> Who among you collects mainframes? I couldn't resist asking in light of the
> "what's the heaviest portable" thread, because the CPU of IBM System/3 Model
> 15 I have weighs 1800 lbs.
I expect the heaviest unit I have on wheels is the IBM 709 CPU, in
addition to its size and steel frame the whole back end is covered with
filament transformers to light the tubes. I can roll it around on a
level concrete floor OK, but its a good idea to avoid the cracks or at
least roll it crooked (so only one wheel sees a crack at a time, and not
straight on) and keep the speed up. But there are other contenders - the
709 power supply units, the motor-generator set for the 7094, the 407
accounting machine, etc. I don't know what any of these weigh off hand
and don't have the installation manuals handy. There exist larger units
(e.g. old CDC mainframes even apart are in large, very tall pieces; the
assembled 709 memory is a T about 4 times the floor space of the CPU)
but they tend not to have casters. I wonder what a more recent
water-cooled machine (e.g. 3090) weighs, the TCU's (thermal conduction
units) can't be very light.
On other subjects
- a common source of serious mildew smell is the absolute filter in a
disk drive. I would check that first.
- I'm reasonably certain you can still get blank punch cards. The last
bunch I bought maybe 10 years ago cost $75 for 10,000. I've been meaning
to get some more now that the collection has a dry home and will try to
remember to post info.
Paul
http://www.teleport.com/~prp/collect/
Received on Wed Jan 28 1998 - 11:38:14 GMT