Why do I collect and repair Retro Computers?

[rubber_jonnie]

The recent meme about me (https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewt ... =13&t=5436) gave me a good laugh, but also made me reflect on why I collect and repair retro machines. I'm sure we all have our reasons, but here are mine.

Firstly, it started as a desire to collect older machines, sometimes odd things that I'd never seen before like the ICL One Per Desk and SGI Octanes. It expanded a little when it came to STs and I was worried mine would die, so bought spares. I also bought the odd machine I'd always wanted but couldn't afford back in the day.

For a long time the collection remained quite static as I had limited funds and limited space, but over the years as I progressed through jobs, I was able to start collecting some more.

At some point, I decided that what I really wanted was to collect machines that were present in my younger years, that I had either owned, had experience of through friends or thought I'd like one, but the price was wrong, so I went in another direction. These were mostly 8 bit machines, starting with the ZX81, my first home computer. If I'm honest, I have all the machines now that fit the bill, bar a TRS-80 Model One

During this period I also extended my ST collection somewhat and added a few STEs and Megas into the mix too, and also added some consoles and hand helds.

Although I've been collecting off and on for probably 20+ years now, it's more lately that I have been able to add more machines from those golden years of 8 bit machines because I have more money spare and more space.

I am very lucky to be able to do this.

As for retro repairs, well this is a relatively new sphere to me and something I only really started to do once I discovered the ST modding community (So @exxos is partly to blame ). I found that I was ok at modding, and my skills with a soldering iron were 'acceptable'. This was probably around 2014 (Before that I just tinkered really), so not long ago in the grand scheme of things.

I'd say my first big mod was installing one of the early exxos 32Mhz boosters that were soldered in. It was a hell of a job, but taught me patience goes a very long way, and for the machine to run perfectly afterwards gave me a huge buzz!

I'm not an electronics expert, having only basic knowledge of component types and their functions, but have been an engineer all my working life, and currently work in an environment where I'm troubleshooting all day, so dealing with schematics and electronic components and signals etc is a good fit for what I do.

Aside from it being a process I can follow, it's also fun. Yes, I used the 'F' word!!

Tracking down what's wrong with an old computer is like solving a puzzle, and getting a formerly dead machine back on it's feet is a thrill to me, partly because of the whole troubleshooting process and understanding different things, but also because it allows me to give to the community by letting me write up my experiences so that other people can benefit.

The writing process is a big part of doing what I do, and I think probably one of the most enjoyable aspects, especially if it can help others with their own machines.

It's also really interesting to delve into the architectures of all the different machines and see how they do things differently. The TI99/4a is a good example - a 16Bit CPU hobbled by it's connections to the real world!!

Funny how things like a meme trigger you

[stephen_usher]

Sounds very familiar to me. However, my reason for starting to tinker was to try to fix machines I already had after they stopped working.

It wasn't really until 2019 that I started getting enough diagnostic equipment to do anything more than swapping easily replaced (socketed/plug-in) components and it was during the first lock-down that I really started on the soldering/desoldering stuff.

[rubber_jonnie]

Sounds very familiar to me. However, my reason for starting to tinker was to try to fix machines I already had after they stopped working.

Interesting, I've now got to the stage of buying dead or untested machine to fix them

I have repaired the odd one of my own that has died on me though, like the keyboards on the 65XE, 800XL and OPD.

[alexh]

Don't you ever worry about the amount of money invested and what will happen to it if something happens either to you or your collection?

My hardware collection has a "street value" of maybe £60k, but if I was to be in a fatal accident I was sure it would suffer a similar fate. Non of my relatives really understood its value, it would be either sold in bulk "house sale" at a fraction of its value or worse still simply skipped/binned.

I did consider donating it all in my Will to somewhere like "RCM" or "RMC". But I an not quite that philanthropic.

Also there was the fire at Mark Fixes Stuff.

That really made me think, what if that happened here? Was my collection was insured? How would I prove what I had to the insurance company? (Hello I'd like to claim on my home contents, yes hundreds of computers). Was I actually insured at all? Some things (Amiga A4000 + CSMKIII + PicassoIV + Concierto + Deneb, Atari Falcon + CT60e, Various Arcade Machines) are all above the maximum single item value (intended for jewellery).

During the pandemic I started to make a cloud based appraisal document, partly for insurance but also to leave behind for whoever is left afterwards. It includes photos, physical location in my house, condition, estimated value. Physically printed out on my desk in case something happens to me, but the book has grown quite huge. I've had to change home insurance company to get covered.

Just curious if the Pandemic / Mark Fixes Stuff fire has made you think a bit.... or nope... just getting on with it?

[alexh]

I've now got to the stage of buying dead or untested machine to fix them

You have to do that today with any computers over 25 years old because there are no bargains anymore. The rarer items are commanding crazy money.

10 years ago you could pick up an Amstrad 386 MegaPC for pocket change, free to collect, now they are crazy money if you see them at all. But they self destruct so you can bag a bargain if you can fix it.

[mrbombermillzy]

Being at least partly responsible for feeding this habit of yours @rubber_jonnie , I should probably chip in!

Ironically, I started off working professionally building SMT and thru hole circuits for a local company. However, over the years, I went and did other things. I gradually lost touch with soldering and nowadays do not have the eyesight or co-ordination for such things anymore. There was also a shift to software, which, although not professionally, was developed at an early age (my uncle was a software engineer for ..um..ICL/Unisys??) and I used to read his book collection of early 80s programming tomes (after I had plundered his Omni magazine collection that is!). Suffice to say, by 13 I was coding and by 15-16 I was writing my own 6510 assembly from mnemonic values in BASIC being poked into memory (a very hard way of writing asm for sure, but I didnt initially have the money for an Assembler). I later went on to college to learn OOP in C++, but thats another story.

So now, my main thing is not just the machines I grew up with, but I also try to grab some of the ecosystem surrounding them; i.e. magazines, original software, period pheripherals, etc. But I do also have a guilty pleasure for the newer boosters/mods/enhancements, which were not made back in the day.

Rather than just sit back and bask in all the retro goodness, I have tried to get some cool projects off the ground, but, alas, with small kids around ATM, my work has ground to an almost complete stop in this area, which is a shame. Im hoping to get some time back in around 6 months time to continue at a better pace.

This current situation has also led to me 'shaving down' some of the machines I own, which should also help focus efforts, rather than, (paraphrasing Bilbo Baggins here) 'spreading not enough butter over too much bread'.

[mrbombermillzy]

@alexh Definitely food for thought there.

I would be gutted if I lost my gear (lots of harder to find C= stuff mainly, with some Atari bits; TT/F030), but my main killer would be my game source code (which was started in 1999-2000!) and am very close to finishing now.

[stephen_usher]

Sounds very familiar to me. However, my reason for starting to tinker was to try to fix machines I already had after they stopped working.

Interesting, I've now got to the stage of buying dead or untested machine to fix them

I have repaired the odd one of my own that has died on me though, like the keyboards on the 65XE, 800XL and OPD.

Yeah, I've done a bit of that, but most of my machines have been rescues and donations.

P.S. If I do buy a machine it's with the intention that it'll be interesting to take to retro-events where people can play games etc. on them... Well, other than the Apricots. I've not found any games for those yet.

[Steve]

I am looking forward to the day when I can have a place with a large enough room to have all my machines set-up and always ready for use. I also want to create an A4 perspex sign for each machine detailing all the internals/modifications/upgrades etc.

I want a section for game consoles, Atari micros, Others & professional Unix workstations.

[rubber_jonnie]

Don't you ever worry about the amount of money invested and what will happen to it if something happens either to you or your collection?

My hardware collection has a "street value" of maybe £60k, but if I was to be in a fatal accident I was sure it would suffer a similar fate. Non of my relatives really understood it's value, it would be either sold in bulk "house sale" at a fraction of it's value or worse still simply skipped/binned.

I did consider donating it all in my Will to somewhere like "RCM" or "RMC". But I an not quite that philanthropic.

Also there was the fire at Mark Fixes Stuff.

That really made me think, what if that happened here? Was my collection was insured? How would I prove what I had to the insurance company? (Hello I'd like to claim on my home contents, yes hundreds of computers). Was I actually insured at all? Some things (Amiga A4000 + CSMKIII + PicassoIV + Concierto + Deneb, Atari Falcon + CT60e, Various Arcade Machines) are all above the maximum single item value (intended for jewellery).

During the pandemic I started to make a cloud based appraisal document, partly for insurance but also to leave behind for whoever is left afterwards. It includes photos, physical location in my house, condition, estimated value. Physically printed out on my desk in case something happens to me, but the book has grown quite huge. I've had to change home insurance company to get covered.

Just curious if the Pandemic / Mark Fixes Stuff fire has made you think a bit.... or nope... just getting on with it?

Honestly, if something happened, I'd be pretty upset, yeah, but I'd get over it and whilst my wife doesn't quite get it, she does know that if I die, it's not to be binned off, though we do need to make a proper plan like you've suggested.

I luckily don't have any items that are spectacularly expensive on their own, but I am on the verge of doing something about properly assessing what I have and seeing what the score is insurance wise. I doubt my collection, some 60-70 machines is really worth that much, yours on the other hand sounds like some at least needs insuring!!