jwzFeb 15, 2024

SGI retrocomputing.

Some time at the end of the nineteen hundreds, I took the Indy and O2 that I had liberated from Netscape and retired them to a shelf in my laundry room. They worked fine at the time that I did that! Now, not so much. Neither...
https://jwz.org/b/ykMy

SGI retrocomputing

Some time at the end of the nineteen hundreds, I took the Indy and O2 that I had liberated from Netscape and retired them to a shelf in my laundry room. They worked fine at the time that I did that! Now, not so much. Neither boots. I got an OSSC that lets the Indy display to a modern HDMI monitor (earlier attempts with other scan converters had failed) but the Indy says no SCSI drive, no ...

Show threadSpace Hobo

@jwz The standard dull answer you'll probably get from every doughy neckbeard out there is "Replace shorted or leaky capacitors (particularly in the power supply), and try a BlueSCSI in place of the drive to see if you can get the solid state parts to boot."

Turns out a lot of "solid state" electronics was little cans of acid.

Feb 15, 2024 at 9:04pmWeb
Show threadjwzFeb 15, 2024
@spacehobo Any suggestion that begins with "do some speculative surface-mount soldering" might as well just say "throw it in the trash".
Show threadSpace HoboFeb 15, 2024
@jwz Yeah except the surface-mount stuff isn't the risky stuff. Usually it's tantalums near the power rails that shorted out, for this era of machine.
Show threadGarrett MaceFeb 16, 2024
@jwz @spacehobo If it works, sits for over a decade, then doesn’t work, it’s the capacitors. Or mice! You can probably find someone to recap these for a couple pizzas.
Show threadjwzFeb 16, 2024

@macegr I will never, ever, ever stop being amazed at how many nerds think you can just get randos to come over and do shit for free. What world do you live in??

If it were that easy, my various arcade games would be functional more than half of the year.

Show threadGarrett MaceFeb 16, 2024

@jwz @macegr Pizzas or equivalent tender

I do live in a world where that happens though. Can think of four people who would be sufficiently interested to try it, should I wave around a piece of retro computing gear with history. I think this from spending too much time online and in weird conferences.

Show threadjwzFeb 16, 2024
@macegr Ok, well, good for you, but in my not-inconsiderable number of years, the number of times that trick has worked is pretty close to zero. And for many years my actual full-time paid job was basically: "convince randos to do shit for free". There's a lot of daylight between "I know four people who could do this" and "one of them is gonna come over to your house". Because the funny thing about competent people with skills is, they have shit to do.
Show threadGarrett MaceFeb 16, 2024

@jwz Entirely willing to accept we have different lives and different possibilities.

Now, last year I rented some heavy equipment and passed the word about a BBQ & excavator party, and 12 friends around the Bay traveled up to 60 miles to help landscape my back yard.

Seeing as you run an actual top tier playground for nerds, I figure you could do far better while comping way less than I did in beer, food, music, and excavators.

If you know it's not going to work though, no reason to try.

Show threadjwzFeb 16, 2024
@macegr OMG I don't care
Show threadGarrett MaceFeb 16, 2024
@jwz We found the problem?