[rescue] Computer Collection Dissolution

Tue Dec 16 22:16:06 UTC 2025

A Sun Blade 2500 ~22 kg, to Netherlands would be $1500 now at UPS lowest
rate. We're doing something else but will still cost $600 minimum for that
"small" a machine.

William

https://bsky.app/profile/wlewisiii.bsky.social
<https://wlewisiii.500px.photography/>
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
                Alex White

On Tue, Dec 16, 2025, 16:12 Lionel Peterson via rescue <rescue at sunhelp.org>
wrote:

> I helped a friend ship a SPARC server 1000 from Texas to Australia and it
> was on the order of $1,500, it involved an expediter that built a custom
> wood crate for the machine.
>
> That was several years ago, I can't even imagine what it would cost today.
>
> Where I'm heading with this is that it could cost a couple thousand
> dollars to get his very particular PDP-11/34 & RK05 shipped to the U.S. -
> it might be easier to find a machine in the U.S. for less money.
>
> But, the heart wants what the heart wants, I get it...
>
> Ken
>
> On Dec 16, 2025, at 15:34, John Hudak via rescue <rescue at sunhelp.org>
> wrote:
>
> 
> If anyone would consider shipping some of this stuff to the stated, I am
> interested in the 11/34+RK05. I have no idea about shipping cost but I am
> sure it won't be cheap.   I am in the states and can't get there....I must
> say you have quite a collection.
> J
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 16, 2025 at 4:18 PM Jochen Kunz via rescue <rescue at sunhelp.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hello.
>>
>> So it is happening. Finally. What a relieve. I am giving away my
>> (almost) entire classic computer collection. Free of charge (almost).
>> But local pickup only due to health reasons. Read: Due to a physical
>> disability I am not able to ship any computers.
>> Location: Kaiserslautern, Germany.
>>
>> Almost because I will keep my beloved SPARCstation 1+, my SGI O2 and a
>> few spare parts for sentimental reasons. I am still tempted to keep a
>> QBus with a LSI11 and MicroVAX III...
>>
>> Anything else has to go.
>>
>> I don't wane make a profit out of it. I want the stuff go into good
>> hands with absolut minimum effort at my side. As compensation I only ask
>> for your help to get rid of some other stuff that has accumulated over
>> the years.  (Loads of disk, CDROM and tape drives. Cables, adapters,
>> expansion cards, RAM modules, ... and some junk in my basement. More
>> cables, 14" VGA monitor, glass-TTY, 19" rack mounts, empty boxes, ...)
>> Either you take some of the junk with you, or you help me bring the junk
>> to the nearby recycling center. I don't care, as long as the junk is
>> gone. I may also request your help to rearrange existing or install new
>> furniture in my appartement. (My desk uses the Sun 3/260 as support...)
>>
>> You want it all? Perfect. Rent a moving truck. Come and get it. You just
>> want some pieces? Fine. Come, get what you want and take some junk out
>> of the pile. The more nice stuff you take, the more junk you have to
>> take. (Sounds worse then it is.)
>>
>> Almost complete list of stuff available below. Almost all stuff can be
>> picked up and transported by a singe, strong person. Only a few pieces
>> will require an additional hand, that I can not provide my self due to
>> health reasons. Contact me off list with your machines of interest to
>> get things arranged.
>>
>> Rationale:
>>
>> I haven't done anything with this stuff in 15+ years. After 15 years, I
>> am quite confident that this will not change. I tried to get back into
>> it in 2010 by acquiring a PDP-11/34A. After a few weeks I lost interest
>> and now it is sitting partly disassembled and waiting for repairs. (The
>> PSU bricks need new electrolytic capacitors...) Sitting there for 15
>> years. Untouched.
>>
>> I haven't really read any postings to this list in 10+ years. I am
>> basically only still subscribed to nag myself to write this email.
>>
>> For me, my machinery is like books that I have read. I had a lot of fun
>> reading those books. I learned a lot out of them. Most important are the
>> people that I got to meet via them. Like this very mailing list and the
>> legendary VAXpower meetings... :-) But now I know all the books. There
>> is nothing new to discover. The books just sit there on shelves,
>> collecting dust. It reached a point where all this stuff is getting in
>> my way to live a happy live. The collection has become an obligation, a
>> burden. Especially as:
>>
>> At the end of 2009 my back broke and I needed an emergency surgery. Now
>> I have to be very careful with lifting and carrying stuff. I don't move
>> anything over maybe 6 kg anymore. (That is 13ish pounds for you
>> imperialists. ;-) ) This is also the reason why I can not ship anything.
>> I am simply not physically able to package the stuff and bring it to the
>> post office without risking breaking my back again. And when my back
>> brakes again, I may end up in a wheelchair. I escaped that just barely
>> when my back broke initially in 2009... Needless to say that this
>> physical damage also caused mental issues. I will not take any risk
>> breaking my body again.
>>
>> Also: I live in an old appartement building. My landlord will renovate
>> the appartement that I rent in late summer 2026. I may move out of this
>> appartement into an other one in spring 2026, so that the appartement is
>> uninhabited during renovation. I will not move all of this stuff to a
>> new appartement. And if I don't move, I wane get rid of the collection
>> anyway. It will ease the renovation process a lot. Anything that is not
>> already gone when the renovation starts, respectively on moving day,
>> will be recycled. If this means the PDP-11/34A goes into the dumpster to
>> be shredded, than it will happen.
>>
>>
>> Machinery:
>>
>> DEC PDP-11/34A + RK05, optionally in low boy 19" rack.
>> Shares a RL02 and a Cypher 9-track Pertec tape drive with the 11/73.
>>
>> Tektronix 4000-something storage tube vector graphics terminal.
>> I think I still have the accompanying Tek printer.
>> Originally part of the 11/34A system.
>>
>> DEC PDP-11/73, the "franken-11"
>> I pieced this together over time in a BA23 desk side box. Runs 2.11BSD.
>> Has 4 MB RAM, 2 x MSCP ESDI disks (IIRC 150 MB each), TK50, RL02, SMD
>> and Pertec adapters. Comes with a 9" 1 GB E-SMD disk. Shares a RL02 and
>> a Cypher 9-track Pertec tape drive with the 11/34A.
>>
>> DEC VAX 4000-300, upgraded to a -400
>>
>> DEC VAX 4000-200
>>
>> DEC VT1300
>>
>> 2 x DEC VAXstation 2000 (At least one has patched ROMs to boot SCSI.)
>>
>> DEC VAXstation 3100m76
>>
>> DEC VAXstation 4000 VLC
>>
>> DEC VAXstation 4000-60
>>
>> DEC VAXstation 4000-90
>>
>> DEC MicroVAX 3100-95
>>
>> DEC DECstation 3100
>>
>> DEC DECstation 5000-240
>>
>> DEC AlphaStation 200 4/166
>>
>> DEC 3000 300x
>>
>> DEC 3000 600
>>
>> DEC Alpha PWS 500au
>>
>> DEC Alpha DS20E (I don't know for sure. It has no model number on the
>> front. It looks like a DS20E. I have never, ever even powered up this
>> thing.)
>>
>> Tektronix 8560 Multi-User Software Development Unit
>> This is a DEC PDP-11/23 CPU in Tek box. It runs a customized UNIX V7.
>>
>>
>> At my parents place there should still be
>> MicroVAX III
>> MicroVAX 3500.
>> 2 x 9" NEC E-SMD disks, 1 GB
>> Tektronix 4000-something text terminal with storage tube.
>> Additional logistics will be required if you wane retrieve this stuff.
>>
>>
>> IBM PS/2 Modell 95 XP 486
>>
>> IBM PS/2 80
>>
>> IBM RS/6000 43P-140
>>
>> IBM RS/6000 43P-150
>>
>> IBM RS/6000 44P-170
>>
>>
>> SGI Indy
>>
>> SGI Octane, SSE GFX, PCI card cage with SCSI and FDDI cards.
>> IIRC 300 MHz R12k and 2 GB RAM. There must be an additional SI or SE
>> graphics somewhere. I run this machine dual headed. This was my main
>> desktop from 2001 to 2006.
>>
>> SGI Personal IRIS, probably a 4D/25, I can't remember.
>>
>> SGI Indigo IIRC R3000
>>
>> SGI Indigo IIRC R4000
>>
>> SGI Indigo 2 teal R4000, Extreme GFX
>>
>> SGI Indigo 2 magenta R10k, Impact GFX
>>
>> SGI Octane carcass (Empty main box with front plane, no CPU, GFX, ...)
>>
>> SGI Origin 200
>>
>>
>> Sun 3/60
>>
>> Sun 3/60 box with Sun 4/600 board inside, -12V hack for console RS232.
>>
>> Sun 4/110
>>
>> Sun 3/260
>>
>> Sun SPARCstation IPX
>>
>> Sun SPARCstation 2
>>
>> Sun SPARCstation 5
>>
>> Sun SPARCstation 10
>>
>> Sun SPARCstation 20
>>
>> Sun Ultra 1 creator3D
>>
>> Sun Ultra 2
>>
>> Sun Ultra 5 ("franken 5" build from parts into a PC box.)
>>
>> Sun Ultra 10
>>
>> Sun Netra X1
>>
>> Sun Netra T1
>>
>> Sun Fire V240
>>
>>
>> Apple Macintosh IIci
>>
>> Apple MacMini G4
>>
>> Apple PowerMac G5, single 1,8 Ghz.
>>
>>
>> Motorola MVME Type 3200, desktop box, 4 x 6U VME, IIRC MVME162 CPU.
>>
>>
>> Sony NEWS NWS-3410
>>
>>
>> HP Apollo 400 425t
>>
>> HP 9000 750 (It may be 400s, but IIRC it is a 750.)
>>
>> HP 9000 B2000
>>
>>
>> Loads of (mostly SCSI) disk, CDROM and tape drives. Cables, adapters,
>> expansion cards, RAM modules, hubs, switches, FDDI concentrator, ...
>>
>> IBM P200 / Sony Trinitron 19" monitor. Does sync on green.
>> I used it with my SGIs.
>>
>> HP LaserJet 4 with JetDirect LAN
>> (The VF-Display is dead, but otherwise works.)
>>
>> 2 x HP Scanjet IIc, one has an Automated Document Feeder.
>> Works great with Impresario from SGI IRIX.
>>
>>
>> Test equipment:
>>
>> Dolch Logic Instruments logic analyzer. IIRC 48 channels @ 300 MHz.
>>
>> HP Digital Storage Oscilloscope 54710 with 3 x 1 GHz / 2 Msamels/s
>> Y-modules.
>>
>>
>> Analog photo gear:
>>
>> Durst Laborator 1000 4"x5" enlarger, table top version.
>>
>> --
>>
>> tschüss,
>>         Jochen
>>
>> --
>>
>> tschüss,
>>         Jochen
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> rescue list - http://sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue_sunhelp.org
>>
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