Greetings from Down Under

[Neon_WA]

Hi,
My name is Stuart and I’m posting from sunny Perth, Western Australia

I’m a newbie to collecting computer systems, as I have actively only collected for less than a year. I initially started collecting CPU & OS case stickers, but when my collection had reached about 700 just over a year ago it became difficult to find new ones. So I started collecting CPUs, MPUs, FPUs & eProms (presently totalling about 1400 unique chips).

Most of them I sourced locally, but along the way I came across partial & complete systems. As I have the room, I started to keep complete systems in very good condition or unique systems. Some weren’t very complete or the shells were in very poor condition. With them I removed the boards and hopefully one day will find replacement bodies to bring them back to life

My complete systems at present are

Amstrad PC 1640 DD
Amstrad PC 1640 SD
BBC Micro
Commodore 64
Commodore 128
Commodore Amiga
DataPoint 5500 (ALU system equivalent to 8080)
Digital VT 131 (8085 based Video Terminal)
Hyundai Super 386S
HP 9000 Model 345 (68030 system)
HP 9000 D Class (7100 Pa-Risc based Server)
IBM PC Server 320 (dual Pentium 133)
IBM PC 750 P90
IBM PS/2 Model 30 286
IBM PS/2 Model 90 XP 486
Osborne 486 DX2-66 VL Bus
Radio Shack TRS-80 Colour 2
Tandy 1000 PC TX
TANG PS (IBM XT clone)

Regards
Stu

[nigwil]

Hi there, good to see another Aussie around, do you have a website? I can add you to my list of OzCollectors.

Do the HP 9000's work? as in start up? What OS are they running?

If you come across another Osborne 486-66 around I would be interested, I miss the machine I had in the early 1990s.

cheers,
nigel.

[tezza]

Hi Stuart,

Welcome from across the ditch, although I think I'm closer to Sydney than you are!

A nice collection of old gear you have there! What, no microbee or Dick Smith System 80 though?

Tez

[Neon_WA]

gday nigel

Been a mad last six months, so apart from collecting i havent had time to get much else done. So at present im using a community site to display some of my CPUs. It probably wont be until the later half of the year that i can sit back n enjoy playing with my collection lol

The Series 345 HP workstation still had it original software.. was a couple of months ago i booted it up to check that it was operational.. but from memory was a propriety HP unix OS.
The D Class 9000 (about the size of a small mini bar fridge) has had its disks wiped, so im gunna have to run a linux OS unless i can find some original software. But at least i know it boots.. but its just a big boat anchor at the moment lol.

There is a good chance i will find another Osborne.. as the verge collections have just started here. But when i get more organised.. i dont have any real attachment to Osborne and i have about 15 white box 486 systems sitting here.... so i wont miss one

I dont normally buy systems.. but the local recycle place got a complete IBM XT 5160 in today.. so will go back and pay the $15 they want for it

[Neon_WA]

Welcome from across the ditch, although I think I'm closer to Sydney than you are!

A nice collection of old gear you have there! What, no microbee or Dick Smith System 80 though?

Tez,
you are alot closer to Sydney than me
but being here in Perth is good for collecting in some respects. Being isolated means that systems that would of been scraped ages ago are still coming out of the cupboard.

All the systems above, i have collected in the past 9 months and i'm not even mentioning the boards & cards i have collected also. So as i have the storage.. any decent peice of hardware that comes available i have been collecting and storing. I presume the source will eventually dry up.. and then i can give the time that they deserve.

My collecting style at the moment.. is whatever i can find.. that is worth while computer history... so i havent been avoiding any microbees or DSs.. just havent come across any lol

cheers
Stu

[Erik]

Wow! Quite a series of collections there!

Welcome aboard!

[Neon_WA]

Wow! Quite a series of collections there!

Welcome aboard!

thx mate

Well it has grown by one this morning... just added a IBM XT 5160 and as a added bonus it had a Orchid Tiny Turbo 286 card installed

[Chuckster_in_Jax]

Welcome to the forum.That's a really nice collection you have acquired in a short period of time. Should give you hours of fun!

Chuck