Picked up an old computer today not sure what it is

One of my pickers dropped this off today. Its old and does not have a cpu chip that I recognize. I did not dismantle it before checking the experts here. I believe the 5 1/4 floppy drives might sell on ebay not sure what to do with the rest. Mike.

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1260299.jpg

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1260307.jpg

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1260306.jpg

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1260304.jpg

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/P1260316.jpg

Pre-hard drive unit you have there...The CPU is actually one of the smaller chips, will look like an IC chip, sometimes they are white ceramic with a gold top other times they are just plain. This is one of those really old units that required a disk to operate because it had no internal storage. Very nice find....Would not be surprised to hear that this computer still worked to be honest. Most of those old units could stand the test of time. Most of the boards look like they will fall into the telecom range. It may have value to a collector but that would have to be researched on eBay to know for sure. Certainly has value in scrap terms.

Look for a chip labeled 8088 or 8080 that's the CPU!

Very good tip Thor....My eyes are not good enough to go looking for those numbers anymore lol I generally let one of my younger employees do that :-)

Time for a magnifying glass and reading glasses, I think you're in denial. lol Mike.

I bet you these guys could tell you what you have. I have sold two old computers on that site in the past month. Bunch of electronic vintage loving nerds I tell ya :)

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/forum.php

If I had to guess the primary chip is probably the one with the sticker on it in picture 4. And if it is a 8088 or 8080 or one of those processor it can also be worth some $$. Not to overload you but there is an even greater abundance of vintage loving CPU (nerds) collectors on the link below. I have sold of few of my chips there. I had one in my scrap pile that was apparently rare. I got $130 for it.

http://www.cpu-world.com/forum/

Only problem is now every time I get a super old machine I have to spend time doing research when I would rather be adding to my pile.

Thanks for the link I will spend some time before scrapping it. Mike.

Long for brands like WANG OSBORN TANDY..those will be some vintage macines that people probably overlook.

i was given some old WANG machines in the early 90's. they use 8" disks...8" floppies...boy the girls loved me in High School ;)

If I only knew then, wheat I know know....about ewaste that is.

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i was given some old WANG machines in the early 90's. they use 8" disks...8" floppies...boy the girls loved me in High School

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Sounds like you had a big Wang when you were in high school.


Come on now, you others were thinking it,,,lol

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Originally Posted by miked

Time for a magnifying glass and reading glasses, I think you're in denial. lol Mike.

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So true, so very true....It won't be long and I will be hanging a pair of those ultra-strong reading glasses around my neck with a gold chain and eating dinner at 3 in the afternoon :-)

Back when the 8080 series was popular the computer nerds were truly computer nerds. In this day and age, with the user friendly machines and software everyone can be a computer nerd....The true computer nerds knew their machines inside and out...They would spend days writing code for programs that people take for granted now....Many that I have spoken too over the years consider Windows to be a sellout...DOS was the only true operating system in their minds....Oh the simpler times.

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Originally Posted by ComputerScrapper

Back when the 8080 series was popular the computer nerds were truly computer nerds. In this day and age, with the user friendly machines and software everyone can be a computer nerd....The true computer nerds knew their machines inside and out...They would spend days writing code for programs that people take for granted now....Many that I have spoken too over the years consider Windows to be a sellout...DOS was the only true operating system in their minds....Oh the simpler times.

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Totally off subject...But I had a TRS 80 Color Computer 2. I wrote so many programs in basic back in elementary school. I had a cassette deck to save my programs on. I wrote a program that made it look like I hacked into the FBI, then ahd my friends come over and help me guess a password. If we were wrong (Which the program was written so we were ALWAYS wrong) the screen would flash Blue and Red and have a siren noise.

Those were the days.....Visual basic is for pansies. Write a program for a computer with NO operating system, that's hard core! LOL!

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Sounds like you had a big Wang when you were in high school.


Come on now, you others were thinking it,,,lol

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Hehehe......They said WANG......hehehe(ala Bevis)

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Originally Posted by bcoop

I bet you these guys could tell you what you have. I have sold two old computers on that site in the past month. Bunch of electronic vintage loving nerds I tell ya :)

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/forum.php

If I had to guess the primary chip is probably the one with the sticker on it in picture 4. And if it is a 8088 or 8080 or one of those processor it can also be worth some $$. Not to overload you but there is an even greater abundance of vintage loving CPU (nerds) collectors on the link below. I have sold of few of my chips there. I had one in my scrap pile that was apparently rare. I got $130 for it.

http://www.cpu-world.com/forum/

Only problem is now every time I get a super old machine I have to spend time doing research when I would rather be adding to my pile.

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Thanks for posting those 2 forum links.

I have a couple of computers and parts from about 1990. I guess I'll have to dig them out and see if there is a buyer.

How old were the 2 computers you sold and were they working?

I sold one of these

http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=219

and one of these

http://vintagecomputersale.com/rare-...-model-php1200

I did not have the tranformer/power for the laptop nor the monitor for the TI 99/4.

So in both cases they were sold as is. As in most cases if they work or you have all the parts you can expect more $$. That being said unless you have an one of these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_8800 don't plan on getting rich :)

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Originally Posted by ComputerScrapper

So true, so very true....It won't be long and I will be hanging a pair of those ultra-strong reading glasses around my neck with a gold chain and eating dinner at 3 in the afternoon :-)

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And then don't forget to pull your pants up hi under your arms. http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile...295_4482_n.jpg

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Originally Posted by miked

Hehehe......They said WANG......hehehe(ala Bevis)

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Eve was the first computer operator.
She had a Apple in one hand & a Wang in the other.

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Originally Posted by eesakiwi

Eve was the first computer operator.
She had a Apple in one hand & a Wang in the other.

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That was GOOOOOOOD!

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Originally Posted by bcoop

I sold one of these

http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=219

and one of these

http://vintagecomputersale.com/rare-...-model-php1200

I did not have the tranformer/power for the laptop nor the monitor for the TI 99/4.

So in both cases they were sold as is. As in most cases if they work or you have all the parts you can expect more $$. That being said unless you have an one of these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_8800 don't plan on getting rich :)

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Where did you sell these at? Ebay? Mike.

we all need to take a good look at those vintage computers.....I saw 2 that I already broke down that fetched over $200 !!