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Finding a Tech Museum For Your Beloved Retired Computer (s)
First time accepted submitter Daniel Dern writes "There may be a better home than your basement or recycling for those beloved computers you once built and/or used — like one of the many tech-collecting/displaying museums. My ComputerWorld article, '9 museums that want your legacy tech,' looks at nine institutions that might — be sure to ask, don't just drop on their doorsteps after hours — want some of them. (Probably not everything you've got, alack.)" Look soon for a Slashdot video visit to the Goodwill Computer Museum, one of the collections mentioned.
Unless you have something singularly unique, like a Cray or something, I very much doubt your old computer gear is of value to anybody.
I don't imagine a lot of these places want to be contacted to dump off your old PC, no matter how cool you think it is.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
They are interested in mostly telecommunications gear, but these people have a great collection. If you're in Seattle, spend half a day there:
http://museumofcommunications.org/
Really worth the trip...
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But best selling means really not many numbers. The ZX Spectrum for instance was probably the best selling home computer in Europe (certainly in the UK and Spain, and all the clones in Eastern Europe and Russia). A few million sold, including clones behind the former iron curtain, over the production run of a little under 10 years.
Today just a single model of Dell PC will sell that many in under 6 months.
Museums will often still want working examples of the CPC, the Spectrum and the C64 etc. because they can use them in "hands on" exhibits, and will gladly want spares so they can swap them out when the exhibit inevitably dies and the computer needs to be repaired. Since they aren't awfully rare they don't have to be locked away in a glass box and visitors can get to play on them.
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About 2002, i tried to find a museum to take a VaxStation II with a serial number of WFPROTO001 and still no takers. Unless it fits with with they're looking for and particularly rare, it's unlikely a museum wants what you might have on offer.
My in-laws have a Control Data Cyber 180 system that has been sitting in a barn for probably almost 10 years. They would really love to get rid of it but we have no idea where to send it. It includes a bunch of other heavy manufacturing equipment. Also what appears to be a CO2 laser head by GTE Sylvania. Klischograph K181. Magnetic tape stuff. I can't remember what else.
It has been in a barn so at least kept out of rain and snow but not so much the -40C weather and the few pigeons that like to sit in the rafters above it.
It is located in western Canada. Does anybody know of a place that would want something like this or should we just sell it for metal recycling?
Printers and scanners are good sources of free precision chromed rod, stepper motors with pulleys, belts and idler wheels. The older they are, the better.
As an example, the Apple ImageWriter II has a 10mm chromed rod and a NEMA23 stepper motor. It's completely overkill for a printer but it's a good source of parts for a small CNC machine or 3D printer.
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If anyone has any old non-PC compatible Heathkit / Zenith Data Systems computers, software, manuals, etc.. Things like the H8, H11, H89.... HDOS & CP/M operating systems and related software... H10 Paper Tape... etc... I'm always looking for more. You can find more info on my site: http://heathkit.garlanger.com/
Looking for any old 8-bit Heathkit/Zenith software/hardware - http://heathkit.garlanger.com
The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park (England) might be interested as well -- they have a section for personal computers.
Also, if you ever get a chance to visit, plan for at least half a day -- it's fascinating!
The University of Michigan has a video game archive - where virtually any computer or video game ever made can be played (slight exageration) on original hardware. They accepted my donation of a working TI-99/4a (bought new by me) along with cartrigdes and accessories. http://www.lib.umich.edu/computer-video-game-archive
I just gave my old K&E aluminum slide rule to my 18 year old nephew. It was my father's who used it on the Apollo 10 and 11 shots. It's turned into an instant family heirloom - his engineering friends are incredibly jealous and he is sinfully proud of it. Turns out they've been playing with iPhone slide rule apps and only a few had actually seen a real, engineering quality slide rule before.
Funny creatures, humans.
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If anyone has "vintage" computers or software they want to know more about they should hop over to the Vintage Computing forum http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/ . Just be upfront if your intent is to sell it.
There are lots of people interested in "retro" computing for various reasons. And it is not always nostalgia. Personally I like to lean about early machines and software that I never heard of or used before.
One aspect of it is history. Each machine has it's own story. For example the other day I saw a complete IBM 5150 original IBM PC on craigslist crammed next to all the entries for iPhones and Dells. It even had a huge monitor, printer and the software - some ledger accounting software - with it. You could tell that was not used for games or looking at pictures of cats. It served a real business purpose - the kind that people spent huge sums of money on, and was what helped bring about the personal computing revolution.
I know the folks at MARCH (MidAtlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists at InfoAge, in NJ). They do a good job. I've donated a few devices. They can use extras as they need spare parts. Let's face it, there are fewer serviceable replacements available. They're very much aware of keeping these displays true to the time when they sold. The InfoAge displays are actual working displays and they are hands on (very important). They have everything from single board computers to Mainframes & Super computers and the supporting software.
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In the modern context of computers "recycling" often means shipping to trash dumps in third world countries where they burn them down for gold.
Anything pre-VLSI can be truly recycled as parts or repaired to a functional condition in the right hands. Or even extended to do new things.
Unfortunately, since software doesn't contain gold or other valuable metals those always seem to wind up in the trash, yet can also be valuable to those operating vintage systems. (database software and manuals can go for quite a bit sometimes)
If you're in the North East here is another good one http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/
They have a lot of minicomputer systems like DEC, IBM, Wang, Data General...and the usual collection of micro computers.