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My Bouncing New Baby Boy — Parallax Forums

My Bouncing New Baby Boy

ercoerco Posts: 20,257
edited 2020-07-24 18:03 in General Discussion
Sorta kinda... Old timers will recognize this. I inherited my Dad's IMSAI 8080 ten years ago, but the faceplate was missing. They are SHOCKINGLY expensive so it took me ten years to pony up $600 for this mint unit. (Don't tell the wife!)

Old timers will appreciate this. AFAIK this thing is not particularly useful, just a nifty part of computer history. But I owe it to Dad to try to get it working... another colossal time sink. Hundreds of oxidized switch & PCB contacts to give flaky performance, but that's just part of the "fun", amirite?

Will be dividing my "free time" between resurrecting this, the dead Corvair, and a newly-acquired dead Heathkit SB-104A, another piece of electronic history. No shortage of dead projects, please pray for their electronic souls!

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Comments

  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2020-07-24 18:33
    I sold my Altair 8800 ten years ago for $3700. Me and my Dad built it back in 1975. I miss her.
  • DigitalBobDigitalBob Posts: 1,514
    Maybe Ralph Nader would like to buy the car.
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    They are still there. I have found parts of posts disappear until i log in again.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    DigitalBob wrote: »
    Maybe Ralph Nader would like to buy the car.

    Thanks but my Baby is not for sale. :smile:

    Maybe I can convert the IMSAI into an electronic ignition for the Corvair. Whatever the max processor speed is becomes my rev limiter. :smiley:
  • DigitalBobDigitalBob Posts: 1,514
    I always liked how the fan belt curved around the generator.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    With some work, luck and $$$, my engine room will look nearly this good. I have this same 4x1 carb setup on my 140HP motor.



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  • DigitalBobDigitalBob Posts: 1,514
    Yeah Buddy, looks like you upgraded the generator. At first I thought that was your car, then I saw the blue paint on the grill.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    They switched to alternators in '65. And yeah, I have a long ways to go on mine.
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    Suffering....... massive........ ............. envy........... all monitor colors off due to the huge bright green aura surrounding my intensively envious person.......

    Actually that was about what I got for my whole setup sold off in the late '80s. Had Z80 cpu, tossed in the original 8080 cpu in the deal, maxed memory, 3P+S, A/D board, and two twin 8" dsdd floppies........ wish I still had it. Just for the cool factor.....
  • MicksterMickster Posts: 2,698
    @erco "Two weeks later" :lol::lol::lol:
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,187
    Believe it or not, @erco, I am not anything like how @Mickster there feels. I'm just overjoyed to see yet another IMSAI 8080 system available, and hope to be running. Incidentally it and the thing named for a star, and the destination in a Star Trek episode, created the legend behind the concepts of compatibility in computer systems.

    Now I'll let everyone speculate on that one, and congratulate you on your good fortune.

    Incidentally back in the day, someone actually spun up a BBS on one of those S100 boxes. The author of the CBBS 3.6.2 system used an Altair in Z80 mode to run it, which confirms the other part there.
  • MicksterMickster Posts: 2,698
    Buck Rogers wrote: »
    Believe it or not, @erco, I am not anything like how @Mickster there feels.

    Maybe if you paid a bit more attention to the meme he posted?

    Unlike you, @erco understands humor.
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,187
    Mickster wrote: »
    Buck Rogers wrote: »
    Believe it or not, @erco, I am not anything like how @Mickster there feels.

    Maybe if you paid a bit more attention to the meme he posted?

    Unlike you, @erco understands humor.

    But you don't understand mine. I know @erco groks mine.

    But what's with that cougar destroying garbage cans in his neighborhood?
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