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Finally have a proper place to work on and display my collection.

RWallmow

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
1,791
Location
Anoka, MN USA
First some back story, I have been collecting vintage computers since the mid 90's when I was in junior high (though it probably started earlier when I got an Apple //c in elementary school). All this time I have never had a proper workshop, I just worked on them in my bedroom growing up, and later my office when I got my own place.

I have finally finished renovating a space in an out-building on my property into a proper workshop, complete with large shelves to display and use my collection, my own nerd-cave/museum if you will. It's not a super large space (about 7x20'), but it is much better than my cramped office, I don't have to rotate computers in one or two at a time anymore, I can have a whole bunch at a time on working display now. My workshop is even complete with a vintage 10Base-T network (I have found some old NIC's won't negotiate a link on modern switches), and a vintage AT&T Merlin Legend PBX to facilitate computers and terminals dialing into a Linux box.

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Looks Great.. Neat Clean and super well presented.

Congrats.

I assume the vintage 10Base-T network and thus the AT&T Merlin Legend PBX is the item on the right hand upper section of the wall in the last pic ?


Not wishing to pick, but what are you doing for fire fighting gear and smoke alarms ?

Did you see the post I put up a few months back called "Firefighting, Emergency Electrical Isolation, First Aid in ur Vintage Computer Room"
http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthre...olation-First-Aid-in-ur-Vintage-Computer-Room

I am not sure you read or answered in it. Would be interesting to get your input to that post please, based on what you have done in your great room

regards
David
 
Looks Great.. Neat Clean and super well presented.

Congrats.

I assume the vintage 10Base-T network and thus the AT&T Merlin Legend PBX is the item on the right hand upper section of the wall in the last pic ?


Not wishing to pick, but what are you doing for fire fighting gear and smoke alarms ?

Did you see the post I put up a few months back called "Firefighting, Emergency Electrical Isolation, First Aid in ur Vintage Computer Room"
http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthre...olation-First-Aid-in-ur-Vintage-Computer-Room

I am not sure you read or answered in it. Would be interesting to get your input to that post please, based on what you have done in your great room

regards
David

Yeah, that last pic is part of the 10base network, I have two hubs, the one pictured, and one on the other side of the room on the display shelves. I have filled out the Merlin a bit more, have a few more analog (6 total) extensions, and 2 modems on my dial-in server running off it now. I also ran 3/4" conduit from the house to the workshop and ran 4x cat5e cables from my patch panel in the house to the patch panel in the workshop, so now I also have gigabit ethernet and a wifi access point in there for my modern laptop and smartphone.
IMG_0014.jpg

I have a security system on my property with motion and smoke alarms in this building, so myself and the proper authorities would be notified if a fire were to break out. I don't have any active fire suppression systems though, while they may be a good idea, they are not required in single-family residential construction here.
I am not terribly worried though, nothing gets left on when I am not in the space, so if something went up in smoke, I would know before the alarms would go off.

As far as electrical isolation, the electrical sub panel is right next to the exit, I could easily shut down the building from there, power can also be cut from the main panel in the house if needed. Each section of the display shelves are plugged into easily accessable power strips too, so I can easily and quickly switch off which ever section I am at too.
 
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