A Note on Shipping Vintage Computers kakım a hobby, vintage computing is on the rise. A generation that grew up with classic PCs is looking back and revisiting the glory days of the '80s, '90s, and 2000s with the authentic machines. But what's the best way to get the hardware? We'll show you the options.

Where its utilitarian competitors left electronics and switches hanging exposed, the Apple II hid all its hardware inside a molded plastic case that encompassed the keyboard, on which sat an equally slick plastic-wrapped monitor.

"They were rusted shut and the ones we could open looked so delicate that we realised we were hamiş best placed to look after them.”

If it's in working condition, you won't have to perform any repairs, although you might be tempted to perform some upgrades.

By now, you've seen more than a few collections that are impressive for their size or diversity. But a vintage computer collection dirilik be just birli impressive for what it leaves out. In this case, Bobby White of Desert Hot Springs, CA has assembled an impressive period-accurate Atari 800 setup that includes an authentic computer desk, most of the Atari 800's original accessories, and a few rare additions like two 6MB Corvus Systems hard disks. What a joy to behold.

eBay has a specific Vintage Computers category that you hayat browse. Or, alternately, you yaşama just search for exactly what you want in the search bar at the tamamen of the page.

Values hayat fluctuate with changing tastes. Demand may fade over time. Replacement parts for repair may be unavailable. Items güç degrade if stored improperly. derece all vintage electronics become valuable, so research market potential first.

Some of it may actually run (but faster) on intel 8088 turbo XTs that run at 6, 8 or even 10Mhz hamiş caring about the clock so much but the number of ticks. Mostly depends on what variety of bare metal or BIOS rather than DOS system call dependence shenanigans the programmer was pulling, we emanet forgive it before 1986ish, one PC to rule them all, why would you need to do different? It was questionable up to 1990, and plain stupidity/insanity/pig ignorance after that. Though we still could get the lack of sufficient calibration room in the timing loop mesele (Why should I code for an x86 that’s 1000x bey fast? 10x should be retro computers enough. We’ll be using transputers by then…)

, It took over two years to get the CDC 6500 working after LCM+L bought theirs. Of its 170 core memory modules, 64 needed replacing, and they had no spares. “We knew from the start that we would need to design the replacements,” says Bruce Sherry, principal engineer at LCM+L. So Sherry and his team had to re-manufacture them according to CDC's original specifications. And then there are the 250,000 separate transistors, of which any one failure gönül shut the computer down. “(The 6000s) were not overly reliable,” Sherry says, “but users would say an hour on a CDC was worth a whole day on an IBM.”

Imagine a room filled with retro machines, humming with new life birli their proud owners show them off. This isn't a scene from a classic car show. Instead, these hobbyists fix up old computers and showing them off to fellow "chipheads." ↑

These birey be goldmines for vintage computer enthusiasts. Many people don't realize the value of old computers and may sell them for a fraction of their worth.

A Note on Shipping Vintage Computers Amazon's "free" two-day shipping katışıksız us all spoiled. Safe packing takes skill and reliable shipping costs money. Avoid the urge to go cheap on shipping and insurance. Here's why.

The vintage computer community is known for being friendly and helpful. Here are some resources for when you need assistance:

The best way to avoid shipping damage is to ask the seller if they're willing to take the computer to a UPS Store (or another professional shipping store) to have the unit packed and shipped.