Author Topic: Junk collecting is a public service!  (Read 6446 times)

Offline John Hill

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Junk collecting is a public service!
« on: May 19, 2009, 05:42:37 PM »
Thats what I tell my wife, junk collecting is a public service.  There have been a few times when I have been able to save junk from the landfill and give it a dry home until it becomes desirable.

When I eventually need the space I will pass it on to someone who will really take care of it, a museum can be a good choice but not always.  Sometimes 'colectors' will pay handsomely as for example this Collins radio transmitter, circa 1950's  which I kept in my garage for 25 years then sold to someone a long way away.



Read the other guy's story here http://www.k9qi.com/page32.html

Sometimes it does not go so well,  I collected 3 complets sets of Teletype Corp model 15 (c1936) teleprinters, power supplies, tape perforators, tape readers, page printers etc.


  Most were serviceable spares taken from the workshops when those machines were being phased out in 1977.  I kept those about 15 years then took them them a technology museum.  I had kept them in working order and would sometimes run them all at once to amuse small kids (and their parents).  They had all be regeared for 50 baud working and of course I had cartons of spares, manuals, calibration scopes and motor strobes.  Then I got a call from a musesum two hours drive from here who were looking to set up a working display of telegraph equipment, next time I went by that way I took a look and I was most impressed.  They had a lot of stuff including radio, telegraph, cable and first generation fax equipment. They also had two fully working telephone exchanges (automatic) Strowger and step by step (I think).  So I told them what I had and they were most excited.  There was a full load for my ute in fact probably a slight overload and it was gratefully accepted.  But three years later when I next looked in there was a sorry sight to see, nothing had been done and the shed they were in had leaked and other stuff had been piled on them.  The guy who was showing me around did not know the history and remarked "I dont know why people give us useless junk like this".. :(


Other times, like the IBM card punch and the Fridan Adjustawriter (fully programmable, entirely mechanical, word processer) I run out of space and just reduce the entire item to pieces to go in the parts bins! :ddb:
« Last Edit: May 19, 2009, 05:48:16 PM by John Hill »
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Offline SPiN Racing

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2009, 10:36:11 PM »
 :(

Makes me sad to hear people are soo stupid like the museum person.

I still have my Dad and my Kaypro II computer. And all the original software. CPM and the DOS programs from later on. I am loathe to get rid of it.. or let anyone have it.. simply because I dont want it to be tossed in someones trash some day.

Matter of fact.. one of my co-workers asked me last night if I wanted a 486 he has had in his closet for the last unknown period of time.  Of course I said HELL YES. I had thrown away all my old 486 PCs years ago.. but still have the software etc. Sooo I will carefully make sure it works, and then pickle it, and put it in the closet to come out some day in the future.

I wish I had the first computer we ever had, a Sinclair. Not the Timex Sinclair.. the original Sinclair. And the "tape drive" backup...
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Offline sbwhart

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2009, 02:53:47 AM »
We've still got the first computer we had stored away in the loft a Dragon 32 along with an Atari. Some day they will be a clasic.   :) :)

Stew
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Offline PTsideshow

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2009, 05:35:49 AM »
Still have the Timex/Sinclair with the 16 plug in memory box, An Colec Adam setup and all the books that where written about it. Along with the Commodore SZ-64 the first 16 pound portable computer. 5" green screen,keyboard in the lid of the case. Along with a number of 64's a 128 and some assorted PC's. Software and such.
glen
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Offline Darren

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2009, 05:50:23 AM »
Personal view,

Some things will never be of any use again, I believe that include old computers, Throw them out  :ddb: :ddb: :ddb:
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline usn ret

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2009, 02:54:35 PM »
However, don't throw out the old computers until dtored data and info has been transferred to modern software and storage media.  Once it is gone, it is gone. :bugeye:  Just my $ 00.02
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Offline rleete

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2009, 04:02:26 PM »
I have long since gotten rid of any old computers I had.  Recently, I came across a box of old games I had.  Thinking it would be fun to fire up some of the old stuff, I eagerly went to the computer to load them.

Only to discover that they were all on the old 5.25 floppy discs.  Haven't had one of those drives in ages!   :(
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Offline Darren

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2009, 04:13:37 PM »
You could probably find all the games somewhere on the net to download.

Would take up far less room than storing them.... :ddb:
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline Darren

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2009, 04:22:58 PM »
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline sbwhart

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2009, 04:55:51 PM »
Wow Darren that takes me back

My kids use to play a game called Galax Attack our son was the supreme champion it could keep one game going for two or three hours, the only way we could get him off it was to unplug the power  :zap:

Stew
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Offline CrewCab

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2009, 06:29:57 PM »
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh  .................. Computer Game's ................. never ever, ever allowed on my computer .............  ever  :scratch: ............. unless it was called Lemmings  ::) :bugeye: :med:


Sad I know  :beer: ........... that's why I took to alcohol  :lol:

CC

Offline SPiN Racing

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2009, 03:49:08 AM »
Whats kinda funny about them not being used anymore...

My brother (Rip) used to be manager of a resteraunt chain in town here. And he was the manager of one store, but was handling all the inventory for the bar portion of 10 of them. The hilarious thing... He brought in the Kaypro II with the DOS daughter card out of it, so it was running on CPM. He also ran Perfect Calc on it.. and did all the inventory and payroll on it. Thing is... Nobody knew how to use the thing cause nobody knew what CPM was. Nor how to do anything with it once you turned it on. A Flashing cursor made them think it was waiting to load something..  Plus you neededd the floppys, as there were no hard disks back then. Granted the Kaypro 10 that came out later had a 10MB disk on it.. and was hideously expensive. The funniest part.... this was about 5 years ago.  :headbang:
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Offline John Hill

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Re: Junk collecting is a public service!
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2009, 05:03:05 AM »
A few years ago, but not so many as you might think, we returned from sailing on my friends yacht and the owner of the boatyard asked if one of us could 'look at' the office computer.  My "friend" helpfully piped up "John knows about computers!"  and I was on my way.

It was a Dos computer and the woman who operated it helpfully showed me the 'program',  they were operating a 20 man labour force caring for and repairing boats on a computer where the only 'program' was a Dos batch file which must have used every command line possible and ran to several pages! :doh:  No doubt it was a very clever piece of work and someone had spent a lot of time to get it right but now it just looped continuously.   I was careful to ask before touching anything if she had backups.  "Oh yes" she said "I do a full backup at the end of every month" and she showed me the 'backups' all nicely printed out and neatly placed in the filing cabinets!  :bugeye:

Fortunately and perhaps to everyone's astonishment especially mine I was able to fix her problem, it seemed someone had been looking at the batch listing and on about the second page they had inadvertantly inserted a line break.  It was not hard to spot and I was mightily relieved when the batch ran perfectly and I had good cause to be as by then the others were well into the  :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:
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