So, I used to collect all manner of old computers, mostly Macs but some others as well. Given the need to minimize storage space and maximize nostalgia, I've decided to pare my collection down to compact Macs only. The shelving in my storage area allows 6 per shelf with space for keyboards, mice, etc., so if I aim for one good example of each model of compact, I shouldn't need more than a couple shelves. So far, I have:
Pretty much all of them need to be recapped, which I hope to work on as an exercise to teach my son how to solder. The question I've come to, though, is that few of these have any kind of network connectivity (the SE/30 and CC have ethernet, but no others), so I'll need to keep around some other machine for the purpose of downloading software, creating floppy disks, etc. To fill that need, I currently have an LCIII, a Powerbook G3 Lombard and a couple G3 iMacs (ingido, 2001).
Obviously, the PBG3 or iMacs better go along with the "compactness" of the collection, but I feel like I'd run into some situation where they wouldn't work. For example, testing some 68k-based applications may not work, or I may not be able to format some disks.
The LCIII would take up a bit more space than the PBG3 (probably about the same space as the iMacs, factoring in the monitor), but being a 68k processor, I feel like there's less chance of compatibility issues. And, the other consequence is that this, too will need to be recapped (I redid the power supply a few years back, but haven't touched the logic board).
So, for those of you that curate compact collections, how important is it to keep a "transitional" or "translational" machine around, and would something with a 68k CPU be a better choice than the others for any particular reason?
- an original Mac (512k, I think) that was upgraded to a Plus
- SE FD/HD
- SE/30
- Macintosh Classic
- Macintosh Classic II
- Color Classic (upgraded to a Mystic)
Pretty much all of them need to be recapped, which I hope to work on as an exercise to teach my son how to solder. The question I've come to, though, is that few of these have any kind of network connectivity (the SE/30 and CC have ethernet, but no others), so I'll need to keep around some other machine for the purpose of downloading software, creating floppy disks, etc. To fill that need, I currently have an LCIII, a Powerbook G3 Lombard and a couple G3 iMacs (ingido, 2001).
Obviously, the PBG3 or iMacs better go along with the "compactness" of the collection, but I feel like I'd run into some situation where they wouldn't work. For example, testing some 68k-based applications may not work, or I may not be able to format some disks.
The LCIII would take up a bit more space than the PBG3 (probably about the same space as the iMacs, factoring in the monitor), but being a 68k processor, I feel like there's less chance of compatibility issues. And, the other consequence is that this, too will need to be recapped (I redid the power supply a few years back, but haven't touched the logic board).
So, for those of you that curate compact collections, how important is it to keep a "transitional" or "translational" machine around, and would something with a 68k CPU be a better choice than the others for any particular reason?
