On Thu, 19 Aug 1999 12:29:34 -0500, Jeffrey l Kaneko <jeff.kaneko_at_juno.com>
wrote:
>I had several conversations with Tom Fischer over the last {snip}
>>Not to mention recent E-Bay prices.
Amen to that. The recent prices are certainly an incentive for one to
try his hand again.
> And, could the "mainframe" actually cost that much??
> Switches: 22_at_$5=$110. PS=$50. Backplane=$75. Sheetmetal=$250.
>FP=$100. Maybe I have a warped idea of what this stuff costs, but I was
>expecting a lower number.
>>I dunno, your price breakdown sounds alright to me. Mebbe he
>>figured that these are 'hand crafted' hence have some kinda snob
>>appeal.
As Tim mentioned, my PS number is low. I was figuring on the included
ATX PeeCee power supply. I'd bet the transformer alone in the old IMSAIs was
*at least* the $50.
I also agree with the snob appeal, although I don't know if it would be
the "hand-made" part, or alternatively, about "it was made by the same guy
who made the old ones."
> I have some old S100 cards to play around with, but I only
> have a non-working Northstar Horizon. So, I would be Tom's target
> audience. I would prefer a kit, though, since I have the skill level
> and interest to assemble one myself.
>>Well that was the whole point, wasn't it, eh? You built it yourself
>>because you a) Had more time than money or b) That's the only way
>>you could get it. I dunno about you, but I certainly fell into the
>>'more time than money' category (and *still* couldn't afford it).
>>
>>I believe his target audience has 'more money than {time | brains}'.
>>I dunno Rich, I always figured you as a pretty smart guy. Maybe
>>on a budget, too. Would be better just to buy the 'unique' bits,
>>and piece one together yourself (utilizing the PSU of your choice).
Thanks for the compliment :-) I wasn't focused on computers when the
original IMSAI was available. I was about , dunno, maybe 11. So, I certainly
didn't have the money. I did have time, though.
Now, I have much less time and more money, but I'd still prefer to build
my own. $$$ are always a concern, but the deal with my wife is what ever I
make from freelance computer writing, I can use for my hobby. Sweet deal,
huh??
A custom PS would be nice (I've always liked building power supplies). I
wouldn't be opposed to piecing a system together myself, but by the time you
piece together the HTF parts (such as the FP, the backplane, and the case),
you have 70% of the unit. I think that an unassembled kit for $599 would be
OK.
>>BTW, what's wrong with your Horizon (just curious)?
Don't really know. I have no info on some of the boards, so I don't know
if the jumpers are set for the right addresses. I also can't verify that the
backplane serial ports work, or even if the on-board ports work or floppy
controller works. Power supply is good, though :). Basically I'm in the
dark.
I gave up last year because I started to renovate the basement. Now that
that's done, this winter, I'll probably start fiddling with it again.
Somewhere around here, I have a list of my boards I can send you. Most
of the boards are Vector Graphics (ZCB, RAM, ROM), though.
> Conclusion: although I want an IMSAI badly, I don't think
> that I'm prepared to spend $1k for an out-of-the-box non-functional
> machine.
>>Ah yes, as I suspected, you're way too smart to be drawn into this
>>'Techno chic' marketing shtick. That's all it is: chic. This guy's
>>just trying to 'make hay while the sun shines'.
I think that it's a load of crap. Old computers for the masses. Ruins it
for the rest of us. Next thing you know, the Antiques Road Show will have an
"antique computer" eposode.
> If I were buying an "old" non-functional IMSAI, at least I could
> restore it to functioning status. I wouldn't pay $1k for that one,
> either.
>>True, although this would be the way to go, assuming the price is
>>right. Even if you just have a pile of old boards, as i said before,
>>just get the 'unique' stuff, then fill in the gaps with off-the-shelf
>>items. That's essentially what we did in the old days.
This would be my ideal project. Just as long as the FP fascia is intact,
I think that I could handle everything else. I have a huge box of random
S100 cards just waiting for a working home...
-----------------------------------
[ Rich Cini/WUGNET
[ ClubWin!/CW7
[ MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
[ Collector of "classic" computers
[
http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/
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Received on Fri Aug 20 1999 - 19:54:10 BST