On Fri, 8 Oct 2004, Marvin Johnston wrote:
> In rummaging through classic computer stuff I haven't seen in a while, I
> saw several things that are definitely a problem. What other things need
> to be added to the list for collectors to watch out for?
>
> * Leaky nicad batteries that will "eat" the circuit board traces
> The early computers that come quickly to mind are the TRS-100, Lobo
> Drives Max 80, NEC 8201A, 286 and later motherboards, and S-100
> CompuWatch Clock/Calendar boards. Any others that should be added to
> this list?
The Lisa is very susceptible to this issue.
> * Subterranean termites (eating manuals and other cardboard/paper
> products)
> Fortunately, they had only mostly started on the cardboard boxes, and
> only damaged some of the manuals. I'm thinking that keeping the manuals
> in ziplock bags might be a good idea for any manuals that need to be
> packed away. This would also protect them from moisture if the boxes got
> wet.
I had this same problem last year. They ate through some of my magazines,
including some early issues of Kilobaud Computing, which hurt :( I
hopefully had the problem fixed (I hope they got them all), but I have a
stack of boxes of magazines 12 wide and three deep and haven't had the
time to go snooping to make sure nothing is going on at the bottom layer.
Pests of any kind should be watched for, including rodents that will pee
all over your circuit boards like little bastard teenage vandals!
> * Leaky storage areas leading to equipment and documentation being
> ruined.
> I've had quite a few books and manuals that had to be thrown away
> (nothing really rare, hard to come by, or valuable) due to a leaky roof
> where they were being stored.
Also to worry about:
* Paper rot (paper documents that are crumbling due to acid in the paper)
* Bit rot (EPROMS or magnetic media that are nearing their theoretical
lifespan)
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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Received on Fri Oct 08 2004 - 06:34:06 BST