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Are there many.... ANY SX-64 owners here?

CanadaPhil said:
Yeah, those T-Puggers look like a bunch of pushovers!

Hey wait.... I'M a TPUG guy now! lolz

On another note, check out the story state of this thing on Ebay. I don't even think I could call that a fixer-upper.
$300!?? Yikes!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Good-Workin...tage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item3cdc3b76ac
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Yes. The title says "Good Working VINTAGE Commodore SX-64 Portable Computer". Here it seems the word "good" is used in the widest sense possible (in that, it's good that it goes). That's about as far as "good" stretches in this case.

Would be a useful parts machines. I'd have to be desperate to pay that price for one though.

Tez
 
It sure is a stretch!

Missing handle (broken off), missing sliding slide panel pieces (see straight into the CPU board inside!), NO keyboard cable, and covered in years worth of grimy dirt!

The seller does have a perfect rating history, but given that Ebay has just instituted an new obligatory MONEY BACK GUARANTEE policy for buyers who complain NO MATTER IF YOU STATE AS-IS in your description, I would not risk selling that! Personally, that new policy scares me off of listing anything on Ebay again.
 
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KC9UDX said:
I did the same, but I sent $15USD. Unless something changed recently that should be some slight amount more than $15CDN.. There's a slightly better chance of me finding time to read the newsletter on paper than in an email.

Who wants to be #63? :D
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As a matter of fact there was a #63; he knows who he is ;-)

Thanks for your support, guys, and welcome!

Something tells me they wouldn't be frightened!
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Well, we're just planning the design for the 2014 WoC T-shirts; maybe something like The TPUG Devils on the back...

We've certainly got the weight... ;-)
 
RobertB said:
And I still have to buy his Supercard Pro
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Yeah, thats the other product that caught my eye. It almost seems too good to be true! I have the Digital Solutions Pocket Writer, Filer & Planner suite for 128. That has really tough disk encryption. I wonder if that Supercard would alliw me to back up those old 5.25 disks??
 
Be careful plugging things into the user port that draw power from the 9VAC line (like a 1660/1670 modem). I damaged the transformer on the power supply of mine connecting a modem to the port and it was irreplaceable. I ended up having to put a switching power supply that fit in the same place as the old one since the primary winding of the original PS transformer was toast.

I miss my SX-64, it was a neat little machine.
 
I also just joined the ranks of SX-64 owners. I wonder if it would be possible to replace the CRT with a 5" LCD? Now that would be a project.
 
Arnuph1s said:
I also just joined the ranks of SX-64 owners. I wonder if it would be possible to replace the CRT with a 5" LCD? Now that would be a project.
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I think that would be fantastic. So much of the case is for the monitor, and the dot pitch is terrible. You could have a more legible (yet still tiny) display), and plenty of room in the case to do something else with.
 
geoffm3 said:
I think that would be fantastic. So much of the case is for the monitor, and the dot pitch is terrible. You could have a more legible (yet still tiny) display), and plenty of room in the case to do something else with.
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I brought up LCD as a replacement earlier in the topic. I figure that eventually it is something I am going to have to do. But it is getting tougher and tougher to find decent small lcd's in the 4:3 aspect ratio. Im thinking that a 7" inch widescreen could be a good alternate as it would be about the right size screen when set in a 4:3 mode (assuming it always remembers its last settings when powered down). And all that empty space would leave so much "room for activities!" Haha

Multi-input boards (ie: hdmi/vga/composite or even just vga/composite) could allow for both use as the primary sX64 display along with a cool secondary source... Im thinking a raspberry pi could go in that empty CRT cavern with a ton of room left over!

Something like this could fill that role (maybe?)...
http://ebay.com/itm/271504665741?nav=SEARCH
 
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i could get lynched for saying this, but I always thought the SX64 would have been much besser off with a high resolution monochrome CRT.
 
KC9UDX said:
i could get lynched for saying this, but I always thought the SX64 would have been much besser off with a high resolution monochrome CRT.
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Pshaw! Then it would just have been an Osborne or a Hyperion; most C64 apps and games just don't cut it without colour...
 
Im going to agree.

It may have succeeded with a hirez monochrome display which would have been PERFECT for business apps of the day. The first Compaq portable selling at this time was a runaway hit with amber display.

The SX64 still had its AV output port which would have allowed colour chroma/luma hookups on external monitors or composite to TV. That would have taken care of "gaming after work".

This was marketed as a BUSINESS PC and the market spoke... It was an abysmal flop as it was all but useless in this role.
 
Well I have crappy news!

My SX64 just arrived and its busted beyond belief!

What had been a decent shape unit now has a keyboard cracked in 3 different places (including right through the C= logo on bottom right corner!) and popped keys and worst of all...both retaining clips are broken as well as the right side plastic clip on the CPU unit itself!

Geez this whole area is all cheap plastic!! I thought these clips were actually steel.

I think "Someone" is telling me I never should have bought an SX64!

So much for also getting the "rare faux swede" bag as well. It now comes in handy for holding the 15 plus (not kidding!!) pieces of broken plastic.

Now the fun begins.

... Sigh
:(
 
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Sorry the hear that CanadaPhil. I really hate when that happens. Did it go via eBay's Global Shipping program? CanPar, on our end makes the opening sequence in Ace Venture: Pet Detective" look delicate.
 
Hey...

Just finished filing the online claim which gets logged into Paypal's resolution centre first and copied to Pitney Bowes. YES, it was via the Ebay Global Priority Shipping Program which supposedly covers ALL issues. It is one of the reasons things end up costing so much and they also immediately ding you for " customs clearance and duties" which is a complete scam.

In any event, this is going to get ugly.

But given that Ebay also instituted a new MONEY BACK GUARANTEE POLICY apparently no matter what (as of Oct. 1), SELLERS are basically screwed.

At first I felt really bad as I was entering the claim (about the Seller I mean)... but honestly, he really did a PISS POOR job of packing the thing. Its no f'ing wonder it was destroyed. I really don't know what people are thinking sometimes when you see how they pack clearly fragile things!??

I have been on Ebay 15 years and this is only the SECOND TIME (Thank God!) that I have had to escalate to to claim.
 
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WOW!!! Sorry to hear about the Damage, CanadaPhil... Nothing is more frustrating than a seller who doesn't know that Items shipped must be protected.. I bought a set of Three Apple ][e's one time, and one was delivered broken.... Lucky, In this case, I specifically requested Insurance, and was shortly reimbursed by the USPS for my cost of the Computer..

My SX-64 came with the Original Box and the Styra-Foam, so when I transport it, I pack it up proper..


MarkO
 
I'm very sorry to hear that Phil. If you're lucky, the seller will do you right. I have actually had that happen. I bought a 'boat anchor' radio that arrived very demolished. The seller apologised, and refunded me all but $10 of my total cost, and let me keep it. In the end, I fixed it for about $30 and ended up with a sort of beat up looking but functional radio.
 
I chose to escalate straight into a claim as I had a feeling I was not going to get any satisfaction from the Seller as the item was marked as AS-IS and NO RETURNS in the listing.

I had purchased a unit that was cosmetically NICE, but had minor issues which Im sure could have been sorted out fairly easily. I was OK with that.

However I'm not OK with the physical damage now present as it makes the item completely useless as a collectible. Normally I would never fault a seller for something getting wrecked when shipped, but only an idiot would have shipped something the way he did and think nothing would happen to it.

But the thing is, the ONLY way I can get satisfaction is via the supposed guarantees afforded through Paypal and Ebays Global Priority Guidelines. Honestly I dont think the seller would care, as I studied the rules for both parties involved and Sellers supposedly enrolling in EGP are PROTECTED FROM NEGATIVE FEEDBACK! I advised Paypal that if I dont get satsifaction from them, I would demand my CC Company do a chargeback. I dont care. I will do that if it comes to that and then immediately close my Paypal account so that they could not attempt to re-charge the fees back against me.

This experience does suck though. Perhaps I should not add an SX64 to my collection after all. To be honest, after seeing it up close, its really a cheap piece of junk (durability wise). Have to be honest here. Its no wonder this thing never sold for $999 almost 30 years ago. Buy my math, that is almost 3 GRAND in inflation adjusted dollars.
 
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