Do people offer you stuff that they are just going to throw away? 486, Trinitron (+)

Gang,

Years ago I bought a white 486 computer with CD-ROM, 5 1/4", and 3 1/2" drives. I also bought, IIRC, a 17" Trinitron monitor. I think the resolution is 1920 X 1200. I also have a copy of Works for Windows version 3.0, that comes with Microsoft Money.

The thrift store called the other day and I told them I might be able to find the monitor for them. They would recycle (i.e.: destroy) it. They were also interested in hard drives, although I suspect they might be I.D. thieves.

Anyway, I told them I'd call back if I couldn't find the monitor. It occurs to me that if somebody coughed up $25 bucks and came to get it, I wouldn't be able to find it anymore. There's a week left - although I'm tempted to see if a mother board with corrosion in the CMOS battery holder can be made to work - it would be fun to use all that stuff if I could get it set up. I haven't looked inside the 486 - maybe the battery didn't leak.

Anybody interested? I live in Seattle.

Thanks,
Sean

Do people offer you stuff that they are just going to throw away?

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Yes.

Floppies_only said:

The thrift store called the other day and I told them I might be able to find the monitor for them.

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I hardly ever get calls from a thrift store asking if I can find a monitor.

There's a week left . . .

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Until what?

Anybody interested?

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In what?

PS: I think something is missing in this post - or I'm just really dense.

No, its the post. I am also thoughly confused. He bought a old PC at a thrift 1 year ago and the thrift store is calling now about a monitor? And they may be identity thieves....

oblivion said:

No, its the post. I am also thoughly confused. He bought a old PC at a thrift 1 year ago and the thrift store is calling now about a monitor? And they may be identity thieves....

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I confuse a lot of people on the VCFs. Usually, it happens when I am asking a question to find out if it's possible to accomplish a certain thing or make a certain configuration of hardware work. What happens is that I get one or more answers asking questions to help the person understand what I was asking. But during the vast majority of times, the information that was requested was in the original post. I don't bust people's chops about this as they are trying to help and I appriciate it.

Actually, I've had second thoughts about ditching my 486. Now that I think about it, it seems that the Lexmark keyboard I found (if it fits the connector on the computer) would make a nice input device and the Works for Windows v. 3.0 program would run faster on a 486 than v. 2.0 would work on my 286.

It's a pretty big change for me, going from tan to white, but remembering how slow the spell check was on the older machines has suddenly made it attractive. So the offer is recinded so I can attempt (with help here) to get the machine going.

I did read the original post, I didn't purchase the machine from the people who claimed to be interested in taking it. I didn't say where I got it from - it wasn't important.

So, I'll keep explaining my posts and you guys can keep helping me figure out what would be obvious to the regular vintage computer enthusiast. Deal?

Sean

Floppies_only said:

It's a pretty big change for me, going from tan to white, but remembering how slow the spell check was on the older machines has suddenly made it attractive.

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You'd really be impressed how fast the spell check runs on an i7.

Stone said:

You'd really be impressed how fast the spell check runs on an i7.

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[Grin] On my iMac the damn thing underlines misspelled words as soon as I press the spacebar. One advantage is that, unlike Firefox, it only underlines words that actually, really, truely are misspelled. There still are plenty, though. But that's with the iO/S's version of 'Wordpad' - it's not really a wordprocessor, but I never needed to buy iWork to get a real word processor.

Yes, modern machines are delightfully fast. You know, I actually like some of the newer Lenovo keyboards at the library, too. Just not the one I'm using right now.

Sean

If the battery corrosion isn't too bad, it's quite possible to clean and to use. Start by snipping the old battery. Clean initially with alcohol - as high a concentration as you can find (usually 91%, sold at drugstores). Get all of it off that you can, then let it dry. Next, take a weak acid like lemon juice, and work that all into and around the area.. this deactivates the leaking battery acid. Finally, clean up by putting in a new battery.

Maverick1978 said:

If the battery corrosion isn't too bad, it's quite possible to clean and to use. Start by snipping the old battery. Clean initially with alcohol - as high a concentration as you can find (usually 91%, sold at drugstores). Get all of it off that you can, then let it dry. Next, take a weak acid like lemon juice, and work that all into and around the area.. this deactivates the leaking battery acid. Finally, clean up by putting in a new battery.

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I have rubbing alcohol and I can get some lemon juice from the booze aisle. Finally I know what to rub the former on. I think I bought it for the cassette deck I bought a few years ago (which runs on 4 "AA" batteries, instead of "C"s like they used to back in the day).

Would it help to connect the circuit traces leading to the battery to system ground to protect the CMOS circuits from static? Or to just short around the battery, wiring the solder on one pad to that on the other for the duration of the proceedure?

You know, one of the other factors in making me change my mind was stories about leaking capacitors setting fire alarms off. Embarrassing. There is a TV repair shop over by the V.A., and I have the Sam's Photofacts for the 5154, but I've been 'getting around to' (meaning: putting off) actually asking them if they can recap one for me and how much it would cost. I wonder if anyone else needs a copy of the EGA monitor photofacts.

Thanks,
Sean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpOSxM0rNPM

Maverick1978 said:

If the battery corrosion isn't too bad, it's quite possible to clean and to use. Start by snipping the old battery. Clean initially with alcohol - as high a concentration as you can find (usually 91%, sold at drugstores). Get all of it off that you can, then let it dry. Next, take a weak acid like lemon juice, and work that all into and around the area.. this deactivates the leaking battery acid. Finally, clean up by putting in a new battery.

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The leakage from the battery is not an acid; to the contrary it is a base. If it were an acid, a weak acid like lemon juice would only make it worse instead of neutralizing it. Basic rule of chemistry -- acids neutralize bases and vice versa. A car battery works with an acid solution but a NiCAD has a basic paste inside.