Thread

Epson Equity Ie for 89 cents

68kMLA Software 19 posts Dec 19, 2008 to Dec 22, 2008

#1 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 00:02 68kMLA

Hola,

I stopped at a local computer recycler. In the back of the place there's an area full of older computer hardware. You can essentially pick through the piles and buy anything you find. No Apple Stuff though...

After some diggingI found an Epson Equity Ie (an old PC, 8088 era) under some scanners. Not a common 8088 machine. I'll be testing it later today. It's got a 20MB Hard disk (as well as the controller card), and 640KB of RAM.

#2 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 00:19 68kMLA

I'll be testing it later today.

Then putting it back where you found it tomorrow......

The minimum spec PC I would keep would be a 386SX, unless it truely was an original IBM PC with twin full height 5.25" drives.

#3 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 01:23 68kMLA

Nice find, I hope you were in need of a very large doorstop/paperweight.

Anyway, I myself keep racking my mind for a use of my original HP Vectra.

#4 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 06:21 68kMLA

What do you plan to do with this 30 year old computer? It would make a nice boat anchor, or a booster seat for a child, or maybe a stepladder, or a tombstone in a cemetery...

:lol:

#5 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 06:35 68kMLA

I picked up an old XT ata a garage sale for $3 in the summer (V20 chip instead of the 8088), its nice for old CGA games.

I don't see a major difference between an XT and a 68000 mac to be honest. Both are just as obsolete.

#6 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 07:20 68kMLA

That looks badass.

Really, like some of us collect old as hell Apple systems, some may have the same interests, but with PC's. Need to factor that in before condemning the machine as a boat anchor.

#7 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 08:02 68kMLA

8088 and earlier systems are going to be collectors items soon.

#8 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 08:37 68kMLA

Looks like a computer designed by one of those Star Gate alien things.

#9 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 16:00 68kMLA

The sheet metal is worth saving - thar's some serious steel in them thar hills.

Click to expand...

That looks badass.

Mmyeah. If by "badass" you mean "fugly"

#10 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 - 17:48 68kMLA

I liberated XTs from Tandon and Siemens once.

Minix 1.x supports multitasking and TCP/IP even on this computers.

Other software I had was Windows 1.03,2.10,GEM and FreeDOS.

The XTs were much slower than my ATs and I had trouble installing 1.44 floppys and Trident 9000 video cards.

P.S. This Epson XT looks very nice.I had an ad for a similar computer in an old magazine from 1987(?).

#11 Sat, 20 Dec 2008 - 02:28 68kMLA

The minimum spec PC I would keep would be a 386SX, unless it truely was an original IBM PC with twin full height 5.25" drives.

Hehe, a 386 is the newest PC I'd keep (well, maybe a 486). Everything after that is no good. This excludes the newer stuff though (2002 and older). I keep that stuff because it's useful

What do you plan to do with this 30 year old computer? It would make a nice boat anchor, or a booster seat for a child, or maybe a stepladder, or a tombstone in a cemetery...

You'd be amazed with what you can do with this stuff. Not as useful as a Mac though. I collect a wide variety of computers, not just Macs. This one will probably end up as a testing box for various Software. And it's Small-form factor (almost), so it looks nice.

A couple (low-quality) pictures, before I cleaned it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32332077@N07/3119519926/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32332077@N07/3118692085/in/photostream/

Note: the bays are 3.5" ones, not 5.25". It's a lot smaller than the Equity I posted here earlier.

#12 Sat, 20 Dec 2008 - 12:41 68kMLA

8088 and earlier systems are going to be collectors items soon.

I'd assume they already were? All I know is that I see far less around these days than I did 10 or even 5 years ago! Anything that old really should be saved these days, not crushed.

#13 Sat, 20 Dec 2008 - 12:48 68kMLA

The sheet metal is worth saving - thar's some serious steel in them thar hills.

Click to expand...

That looks badass.

Click to expand...

Mmyeah. If by "badass" you mean "fugly"

Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, my friend.

#14 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 - 21:35 68kMLA

Tru dat. I never understood that movie, "The Truth About Cats And Dogs". I mean, Uma Thurman looks like a malnourished junkie in that, and Janeanne Garofalo is her usual nerdy sarcastic yummy self. Kinda undercuts the whole premise of the film for me.

Ahem. So yes, each to their own I guess.

#15 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 - 00:43 68kMLA

Garafalo used to look very hot, not so much lately. Never did care for Uma Thurman, I see hotter babes walking around this city.

#16 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 - 10:46 68kMLA

Have Epson ever made anything good? Their printers suck, and it seems their old PCs do as well.

#17 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 - 15:51 68kMLA

Their printers are amazing. Don't make me come over there.

#18 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 - 16:40 68kMLA

Their printers are amazing. Don't make me come over there.

Amazing at breaking after a year. And amazing at practically drinking ink, yes. Ever heard of built-in obsolescence by chance? Epson are notorious for it - I used to have two of their cheap inkjets, both garbage. Now we have an A3-size semi-professional Canon inkjet - it's nice.

#19 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 - 19:00 68kMLA

Have Epson ever made anything good? Their printers suck, and it seems their old PCs do as well.

My Epson Actionlaser 1500 was highly rated in the mid 90's when I purchased it, it still works too.

Their PCs were never top end.