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Why am I holding on to these vintage PC parts?

B

BernieK

New Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
6
I am cleaning up and wondering why I am holding on to these vintage PC parts? I wonder if trying to sell them (as one big lot) is even worth the effort.

(01) IBM PC/XT mainboard with Inboard386/PC cable attached. 640K on the mainboard. Later model. Purchased new long ago.

(02) IBM PC/XT mainboard 64K - 256K board. 8087-2 present

(03) Penta 8 bit I/O card with clock. Should have the manual and disk filed away.

(04) Three AST SixPack Plus cards. Looks like one set of cables for them. Not sure on the pinout of those old cables. Should have the manual and disk somewhere.

(05) WD1002A-FOX F002 X3 floppy controller. No BIOS on this one. See 06 also. Looks like someone good with a soldering iron and and EPROM programmer could turn this into 06.

(06) WD1002A-FOX F004 X5 floppy controller. BIOS on this one. Similar to 05 but with a BIOS.

(07) Two Sysgen Omnibridge floppy controllers. Has a BIOS. Allows using a 1.44M floppy (and 1.2M floppy) in a PC/XT. I should have the manual and driver disk for this.

(08) Two Orchid RamQuest 8/16 EMS cards. These work in 8 bit slots. One was sent back to Orchid way back when, with a original PC, to get reprogrammed to function with a 4.77 MHz IBM PC. The second does not have the EEPROM for the FPGA at all, but still functions, strange. I should have the manual and driver disk for this. I have one of these installed in a 80386 at the moment. Not sure why I am keeping that 80386 either.

(09) Two Plus Development HardCard 20 Meg, 8 bit.

(10) Plus Development HardCard 40 Meg. I think one of the hardcards might have the driver software in the root directory.

(11) Intel Inboard 386/PC with 80387. No memory option. I should have the manual and driver disk for this.

(12) Intel Inboard 386/PC with 80387. Has a memory option. Not sure how large though.

(13) Hercules monochrome video card

(14) Hercules Incolor (monochrome but color ... EGA output) video card. Have manual and driver disk

(15) Two "true blue" IBM 8-bit VGA adapters! Have the manuals and I suspect a driver disk for a PS/2 model 30.

(16) SoundBlaster Pro. Have manual and driver disk.

(17+) Oh , I almost forgot, how could I do such a thing, two original Copy II PC option boards and two Copy II PC deluxe option boards!

(18) 8-bit Paradise VGA card.

(19) One recently dead IBM PC/XT 286 mainboard. It tries to boot, it really does. Seems the CMOS memory or first 64K is bad. Remember to change the batteries in your old computers! The batteries powering the CMOS corroded and put some corrosion on things. It does not look that bad. My cleaning should have fixed it. Maybe it just needs some really good contact cleaner or something. So sad this thing has died. Its death may have prompted this forum post.

(20-) Well sort of anyway, the VGA Wonder XL24 is in the 80386 mentioned above. One ATI VGA Wonder, one ATI VGA Wonder XL, and one ATI VGA Wonder XL24. You need to configure these for 8 bit mode using a 16 bit slot before using them in an 8 bit slot most likely. (no mice for these ... all three come with a built in, proprietary, mouse port). I should have the manuals and driver disk for one of these somewhere.

Note: no XT keyboard.
Note: no original floppy drives
Note: no original hard drives, nor any MFM or RLL hard drives
Note: no original cases
Note: no original monitors

The Perstor controller for MFM / RLL drives died long ago, but I think I still have the manual and drivers for it somewhere.

Countless other manuals and driver disks from this PC era.

One huge , full tower , 12 slot California PC products solid steel case with casters. Big and heavy. Getting old and starting to rust.

And how could I forget these manuals.

(a) IBM Technical Reference Personal Computer AT

(b) IBM Technical Reference Personal Computer XT and portable PC

(c) IBM Technical Reference DOS 3.30

(d) IBM Guild to Operation Personal Computer AT

(e) IBM Technical Reference Personal Computer XT

(f) IBM Hardware Maintenance and Service Personal Computer. Three volume set. Volume 3 has a difference part number though, strange.

(g) IBM Technical Reference PC Network

(h) IBM Guide to Operations Personal Computer XT

(i) IBM Installation and Setup Personal Computer AT

(j) IBM DOS Technical Reference 3.00

(k) IBM DOS Technical Reference 2.10

(l) IBM DOS 2.10

(m) IBM DOS 3.2

(n) IBM DOS 3.3

(o) IBM PC Network 1.00

(p) IBM BASIC Reference 3.0

Undoubtable more stuff lying around (hmm ... there is QRAM 286 still shrink wrapped! (the precursor to QEMM386))

Rant: I have four IDE controllers with a BIOS ... all four use the 80386 instruction set. No luck getting them to run on an 80286, despite what their specifications say.

I am tired of moving this stuff all around. Any suggestions on what to do with it?

I am not even sure why I registered with this site and posted this message today. Even at $10 per card, the cards would add up to over $300. It is sort of sad, when I think that the true value of this stuff may be zero these days. Even shipping it somewhere would be quite a bit of effort to pack everything up properly, not to mention the shipping charges. I shutter to think of what the true value of this vintage stuff should be. I should probable take pictures, pack it all up, and list it on eBay for $1000 or more and be patient. So sad, a modern day value of close to zero, but a sentimental value far greater.

Sincerely,

-BernieK
 
Nice selection of vintage stuff, Bernie!

Those Sysgen Omnibridges and the WD FOX conrollers still have a fair amount of value, believe it or not. I'd definitely eBay those--you might be surprised.

Ditto for the DOB's.

Shame about not having that PerStor controller--one of the few to do ARLL.

The Herc Incolor card is fairly rare and is probably worth an auction as well. Is the Herc monochrome a plain old graphics or the Graphics Plus (fairly uncommon)?
 
Chuck(G) said:
Nice selection of vintage stuff, Bernie!

Those Sysgen Omnibridges and the WD FOX conrollers still have a fair amount of value, believe it or not. I'd definitely eBay those--you might be surprised.

Ditto for the DOB's.

Shame about not having that PerStor controller--one of the few to do ARLL.

The Herc Incolor card is fairly rare and is probably worth an auction as well. Is the Herc monochrome a plain old graphics or the Graphics Plus (fairly uncommon)?
Click to expand...


The Perstor controller broke :( so I discarded it long ago.


I got the Hercules monochrome card when I was addicted to eBay for a few months. I am trying to figure out which card it is. Here are some numbers off it:

(c) 1988 Hercules Computer Technology

GB102Z REV. A In copper on the back of the card

G-Z90100419 on a sticker on the back

FCC ID. EW65T5HERCULESHAR silkscreen on the front

No model number anywhere on the card.


-BernieK

P.S. Who would guess the hardest part of assembling a PC/XT is the keyboard! I found these forums looking for an adapter to connect an AT keyboard to an XT, well connect my KVM switch to the XT anyway. (The KVM switch does allow me to connect the PS/2 mouse to a serial port though!)
 
Lots of goodies in there, LOTS of goodies in there. PLEASE don't sell it as a lot, as there is several single parts in there I am interested in. Sending you a PM with a list (just in cause).
 
Bernie,

Where are you located? You could certainly list them individually at the marketplace on this site. There's no fee to post things and that'll get you a hit on some of the better things. I know how you feel with knowing how much things cost new and the devaluing on most of it. A lot of collecting isn't based on monetary gain. Heck even the vintage stuff I've bought over the years may have gone down in value or may break while I have it. Fixing it is just in the game and there has to be some desire there.

The thing that everyone (and myself) is probably PMing you about out of that mix could be the option boards. Those are bit difficult to find and still useful to back up the data that we're all collecting (and losing) due to age. Great for collectors but a PITA to find.

- John
 
I should probable take pictures, pack it all up, and list it on eBay for $1000 or more and be patient.
Click to expand...

Echoing others' sentiments, it'll be hard to find takers on a whole lot like that, especially at that sort of price. People are going to be far more likely to pick up a few cards and books for a few bucks apiece, than taking a whole truckload of stuff. I know there are several things you have listed that I'd love to have, but I just can't justify buying all of it.

As for the hassle of shipping, well, you're going to have a hassle regardless, unless you sell it for local pick up only (which has its own downsides). Putting things into smaller individual boxes is going to take about the same effort as securely packing everything into large boxes. You can save some hassles by using USPS flat-rate boxes for smaller items, and for larger stuff, many stores will gladly give you some discarded boxes and packing materials if you ask nicely.

My suggestion: Put up an ad in the classifieds here. I know you'd sell some of it there, probably quite a bit of it, and then for the stuff that doesn't sell, you could divide it up into a couple smaller lots and list it on eBay.
 
BernieK said:
P.S. Who would guess the hardest part of assembling a PC/XT is the keyboard! I found these forums looking for an adapter to connect an AT keyboard to an XT, well connect my KVM switch to the XT anyway. (The KVM switch does allow me to connect the PS/2 mouse to a serial port though!)
Click to expand...

Take a look under the "Technical Support Hardware" section. Hargle's getting ready to ship some AT/PS2-to-XT kits. Or you can build your own--the source and object is in the same thread.

The Herc sounds like the plain Hercules graphics card. ISTR that the Plus is identifed as such on the board.
 
per said:
didn't you pick up like 3 hauls or something like that pretty recently? How can you possibly fit everything inside your house, or are you storing it outside :shock: ?
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30 x 70 foot two story building. 2,000 sf per floor, 4,000 total.
 
I might - MIGHT (no guarantees!) have a second order on the 8 bit ISA VGA card in addition to my own (in the case of me it has to be cheap, I can't afford much) if you're interested/able to let them go on their own. The second order would be a friend with an XT clone who is interested in dropping the extra monitor...for the non-hardcore-hobbyist extra monitors are a real problem.

To expand on my brief earlier post:
I am very, VERY interested in one. I do not (and by preference never will) have a pre-VGA type monitor in the house (too much electricity, health concerns, space concerns) so a natively 8-bit VGA card is of huge benefit to me in my project XT-type system I am so desperately wanting to build up (and have been since 2005). I've been using a (highly glitchy) 16 bit card with moderate success up to now but I imagine those glitches would go away using a proper card.
 
I am busy until early next week, so I will not be around until then.

Just letting a bunch of you what is up. I received quite a few private messages and emails, in addition to the replies.

<context switch>

I think I will be trying to revive the PC/XT, assuming I can figure out how to connect an AT keyboard to it, well my KVM switch to it anyway. For some reason, I just don't want the Copy II PC option boards to die.

I need most of the parts above as spares. I like to have at least two of each.

A couple things that there is interest for I think I will part with: the Inboard386/PC boards and the true blue IBM vga boards. I just have to decide who will get them. I don't want to split them up, so the new owner has a spare. More than one person is interested in each of those items.

(There are too few slots to fit all the cards in at the same time. Why does slot 8 not work with most cards, why? What were they thinking when they designed it?)

<context switch>

I only have two Inboard386/PC cards. One I originally purchased, and one from eBay.

Seems I have three deluxe option boards, and two original ones. I think the deluxe version does all that the original one did. So, I am still a bit undecided, but I might part with the two original ones; still undecided though, and the same deal as the other boards, one person gets both.

I found a third Hercules monochrome card (well the Incolor card actually...) in the original Option Board box! Why I put it in there, who knows. I think I might have all three Hercules monochrome cards. One is definitely the Incolor card. The other two have different PC boards.

Sincerely,

-Bernie
 
Bernie, from what i've heard, you can't hook an AT type keyboard to an XT. While the pins may be the same, the controller chips are different, so it won't work.

Just repeating what i've heard.
 
barythrin said:
Dude.. that's over twice the size of my house. But.. instead of being jealous I'll be envious. I need to do that.. though I can't see how I wouldn't end up living there.
Click to expand...

It was an old meeting hall I picked up for under 2 k. Still needs work but taxes are $365.00 a year. Can't beat a dollar a day. I originally used it to store my home remodeling/contracting left overs and old architectural items I salvaged, eventually adding furniture. Then I slowly got out of the building business after I got married and have slowly been adding electronics like computers, radio and TV stuff as well as antiques and collectibles. I am thinking of liquidating and moving south end of this year or next though. I'll continue to grab all I can get and sell some on ebay until I do. I might take the cream of the crop with me and sell off what's left.
 
linuxlove said:
Bernie, from what i've heard, you can't hook an AT type keyboard to an XT. While the pins may be the same, the controller chips are different, so it won't work.

Just repeating what i've heard.
Click to expand...

You are correct.

However, I found this website while looking for an adapter. Check on of the other forums. It seems there is a project underway to make such an adapter.

-Bernie
 
BernieK said:
You are correct.

However, I found this website while looking for an adapter. Check on of the other forums. It seems there is a project underway to make such an adapter.

-Bernie
Click to expand...

yep. PCBs are on their way to me right now, it could be about a month before I'm in production with the things, assuming there are no design bugs and my eeprom programmer can handle the PIC devices. You may have to ping me when they are available; I suspect I will be very busy!
 
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