The guy who threw out the 11/70 (was: Vax 8600 on Ebay)

From: Tothwolf <tothwolf_at_concentric.net>
Date: Sun Aug 4 10:23:00 2002

On Sat, 3 Aug 2002, Eric Dittman wrote:

> I don't doubt he couldn't find anyone. A couple of months ago I posted
> about the HSCxx controllers and drives, and nobody has wanted to go to
> pick them up. They'll end up getting thrown out, too, if someone
> doesn't pick them up in the next month.

I guess I'll add my $0.02 or whatever in here too...

I also don't doubt he couldn't find anyone to "haul off" that 11/70.
Sadly, I've heard about many things that were posted up for adoption on
the list here that ended up junked/dumped simply because no one claimed
them. Not to offend anyone, but it seems like if something doesn't have
the letters 'DEC' printed on it somewhere, there are far fewer list
subscribers interested in it. I currently only own one system made by DEC
(MVII/BA123), and while I'd love to get my hands on a PDP11, PDP8, etc,
I'll not pass up on systems made by other companies.

One such example of an overlooked system is the SGI IRIS 1400 I picked up
from a fellow list member here in Houston. I was shocked that no one else
had claimed the system before I noticed it. When I posted about it after I
started work on it, a number of people emailed me and told me they wanted
it if I decided I didn't (not likely). Best I can tell, that particular
system is 100% complete, and everything but the hard drive and DSD5215 is
original.

The IRIS 1000/1200/1400/1500 are the first systems SGI sold. The 1000 and
1200 are both GUI terminals, while the 1400 and 1500 are workstations. The
1400 is a deskside chassis, and the 1500 is a rack-mounted system (with
SMD disks, etc). The 1400 I now own is serial number 0095. Apparently, it
was originally number 0047, but SGI appears to have remanufactured and
resold it.

Sadly, I guess there will always be systems and such that get junked
because they are overlooked, or the people who want them can't get to
them...

I'll note this here, since I imagine this thread is going to be read alot:

If anyone comes across any JC80 or JC85 gear, _let me know_. I have about
2/3 of a JC80, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to make it complete.
I doubt such systems are going to turn up very often, if ever. The JC80
and JC85 were custom made building automation computers (typically in big
racks) made in the late '70s to the mid '80s. I'd imagine less than 500 of
these systems were made worldwide. Sadly, Johnson Controls
dumped/junked/scrapped nearly all of the systems that were removed when
they were "upgraded" (replaced) with a newer facility management package,
so few if any likely remain now. I'll take some photos of what I have if
anyone is interested. (The rack-mount portion of the computer itself looks
similar to other gear from the same era, large operator's panel with
finger-sized rocker switches, etc.)

The JC80 system is quite important from a historical perspective. To the
best of my knowledge (and that of several people I've talked to), the JC80
was the *first* system designed/sold specifically for building automation.

-Toth
Received on Sun Aug 04 2002 - 10:23:00 BST