What are your vintage grail items?

[wottle]

I've gotten most on my list: SE/30, Cube, TAM, Color Classic (with Mystic), Performa 6400 running BeOS (obscure one), NeXT Station, iBook (still would like a lime green one), Apple IIc+, the Apple 17" Studio CRT, Flower Power iMac g3.

The remaining items I have on my list are a NeXT Cube (unlikely due to crazy prices at this point), a Macintosh TV (always loved the black look), a trash can Powermac (waiting to the prices to drop through the floor), and a PowerCD (another weird one, but remember wanting on as a kid).

Recently picked up a Macintosh TV. Sold as non-working, with no mouse and no ADB cable for the keyboard. I paid more than I'd like, but took a chance it could be salvaged. Got it today and cleaned it up a bit, checked for anything terrible on the logic board, and fired it up. It turned on, with a dead hard drive (to be expected), and the screen has a yellow hue. But overall, it seems to be working well. A few gentle bumps and the yellow hue went away (cracked solder joints on the analog board, anyone?). Threw a BlueSCSI on the back with 7.5 and It was running great. Now on to hunting for a black ADB mouse and the PowerCD!

 

[Patrick]

hunting for a black ADB mouse

i've seen people use a NeXT mouse. they might be easier to find ?!?

 

[wottle]

i've seen people use a NeXT mouse. they might be easier to find ?!?

Interesting, I hadn't thought of that. I have a NeXT mouse with my NeXT Station, but I believe it is the non-ADB kind. I may see about picking one up. Side benefit: I can use it with my NeXT Cube I will one day acquire!

 

[Volvo242GT]

I feel like everybody has a "the one that got away"

for me there is a few.
OG Mac 128k (pre fat mac release) my dad threw away. he REALLY REALLY regrets it.
imac 333MHz. i traded it for a monitor + cash. never got the cash. so in the end it was just a crt monitor.
Powerbook 190. that one i don't know what i did with.

which is to say. its a feeling i think most can relate to.

For me, probably the IIgs upgrade kit machine I sold for $150 in 1995. Even though I wasn't using it much anymore. If I had the storage space, I probably would've stored it away and brought it with me when we moved from our previous house to our current house.

 

[3lectr1c]

Recently picked up a Macintosh TV. Sold as non-working, with no mouse and no ADB cable for the keyboard. I paid more than I'd like, but took a chance it could be salvaged. Got it today and cleaned it up a bit, checked for anything terrible on the logic board, and fired it up. It turned on, with a dead hard drive (to be expected), and the screen has a yellow hue. But overall, it seems to be working well. A few gentle bumps and the yellow hue went away (cracked solder joints on the analog board, anyone?). Threw a BlueSCSI on the back with 7.5 and It was running great. Now on to hunting for a black ADB mouse and the PowerCD!

Recap, recap recap! You've got it working now, but if you don't change the caps it won't be for long! I'm assuming you've also removed the battery of course.

 

[wottle]

Recap, recap recap! You've got it working now, but if you don't change the caps it won't be for long! I'm assuming you've also removed the battery of course.

Yes, removed the battery first thing. I'll be recapping the logic board shortly. And then the analog board. Given the yellow tint on the monitor, I'll probably be re-flowing many of the solder joints on the analog board.

 

[Patrick]

I agree with this guy

 

[ScutBoy]

Interesting, I hadn't thought of that. I have a NeXT mouse with my NeXT Station, but I believe it is the non-ADB kind. I may see about picking one up. Side benefit: I can use it with my NeXT Cube I will one day acquire!

The NeXT mouse that came with the Cubes and the early slabs are not ADB. The ADB mice are distinct - round with the two buttons "sticking out" of the top...

The ADB NeXT mouse won't work with the Cube. Maybe(?) with a Turbo Cube if you could find one; I don't know if those supported ADB like the later turbo slabs did...

 

[Patrick]

I don't even know if ADB NeXT mice are easier to find then the mac Black mice. I've just seen pictures where people were using a NeXT mouse with their black Macs.

 

[retr01]

To me, the holy grail would be a single chip with everything in there that eliminates the need for even a pico-sized board, caps, etc. BBU was a great example of shrinking several things in one chip. How about a logic board in a chip? No connectors. Just wireless connections and wireless power. Plus, an FPGA is already there, so it could emulate anything already core available to put in the ROM section (extremely tiny ROM) on the chip.

 

[KennyPowers]

I just want my first computer back. PowerMac 6100/66 DOS-Compatible (with the Houdini II DOS card). I had everything...the funky monitor cable, maxed RAM, all the manuals... I gave it away around 2006 when I needed space. I don't know why...surely I could have tucked that pizza-box away somewhere

Looky what I got



Chimes and boots OS8 off of the installed HD, and PSU outputs correct voltages...just dusty and a little yellowed. Logic board looks pristine with no signs of leaky caps or other corrosion. I'm still going to recap the PSU and logic board and just do a full resto on this thing.

Oh ya, and about that PITA-to-find octopus cable for the DOS card...Fedex is delivering that today...with a second DOS card

 

[wottle]

Looky what I got

View attachment 7146 View attachment 7147 View attachment 7148

Chimes and boots OS8 off of the installed HD, and PSU outputs correct voltages...just dusty and a little yellowed. Logic board looks pristine with no signs of leaky caps or other corrosion. I'm still going to recap the PSU and logic board and just do a full resto on this thing.

Oh ya, and about that PITA-to-find octopus cable for the DOS card...Fedex is delivering that today...with a second DOS card

Love the DOS Compatible label on the front! I ran into problems getting my DOS card to work, and I reseated the CPU and it was working great again. Glad you were able to track one down.

 

[KennyPowers]

Love the DOS Compatible label on the front!

I was holding out for one like that...because that's how mine was when I was a kid

 

[wottle]

Just found a crazy item for my grail list:

The Japanese BookCaSE conversion kit for the Powerbook 5300 / 190 series:

 

[retr01]

Hey @wottle!

Sans the non-Snow White design Apple keyboard and mouse, I agree this is one of the holiest of all holy grails!

 

[retr01]

@wottle, this black Apple Standard Keyboard and Apple Desktop Bus mouse will match better. If you want an Apple Extended Keyboard II, please let me know. I will produce it in black, too.