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IRS Refund Madness! Multiple Conquests!
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-27 20:14:39
Not ALL that amazing, AFAIK, but I got some pretty neat stuff, I'm a very happy camper! :rambo:

Here's all the new IRS Funded Goodies arranged on the MacCoffeeTable™ I've mentioned:





This is a strange one, very unlike the stock Beige Plus sitting next to it. There's no lettering on the front, just a "Nike Swoop" and a rectangle, could be a "D" or something else. I've never seen a pic of one like this.



Close-up of my Beige Plus's "Swoopie" front bezel embossing.



Here's the tag on the back, dunno what any of it means, I've never had a Beige Plus.

__________________________________________________________________________

Non-Mac Conquest:



Innards of my first ever SUN, a SPARCstation 20! [😀] ]'>



Another view of its innards.



Combo of innards & backplane.

The chopped off SUN Video Cable in the pic is something I already had on hand. I've gotta find the pinouts to adapt it to a standard SVGA or BNC connector setup. The system fires up, the CD acts like it works.

Now where do I plug in a KBD & Mouse and what kind do I need? ASCII & Serial? :?:

The guy has a pile of these things, some have several cards in them, but they're models 2, 5 & 10, so I have no idea if I can max this puppy out if I snag the rest of them. Which models might have compatible RAM and the same kind of long RAM/Cache/whatever cards in them?

Time for a new thread or two! 😱)

Posted by: Bunsen on 2010-02-28 02:20:22
There's no lettering on the front, just a "Nike Swoop" and a rectangle, could be a "D" or something else. I've never seen a pic of one like this.


Close-up of my Beige Plus's "Swoopie" front bezel embossing.
Odd. Is that embossed/engraved as an outline, or is the entire area within the swoop and rectangle excavated?

It does look vaguely familiar. I wonder if that might be an early Daystar logo. Have you checked the innards for upgrade hardware?

Nice sub 😀

Posted by: Mars478 on 2010-02-28 05:32:55
I do remember seeing somewhere a mention of a Mac Plus without a "Macintosh" label. Could you get a "closer-up" shot of the D?

And yes, check the inside for upgrades, you may have scored!

It kind of looks like the Boomerang logo (Google Boomerang Channel), you'll know it if you have younglings. 😀

Posted by: jruschme on 2010-02-28 05:32:55
A bit about the Sun...

The video connector is called a 13W3, adapters easily found on ebay. The keyboard is a sun-specific interface and the mouse plugs into the keyboard. BTW, there is no onboard VRAM, so you need a VRAM DIMM in one of the last two memory slots.

The good news is that with no keyboard connected, it will default to a serial console. The default is 9600 N81; it's a DTE, so you'll want a null-modem cable.

It is 32-bit hardware, unlike the later UltraSparc systems. Last version of Solaris which runs on this hardware is Solaris 9. NetBSD and OpenBSD actively support this generation of hardware. I'm not sure if any current version of Linux will run on it.

Do you have any empty memory slots? I might have a couple of extra DIMMS laying around here somewhere.

John

Posted by: Mars478 on 2010-02-28 05:35:34
A bit about the Sun...
The video connector is called a 13W3, adapters easily found on ebay. The keyboard is a sun-specific interface and the mouse plugs into the keyboard. BTW, there is no onboard VRAM, so you need a VRAM DIMM in one of the last two memory slots.
I think one or two macs used this video interface...

Posted by: Quadraman on 2010-02-28 06:43:42
I do remember seeing somewhere a mention of a Mac Plus without a "Macintosh" label. Could you get a "closer-up" shot of the D?And yes, check the inside for upgrades, you may have scored!

It kind of looks like the Boomerang logo (Google Boomerang Channel), you'll know it if you have younglings. 😀
If you upgraded a 128 or 512 to a Plus you got a bucket with the Plus label but the front would still have just the plain Apple and wouldn't say Macintosh Plus.

Posted by: Mars478 on 2010-02-28 10:59:15
Ah.

But I do not think there would be a logo like his.

For reference here is a Boomerang logo, I know it is different.



Posted by: aftermac on 2010-02-28 14:17:35
Nice haul! I love the coffee table too! 😉

I have a SparcStation 20 also, as well as a Sun Ultra 60. I had the pleasure of administering these machines when they were in use at a previous employer. I purchased the pair for $50 when we replaced them with newer models. With them I got 2 tape drives, several external SCSI drives, 2 keyboards, 2 mice, (including one optical mouse and it's special mouse pad) two monitors, and a ton of other stuff.

Posted by: LCGuy on 2010-02-28 14:25:10
I think one or two macs used this video interface...
Nah, no Macs ever used it, but some Apple displays did - the Apple Portrait Display and the Macintosh 21" Colour Display, from memory. However, not only did they use a cable went to a DB-15 connector on the Mac's end, but also, if I'm correct, I think Apple 13W3 is slightly different to Sun 13W3.

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 14:42:27
There's no lettering on the front, just a "Nike Swoop" and a rectangle, could be a "D" or something else. I've never seen a pic of one like this.


Close-up of my Beige Plus's "Swoopie" front bezel embossing.
Odd. Is that embossed/engraved as an outline, or is the entire area within the swoop and rectangle excavated?

It does look vaguely familiar. I wonder if that might be an early Daystar logo. Have you checked the innards for upgrade hardware?

Nice sub 😀
I checked it more closely with an 8x Slide Magnifier and ran my fingers over it, it's definitely a "cattle branding" process, probably done by Daystar when they did the second upgrade (the first being the Plus upgrade) for the "Acceleration Junkie" original owner. The edges are raised a bit and you can see the remains of the case's surface treatment and a few bubbles in the crevasses. A piccie of the third upgrade to be posted momentarily! [😀] ]'>

The Sub's back at the thrift shop, all the controls must have been on the front pair of speakers, including a power on relay! That's surely the reason for the DIN-8 connectors for the front speakers. The owner will be in tomorrow, I offered $10 for it, I'm SURE I can hotwire it as a powered sub for my Thrift Sourced 5.1 Backup Receiver, but I'll have to take store credit for the balance of the $ . . . =8-/

Their DUMB@$$ return policy would have them holding my $ and me waiting for a "Like Item" to magically appear.

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 14:50:23
A bit about the Sun...
The video connector is called a 13W3, adapters easily found on ebay. The keyboard is a sun-specific interface and the mouse plugs into the keyboard. BTW, there is no onboard VRAM, so you need a VRAM DIMM in one of the last two memory slots.
I think one or two macs used this video interface...
Yup, but that'd be one or two Video Cards for interfacing with the APD, which was OEM'd by Radius for Apple. I don't know for sure, but I'd bet Apple had a Radius OEM'd TPD using this familiar connector as well. [😉] ]'>

I haven't had time to look for my APD cables yet, but I will tonight for sure!

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 14:54:19
I think one or two macs used this video interface...
Nah, no Macs ever used it, but some Apple displays did - the Apple Portrait Display and the Macintosh 21" Colour Display, from memory. However, not only did they use a cable went to a DB-15 connector on the Mac's end, but also, if I'm correct, I think Apple 13W3 is slightly different to Sun 13W3.
ARRRRGH! If that's the case, then I guess it's back to finding the correct pinouts to hack that half of a SUN Video Cable I've been saving for-freakin'-EVER!

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 15:16:27
Well, I'm back at Caribou Coffee after another run to my favorite haunts. As I said earlier, I returned the sub, but I also have a trunk stuffed with a SPARCstation 2, that I got mainly because the case looks so cool! I've got what has to be the fugliest, most disgustingly FILTHY SPARCstation 10 extant, YUCK!

I got that one because it shares some of the same architecture as my SPARCstation 20. I rounded out my new collection by cleaning out the remainder of his pile-o-SPARCs by snagging all three SPARCstation 5 (newer models) that he had.

At $5 per unit, how could I go wrong! }🙂

KBDs were $5 per PAIR, gotta post a pic of the haul, I got 8 total sittin' in the trunk with my new (split) pile-o-SPARCs!

I've now got two SUN KBDs, that have a complete set of keys between them! They're only missing two or three keys ea. and they're different, so that's two carcasses, 1.9 sets of keycaps and 2 controllers! Hopefully, some combination will work and I'll be ready to hook up a monitor!

I'll document the rest when I post the pic, but I got some real goodies!

Edit: Forgot to mention that my total should have been $45 today, but the $38 I had in my pocket was just fine & dandy with the seller, so I got my $5 SPARCstations and $2.50 KBDs at a discount! [😀] ]'>

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 15:37:52
Nice haul! I love the coffee table too! 😉
THX! [😀] ]'> That was my very first piece of MacFurniture™! Have you seen the rest of what I've posted in that thread?

I have a SparcStation 20 also, as well as a Sun Ultra 60. I had the pleasure of administering these machines when they were in use at a previous employer. I purchased the pair for $50 when we replaced them with newer models. With them I got 2 tape drives, several external SCSI drives, 2 keyboards, 2 mice, (including one optical mouse and it's special mouse pad) two monitors, and a ton of other stuff.
NICE! As I said above, I've now got a small collection/pile of the 32 bit systems, but they set me back a little less than $30! 😱)

Posted by: aftermac on 2010-02-28 15:59:53
Nice haul! I love the coffee table too! 😉
THX! [😀] ]'> That was my very first piece of MacFurniture™! Have you seen the rest of what I've posted in that thread?

I have a SparcStation 20 also, as well as a Sun Ultra 60. I had the pleasure of administering these machines when they were in use at a previous employer. I purchased the pair for $50 when we replaced them with newer models. With them I got 2 tape drives, several external SCSI drives, 2 keyboards, 2 mice, (including one optical mouse and it's special mouse pad) two monitors, and a ton of other stuff.
NICE! As I said above, I've now got a small collection/pile of the 32 bit systems, but they set me back a little less than $30! 😱)
I just looked up MacFurniture™... VERY NICE! 🙂 Some day I hope to have my collection organized so well!

On a side note the name "MacFurniture™" kinda reminds me of the old IIfx couch 😀 : http://www.craphound.com/images/maciicouch.jpg

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 16:05:32
OK! The mystery Plus/D has been disassembled and troubleshot!

What lay within!



Looks to me like the original owner turned his 128k into a SILENT Ersatz-Stock SE/30/4/0 before finally hanging it up. I'll bet he/she used this sucker all the way from 1984 -> the PPC era . . .

. . . that's over 10 years productive lifetime on the original, signed fronts-piece, Macintosh 128k! 8-o

All this puppy needs is the MicroMac drivers and plenty of room for VM on an internally hacked 2.5" SCSI (or adapted IDE) Laptop Drive! Maybe a new bucket too, a few of the cooling vanes on the top are borked.

. . . and maybe a new battery to see if it actually works. :?:

The old battery was only slightly leaking at the top and the contact has only minor corrosion. After I removed the bad battery, my "certified dead" conquest gave me a startup BOING and hit the FDD for a System Disk, but no joy on the Video. I'm hoping that's just a Compact Mac version of the old MicroQuadra/Missing Battery Syndrome . . .

. . . I'm clueless ATM, but I've got debugging/repair books at home!

BTW, will three AAs wired in series and rigged to contacts on the ends of a wooden dowel do the job? :rambo:

Posted by: LCGuy on 2010-02-28 16:14:27
That Plus just seems to get better and better. Anyway, the compacts don't require the Pizzabox PowerToggle like the LC series Macs - my M0001 has been running with no PRAM battery for the better part of 10 years, and it fires up with video first time, every time. If you're getting no video, I'd say its a more serious problem.

Btw, dumb question I know....but the brightness knob at the bottom is turned all the way up, right? :I Just that I have heard of people misdiagnosing compacts as being "dead" because they forgot about that knob. 😉

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 16:22:42
I just looked up MacFurniture™... VERY NICE! 🙂 Some day I hope to have my collection organized so well!
Thanks for the compliments! I'll have to post pics of some of the things that've been requested, like the PowerBook Collector's Dream!

On a side note the name "MacFurniture™" kinda reminds me of the old IIfx couch 😀 : http://www.craphound.com/images/maciicouch.jpg
:lol: The summer I got the Rug Rat a job working at Tekserve, he and one of the partners built an ENTIRE LIVING ROOM out of 68k Macs for Tekserve's MacWorld EXPO NY exhibit that year!

He spent the rest of the summer doing the regular summer help stuff AND parting out PowerBooks, something which never gets done by summer help there, according to one of the regular employees I knew fairly well.

'bout the rugger mode>

As far as the MacFurniture™ goes . . . I've only just begun! :b&w:

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2010-02-28 16:29:08
That Plus just seems to get better and better.
It's a 128k+++ now that I've seen its insides! [😀] ]'>

I just wonder if the Daystar upgrade or the Plus upgrade was done first? :?:

Btw, dumb question I know....but....
😛 :lol: It's definitely something more serious, unfortunately. [😉] ]'>

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