ClassicGuyPhilly
Well-known member
Wild and crazy morning 
-
Updated 2023-07-12: Hello, Guest! Welcome back, and be sure to check out this follow-up post about our outage a week or so ago.
ClassicGuyPhilly's Finds
- Thread starter ClassicGuyPhilly
- Start date
jmacz
Well-known member
Picked up a nice Dell for a vintage Windows machine.
Nice! I remember having one of those on my desk at work for years!
CC_333
Well-known member
According to EveryMac, the Sawtooth (AKA AGP Graphics) G4s officially supported 8.6 or latter, though there is mention of some of the earliest models shipping with a machine-specific variant of Mac OS 8.5. Anyone seen this?@Kouzui yes the early ones if not all. 9.2.2 runs really nice on them, give it a shot
All the other Graphite G4s shipped with 9.0.x (Gigabit, late model Sawtooth) and 9.1 (Digital Audio). Incidentally, the Digital Audio G4 was also among the first to include Mac OS X (10.0.x).
c
It’s the first I’ve heard of it. I am not sure that everything on EveryMac is correct. But it could well be right, there’s probably another source somewhere that might mention it.
volvo242gt
Well-known member
Yeah, sometimes they get stuff wrong. Case in point, they have the model identifier for the Centris 650 listed as M1250. Sent them a photo of the label on the back of my old C650, and they thanked me, but said they'd have to verify it before changing the information on it. Guess they thought I'd used Photoshop to edit the model ID.
With respect to the Dells, we had a GX Pro in the normal desktop case, a couple GXa machines in the tower case, a GX1 in the aforementioned desktop case (was my father's machine that he and I bought at Boeing Surplus to replace his old Compaq Presario that was a pile), and a GX1 in the tower case, which is what I bought for myself as a Linux/Windows XP box. Decent machines for the time.
ClassicGuyPhilly
Well-known member
Looks like we have a little Dell Optiplex fan club.
Company I was at during the end of the 90s transitioned our user workstations from HP Vectas and Kayaks to the Dell Optiplex line. I eventually oversaw a fleet of four thousand or so Optiplexes, Latitudes, and Precisions.
The GX100 was most certainly a nostalgic choice for a vintage Windows box
Company I was at during the end of the 90s transitioned our user workstations from HP Vectas and Kayaks to the Dell Optiplex line. I eventually oversaw a fleet of four thousand or so Optiplexes, Latitudes, and Precisions.
The GX100 was most certainly a nostalgic choice for a vintage Windows box
ClassicGuyPhilly
Well-known member
Here's the current, ever growing in ridiculousness, home office desk.
The Dell Latitude laptop on the desk and the Dell XPS in the cabinet share the KB and Microsoft Trackball via a USB A/B switch. The laptop is HDMI into the monitor and the XPS is VGA. The XPS has the taller Dell speakers.
The G4 under the desk is DVI into the monitor. There is an Apple USB KB and mouse stashed above the XPS which can be taken out when needed (G4 wouldn't work with the USB A/B switch). The G4 has the smaller Dell speakers along with a sub hidden in the corner.
The GX100 also has a KB and mouse stashed above the XPS, also didn't work with the A/B. I now need a VGA A/B switch to connect the GX100 into the monitor
Finally, as seem in many other 68kmla pictures, my cats also have a place to hang while I work.
The Dell Latitude laptop on the desk and the Dell XPS in the cabinet share the KB and Microsoft Trackball via a USB A/B switch. The laptop is HDMI into the monitor and the XPS is VGA. The XPS has the taller Dell speakers.
The G4 under the desk is DVI into the monitor. There is an Apple USB KB and mouse stashed above the XPS which can be taken out when needed (G4 wouldn't work with the USB A/B switch). The G4 has the smaller Dell speakers along with a sub hidden in the corner.
The GX100 also has a KB and mouse stashed above the XPS, also didn't work with the A/B. I now need a VGA A/B switch to connect the GX100 into the monitor
Finally, as seem in many other 68kmla pictures, my cats also have a place to hang while I work.
ClassicGuyPhilly
Well-known member
Hey all!
Been busy with other stuff but here are a few updates. The Classic is back again and has taken its place of honor in my favorite machines section
And I have a feeling my adventures in floppy drive cleaning and re-lubrucation will serve me well rehabbing my latest acquisition. Yes, I jacked the Partridge Family!
If anyone has experience with this model Reel to Reel please let me know, definitely needs some love.
Been busy with other stuff but here are a few updates. The Classic is back again and has taken its place of honor in my favorite machines section
And I have a feeling my adventures in floppy drive cleaning and re-lubrucation will serve me well rehabbing my latest acquisition. Yes, I jacked the Partridge Family!
If anyone has experience with this model Reel to Reel please let me know, definitely needs some love.
volvo242gt
Well-known member
I'd create an account over at audiokarma.org and ask there, if no one here has experience with it. That site is the 68kMLA of the audio equipment world.
ClassicGuyPhilly
Well-known member
Awesome thanks @volvo242gt !
volvo242gt
Well-known member
@ClassicGuyPhilly Sure, not a problem. I use the same username there, btw. Except that I actually have a Volvo in my avatar.
CC_333
Well-known member
That marvelous machine puts my humble Ampex 960 to shame!
I don't have tons of experience with any other model, so I can't help aside from the basics: clean up the belt pulleys and replace the rotted/worn out belts, check and clean the heads, clean out the old, hardened grease and relubricate all moving parts, etc.
As you noted, all of these things also apply to floppy drives, so it shouldn't be too hard to do. Actually finding replacement belts, on the other hand, could range from moderately difficult to impossible, depending on the model; I was refurbishing my my Ampex recently, and I got enormously lucky finding the belts, as someone happened to be selling kits on eBay that contained all the belts I needed. There are two rubber idlers that are more problematic to replace (basically, I can't; Well, I could, but any NOS or used parts out there will be just as bad, so there's really no point in bothering unless I can find newly manufactured ones with new rubber) but mine still work well enough, so I'm leaving them alone. It's now in pretty good shape, though it does tend to play about half a semitone slow for some reason.
c
EDIT: I looked it up a bit, and now I want one!
Dude.JediKnight
Well-known member
I’m terrible at remembering names, but I’m pretty sure @ilitch64 will know who I’m talking about… the “reel to reel guy” that’s typically at the InfoAge Repair Workshops. If I suddenly had a reel to reel machine that needed work, that’s probably where I’d start.
ClassicGuyPhilly
Well-known member
@CC_333 thanks for all your kind words and good advice! I'm so psyched for this Craigslist gem, compliments the rest of my growing vintage audio gear so well.
Above picture is after a basic exterior cleaning. The main unit powers on, amp does not. Motor spins forward and reverse, capstan is seized as is the tape engagement mechanism that is supposed to move up and press the tape up against the heads. Meters works and I can play audio from aux in through line out. One mic works other doesn't. Haven't been able to test the speakers yet but will be borrowing an amp w 1/4" speaker jacks from a friend.
Thanks @Dude.JediKnight I did speak to that guy at VCF, great idea for air support if I run into issues.
Above picture is after a basic exterior cleaning. The main unit powers on, amp does not. Motor spins forward and reverse, capstan is seized as is the tape engagement mechanism that is supposed to move up and press the tape up against the heads. Meters works and I can play audio from aux in through line out. One mic works other doesn't. Haven't been able to test the speakers yet but will be borrowing an amp w 1/4" speaker jacks from a friend.
Thanks @Dude.JediKnight I did speak to that guy at VCF, great idea for air support if I run into issues.
CC_333
Well-known member
Of course!
This is probably due to hardened grease in the bearings. Bear in mind, though, that the capstan may not be seized, but rather the drive belt is likely broken, unless this is a three motor deck, which I doubt (three-motors are usually found in high end prosumer or studio-grade decks, whereas most lower end consumer decks usually use one motor).
If I weren't like 3,500 miles away, I'd love to come take a look at it!
c
ilitch64
Well-known member
The guy with the reel to reel is Jeff, aka VintageVolts. I think he just owns a few for listening not sure if he’s an expert at maintaining or repairing them?
Definitely go through, check the oil, grease and movement issues before running! If it has belts you might want to look at those too!!
Definitely go through, check the oil, grease and movement issues before running! If it has belts you might want to look at those too!!
ClassicGuyPhilly
Well-known member
Great thanks @ilitch64 I'm not sure when I will get around to diving into restoring it, but for now the reel to reel is taking center stage in my basement redecorating endeavors. Ikea rocks! Next I need an 8 Track!
And @CC_333 You are welcome anytime you find yourself in my neck of the country. And I did some more research you are correct it's a single motor unit.
And @CC_333 You are welcome anytime you find yourself in my neck of the country. And I did some more research you are correct it's a single motor unit.
CC_333
Well-known member
It so happens that I have an extra 8 Track player, if you're interested (if you are, PM me). It would need some restoration work, but when I tried it (like 15 years ago!), it kinda-sorta played, though with the muffled sounds so characteristic of a misaligned machine. I may even have a cartridge or two to go with it.
I also have an 8 Track recorder, but nothing's going to make me get rid of that one, as I suspect they're quite uncommon!
Thank you for the invitation! Most all consumer-oriented machines were single motor, and they resorted to lots of mechanical trickery to manage fast forward, rewind and play to work all the same. The problem is, most of these mechanisms (that I know of) relied heavily on rubber idlers and belts, which is why they don't tend to age very well.
c
