[Coco] Anyone else collect other old computers/game consoles beside the Coco?

[Joel Ewy]

The CoCo was my first computer, and will always remain at the top of my 
list.  But I love all kinds of archaic computers, and I've managed to 
accumulate quite a pile of them, in various states of functionality.  
Here is a list from memory of some of the classics I have (excluding 
most of the IBM compatible hardware, except especially interesting stuff):

CoCo Stuff:
2 512K CoCo 3s (1 with 63C09E, 1 repacked in a mini-tower case, back 
when that was the cool thing to do)
1 128K CoCo 3
1 Spartan 3 CoCo3FPGA
2 CoCo 2s
1 CoCo (1) (Upgraded to 64K ECB, through 16K, from 4K -- my first 
computer -- in pretty rough cosmetic shape)
1 4K CoCo (in pretty nice condition)
1 TC-9 Tomcat (sometimes boots)
1 Blackhawk MM/1 9M (Needs a new HD, at the moment)
Various CoCo floppy drives, joysticks, game cartridges, and other 
hardware, including 1 newer-style MPI, a DISTO Super Controller, and a 
couple SCIIs, the DISTO EPROM programmer, and a couple 4-in-1 boards, a 
Glenside IDE, a DS-69B Digisector, an Orchestra-90cc, et cetera.

Other Tandy Stuff:
1 TRS-80 Model 3
1 TRS-80 Model 4
1 Tandy Model 100 (Got wet, and probably needs help)
1 Tandy 1000 HX
several less interesting Tandy 1000 models
Tandy 4000 with 16 1M SIMMs, TI '486 upgrade processor, running WFW 
3.11, and hosting an MCT UDP.

Commodore:
2 Commodore 64s (one has a video problem) (1 Enhancer 2000 aftermarket 
floppy drive.)
1 Commodore 128 (has some broken keys on the keyboard, but works)
1 Amiga 1000 2M RAM
2 Amiga 500 (1 with external HD (needs new drive))

Apple Stuff:
1 Apple ][e (rescued from a dumpster -- is in obvious need of restoration)
1 Apple 2 motherboard of some sort -- probably broken
3 Apple 2c (1 is broken)
3 Apple 2gs (I have 1 3.5" drive that will work with the 2gses, but I 
recently set up an old Mac with AppleShare server so that the 2gses can 
remote boot over Localtalk, which is pretty slick.)
2 Macintosh Plus (1 has a bad analog board)
1 Macintosh Classic
1 Mac II
2 Mac LC II
1 Mac LC III
3 or 4 Mac IIci
3 or 4 Quadra 700
2 or 3 Performa 6xx
1 Quadra 660AV
2 Quadra 840AV
Loads of other assorted '68K and PPC Macs (some of the '68K macs have 
had Debian/m68k installed)

CP/M:
1 Morrow Micro Decision
2 Osborne
1 Kaypro 4 (also some Kaypro passive backplane 8088 PC parts)
2 or 3 Epson ROM-based CP/M laptop-like computers reminiscent of the 
Model 100
(One of my earliest computer experiences was playing 'Hunt the Wumpus' 
on a Northstar Horizon that the mother of one of my classmates brought 
to school to show us when I was in 4th grade.)

Miscellaneous:
2 Atari 2600 and a few games (the only Atari game I really liked was 
Warlords)
Magnavox Odyssey2 that has never worked for me
3 TI/99-4A (only 1 working keyboard between them, a pair of joysticks, 
and a box of game cartridges) (I also have some TI Professional 
Computers [MS-DOS, but not completely IBM compatible] including 2 luggables)
1 Timex/Sinclair 1000 in aftermarket case that includes a 'real' 
keyboard (with some games on cassette)
An SGI Indy and a couple large blue SGI workstations (I did have the 
Indy up and running Irix a few years back)
An IBM POWERstation 355 (takes FOREVER to boot)

I've also got 'custodianship' of the remains of 2 SWTPC 6809 systems 
(only 1 CPU board remaining, but lots of other boards) belonging to the 
late co-worker of one of my friends.  I'm very slowly trying to make it 
do something useful.  I'd like to make it boot OS-9.

I've never been able to get my hands on any Atari computer (not game 
console) hardware at a price I can afford (which is little to nothing) 
with the exception of 2 external Atari 3.5" floppy drives.

JCE


On 08/25/2011 06:11 PM, Jeremy Michea wrote:
> I thought it might be an interesting discussion. Obviously we all love 
> the Coco but what else do you love? Many of you may know that I'm a 
> huge Atari fan and have been collecting for the Atari 2600/7800 and 
> 8-bit line of computers for about 20 years now, on and off as it was 
> my first console in 1980. Through the 80's I also owned the original 
> Nintendo (NES) and Turbografx-16 but the only computer I used aside 
> from PC's (late 80's and early 90's) was my beloved Coco.
>
> As a side note, I almost didn't get a coco. Brand loyalty at the time 
> lead our family to buy an Atari 800XL but my father wasn't interested 
> in buying all new software and games for a new system so a friend 
> suggested the coco since he had all kinds of software to share with us 
> (well, copied software on cassettes but as a 13 year old in 1982 I 
> wasn't aware or concerned about piracy so that's another story) so we 
> got a used Coco 1 with the chicklet keyboard, a cassette player and a 
> bunch of cassettes with, yes, mostly games. I did do some homework but 
> lets be honest, I spent most of my time playing some great coco 1 games.
>
> As another side, yet rambling note, what BBS's did any of you use back 
> in the day? Here in Southern Ontario, the one I used the most in my 
> area was called "Route 66". I believe it was the only coco based BBS 
> in my area where it seemed predominately Commodore 64. Also downloaded 
> a lot of software from Route 66 as well as a local coco user group 
> that met once a month in a local french public school.
>
> I remember being so excited when the Coco 3 was announced. I spent the 
> summer prior to its release in the glorious field (literally) of corn 
> detasseling to save up the money to buy my brand new Coco 3. I 
> remember being in complete awe of the demo in the store and the 
> manager was nice enough to make a disk copy that I played a lot at 
> home. :)
>
> Anyway, I've rambled enough. Anyone else have any stories about their 
> other retro passions, coco musings, etc? :)
>
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