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No vintage computers In Texas!

A

apple2fan

Experienced Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2006
Messages
298
Location
United States, TX
I swear! there are NO VINTAGE COMPUTERS out here!!! I live In Texas, was born In New York, and there are just No places to find old computers around hear!:( Does anyone know of any old computers 'stores' in Texas? Besides eBay, you really can't find True old computers down hear. Sucks for me.
I did find an apple II original though! That's pretty hard to find.
 
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Gwcw

Gwcw

For the most part, I have the same problem in Austin. Thankfully, there is a Goodwill Computer Works store here in Austin (near the intersection of 183 and IH-35). They used to be in a different location and have much more older stuff (Ataris, Commodores, Kaypros, etc.), but today it's almost always PCs and Macs. Occasionally, they get in a bunch of old consoles or a beat up Amiga or something. I think they're trying to get more for money out of their vintage computer sales either via eBay or their own auctions. They have a museum next door that's open a few days a week.

There's also Game Over at 183 and Lamar, which mostly has video games, but I picked up my Atari 800XL there for $40 with a pair of working floppy drives.

In what part of Texas are you?

Brendan
 
I feel BOTH of ya. I'm in El Paso and there's nothign here. either. I was lucky enough once to find a C64 that was broken but it came with drives and a monitor and I was able to trade for a 128 here. There's one games store that has some atari stuff, I got the ONE 800 game they had and a several 2600 games and traded some stuff to Brendan (including the 800 game). The goodwills might have one vintage system a month or so and the thrift stores sell their consoles for no LESS than $25 with no accessories. I need to get to New Mexico more often.

/edit I just noticed this was my 666th post!
 
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666 hu? Gonna be a couple of months before I get that much!:)
I am In the Fort worth area.
I have found places that have computers from 1995 and up, but nothing major. Usually you can find stuff like that at Pawnshops, or school sales.
I have seen a old computer (type?) at a barley used, but It's gone now. No good luck at goodwill.:(
The best places are here, eBay, and a few "garage sale," places on line
 
Woohoo!

Woohoo!

Well, someone at Goodwill Computer Works must have read my post about them lacking vintage hardware, because they had an SGI Indigo there yesterday for $30. :inlove: The front door is missing and there are no hard drives or RAM, but I opened it up, and it appears to have a MIPS R4k and the top-of-the-line (for the Indigo, anyway) Elan graphics card with the 4 graphics engines and Z-buffer! It powers on, and although I wasn't successful in finding/installing RAM it liked, it did tell me that it was unhappy with the RAM via the serial terminal, so it's at least somewhat alive!

Sorry, not trying to make you guys feel jealous, but this is the _first_ time I've ever found an SGI in the wild, and probably my best find ever here in Texas.

Brendan
 
RAM for SGI Indigo R4k

RAM for SGI Indigo R4k

I've been exchanging messages with Sharkonwheels, and he not only told me to try 9600 n 8 1 on the serial port, but mentioned that it takes very standard 72-pin parity SIMMs, I think. I think the issue was that I hadn't placed them all in one contiguous bank, and have since found the bank layout by registering at SGI's web site and searching for Indigo in:

https://support.sgi.com/search_request/publications

If rearranging the RAM I have doesn't work, then I'll look around more, with the possibility of ECC in the back of my mind.
 
Searched Electronic Recyclers Texas

Searched Electronic Recyclers Texas

So When Austin came up.. The city of Austin tells you where to drop off unwanted computers, there was a list of 35 places..Now If that was here those bussiness's would have drop-off bins.. SSSoooo I might want to search the towns nearest you for their drop-off sites..
 
Hi,
You have to network. Eventually they will come to you. You have to be carefull of what you wish for you may get it. Have more than my share just given to me. Just when you think it is the last time you are going to get any large stash, there is another one. Had one person give me 4 station wagon loads of apple II/IIgs items.
Next you have to look for auctions of the city/school surplus. The glut of the Apple II has passed thur these years ago, but yet there is still some in the pipe line, or dark corner. Was at auction and they have some IIes, with software. These come up once or twice a year. Just have to keep looking.
Next is the Hamfest, these have been down sized over the years. But you never know what you will find. They had or have one in the Dallas area that was written about in the Detroit Free Press years ago. They talked about it started in the 40s. That the vendors would show up earlier and earlier for the best parking spot to sell from until they started to show up at midnight to start selling. They never said where it was exactly. Look like it was quite large. Not as large as Dayton's OH. But larger than anything around here.
The best thing I got at a Hamfest was the Mountain Expansion Chassie for the Apple II full of some cards for $5.00. That said, Hamfest start early and end early like before noon most of the time. Best deals are at the beginning and at the end. They are now around 30-40% computer related.
Here is the a Hamfest locator URL, just set it for the state and see if any are around for the next few months. They do not advertise, at least here in MI.

http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html


Here are some from Dayton's, OH

http://tmedlin.com/dayton.html

http://www.users.voicenet.com/~johnd15/hobbies.html

http://www.wa8dbw.ifip.com/Dayton2001.htm

Some of the Colleges have disposition centers, their hours may strange, as well as their pricing. The students may know where these are since they can get a discount. The ones over here have no software. They pitch it all. Afraid of all the legal issues.

Last but not least is the recyclers. I believe they have been getting the all the stuff, since the nobody wants to put up with auctions, and garage sales.
A city near me posted you can drop off your old computers. The recyclers usually charge you when you drop them off.

Take Care,
George
 
There is where I need to go!!! colleges that will give you vintage computer's!!!
That last one was sad!! A river literally ran right threw It.:cry:
 
Hi,
The colleges in Ann Arbor, won't give them away. Every one wants $$. That Hamfest in Dayton,OH goes on for 3 days. 75% of it is in a gigantic parking lot that covers acres. Walking it one time takes around 4-5 hours. It goes on rain or shine, or even snow. You should see the stuff left that did not sell or was rain soaked at the end. A bit too far withe price of gas now, the higher price to get in to make it really worth it. A 5 hour drive there, 5 hours of looking and pulling a cart, Ever try to carry something for 5 hours? Have to have some else to go with you to watch your stuff. and 5 hour drive back. Just to old or have too much already.

Take Care
 
I feel your pain, I know that there are 2 Commodore SX-64s over at Bussey's Flea Market off of exit 176 on IH-35, but the prices aren't so decent. I did find a compaq armada 1700 from the same place but the backlight inverter was shot and I sold it off as a parts machine. Some times you will luck out and find something good. Sometimes its best to ask around at local thrift stores. I remember there used to be a store up in Dallas that was FULL of old systems and sealed laserdisc packages and other such goodies. Shame they closed down.
 
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