ClassicGuyPhilly's Finds

[CC_333]

AMD K6-2

The AMD K6-2, I believe, can actually be a decent CPU, and I think was prized on its ability to overclock.

The perception of "not-that-great" performance, I guess, stems from the fact that many of them were installed in low budget PCs whose performance was often mediocre.

Plus Windows 98, which was adequate at the time for most consumers, was technically quite mediocre and never performed all that well (Windows NT was quite superior, but hard to work with before Windows NT 5 (better known as Windows 2000) was released with proper support for then-new standards like ACPI, USB, Plug 'n' Play, etc).

c

 

[adespoton]

The AMD K6-2, I believe, can actually be a decent CPU, and I think was prized on its ability to overclock.

The perception of "not-that-great" performance, I guess, stems from the fact that many of them were installed in low budget PCs whose performance was often mediocre.

Plus Windows 98, which was adequate at the time for most consumers, was technically quite mediocre and never performed all that well (Windows NT was quite superior, but hard to work with before Windows NT 5 (better known as Windows 2000) was released with proper support for then-new standards like ACPI, USB, Plug 'n' Play, etc).

c

Yeah; I always thought that the problem with the K6-2 wasn't the processor, but the fact that it was low-enough cost that it was usually shoved onto mainboards that had weak bus speeds and thermal control issues.
As for Win98 -- it was always a stopgap measure that tightened up things a bit on the software side to prepare developers for the leap to NT. It fixed some bugs in 95c, and the SE version fixed some more, but the main purpose was to break some bad habits people had developed writing software for DOS, Windows 3.x and Windows 9x. Then, of course, when NT5 turned out to be still locked down enough to be stable and secure but not work with a bunch of consumer software, even after a big blitz of driver updates, ME was released as a stopgap to XP.

 

[CC_333]

...when NT5 turned out to be ... locked down enough to be stable and secure...

This feels very quaint now.

Whereas NT was relatively locked down by the standards of the time (1997ish - 2003ish), compared to modern Windows and other modern OSes such as macOS (and especially iOS), it's wide open and access to its inner workings is about as free and clear as you can get, something I think it was criticized for even then (contemporary Linuxes and Unixes were far more reliable and secure than even Windows NT, although it did nevertheless represent a very solid improvement over Windows 9x).

Apple was deep in the throes of its miserable Copland failure and the buyout of NeXT, so it wasn't really a serious player in the then-rarefied server market until Mac OS X Server (which was based on NeXT, which in turn was based on Mach, a Unix-like OS) was released. It's offerings up to that point (A/UX, the WGS 95/9150, ANS) seemed somewhat halfhearted and lacked much in the way of support or promotion compared to their other offerings.

Then again, Apple in the mid 90s was such a chaotic mess, it didn't really seem like they were supporting much of anything of value, save for maybe innumerable Performa and LC variants.

c

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Completely sidestepping any processor controversies this machine has a decent spec for its day including USB and firewire. The owner must have done something gx or video related because there was also a monitor calibration suction cup jawn in the box o stuff that came with the computer.

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Seller said won't turn on but for $10 how could I possibly resist? Otherwise it's in very good shape and I think worth getting repaired.

Now I obviously need the much coveted B&W G3 even more

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Uh oh. Isn’t that the one monitor where 100% of the flyback transformers were manufactured poorly and go out?

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

I have since tested it. The unit gets power but the CRT does nothing. If that's what would happen with a bad flyback xformer then I suppose so.

What's the prognosis, Dr. @3lectr1cPPC ? And is there hope to bring back to life?

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Not sure... I don't think replacements are available though. Just not 100% sure what the flyback issue would present as on these monitors.

 

[bobcat]

It would be cool to do an LCD-swap on one of these monitors. I love the design.

I unfortunately threw mine out years ago. (still have the B&W G3)

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Yes @bobcat this is such a great era of Apple's design language! The B&W G3 is one of my favorite machines, glad you kept yours.

Seems there is a modern flyback replacement part, here's a video shared by @mac27

 

[mac27]

Yes @bobcat this is such a great era of Apple's design language! The B&W G3 is one of my favorite machines, glad you kept yours.

Seems there is a modern flyback replacement part, here's a video shared by @mac27

Yeah, apparently there is a modern replacement part available somewhere out there, or at least there was one at some point in the last few years as this video highlights.

The flyback issue on these monitors almost always presents as a sporadic snapping or "click" sound every ~5-10 seconds, and the image disappearing but then gradually reappearing over the span of a second or two. I had one myself years ago and it did this constantly. It's possible that no image at all is just a further-progressed manifestation of the issue, once the flyback is completely toast.

Does the power button LED light up amber/green? If so then it's probably the flyback, would be my guess.

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

@mac27 the light starts green, then goes amber when there is an unhappy electrical sound followed by a click. Nothing happens afterwards and the amber light remains. Thanks for your insights!

And here are current views of the my office I do enjoy rearranging when new treasures come in.

 

[mac27]

@mac27 the light starts green, then goes amber when there is an unhappy electrical sound followed by a click. Nothing happens afterwards and the amber light remains. Thanks for your insights!

And here are current views of the my office I do enjoy rearranging when new treasures come in.

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View attachment 88693

Very nice! Love to see it. yes, by the sounds of it I'd venture that this is a flyback-related issue. Best of luck, update us if you do decide to attempt a fix.