Restoration: how far should it go??

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sun Jun 15 14:54:00 2003

> > How much do people think is too much restoration???
>
> I try to get my machines running as they would have been in their prime.
> This includes making the common upgrades that most users would have done.
> Since I am restoring kits, there was wide variation in assemble quality. If
> I have or can find the correct parts I am just finishing the assemble 25
> years later. (I am talking about adding a capacitor or a minor cut and
> jumper. Not increasing the memory by tacking RAM chips on top of the
> original ones.)

It depends. I often _will_ do modifications, especially if such
modifications were common when the machine was in normal use (and
remeber some 'official' mods involved piggybacked ICs). But I make it
clear that it _is_ a modification (e.g. if I am modifying a DEC backplane
full of yellow wires, I'll do the mod in red wire).

I also most certainly make use of prototyping areas on PCBs :-). I
discovered, for example, there are enough spare IC locations on the PERQ
OIO board to fit the QIC 02 interface (which was only ever made as a
wire-wrapped prototype anyway AFAIK). Therefore my OIO board is possibly
the only ether-can-tape (ethernet, Canon laser printer, QIC02 tape)
around...

> I also build new upgrade boards for SWTPC 6800 computers. Some of these use
> current production parts and some use historical parts. These can added to a
> system and removed without damage. (I sell copies of some of my upgrades but
> I make them for my own use. Which is a good thing because I will never
> recover my cost.)

I often build add-on boards/modules for classic computers. I like to make
them in a way that was at least _possible_ when the machine was in normal
use (so no SMD parts in a 1970s minicomputer, no FPGAs, etc). But
sometimes I break those rules. If it's a plug-in card it can be removed
later anyway...

-tony
Received on Sun Jun 15 2003 - 14:54:00 BST