How do you setup and have room for all your Classic Computers?

[ngtwolf]

I hear that, but it wasn't always that way. My PCjr and a couple other systems were local pickups (the PCjr came from Long Beach, for example).

True, I got a three C64's (only one which worked, the others were for parts or accessories), as well as my TRS-80 Model 4 and Apple IIe were all 'local' (I live in the valley, and one was San Pedro, so not really 'local'). That said, they are rare to come by, and all of them needed work to get to a usable stage. I'm still trying to find an old PC that supports dual floppies (specifically 5 1/4 360k) so i can use it to make disks and do alignment work on some of the other computers, and oddly that's been the hardest to track down. I'm guessing that people might think twice about tossing an 80s computer like the commodore, apple, etc. but don't bother to look twice at the clones before chucking them in the dumpsters. Most old PC's people have available are Dells and HP/Compaqs which had limited or no floppy support.

 

[ngtwolf]

Much as I love my hobby I don't see me using an old computer as a daily driver - pouring over huge spreadsheets using Excel 4 on an old 386 with a 640x480 screen and constantly seeing 'recalculating cells...' is something I spent a lot of time doing in the mid-90s and I can't honestly say I miss that compared to the modern experience of doing the same.

Oh, definitely, I just think that maybe a long infocom, ultima or sierra game might be uncomfortable to play that way.

Luckily I don't see the day where I'll reminisce about 2000's computers, since most everything now is web based so very few actual (memorable) PC applications anymore. Any current games I play, i do with a game system since I can do that comfortably on the couch or bed. I could only imagine the future with 'retro' 2000's PC's. For me that would be some Tower with Dual Screens and I could only fit one of those.

That said, I am planning on getting a Windows 98 machine set up on a proper desk with proper space. When it comes to retro gaming it is getting harder and harder to coax Windows 9x era games (and some applications software too for that matter) to run on modern hardware and being that by that time games had become a lot more immersive with playing sessions getting longer I would like somewhere more comfortable to play these.

Luckily by the time I started using PC's, it was more for BBS'ing, I still used my older systems for games since it took years for early PC games to catch up to Commodore/Atari systems. The biggest thing, besides BBSing, that I used the PC (besides productivity) was MMO type games. Sadly, there is realistically no way to ever get those back really since both involved a remote connection that no longer exists. That said, I totally understand the need for old PC's. I still have many times where I need 32 bit Windows XP, or older, to do something that is impossible, or nearly so, to do on new systems.

 

[Zippy Zapp]

Have I been forgiven for having an LCD monitor on my P166 in the first picture then lol? The only other decent CRT I've got at present is a 19 incher which is fabulous but won't fit on that little table.

Understandable. CRTs take up so much space. I have two 17" Sony Trinitron displays that I mostly use with older Macs because they support Sync on Green and included the correct adapter. I love the clean text and modes they support. But it is also hard to fit them both on the desk. So I also use an NEC 4:3 LCD that also supports Sync on Green and 15khz for Amiga. But I much prefer CRTs for my classic systems.

call me old fashioned but I prefer a paper book to an e-book or article online. And when it comes to notes, recipes, directions, I print them all.

Same here. I prefer it to digital any day. I have an iPad Pro that I use a lot for reading PDFs. But if it is something I need to refer to a lot I always print it. Some on a Color LaserJet some on Dot Matrix Printers.

 

[Sandisk78]

I just have a long table with three places for separate 3 vintage computers, one place for my modern notebook, and one place for a desktop with 19'' Lacie - to which 4 PC's are connected by KVM Switch (a 286/20,P1-120,PII-400,PIII-1000) - and also Macintosh G4 or Centris 6500 or Amiga 3000 can be attached to Lacie video cable. Also I stere temporarilly unused desktops on wooden shelves...







P.S. Actually it's two tables from local Leroy Merlen stoer set one by side to another )

 

[Trixter]

Does that table have a make/model? It looks like what I'd want to replace my aging banquet tables.

(Or, if anyone has a pointer to a really good won't-sag-in-the-middle banquet table, let me know.)

 

[xjas]

^^ I got some that were being thrown away at my university. They were lab tables used in the physics department. 'Solid' doesn't even begin to describe them. Contact your local uni's "asset disposal" department, or see if anyone you know has a hookup.

 

[njroadfan]

I got an old (at least as old as me) folding table with a metal frame/legs and MDF top. Its seen in my youtube videos. Its heavy, but nice and solid. It was likely school surplus.

 

[2icebitn]

Angle iron from a metal supplier can be fairly inexpensive, unlike Loew's, Home Depot, hardware store. Some people cut up old bed frames, personally I'd prefer slightly thicker metal. Minimal tools would be a hacksaw and a 3/8" electric drill. A battery powered drill is also good. And nuts, bolts, lockwashers. A 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" birch plywood goes for 25-35$. Then there's paint or stain. If you want to put sheet metal over the top instead, good luck, it ain't cheap or easy to find. Maybe you can harvest some from a dumpster where they'redoing new construction or redoing ductwork etc.

 

[KC9UDX]

Sheet metal is cheaper than angle iron and readily available round here. So worst case, he'd have an hour drive. If he wanted, I would happily purchase the sheet metal and cut and brake it to his specs. I'm going to have to buy some soon anyway.

But I wouldn't use sheet metal for that. I'd look at workbenches and picnic tables. I have a bench like this that would more than fit the bill https://m.northerntool.com/products/shop~tools~product_200603683_200603683?adv=false but the top of it looks thinner than mine, so it would be necessary to go look at it before buying.

I also have a wooden picnic table that wouldn't sag if I put a thousand pounds on it. I got it for free, and don't know where to buy picnic benches or what they cost, but that's something worth investigating, I think.

 

[2icebitn]

I'm curious where you buy your sheet metal. And what it costs. I'm nowhere near you. Just curious.

 

[KC9UDX]

I'm curious where you buy your sheet metal. And what it costs. I'm nowhere near you. Just curious.

We have several small privately owned, skeleton-crewed local metal suppliers.

This is my favourite: it's a one man shop:


Prices fluctuate wildly. I never know real prices unless I get a hard quote.

 

[2icebitn]

The wildly part is what skeers me.

Years ago I would frequent a scrap yard. Everything was 1.50$/lb. Brass, bronze, stainless, aluminum, sheet, tubing, solid. The worst aholes to deal with. I just can't go there anymore, it's an hour and a half away and I don't need the stress. Their prices likely went up considerably. Steel plate is easy and not expensive more or less locally. But sheet I can't find reasonably.

 

[JonB]

You could make an enormous desk from a piece of kitchen worktop and some of those worktop legs. That's what I'd do, if I was starting over; but for now this is what I have.

A cheap plastic shelving unit which fitted the available space. That monitor on top is a Sun unit with a Trinitron tube, so it is very heavy.


The "console" computers live on an Ikea Billy bookshelf with added shelves. This is a good solution, but you have to keep the power supplies, cables and other paraphernalia in a separate box.


These plastic boxes are labelled (mostly) and store the aforementioned paraphernalia. The idea was to be able to pull the console and its box of bits and assemble the thing on the desk, as and when. Then return all to storage after playing. Of course, it never works out like that! The shelves are Ikea and they also carry manuals and books for all the computers.


The really heavy items (PET 2001-N, PCW9512, TRS-80 Model IV, Model II, Sharp MZ-80A, Exidy Sorcerer and an extremely heavy Audio Innovations Series 500 valve amp) sit on a steel framed unit such as you would find in a garage or workshop.


This is the desk; it's an Ikea unit with extension that I bought second hand. Of course, it's not big enough, especially with that SuperBrain. There's a drawer unit to the left, out of shot, that is stuffed full of cables and other detritus. On top of that is a "tweener" PC. Above the desk there is a shelf which has the desoldering station, 'scope, a stereo for music and a seldom used 24 pin dot matrix printer. There are a bunch of machines under the desk, too - A couple of Power Macs, TRS-80 Model 4P, Philips P2000C, Sun Ultra 10.


Reading the thread, I am pleased to note that I am not alone when it comes to chaotic "retro" work spaces. Seems to me there is just too much junk that comes with these machines, and no perfect method to store them in a way that allows for tidy display and easy access. Unfortunately for me, I have to use this space for real work and so I cannot afford to leave the desk cluttered with retro computers. The other thing is that I have very little time to play with the old machinery, and so it is more of a museum now. I have over acquired, that's for sure, but can I bring myself to start selling?

 

[2icebitn]

Sheet metal is cheaper than angle iron and readily available round here. So worst case, he'd have an hour drive. If he wanted, I would happily purchase the sheet metal and cut and brake it to his specs. I'm going to have to buy some soon anyway.

But I wouldn't use sheet metal for that. I'd look at workbenches and picnic tables. I have a bench like this that would more than fit the bill https://m.northerntool.com/products/shop~tools~product_200603683_200603683?adv=false but the top of it looks thinner than mine, so it would be necessary to go look at it before buying.

I also have a wooden picnic table that wouldn't sag if I put a thousand pounds on it. I got it for free, and don't know where to buy picnic benches or what they cost, but that's something worth investigating, I think.

That table I pretty small, space enough for 2 units. It seems flimsy and overpriced. For approximately half you could build a 4' x 8' table (granted You may not want one that large). For that much you could build 4 identical tables that are far sturdier. Maybe angle iron has gone up, and tubing would look considerably nicer. You'll want 3/16" material. But look at different thicknesses and see what suits you.

 

[KC9UDX]

This is fine for you and I. But for someone not experienced in metal working, the extra bit of price is worthwhile.

Those Edsal benches are far from flimsy. I've put over a thousand pounds of weight on them at various times. I have one with a butcherblock top and one with a 16Ga top. These can be found for $10 at industrial auctions.

I wish I had time. I've said for a long time that I could make a business out of making hobby-oriented relay racks and shelving systems.

 

[ngtwolf]

So, something that I've been thinking about and this thread seemed correct for it rather than a new thread since it affects those of us who display their equipment. I imagine it doesn't apply to most people here, but do any of you do anything special with your equipment with regards to natural disasters? Specifically for me, i'm in earthquake country (California) and I don't have anything tied down. Obviously since I like to be able to grab it and arrange it or move it over to a desk when i want to use it, i can't do anything super permanent, but I am concerned that when the next earthquake happens, these things will go flying. Just wondering if anyone had anything they did to help protect against that, but still allow you to use the stuff or move it around as needed. I've seen the old brackets that permanently attach to pc's, but that doesn't seem like anything we'd want to do for both the sake of the equipment as well as ease of moving/rearrangement.

I imagine there are other things people do for their own type of natural disaster avoidance, like floods, etc.

 

[KC9UDX]

I'm in the Kettle Moraine and even I prepare for earthquakes. Laugh if you must but we had one strong enough to do damage in 1947. I didn't get to experience that one, but I did experience one here in 2004.

I don't do much for computers for this, but I know how easy it is to knock an improperly hung timepiece off of a wall and how much damage that can do. I do have a lot of things arranged vertically here and I keep tremors in mind when I do that.

I don't do anything for floods; we had significant flooding here in 2008 and my house was unaffected. This is no accident. I bought my house knowing it would be safe from flooding back when people laughed at me because it never floods here.

The biggest threat here is wind. But any kind of disaster here that's going to affect my computers is going to do enough damage that computers will be the least of my concerns. I do have all my computers plugged into quality surge suppressors though. When I lived on the other side of town thirty years ago, we had a lot of damage from power surges and I learnt my lesson.

My house was hit by a tornado (albeit an F0 one) a few years ago. I did have some computers in the attic which would have gotten rain damage except that I had moved them into the basement a few years earlier, not for this reason.

 

[billdeg]

I have everything covered with plastic draped over it. I have had a large drip from the ceiling, due to a child leaving golf balls in the sink with runnng water...the covers saved a commodore-laden shelf from disaster. Covered but not suffocated. I also have a dehumidifier set to 65 in the room and I dust and sweep regularly.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

So, something that I've been thinking about and this thread seemed correct for it rather than a new thread since it affects those of us who display their equipment. I imagine it doesn't apply to most people here, but do any of you do anything special with your equipment with regards to natural disasters? Specifically for me, i'm in earthquake country (California) and I don't have anything tied down. Obviously since I like to be able to grab it and arrange it or move it over to a desk when i want to use it, i can't do anything super permanent, but I am concerned that when the next earthquake happens, these things will go flying. Just wondering if anyone had anything they did to help protect against that, but still allow you to use the stuff or move it around as needed. I've seen the old brackets that permanently attach to pc's, but that doesn't seem like anything we'd want to do for both the sake of the equipment as well as ease of moving/rearrangement.

I imagine there are other things people do for their own type of natural disaster avoidance, like floods, etc.

Most of the stuff is on tables and not particularly high, but for the HP 9000 which has a really heavy megapixel monitor, it's bungied to the rack the /350 is in.

I'm happy to live on a hill, and it's drought-infested So Cal, so flooding isn't a problem (unless, I guess, the washing machine blew, but there are flood sensors in the house and I would get an alert).

 

[KC9UDX]

I went once step further. My homebrew flood sensors turn off the water supply to my house.