[Australia] Save the vintage computers!  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2025, 12:47:50 am
content: Perhaps this might be of interest to the aficionados in Australia. There is a large amount of vintage computing gear to be disposed in a building to be demolished. The creator mentioned in a direct communications with our group that they would need volunteers to collect and organize some of this material. He shows some of the collection in the video below:This is an effort à la "Computer Reset" that happened a few years ago in Dallas and was advertised by LGR.(I will let Dave know about this and spread the word)

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 02, 2025, 01:11:56 am
content: We has a similar issue in Sydney. Years ago I helped the Australian Computer Museum Society by offering up some of my garage, as the building they were in was to be demolished but they had no where to move to. That was only a tiny amount of their collection. I believe they've now found a new home in Croydon (Sydney) -https://acms.org.auI would love to assist again, but logistically, I can't make that happen.

author: Andy Chee
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2025, 08:08:02 am
content: Part 2 video has just gone up

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2025, 09:36:10 am
content: As one that lived through that period, I have no nostalgia for vintage computers. As computers, they are not of much use today, they are more like a curiosity for newcomers.However, throwing vintage computers away, or melting them for gold scrapping feels like a waste to me. Vintage computers and peripherals are rich in components that are not produced any more, some with unique properties nowhere to be found today, mechanical parts of high precision, or made out of very high quality materials.For hobbyists and tinkerers, old printers, computers, monitors, and other peripherals can be an infinite supply of fun and DIY projects:- motors from printers- HV transformers from monitors- ferrite cores and big coils- radiators from power supplies- speakers, audio amplifiers, ADCs, DACs, buffers, TTL- optical sensors and quadrature encoders- CD-ROM mechanics can be reused to build toy CNC/plotter/PCB carver, etc.- strong laser diodes from DVDs can be used for physics experiments- the entire optical head can be hacked to make a microscope nanostage, or an AFM microscope entirely- jet-printer heads can be reused to build a DNA analyzer- laser printers can be used to make PCBs at home- high quality ball bearings and strong magnets from HDDs for drones or robotics- micro-switches from mouse and floppy disk units, etc.I didn't watch the video, so don't know how they solved the problem, but they should open a maker's club. Scrap the components from that stash of discontinued IT equipment, and reuse them for new maker's projects.Typical maker's way of buying a module with an MCU or a SBC (where all is done in software) will be OK for the final goal of building something, but will hide the implementation details, will hide how it all works.Building with scrapped components would be very educational for the new generations of techies, it will teach more.

author: Andy Chee
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2025, 12:48:39 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on January 07, 2025, 09:36:10 amThe regional area where the hoarder house is located, precludes the idea of a maker's club. The population is less than 10,000.