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An Eclectic Canadian Collection of IBM PC compatibles

pinkdonut666

Experienced Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
195
Location
Alberta Canada
Greetings from Canada, just thought I would share some of my strange/Eclectic collection here in Canada.

It's a little bit odd for some that I'm only 23 and collecting 80s and 90s hardware, but hey I like this stuff! I've only recently gotten into IBM PC compatibles this last year after purchasing an IBM 5150. But ive been collecting game consoles since I was 7 or 8. ATari VCS - Dreamcast

here is some of the crap I have around here in no particular order:

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my 5150 when I first got it. man I love the looks of this machine. a truly timeless classic.

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Do you (or anyone else) have any really Canadian-origin systems? (e.g. AES, MCM, etc.) Those would pretty much date back to the (Pierre) Trudeau days.
 
That is a very nice collection there.

I particularly like the "IPC 486" tower.

Thanks! :)

Me too, it's kind of a cheap crap system, or it was when I got it. PC chips Motherboard, ISA only. 30pin sims only.

It's now got a DX2 66mhz Overdrive CPU, 32mb of ram, 2gb IDE hard drive, Sound Blaster Pro 2.0, and a 1mb Trident VGA card.
 
Not odd at all, and we're happy to have you. You've already got a really nice collection, and it looks like most of it is in working condition too.

I've definitely been learning how to repair this stuff that's for sure, but I try to get everything working as best as I can. As we probably all know very often this stuff needs repairs.
 
Do you (or anyone else) have any really Canadian-origin systems? (e.g. AES, MCM, etc.) Those would pretty much date back to the (Pierre) Trudeau days.

Pretty much everything I have isn't Canadian specifically, but most of this stuff is EXTREMELY uncommon. There is very very little retro PC stuff ever offered for sale here locally. The recycling programs they ran in the late 90s early 2000s seem to have cleared out almost everything, and whats left people want big $$$$ for. Shipping stuff from the US is also a huge pain lately.

My collection mostly consists of whatever I can scrape together.

I recently added an IBM AT 5170 to my collection!
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thats a HUGE motherboard! WOW! now I really understand "baby" AT

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My 5150 & 5160 on the left (really need to find a 5154) & My generic 8mhz turbo XT
 
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I want to add, I am very jealous for your collection, it is far better than mine.

How much do you think you've spent on your collection so far? How do you get your computers.

Unfortunately, I have to buy most of mine, so they on average range from $200-$450 CDN with the shipping counted, so I don't have all that many, and especially not many past 1990, in fact most of mine are mid 90's to 2002, with one Mac SE from 1986.
 
It's great to see other locals around into vintage computing. I'm in Alberta as well and am a member of the Edmonton Vintage PC Tech Facebook group. Some good people there and some who seem to have a sixth sense for sniffing out some insane finds in and around the area.

Awesome collection. I am really hoping to round out my own collection with an IBM 5150 and an IBM 5155 someday. I think at that point, I'll generally be where I want to be.

Noticed you have a Compaq Portable too. Last blizzard of the spring this year, I slipped and slided my way to Kootenays to pick one up. Was rough around the edges but finally working.

Hope you continue to expand your collection!
 
I think the Countach poster in the back-ground is the most iconic 80's item in your collection ! ;-)

I had the Red one, with the Alpine car stereo picture.

Too bad I got rid of all that stuff.. I miss the 80's...

Cheers,
Steph
 
How much do you think you've spent on your collection so far? How do you get your computers.

Thank you very much! I put alot of effort into restoring the systems as best I can.

I tend to try and get whatever I can. I purchased my 5150 Locally for $300, my 486 & Turbo XT cost me $80 at a local computer shop, my PCJr. Was also a local Kijiji Find, so was my Compaq.

Although many of the parts & stuff were purchased on eBay. $$$

I tend to go for the cheaper machines that aren't necessarily in working condition, and half of the fun is the restoration process and getting these old machines working :)
 
Very very nice collection!

I tend to go for the cheaper machines that aren't necessarily in working condition, and half of the fun is the restoration process and getting these old machines working :)

It's a way of life. Restore the old/broken instead of buying new. Well, these computers probably
cannot be used as a 'daily driver', but they are far better off being restored and enjoyed by many than being
dumped on a landfill.

I do not know about your personal life, but I have a gut feeling that when a girlfriend comes in the
picture, these treasures are exposed into certain risk level. Risk increases when the status changes
into a 'wife'. The female companions can develope bad ideas to remove many treasures in your posession
and replace them with other, not so funny stuff. Like a television - or what ever. Just hoping, that
when there is a companion, there will also be appreciation for the vintage on her part ;).

If not, there is always the ebay, where excess stuff can change hands with other eager enthusiasts.
 
I do not know about your personal life, but I have a gut feeling that when a girlfriend comes in the
picture, these treasures are exposed into certain risk level. Risk increases when the status changes
into a 'wife'. The female companions can develope bad ideas to remove many treasures in your posession
and replace them with other, not so funny stuff. Like a television - or what ever. Just hoping, that
when there is a companion, there will also be appreciation for the vintage on her part ;).

Communication is the key. My collections has survived 30 years of GF->WIFE because I made it clear I would keep them all in a section of the basement that wouldn't be dangerous to young children, look unsightly, etc. If my collection had sprawled into the general living areas, I'd be divorced by now.
 
Very very nice collection!

I do not know about your personal life, but I have a gut feeling that when a girlfriend comes in the
picture, these treasures are exposed into certain risk level. Risk increases when the status changes
into a 'wife'. The female companions can develope bad ideas to remove many treasures in your posession
and replace them with other, not so funny stuff. Like a television - or what ever. Just hoping, that
when there is a companion, there will also be appreciation for the vintage on her part ;).

If not, there is always the ebay, where excess stuff can change hands with other eager enthusiasts.

Thank you! the following is Off topic, TL;DR She goes before the Computers.

Well, I've been with my GF for 4 years or so now, and shes very familiar with my collecting habits. It's part of who I am. My Father and grandfathers were the same way with collecting stuff. If she can't accept me for who I am, well, we shouldn't be together...

now like any "habit" it should be kept under control, I think she would have reason to get on my case if I became some kind of eBay junkie spending my entire paychecks on vintage computer crap and having nothing left to pay bills.
 
now like any "habit" it should be kept under control, I think she would have reason to get on my case if I became some kind of eBay junkie spending my entire paychecks on vintage computer crap and having nothing left to pay bills.

That is what distinguishes people between "hoarder" and "collector". You're off to a great start.
 
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