandy 100 clone here somewhere. Neat little machines. I still see a 100 running as a terminal or something once in a while.
The first home computer we had was a Tandy CoCo, then an Apple ][+. Wish I could find that Apple. Failing that, I'd like to pick up a clean ][e and/or a GS.
I've also got a new in the box Tandy 100 clone here somewhere. Neat little machines. I still see a 100 running as a terminal or something once in a while.
The first home computer we had was a Tandy CoCo, then an Apple ][+. Wish I could find that Apple. Failing that, I'd like to pick up a clean ][e and/or a GS.
Brian
An Old Geezer
The 100 was the first latop. I bought 1 and used it in law school. I uploaded it to my Model 16 to finish assignments and my thesis for final formatting and printing. Scriptsit was the cat's meow. It was a workhorse. I was the first student on campus to have a laptop and when the administration saw it they had a hearing to determine if it would be allowed on campus. They initially determined it would not be allowed and I finally stated the obvious that it was coming and there was no decision they could make to stop it. The computer age was here and the best they coud do was work on how to integrate it in the system and not try to seclude themselves from the march of technology and the real world. They finally rversed there decision. As they saw me use it, they continued to hold meetings to see if it would be permitted for that partiular prose or use. These were the same group that hid the Westlaw terminals in a closed locked room and only allowed access to upper classpersons on special application. It did not bother me as I'd go home, fire up the 16, load up the Westlaw program and dial out. The subscription was from my accounting firm.
My 100 was loaded to the hilt with maxed out ram (think it was 32k) and the ROM based programs. I usually kept Scripsit and the spreadsheet program ROMs in it. Also, had a pair of the floppy drives and the cassette that I bought before the floppy drives
came out. It was a treat to have friends over and hook it up the the huge Tandy chain printer that was HUGE and hit the print button. If you ever wanted to see jaws drop.
At first I was not sure if it was a reasonable purchase for school but at the time, typing services were charging between $1 and $2 per page and most of the students went through at least 2 rewrites. I figured by the end of school I came near breakeven and even not, the difference would be worth it since I could use it for work which I did for several years after.
The 100 was still a favorite of news journalists for years and only a few years ago I saw an advert looking for them for that purpose.
My 100 was loaded to the hilt with maxed out ram (think it was 32k) and the ROM based programs. I usually kept Scripsit and the spreadsheet program ROMs in it. Also, had a pair of the floppy drives and the cassette that I bought before the floppy drives
came out. It was a treat to have friends over and hook it up the the huge Tandy chain printer that was HUGE and hit the print button. If you ever wanted to see jaws drop.
At first I was not sure if it was a reasonable purchase for school but at the time, typing services were charging between $1 and $2 per page and most of the students went through at least 2 rewrites. I figured by the end of school I came near breakeven and even not, the difference would be worth it since I could use it for work which I did for several years after.
The 100 was still a favorite of news journalists for years and only a few years ago I saw an advert looking for them for that purpose.
ZebraBlvd
Lunatic Member
I've only got two left from days long past, a Sanyo MBC 1250 (CP/M) and a Kaypro 16/2. To this day I still catch myself thinking about the CP/M PIP command when I'm @ the command line of a PC doing a copy statement.
I think this thread has prompted me to go dig those boys out of storage. It has been probably 8 years since I laid eyes on them. They need to be displayed and not in some dark hole. Thanks OP for bringing this topic up. :thmbsp:
While typing this I did remember an ad for the Kaypro I had laminated many, many, many, many years ago. I need to get that thing framed also. Strange the things we keep isn't it.
I think this thread has prompted me to go dig those boys out of storage. It has been probably 8 years since I laid eyes on them. They need to be displayed and not in some dark hole. Thanks OP for bringing this topic up. :thmbsp:
While typing this I did remember an ad for the Kaypro I had laminated many, many, many, many years ago. I need to get that thing framed also. Strange the things we keep isn't it.
Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
Heh, portable computers. I admired on wikipedia a "Compaq" Portable.
B.t.w., I'm curios, what laptops where where popular in Japan? In Sailor Moon, ep 7 ("Usagi Learns a Lesson! The Road to Stardom is Tough") or 4 in U.S.A. ("So You Want to Be a Superstar") Umino plays with this. The epiosde is from 1992. Probably was not so uncomon to have a small laptop in Japan, but to have internet in 1992 (he tells that he bought a poster with Mikan from a certian internet store) I think was something even for Japan.
Talking of internet, the .ro domain apeared in 1993 and it was free up until 1995.
B.t.w., I'm curios, what laptops where where popular in Japan? In Sailor Moon, ep 7 ("Usagi Learns a Lesson! The Road to Stardom is Tough") or 4 in U.S.A. ("So You Want to Be a Superstar") Umino plays with this. The epiosde is from 1992. Probably was not so uncomon to have a small laptop in Japan, but to have internet in 1992 (he tells that he bought a poster with Mikan from a certian internet store) I think was something even for Japan.
Talking of internet, the .ro domain apeared in 1993 and it was free up until 1995.
Attachments
Wow, I remember that now - it boots up running whatever video card you selected with that switch - of course your machine had to actually have the appropriate card installed. The now-totally-useless things I used to know...
I think all the PS/2 models used VGA. I had forgtten EGA until someone mentioned it, and I don't even remember when or what computers it was used on.
But see that keyboard? That's exactly what I'm typing on now.
The IBM Model M's have become rather rare at thrift stores. I remember 1997 or so, seeing about half a dozen Model M's in a thrift store for three bucks each - I could kick myself in that I ONLY bought two or three of them! Not that I haven't made up for it since, but still...
Oh yeah, I have one of these Radio Shack Model 102 because it looked so lonely at the yard sale so long ago:
http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/Tandy102PC.htm
I've got other stuff, I forget all what...