2. Computers

My Vintage Computer Collection (Pre IBM !!)_

My collection of computers that I used in the Eighties !! (and STILL own)
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A 'naked' Superbrain-II, frontview
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A 'naked' Superbrain-II, frontview

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  • The Superbrain-II, from Intertec Data Systems.<br /> I bought it in 1981.<br /> I paid around 10 grand (in Dutch Guilders)<br /> I must have been totally out of my mind I guess..<br /> But it gave me a lot of experience with computersystems and software.<br /> IThe SuperBrain was a dual Z80 cpu machine (one Z80 cpu for disk-I/O, and the other Z80 cpu for the OS)<br /> <br /> I was making databases using DBASE II (Ashton Tate) for my dads company using this machine.<br /> Powerful machine for that time.<br /> The two red keys (left and right) of the main keyboard had to be pressed simultaneous for a reboot.<br /> The silly thing in the design was, that the floppies were ALWAYS running.<br /> I modified it, and that was a good thing.<br /> There was even a magazine for the Superbrain (bimonthly: SuperLetter), and I wrote several articles for it.<br /> I had even changed the BIOS Eprom, and installed SUPERbios.<br /> <br /> Check it out, in a YouTube video:<br /> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8az49vFr4sY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8az49vFr4sY</a>
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  • The good old times: Inside glimpse in thew SuperBrain: High Voltage CRT's instead of flatpanels!!
  • SuperBrain II: it's metal support case for the Video Display Unit.
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  • SuperBrain-II from the top, 'naked'(cover removed)
  • A 'naked' Superbrain-II, frontview
  • My first Apple computer (1987): The Macintosh SE/30.<br /> At that time the FASTEST Mac you could own...<br /> It had a zippy 68030 processor (32 bit, Motorola)<br /> Together with the Apple Imagewriter (dotmatrix-printer) I forked out almost 10.000 (good old) dutch Guilders...
  • The CPU in my Macintosh SE/30: The 16 Mhz Motorola 68030, 32 bits<br /> 128-pin ceramic PGA package.
  • My SE/30, a peek 'under the hood.<br /> GREAT design.<br /> <br /> I also have one of the first 128k Macs (floppy version), and on the interior of the cover, all the Mac 128k project members put their signature, including the signature of Steve Jobs.<br /> Have a look at those 'signature shots' in this gallery.
  • This is the original signatures document from 1982 !! <br /> These signatures were molded into the case interior and included here (gradually disappearing) for several generations of Macs from the first 128K Macintosh all the way through to the SE. Rumor has it that Steve Jobs' signature was displaced by a power plug on the SE model.<br /> <br /> The Mac II and other Macs with case designs different from the 128K did not carry any signatures inside. Curiously, this document is marked "February 10, 1982" which may indicate that it is an early capturing of team signatures. It would be interesting to see "who made the cut" in the final case, and 'kicked out' Jobs. Ha ha !!! Steve must have been LIVID !!
  • The Apple Imagewriter.<br /> Great printer, but it made a hell of a noise!!<br /> Virtual unbreakable. Real japanese quality (yep, made in Japan, not in the USA!!).<br /> But I had to let it go, but I read somewhere that the steppermotors inside were one of the most powerfull ones, so before I gave this printer the boot into it's final restingplace, I opened it up, and removed the two steppermotors (TEC CBA45-01101 for printerhead transport, and a smaller TEC CBA45-01201 for the paperfeed)
  • This is all that's left of my beloved Apple Imagewriter printer:<br /> Two VERY powerful TEC steppermotors. Japanese superquality!!<br /> I'm using them in experiments to control steppermotors with PIC microcontrollers, using Flowcode software.<br /> Check out FlowCode here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7fd7ejd">http://tinyurl.com/7fd7ejd</a><br /> also check a demo of FlowCode 5 newest features:<br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShhsZ3wRvLQ&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShhsZ3wRvLQ&feature=related</a>
  • And this is my Apple LISA!!<br /> I bought it in the 80's from a guy called Adam van Gaalen, a radioamateur (PA2AGA) living in little dutch town called 'Monster' (near the NorthSea beach) close to The Hague.<br /> <br /> Mine looks more yellowish than in the picture, but that is the only difference. The plastic is affected by sunlight, that causes discoloration. I will add the same picture, but showing the actual discoloration.<br /> Plastic manufacturers claim that the flame-resistant chemical (Bromide) used in the case discolors via exposure to heat, air, or light over time. One plastics expert suggested that manufacturers avoided using color defending plastics back in the day because of cost.<br /> <br /> Officially, "Lisa" stood for "Local Integrated Software Architecture", but it was also the name of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' daughter. The LISA was released in June 1983.<br /> <br /> The Lisa is the first commercial computer with a GUI (i.e. Graphical User Interface). <br /> Prior to the Lisa, all computers were text based - you typed commands on the keyboard to make the system respond. Now, with the Lisa, you just point-and-click at tiny pictures (icons) on the screen with a small rolling pointing device called a 'mouse'. <br /> <br /> The Apple Lisa was an amazing advancement in a user-friendly computer system, but Apple didn't invent the idea of the GUI, it's difficult to say who did. But Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) created the first computer with a Graphical User Interface and a mouse, in 1973! This 'Alto' computer was never sold to the public, and in 1981 the 'Star', which cost $17,000, was far too expensive and sold poorly. <br /> <br /> Although Apple spent an incredible amount of time and money developing the Lisa, four years and $50 million, it turned out to be an unpopular system, due to its high price and few available software applications. Additionally, it was rather slow, as the large and complex operating system was a huge burden on the 5MHz CPU. <br /> <br /> In addition to the external 5 Megabyte "Profile" hard drive (the box on top), the first Lisa has two internal non-standard 871K 5-1/4 inch "Twiggy" floppy drives. <br /> <br /> Unfortunately, the floppy drives were slow and unreliable. Because of this, after selling about 6,500 Lisa computers, Apple offered an upgrade path for Lisa owners, replacing the two "Twiggy" drives with a single 400K 3-1/2 inch Sony floppy drive. The new drive holds half as much data as the old one, but is much more reliable. <br /> <br /> Check out the official Steve Jobs biography (by Walter Isaacson), to read more gory details about the LISA:<br /> <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6n999ok">http://tinyurl.com/6n999ok</a>
  • This is how my LISA looks now, discolored...
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