riddiculously old hardware that still works

[tipo33]

I found a 40 megabyte ( yes you read that correctly ) Apple hard drive from an Apple Classic. 

So my server happens to have an old SCSI card.  Don't judge me, It's a carryover from when it did actualy use SCSI hard drives, before SSD's.
( insert horrible "back in my time" joke here )
So I plugged it in just for giggles.


Who would have thought it would actually work?

But it does....  It's loud as hell, but it works.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.  It's too small for anything, even swap space.  Do you guys have any stories about older hardware surviving way past their MTBF?? 

Apart from Microsoft Windows, not sure how half of that still works. 

[dante]

How's your hand doing?

[IvanIvanovich]

I have my 1989 Goupil Golf 286... 100% original and functioning. It has a 10mHz 80286 processor +80287 coprocessor, 640k ram with 4MB expanded memory, 40MB hard drive, 3.5" floppy drive and monochrome lcd. Even still it seems very quick and responsive. Also have Tandy1000EX from 1986 in storage somewhere that I believe still works. I've been meaning to go find that one for some time now.
Somehow I doubt things made today will have as good of a chance of lasting and still working properly in 20+ years.

[tipo33]

How's your hand doing?

I get the splint off in another 3 days.  It's been torture.
Thanks for remembering Dante! 

[Oobly]

Apple IIc with 10" green CRT! Some of the floppies have given up the ghost, but the hardware still works. 

[baldgye]

My PS3's still doing alright.

[0100010]

My Atari 2600 still works.

[noisyturtle]

When I went home for thanksgiving last year I found my Little Professor with ancient Caldor brand batteries in it that still worked perfectly.
est. little professor - says 1979 on the back of it
batteries - probably bought in the late '80s

[HaaTa]

I probably have older but this is the easiest pic

[Hak Foo]

Nobody brings out a LaserJet 4 or 5?  My 5 dates to '96, and I have a 4+ I have on hand as a spare, not sure how old it is.

[metalliqaz]

I posted my answer last year.  This thing was a tank:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37348.0

[tipo33]

Show Image

I probably have older but this is the easiest pic :P

Are those nixie tubes??   

[thegagne]

You saw my VT52 right? (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50097.0)

It almost works, I think there's an issue with the vertical on the CRT. May try to fix before I sell it.

[kishy]

My oldest complete system is either my generic (but same case and keyboard as a Dolch) 286 luggable computer, IBM PS/2 Model 25, or my IBM 4704 terminal (working condition unknown on that one), depending on what attributes you're using to date them.

Oldest individual piece of hardware is probably some random 8 bit ISA card, or 640K IBM XT motherboard. I have a 20-something MB Seagate HDD hanging around that works, too.

All of the aforementioned hardware predates me by a little bit, but tinkering with new hardware is boring, so there.
Haven't had any time for computer hardware related hobbies since I got my car(s) though.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Paging MW! A thread you can actually contribute to!!!


I have an old Mac SE that I run every once in a while. Momochrome display, Mac OS 7 (I think, might be 6). Has one of those Salmon ALPS keyboards with it too...

It makes for a good desk clock.

[korrelate]

Show Image

I probably have older but this is the easiest pic :P

F*** YEAH!!! Nixie Tubes!!!!

[tipo33]

Paging MW! A thread you can actually contribute to!!!


I have an old Mac SE that I run every once in a while. Momochrome display, Mac OS 7 (I think, might be 6). Has one of those Salmon ALPS keyboards with it too...

It makes for a good desk clock.

Lol.  I'm converting my Mac Classic into an aquarium.

[ynrozturk]

My Gameboy Pocket still works like a champ.

[Melvang]

I recently tore into a Fischer Studio Standard receiver from early 70's that still technically worked but had TONS of static and pop in the speaker output that had been fixed 2 or 3 times but each time got harder and harder to find the parts so I tore into it and robbed a couple things from it.  My dad still uses the speakers to this day that he got with that stereo.  Same Fischer Studio Standard speakers.  Each box has a horn tweeter, two 4" midrange and a 15" sub.  They are currently hooked up to his Denen 987 receiver.

[rowdy]

Paging MW! A thread you can actually contribute to!!!


I have an old Mac SE that I run every once in a while. Momochrome display, Mac OS 7 (I think, might be 6). Has one of those Salmon ALPS keyboards with it too...

It makes for a good desk clock.

Good, but power hungry.

[Parak]

Probably as a combo of oldness and complex-ness is my Tek 485:



Sometimes I like to pretend like I know what I'm doing and twiddle knobs on it. It's VERY satisfying to twiddle knobs on.

[paicrai]

Probably as a combo of oldness and complex-ness is my Tek 485:

Show Image

Sometimes I like to pretend like I know what I'm doing and twiddle knobs on it. It's VERY satisfying to twiddle knobs on.

Holy **** dude, that looks cool as hell! I'd twiddle knobs on that thing all day, and move the screens around -  BASICALLY I'D TOUCH EVERYTHING.

[microsoft windows]

I've got some old Macs with 10MB hard disks that still run.

[Elrick]

I've got some old Macs with 10MB hard disks that still run.

Still have a working 8600/350 Powermac.  Still my favourite after all these years (1997 purchased) and running MAC OS-7.6.1 (the best ever version of the Mac-OS)  .

[jevvix]

Oldest thing I have that still works is a Micronta DMM from the early-mid 80's.

[padath]

I've got a BBC Micro Model B from the mid-eighties that still works. I don't think (m)any of the 5.25 inch floppy disks work anymore though.

[Leslieann]

My printer was made in 1989 or 1991 (I think), it's an old box style HP Laserjet 4+, to which I added a network card. It's survived at least 2 offices that I know of, and shows that it's had around 800,000 pages printed through it.  Probably weighs 40 pounds and works like new.

Not that I use it a ton, but it's used regularly.

[bueller]

Love this old LaserJet 4's and 5's, used to be a printer tech and they are total workhorses!

[rowdy]

I discarded a couple of LaserJet 4s a while back.

I still have my LaserJet 2100 which I found lying by the side of the road.  Works fine, although the toner is getting a bit thin now.

A new toner cartridge was nearly $200 last time I checked.

[davkol]

Maybe I could find some ancient hardware in the closet, but I don't see any point in doing so. Even the relatively modern (mid 90s) SCSI scanners are PITA to get to work without an ISA SCSI card.

The oldest thing I actually use on daily basis is probably Sennheiser HD 565. There aren't many usable headphones older than 15 years.

[berserkfan]

When Dante asked his question, I thought he meant that tipo33's hand was ridiculously old hardware that still functioned!

Oh well, I have a 35 year old cake mixer that still works... I know not computer device, but haven't got anything else to contribute.

How's your hand doing?

I get the splint off in another 3 days.  It's been torture.
Thanks for remembering Dante! 

[iri]

Paging MW! A thread you can actually contribute to!!!


I have an old Mac SE that I run every once in a while. Momochrome display, Mac OS 7 (I think, might be 6). Has one of those Salmon ALPS keyboards with it too...

It makes for a good desk clock.

Lol.  I'm converting my Mac Classic into an aquarium.

best use case for a mac!

how's your hand feeling? do you touch type? haha j/k, hope it's completely fine soon.

[taylordcraig]

I have a 78 Les Paul Pro. And a Rhodes Mk1 Stage Piano, can't recall the year, 75 I think [honestly can't even remember the production dates, I'm not a snob about it].

[tipo33]

Paging MW! A thread you can actually contribute to!!!


I have an old Mac SE that I run every once in a while. Momochrome display, Mac OS 7 (I think, might be 6). Has one of those Salmon ALPS keyboards with it too...

It makes for a good desk clock.

Lol.  I'm converting my Mac Classic into an aquarium.

best use case for a mac!

how's your hand feeling? do you touch type? haha j/k, hope it's completely fine soon.

I was supposed to get the splint off 2 weeks ago, but when we re-did the x-ray, it was still broken.     I finaly got it off yesterday.   Before the break, yes, I was a touch typist.  Now, not so much.  lol   It is actually amazing to see how fast my skills have deteriorated.  For 2 months I typed regularly with my right hand, and hunted and pecked with my left.  I am currently using an M with blank keycaps to get my skills back up.

[iri]

everything will be fine soon. i've had a tendon rupture in my foot. my right leg was in a knee-high plaster cast for three weeks. after the plaster was removed, i found out i can't walk haha. but it became  well very fast.

[BlueBär]

Does this count?



From 1935, new ribbon, works like a charm

[Elrick]

Does this count?

(Attachment Link)

From 1935, new ribbon, works like a charm

If we ever suffer from WW3 or some Electrical Attack then your item maybe the most advanced communications device left on the face of this planet  .

[terran5992]

I would say my dad's model m

[BlueBär]

If we ever suffer from WW3 or some Electrical Attack then your item maybe the most advanced communications device left on the face of this planet  .

Exactly my thoughts!

[IvanIvanovich]

I Was able to locate my very first PC out of storage today! I now have the 1986 Tandy 1000EX at home... I forgot to find any of the diskettes though, so it's pretty much useless for the moment. It turns on and tells me to insert a disk.
I can't wait to find those disks and play some Rampage in blazing 16 colors!
Damn is the keyboard one of worst feeling nasty things. It makes MY switch feel like a nice dream.

[compgeke]

I find the old computers to be a fair bit more reliable than a modern system, and when something does go wrong it's fairly easy to fix as opposed to the new garabge we have today.

All working I have:
2x IBM 5150 (IBM PC)
IBM 5160 (IBM XT)
IBM 5140 (PC Convertible)
And the Compaq Portable, sans the keyboard which has the deteriorated foam and foil disks.

On the other hand, when something does go wrong, it's quite easy to fix. You can piggyback ram to find bad ram chips most of the time, nothing is surface mount and they even used sockets part of the time!

[Leslieann]

I find the old computers to be a fair bit more reliable than a modern system, and when something does go wrong it's fairly easy to fix as opposed to the new garabge we have today.

Older systems didn't get as many cheap, low quality, bottom of the line parts. Also, the only ones still working are the survivors, for each one you see, many others failed.

The quality and reliability of quality parts are actually higher than ever before, unfortunately, we also have a LOT of junk these days too. Buy better quality and they are easily just as reliable or more-so than older systems. Something I learned long ago... Use an UPS with line conditioning and use a GOOD power supply. It's amazing what those two things do to the long term reliability and stability for a computer. There is no way I would trade my current desktop and file servers for older hardware. No chance.

I don't mind an old printer, keyboard, and even some old mice as they still run and function as well as they did way back when, but my cell phone has more computing power than an old Pentium. I don't care how good they were, they don't compete performance-wise. I love being able to watch a movie, run Photoshop, have 50 browser tabs open while uploading gigs of files and not see anything slow down.