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Show off your collection/setup

barythrin

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
6,256
Location
Texas
Ok, so I searched right quick and didn't see an obvious thread. I'm just curious if anyone is brave enough or willing to admit the clutter factor but how's your "collection" set up? Do you have it set up on a desk, or shelves? Ok personally I'm really looking at what shelving is the best set up. Interestingly I've seen somewhat cheap shelving at the CHM which surprised me (metal shelves with wire-frame shelves) like here http://vintage-computer.com/images/chmopenhouse/significantmachines.jpg and DigiBarn uses seemingly whatever they can get lol but I do see these commonly found shelves http://vintage-computer.com/images/digibarn/digibarnportables1.jpg. I have a mix of the Digibarn type but dislike the usual depth, I like the 2-foot depth ones to get the keyboard in front of the unit.

I'll post pictures later (too messy and I'm trying to figure out what shelves to buy for expanding my private "museum").

Thanks in advance and I think it's a great thread anyway to show off your ware. :)
 
Those common workshelves made of particle board that you have to bang together have an annoyingly sharp edge to the metal beams that easily shred off plastic (or skin) if you're not careful. I took a nice chunk of plastic out of a Gateway Internet Appliance I was trying very hard to keep in good condition, not to mention a few cuts and scrapes while assembling the shelves. I've since started using workgloves to assemble them.

In the photo you posted, it looks like they have some kind of felt padding over the shelf, but it's still a bit tricky.

I personally like the wireframe "bread rack" type, which IMO, are a little easier to assemble. The only thing I don't like is that small items tend to fall through or not sit properly (ie. rubber feet) if the spacing of the wire frames don't match the width.
 
Ok, so I searched right quick and didn't see an obvious thread. I'm just curious if anyone is brave enough or willing to admit the clutter factor but how's your "collection" set up?

Well, the only place mine is set up is on the web! It lives in cardboard boxes stacked three high on top of each other and occupying 2/3 of the floor space of my computer hobby room above the garage. The machines are easy to get at though and it's not too much of a problem to pull them out to play with them, test them or show them to visitors.

I would love to display the collection and when I retire years from now I hope to do that.

I suggested at one stage to my other half that we have a "vintage computer of the week" display in our lounge as a conversation piece. Errr...Lead ballons anyone? :)

Tez
 
My early video game stuff resides primarily in boxes taking up 1/2 a bedroom (save for the games and interesting peripherals, they are on display in the same room) Computer collection is out in the shop, it lives in a full size 4 shelf piece of warehouse pallet shelving and in stacks around the floor

-Lance
 
I've been contemplating this issue for the past week. I have a bunch of my collection boxed up all over the house and I really want to figure out a nice way to display them. The first photo of the wire racks isn't very appealing, but it is lightweight and sturdy. The second photo shows metal shelving. It isn't as sturdy and is unstable. They need to be anchored to a wall or they will tip over.
At first I bought a couple of metal equipment cabinets, but they are expensive and my collection quickly outgrew them. These are the ones I bought:They are 78" tall and 24" deep.

http://www.staples.com/Sandusky-Lar...4D-Putty/product_880049?cmArea=RIGHTRAIL+EZRO

This would be ideal, but totally out of my budget. Can't even find any used:

http://www.pcfurniturestore.com/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=11&subcat=62

So I thought I might make something similar from wood and use pre-made kitchen countertop since it is 24" deep and very sturdy.

http://www.homedepot.com/Kitchen-Co...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
 
Great topic. I've actually been in the process of constructing a climate controlled storage/display area in my basement for about 5 months now. It's almost completed. Yay! It's currently not all that large now due to money restraints, but I do have room to expand it in the future if I need too. The room measures 8' by 16' with three 20 amp circuits, a dehumidifier and a make shift heating setup.

I think I can get eight maybe nine machines in without it being too terribly cramped. Everything in my collection was previously in storage out of state and the last of it finally arrived here a few weeks ago. It'll be interesting to see how well everything has survived over time.

I took a LOT of pictures of this project along the way, seeing as this is probably one of the more ambitious projects I've tackled in a while. :)

Pics of the construction process along the way. ----> http://www.welook4things.com/construction_resized/album/index.html

Pics of some of the electrical stuff. ----> http://www.welook4things.com/electrical_resized/album/index.html


Tom
 
Great topic. I've actually been in the process of constructing a climate controlled storage/display area in my basement for about 5 months now. It's almost completed. Yay! It's currently not all that large now due to money restraints, but I do have room to expand it in the future if I need too. The room measures 8' by 16' with three 20 amp circuits, a dehumidifier and a make shift heating setup.

I think I can get eight maybe nine machines in without it being too terribly cramped. Everything in my collection was previously in storage out of state and the last of it finally arrived here a few weeks ago. It'll be interesting to see how well everything has survived over time.

I took a LOT of pictures of this project along the way, seeing as this is probably one of the more ambitious projects I've tackled in a while. :)

Pics of the construction process along the way. ----> http://www.welook4things.com/construction_resized/album/index.html

Pics of some of the electrical stuff. ----> http://www.welook4things.com/electrical_resized/album/index.html


Tom

Nice! Well lit! Nice countertops! I like the old Marantz receiver. Definitely a collectible. Back in the day they were considered high quality.
 
Sweet setup Tom, thats going to be really first class when its finished. The Marantz tuner is a nice touch. What are the 3 units in the base of the stereo cabinet?

-Lance
 
Very nice Tom! Looks great. The other thing you can do also besides some systems below the desk is another shelf layer above that one. So again.. not MY collection.. but Bo did a similar thing with one of the rooms in his place for his massive Commodore collection. He has a mix of items in boxes/stored but also has a great display and all of the items plugged in and ready to power on/demo off to folks. He did similar shelving to yourself. http://zimmers.net/cbmpics/roundrock2.html and http://zimmers.net/cbmpics/roundrock3.html which works pretty well and to be honest looks great (I think yours looks nicer with the dark paint) but it's surprisingly efficient.

I just found one of the shelf units I've used previously is no longer for sale in pieces at Home Depot. I've used a variety of shelves depending on money constraints at the time. The best ones (most expensive) were Z-frame steel shelving similar to http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=116654-1281-GB504440&lpage=none but I have 4 shelves out of it since I bought the pieces separate.

I have a few of these http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Sh...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 although they're not full of the heaviest stuff but I haven't had stability issues (although they're not often tugged on so perhaps they're worse).

The I cheaped out just for some boxes and bought the cheap plastic shelves for $50 a piece to put boxes on here and there.
 
I've got a bunch of Gorilla Racks installed in the garage on which most of my collection is stored. Those who have been there in person know that the racks are almost invisible behind the piled boxes and other bits of the collection, but they are at the base of my storage solution. :)
 
Wow, thanks everyone for the kind comments. :)

Chuckster_in_Jax

The Marantz receiver I purchased a while back on Ebay. The reason I wanted that particular model was that it was the same exact one that my Dad had at home when I was a teenager. I still have his voice echoing in my head as he screamed at me to "Turn that damm thing down!!!" So when I saw it I just had to have it! I really didn't know much about it being collectible until after I purchased it. I also bought a lamp replacement kit for it to install later. The dial lighting has a slight green tint to it now and I'd like to eventually get it back to it's original deep blue color.

Darshevo

The coils on the bottom shelf are actually 1000 watt dimmers. I think they may have been originally for theater lighting. The plan is to install 3 of these low rpm gear motors ---> http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/DCM-276/5-RPM-GEAR-MOTOR-12VDC/-/1.html on top somehow and make a motorized light dimmer for the low voltage halogens in the ceiling. I'm beginning to think the halogens were a mistake. They do not last very long and the ceiling tiles have to be removed in order to replace them. Dust and dirt everywhere, not good. I figure if I only run them at about 9 or 10 volts max instead of 12 hopefully they will last longer.

offensive_Jerk

The IBM school house clock I also purchased on Ebay. I was a bit unsure about buying one of these because of my experiences with a similar style of Stromberg clock we have at the school where I work. The problem we have is that the self-correction mechanics tend to get jammed up over time and results in gear failure. So far this one seems to be keeping time pretty well.

Tom
 
I store and use the collection in the basement. Currently have 2 folding tables setup along with 2 desks (one L- shaped) for setup machines. There are 6 bookshelves (3 are the tall 7' ones) full of software, magazines, etc. For the machines I am not currently using they fit under tables and on 2 black wire shelving units (5 shelves atleast 800lbs rated each I think). I have 4 wheeled plastic carts joined up for misc parts (2 wide and 2 tall) plus over a dozen plastic tubs with lids for other pieces parts. Also some large carboard boxes holding motherboards and cards. There is also shelving on some walls where I keep stuff. basically one huge mess since there are machines that need put away.

A couple pieces are in the garage plus a few monitors I don't use. In my room I have 5 gaming PCs under my L-shaped desk plus some recent software I use. I also store good boxes (incase I ever want to ship anything) in the garage (its a big one with 2 seperate door and spaces in between and in the rear for storage).

At one point I had every machine setup and ready to run, but that was a couple years ago and I have been getting too much stuff since then.
 
let's see...

Deskpro and P4 systems are sitting in the floor
The server is in my closet on a shelf
IBM PS/2 model 25 is on my desk
The laptops just wander.
 
Hmm...

Vintage laptops packed in a box or on top of each other.

I'd make a Sun collector shiver as I have a stack roughly a meter cubed of Sparcstation (5/10/20/IPC/LX) and their associated 411/611/711/811 cases. A bunch of SGIs nestled are against those.

TS1000s neatly stacked, older TRS-80 and Commodore hardware in their boxes under my table.

And now a stack of Sun Netra and Cisco hardware on top of one of my PC towers. I really a need a rack for those.

Not so much display as keeping what I am playing with organized.

Matt
 
Current work in (not enough) progress, the garage:
heaters.jpg

I've gotta get that Apple stuff out of the way.
 
Space is always an issue isn't it.

There are a few balancing acts there. I'm assuming you don't get earthquakes? :)

Tez
 
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