More Goodies from the Silicon Valley Refugee

From: Ran Talbott <ran_at_netgate.net>
Date: Mon Sep 15 09:34:22 2003

Thanks for your replies to my previous posting: I managed to find homes
for almost everything.

I've been going through the boxes in the garage, and found a surprising
assortment of little tidbits left over from my old computers. Except as
otherwise noted, the hardware is used, in "excellent" or "like-new"
cosmetic condition. I say "probably working" a lot, but it has a better
than 90% chance of being fully functional. The paper stuff is generally
is "visibly used, but not abused" condition.

All prices are "plus postage". Yes, I know that the shipping cost will
often be more than what I'm asking for the goods, but I don't get to set
the rates. If this *really* bothers you, let me know: I'll be happy to
raise the price to correct the imbalance ;-)

I'd prefer PayPal, but any form of payment that doesn't cost me money in
bank fees is fine.

Ran


Here's the list:



Pet Pack - $5
   Osborne's PET User Guide
   Osborne's "PET and the IEEE-488 Bus"

VIC-20 Pack - $12
   Original user manual (cover somewhat scuffed, "good+" condition)
   Commodore's programmer's guide
   Osborne's VIC-20 User Guide (you can have this "semi-autographed"
       if you want, but I lost touch with my co-author about 15 years
       ago, so you'll have to settle for "semi-", unless you want to
       track him down).
   Compute's "Gazette" for the VIC and C-64, first issue
   A VICModem (probably 300 baud, probably working. No labels on it,
      though. This might've been a prototype or pilot unit, and is
      cosmetically only somewhat better than "good").
   A 3-slot backplane board from

Atari Pack - $5
   Star Raiders cartridge
   Telink II cartridge (modem program??)

   No docs or box with these. I'd say the odds are better than 95%
   that both are good. I *think* I still have a couple of cassette
   apps (probably games) from the Atari Program Exchange hanging
   around. I'll throw those in if they turn up, and you want them.

PCjr Pack - $25
   IBM Tech Reference (in the slipcase, in "as-new" condition)
   Floppy controller board (should be working: as I recall, I pulled
       this to install a Tecmar add-on with better features)
   Modem board (probably 1200 baud. Enough chips are socketed that
      it's probably feasible to hack this into a serial card)
   3 cordless keyboards
   1 keyboard IR receiver module (dealer spare)
   1 pack of 5 overlays for the keyboards (sealed)
   First issues of "PCjr" and "Peanut" magazines

   My (possibly incorrect) recollection is that one keyboard is the
   original from my PCjr (little-used, because I upgraded to the
   more-normal one almost immediately), one was a dealer spare that I
   bought along with the receiver, and the third was a swapmeet buy.
   So there should be at least two in (like-)new working condition.

C-64 Speech synthesizer cartridge - $5 each
   "Voice Messenger", by Currah Technologies. I have 2 of these,
   still shrinkwapped. Uses a hardware synthesizer chip (SSI263??),
   and has an extension ROM that adds speech functions to the built-in
   BASIC. The first buyer gets a free light pen that plugs into the
   joystick port, but has no docs or software unless I get a surprise
   while sorting through my old files. My recollection is that there's
   a photodiode in it that generates an interrupt when the CRT beam
   sweeps past it.

Fat Mac Pack - $2
   (Or "Skinny Mac Pack", if that's what you've got. But that didn't
   rhyme ;-). I have a numeric keypad for the original Macs, in the
   original packaging. The box looks a *bit* shelfworn, but
   surprisingly good, considering its age. The most likely story is
   that it's a working unit that the buyers of my early Macs didn't
   want, because it's unlikely that I would have packed it and kept
   it if it weren't. But I honestly don't know its real status.

Mac II Pack - $5
   Nobody wanted the Mac II, so it's doomed to be recycled. But the
   Enhanced keyboard and the mouse are in excellent shape, since I
   used the Mac only moderately for a few years, and more-or-less
   retired it when OS/2 got to the point where it would fill my GUI
   needs.

Sony Laser Library - $20

   Sony-proprietary-interface 1X CD-ROM drive, bundled with Compton's
   Family Encyclopedia, MS Bookshelf 1991 Edition, Languages of the
   World, National Geographic Mammals, Mixed-Up Mother Goose,
   and a World Atlas (I've forgotten whose). There was a 1.1
   update to the encyclopedia that Sony sent out due to some sort
   of complaints about the 1.0, and that's included. I'll also
   include a half-dozen or so caddies.

   This was one of the first CD-ROM drives to get drivers for OS/2 and
   Linux, so it may be of interest to someone wanting to run early
   versions of those, as well as DOS fans.

   I put relatively few hours on the drive before I switched my system
   to all-SCSI, so it should be good for a lot more use. I'll give
   you a 90-day warranty on it: if it fails, I'll refund the $20 (but
   not the shipping), and you get to keep the CDs and caddies.

   I might actually have the original box up in the attic (but it may
   not be suitable for re-use after being there for so many years).
   The docs are probably complete: I can't swear to them being
   fully complete, because I don't remember what was included.
Received on Mon Sep 15 2003 - 09:34:22 BST

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