90's 'Pizza Box' Retro PC's SAVED!!

Рет қаралды 9,070

6 ай бұрын

We have two more systems on the bench saved from that evil E-Waste pile! I was really excited to see both an IBM PS/2 and a Digital (DEC) system in one lot! Let's dig into these systems and find out if they are worth saving!
#retropc #nostalgia #ibm #dec #digital #retro #vintage #ewaste #pcrepair #intel #pentium #386 #computer

Пікірлер: 108

@OldEqualsCool 6 ай бұрын

The LS model IBM PS/2s are VERY hard to come by. I've hardly seen pictures of one, let alone a video! I would try to keep it stock as a diskless workstation, much as it's tempting to add a floppy drive. Nice vid!

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Oh I had no idea, thank you! There will be a dedicated video on this system as well, stay tuned and thanks for the info!

@fridaycaliforniaa236 6 ай бұрын

The reason these old computers are often pretty clean inside is because many have spent their use time in mostly clean places (offices, etc.). And also the fact that they often have close to nothing for ventilation (except the tiny little fan in the PSU). Less air flow often means less dust getting inside. Btw, you deserve wayyyy more subcribers ! 👍🙏

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Makes total sense! And yes, I would love that. 65% of my viewers are unsubscribed unfortunately. Hopefully that changes in 2024!! :) Thank you for your support!!

@maxtornogood 6 ай бұрын

Hope you get that PS/2 going soon! Love seeing that Digital PC running like a charm 😊

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

For sure, I am going to work on the PSU to see if I can get it working. That Digital system was neat to see up and running. I think this is only the second one I have in the collection. Stay tuned!

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

No problem. I plan on restoring that in the near future :)

@danielpetrov9179 6 ай бұрын

I have DEC Venturis 575 in my collection, very well built, compact and runs rock stable.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Awesome!!! Still going today I hope :)

@charlesdorval394 6 ай бұрын

The amount of modems in the landfills must be quite staggering, at least that one gets to live as a slot filler hehehe

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Haha!!

@td90503 4 ай бұрын

My university had many of PS/2 with token ring network all over the campus. Mainly inside of computer labs and campus offices. It was built like a tank and work horse for many years. It ran IBM PC-DOS with Novell network and Windows 3.0

@TheRetroRecall 4 ай бұрын

That's awesome! I've never experienced token ring tech. I'm looking forward to getting this system going ::

@JohnFrancis66 6 ай бұрын

When I think of pizza box, I think of Sparc 1s, 2s, and 10s. These guys are just compact desktops. Great video in any event.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

I've seen these next to 'desktops' and they are definitely much smaller. I have a couple of Sun systems that are a little smaller so I see your view. I guess it all depends on perspective :). Thanks again!

@georgez8859 6 ай бұрын

Very nice Digital PC Great to see it up and running. Good Luck with that PS/2 a real collector`s PC. Thanks for the video

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

No problem and thanks! I'm determined to get it working :)

@kopspijker3515 6 ай бұрын

Nice machine's! Hope your DEC PC is not so heavy as the Alpha workstation from the early 90's i got from work that is heavy enough to lay flat in a storm. It's feet are turning to goo though. Did i spot Snes9x on the desktop?

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Ahha it's heavy. Built well and yes I think you did!!

@pierreinthavong181 6 ай бұрын

Awesome retro PC video so far!😊

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Thanks!!!

@larryk731 6 ай бұрын

#1 looks like a diskless network work station

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Really, that's cool. I suppose that may make sense!

@techbydw1267 6 ай бұрын

26:46 Aztech Waverider PnP is a really cool card, personally I own two of them. It has an onboard wavetable module from Samsung with 1MB of samples. The AZT-2320 chipset is Soundblaster Pro compatible and has integrated, genuine Yamaha OPL chip so that's also an option. It was sold also as Aztech Waverider Platinum-3D.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Awesome, thanks for this info!! I'm going to test it out a bit.

@mikespikeey4625 6 ай бұрын

the digital ventuis fx pc thats the first pc i ever had and i been after one for years mine was a intel p120,i put a voodoo 1 in it it had 1neg on board video i upgraded to 2meg

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Nice!

@RETROMachines 6 ай бұрын

Good job. Save the retro hw for next people..

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Exactly!

@Subgunman 6 ай бұрын

Do your research on that IBM. Those power supplies were built by Aztec and from what I recall is they are repairable. You do need to investigate if the supply needs a load to power up.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Will do. I'm fortunate to have a friend who knows about these that will me assisting me with it.

@tonybardalen 6 ай бұрын

My kind of old stuff 🎉

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Awesome!

@BRBTechTalk 6 ай бұрын

9:47 Token ring was a pain to deal with, I am glad it did not last long. I can't see the cards being of any real value as nobody wants to set up a MSAU network these days. 29:34 Those people that comment to take out the RAM chips, have never put out money for a retro PC and broken plastic tabs off the RAM slots making it useless. If you even look at those plastic bits hard enough the break.

@mrbryce2000 6 ай бұрын

You're right about token ring, I dealt with it a lot in my early IT days. Interestingly enough though, I had 4Mbps token ring networks easily out perform 10Mbps Ethernet networks. Of course that's when the MAU's behaved themselves and didn't break the ring.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

I'm glad someone else agrees with me about those ram clips. I laughed when you said if you look at them the wrong way they break haha, it's so true.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

I need to look into this tech to understand it better. Sounds like I have a few guru's on here to help if I have questions :)

@PhantomWorksStudios 6 ай бұрын

The sticker over the power port was most likely to remind the user to make sure that the correct power setting above was selected before plugging the cord in to avoid damage

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Ah yes that would make sense.

@user-wj9xq7ig2v 6 ай бұрын

Hmm no floppy. Weird and it's likely one of those special IBM floppies as well.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

It is. My understanding is that this was meant as a network pc so they removed the floppy for limited access to the system. That said, there are adapters out there that will allow you to use a standard floppy drive.

@ZeroWalker26 6 ай бұрын

talking about pizza box pc or a flat pc 2 month ago now I picked up a Fujitsu siemens dt2-d1215 for like 8 bucks in a thrift store here in Sweden. It is a old Pentium 3 with 1ghz and 512mb ram and 64mb graphic. I use it as my old school PC gaming rig because I got so many games on disc that is not happy running on new hardware and allot of does game are not even on gog. My first ever PC I had when I was 15 was a IMB 486DX2-66 flat/pizza box PC which I played allot Duke nuke 3D on and C&C 95. So I have some what love for these kind of PC´s. Also What I love with these flatter pizza box almost style is they are a bit more compact which is nice but instead because they are so talk you can´t fit cards or such that are a bit to high.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Awesome and I agree! I mean there are two types... These and even flatter.. However I do not classify these as the traditional desktops for sure. I have some of those and they are clearly higher... Much like my video on the Prolinea 575!

@chrisrudi7162 6 ай бұрын

Really great video, I haven't seen these systems in a long time. I also had a PS/2 system but I was missing the configuration disk... I sold it back in the 2000s because I couldn't do anything with it anymore. Today I'm a little annoyed about it. Hope you get it repaired. The old power supplies are difficult to get, and I already had a problem with a 286 from Mitac. I then put in a normal PC ATX PC power supply with an AT adapter. Some of these power supplies are already so old and weak... I think the capacitors are gone. By the way, I also have a Digital Venturis workstation here. With Pentium Pro 180. It even has a Riva TNT2 card with PCI inside. Reliable system.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Love when you comment! Thanks for this. I plan on restoring the PSU and seeing if we can get this system back to life :)

@branscombe_ 6 ай бұрын

i’m gonna watch the rest of this on my new CRT in the morning :) 📺

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Awesome!!!! Hopefully it works for you!!!

@justsumguy2u 6 ай бұрын

The first system is like alien technology to me, I wouldn't even know where to begin lol But very odd that it didn't come with at least a floppy drive---maybe it was used as a server? I really like the second system---what retro computer enthusiast doesn't love a Win95 machine, especially one that's fully functional? You bring up a very valid point regarding brittle plastics. I once had to replace a motherboard on a Win98 machine when I tried to remove the heat sink for the CPU, and one of the motherboard retaining clips snapped off---had to replace the mobo, no other option. Interesting video, thanks for posting

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

No problem and thanks for watching!!!

@ChrisW2024 6 ай бұрын

i miss Clippy as i used to play with it

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Clippy was useful from time to time :)

@TheSputnikUtah 6 ай бұрын

33:18 OMG THAT FAN ate a Muppet!

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

LOL!!!! That poor Muppet!

@rmcdudmk212 6 ай бұрын

Man that IBM modle 2 brings backemories. Got to use a lot of these in High school and junior high. In high school they were on their way out so the computer lap basically let us fill them up with games.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

That's an awesome memory!!!!

@rmcdudmk212 6 ай бұрын

@@TheRetroRecalllots of DOS games lost of shareware and what wasn't was bootleg. We were broke highschool kids. 😂

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Lmao 😂

@Pulverrostmannen 6 ай бұрын

Hey again! I gotta give you some tips here so get your tea. as of the first computer I suggest you look closely on the capacitors in older systems like this. I starting to see it all the time capacitors in computers from the 90s to leak electrolyte in their seals under the can. these caps may looks completely fine but they are a silent killer because you can not always see this by first glance. but if you have some weird corrosion or that the board looks a bit moist in areas around capacitors you can pretty much know your caps are leaking. I know this very well because I also have an IBM 486 computer that I been using from time to time and it just went completely dead just like yours, not even a hint of life and every single capacitor in the power supply was leaking so much it was on the brink of permanently destroying the supply by corrosion. I managed to save this computer and the supply to by re-capping everything in this computer and it been working like a dream after this. always expect old caps to be bad even if they look fine because they start to fail in many ways such as: Leakage in seals causing corrosion, electrical leakage as in they don´t block DC well anymore. they dry out and lose capacitance or their ESR goes way up etc. if you open up your supply carefully check all caps for defects and if you de-solder a suspect and feel the stink of fish or other rancid stench you can assure it leaks electrolyte and have to be replaced. my 486 had more problems than being completely dead but the power supply actually got fully revived just by cleaning off the leaked electrolyte and the caused corrosion and mounting new caps and it really went to dead mode just because of these caps. also when you start up a computer that likely been sleeping for years on end and you have hard drives in it, spin the drive up and just let it sit for several hours before you attempt to boot from it, this way you give the bearings time to stabilize again reducing the risk of head crashes and damage to the platters. I found the risk of drive failure to be many times higher if you start accessing data on them right away after they been sitting for a long time. these Quantum fireball are real champions normally but they have a bit wonky bearings after all these years. just give them some time to wake up slowly, especially when you get to try your dead computers hard drive for the first time. Just like old people old computers like it when you take it a bit slow and not stress them out. you can also check the smart status and run scandisk to eventually remap bad sectors that can cause clicks of the heads and also get a nice over view of the current health for drives that supports it. I wrote you a comment on the other video too but I think you missed it, But my melting IBM laptop is revived now! it lives again and is no longer tacky. there is a few issues with conflicting drivers I can´t seem to solve but it works anyway. I been playing some Doom and Heretic on it now for my success, but it have also given me some more issues with various stuff. a bit of the same thing back in the days which made me not really use it that much, but I am getting around them a bit more now with my higher skills with computers. it just have to be like this with laptops for some reason that they just don´t work as easy as a desktop PC in many ways. But it feels good I got it back together again. I think i wrote some more details on the comment in your IBM video if you check it out. just let me know if you want some tips and tricks on your computers and you could get my advices

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the advice on the PSU caps and the HDD. Makes total sense! I am looking forward to getting this machine running and also getting a floppy drive for this. I definitely saw your latest comments and I replied :). I think sometimes though it posts your reply twice and I only reply to one of them.. Maybe that happened? I will definitely reach out if I run into any difficulties. Thank you so much!!!!!

@Pulverrostmannen 6 ай бұрын

@@TheRetroRecall no problem :) if you like to easier be able to talk I have discord and stuff too

@branscombe_ 6 ай бұрын

1:10+ and I’m here for just that!

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Love having you along :)

@PiercedJedi 6 ай бұрын

it's a bit of a shame that IBM went super proprietary with the PS/2 line hoping to claw back the market from the likes or Compaq and other PC Clone companies, the keyboard and mouse ports were obviously a hit, I feel like the Micro Channel slots would have also been great for the industry

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm just glad a standard was agreed upon. Imagine if we had multiple standards today, even including case layout (what if BTX remained strong??).

@procta2343 6 ай бұрын

the IBM unit reminds me of the diskless systems we used to have at school. They just had a network card of some sort and booted off a server. i was wondering if the IBM may have been that way but as soon as i saw the back of it and it had a HDD i was thinking nope its not a diskless client.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Hard drive for sure, maybe just a missing FDD to prevent unnecessary external access.

@bobamu 6 ай бұрын

Ah, those Motorola SM56 PCI's weren't great for me, kept overheating and making the computer die, took me a while to work out that was what was wrong with my computer all those years ago, then a friend bought one and he had similar joy. Not that it'd matter much now in 2023 I guess.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

I always stayed with USR external hardware modems. I never liked the software modems.

@Inject0r 6 ай бұрын

28:18 that’s actually not a blank. That’s a default jumper block, with 2 jumpers built in, for non-dual voltage CPU’s. :)

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this info!!! I just thought it was used to protect the pins, smart. Thanks again!

@xaenon9849 6 ай бұрын

The issue is almost certainly INSIDE the PSU; if nothing else, the fan should spin, even if there's a fault in the logic board(s). Odds are very good that the problem is on the high voltage side of things. Not saying it's definitely the cause, but the main switch in the PSU is a 115 V type and the contacts can corrode enough to cause a 'no power' symptom. Worth a check. It's not unheard of for the contacts inside the switch to come apart - and unless I miss my guess, that switch opens/closes both legs of the 115 supply. I've replaced several failed 115V switches in AT-class machines - not just IBMs, but several clone systems as well. Do a little research, if the PSU is truly 'dead', you should be able to use a regular AT (not ATX) power supply to at least light up the system board. If you have one around, that is. You might even be able to 'borrow' the Digital's PSU. Even with a failed RTC, the machine should at least beep or throw a video code. The startup disk, if needed, would not prevent it from powering on.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this added insight, much appreciated! I plan on taking apart this PSU soon to determine what the issue is and if we can get it going again! :)

@GigAHerZ64 6 ай бұрын

Clippit, not Clippy! :D

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Hahahahaha

@johnmay4803 6 ай бұрын

the ibm psu might have a refa cap in it pal it could be that simple plus it wont boot without the clock chip

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

I'll check the PSU and prep a new clock and report back :)

@johnmay4803 6 ай бұрын

@@TheRetroRecall you dont want the magic smoke lol

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Haha nope!

@princemegahit 6 ай бұрын

It's a common fault on the 55sx ps2 , the PS doesn't start, caused by a fault capacitor, you need to open it and check the RMS values of the electrolitics. Also, after replace the capacitor, don't power the system with the hard drive on if you don't want to see the fireworks. Check for short tantalum/electrolitic or leaked caps on the hdd board after power up the system with a working power supply.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Love this info, thanks so much!

@princemegahit 6 ай бұрын

@Epictronics1 recently made a video about the repair of the 55sx, it has some valuable info about this system @@TheRetroRecall

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this!! Mr. Happy Caps himself!! I am subbed and love his work! I was thinking of reaching out to him about this :)

@yatapaws 6 ай бұрын

RIP psu on the ps/2 The psu on my ps/2 model 76 went bad me thinks, it just makes a high pitch whining noise when i turn it on.

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Mines not even making a noise. Let's have faith we can fix it haha!

@TECHNOGEEK20000 6 ай бұрын

I had that EXACT computer when I was a kid. That computer was what got me into computers. It had MS-DOS 6.22 and I straight up learned DOS from the ground up on this machine...the hard way in my opinion. Learned DOS by going in blind to it. I was a middleschooler so I think I was probably 13-14 when I got it. Parents got it and no one could figure out how to use it. We plugged it in and it posted to dos and dropped off at a C: prompt. Nothing happend.....just left us at a C:\> prompt. I spent days trying to figure out how to use this machine, I just started typing in random commands and nothing happened until I typed in HELP and it brought me to the MS-DOS help system and that was the point where I was able to figure out the system. I was browsing the help system and started learning about all the different commands and included programs with dos. I was able to get to more of the system when I learned about DOS Shell, then I was able to explore the whole system. Very cool computer and it taught me so much about the fundamentals of what computing was back then. I would love to find another one and re-live my childhood

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

This is a great memory, thanks for sharing! It's funny, but a lot of us started out that way years ago - made us stronger lol. Today's computers are just boring :)

@TECHNOGEEK20000 6 ай бұрын

Yes it has certainly made us stronger lol, and I totally agree that today's computers are so boring. I miss the days of having to troubleshoot problems and have to think of different ways to make things work. I think technology in general today is just plain boring. @@TheRetroRecall

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Agreed :)

@EvilTurkeySlices 6 ай бұрын

There's some modern MCA cards that would do well in the PS/2. The Resound MCA sound cards are the most notable. There's an Adlib compatible one(the resound 2) and a full sound blaster compatible one(the Resound new wave) They are a little pricy, but make the PS/2 line much more usable. Here's LGR's video on the latter. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2TGm6mbiNKercU

@TheRetroRecall 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this info! I'll check it out.