Dave! Need your help! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Dan Moos
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 09:12:42 pm
content: Hi. My wife just sent you a (tongue in cheek) email bemoaning your influence on me. Basically she is accusing you of helping feed my addiction to test gear.I am not here to deny any of that. I'm here to ask that you do a video making it obvious that I need a signal analyzer. Fight fire with fire, right?Sent from my E6830 using Tapatalk

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 10:54:35 pm
content: I guess everybody's got to have an addiction.Mine is with retro hardware that every reasonable person threw out long ago, but that I still treasure like a 5 year old trying to keep his busted doll from the garbage.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 11:12:36 pm
content: Quote from: Dan Moos on February 12, 2017, 09:12:42 pmIf you haven't already you need to join us here -Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy threadJust tell her you are getting the help you need.

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 11:30:52 pm
content: Doesn't he read his 'fan' mail on a video?

author: Dan Moos
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 12:35:01 am
content: if he does, I'm unaware as to where to see it.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 01:58:23 am
content: Quote from: eugenenine on February 12, 2017, 11:30:52 pmI haven't seen anything like that - and I don't expect to.If Dave were to read out stuff from people who want to sing his praises, he is going to sound like he's big-noting himself. He might appreciate such positive feedback in private, but not strutting around like a peacock. That does not sound like Dave at all.If he were to read out stuff from critics, then he could end up giving a higher profile to comments than they deserve. Some people just like to trash others for the sake of making themselves feel superior. Sure, there may be people with legitimate issues - but to address these, Dave would need to sift through them and spend time assessing their merit. Dave is more of a shoot from the hip kinda guy - presorting and preparing a response is not how I see him traveling. Also, I think he would rather take such points of view in private consideration - public airing could only result in further debate, which may not do anything more than waste time.From those in the middle ground, offering suggestions and such, I think there is already opportunity enough. After all, we have this Forum.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 07:56:46 am
content: Quote from: TwoOfFive on February 12, 2017, 10:54:35 pmSo you're calling meunreasonable?I too have a love for old computer hardware. But you're right, a lot of people binned computers long ago which are actually quite valuable and becoming rarer. Back then, it was just "obsolete" and probably not worth anything. Even if they haven't thrown it out and it's sitting in storage somewhere, you can bet there is a NiCad battery in it corroding away at the components.That said, it's pretty much only the brand name stuff (to a certain degree) that has any value. Any generic white box computer is almost worthless. Some components might be worth rescuing.I would LOVE to get my hands on a Roland MT-32 MIDI device as I used to play a lot of games that could take advantage of it but they are few and far between on ebay (and usually asking too much). (If someone has one they are willing to part with, send me a PM)Other components like the original Creative SoundBlaster cards are quite worth while keeping and old PCI 3D accelerators as well, like the 3DFX Voodoo and Voodoo II cards.I have entire boxes full of both 8-bit and 16-bit PCI cards as well (mostly video cards, EGA, CGA and controllers) as you never know what kind of machine you decide to pick up next and what parts it might need.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 10:21:42 pm
content: Quote from: Halcyon on February 13, 2017, 07:56:46 amI disagree. Custom builds are worth a lot. I just did a Socket 3 and Slot 1 build myself.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 10:34:45 pm
content: Quote from: TwoOfFive on February 13, 2017, 10:21:42 pmThere is a difference between "worth a lot" and what you actually paid. In the last year or so, I've put together a 386, 486 and Pentium machine. In total I have paid for about $100-$150 for parts which was made up of components and whole systems I've picked up off ebay. I think I picked up one complete working computer for about $10 which I gutted. The most expensive bit was shipping costs due to size/weight of some items.I see so many people flogging "vintage" systems which are nothing more than custom builds by some computer shop somewhere for far more than they are worth. Sure there are some valuable parts out there if you know what you're looking for but generic machines are everywhere and you can get them very cheaply.It comes down to knowing what things are worth and avoiding being ripped off by people flogging any old crap because it's "vintage".

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 10:59:49 pm
content: I had to clear out a bunch of old hardware before we moved as I just couldn't move it all. Now I'm slowly re-buying, found an Amiga 2000 last summer.