eBay bargains - what's your latest conquest?

[rampancy]

p.s.: Nice Braun clock! Dieter Rams’ work graces you daily!

Indeed! Sorry Jony, but no one can unseat Dieter Rams as the God of Industrial Design.

That clock has been a faithful companion since my undergrad university days and all the way through grad school, when I was doing field research. I later gifted that clock to my mom for her to use at work and got another one, but eventually it drifted back into my orbit. It - and its brother - have survived being dropped countless times, and tossed into all manner of bags of questionable repute, and travelled with me to Korea and Japan. They really don't make 'em like that anymore.

My affection for Braun clocks actually led me to an affection for their watches too; people would notice it and it would always start interesting conversations wherever I'd go. I sadly lost my last Braun watch somewhere in downtown Seoul when the leather band gave way, and I never got around to replacing it.

Fair enough!

The reluctance is understandable. From experience with keyboard issues, a full strip down - as painful as it can be, due to the potential work involved, is often the only way to be certain that problems are located and dealt with. I've got a computer whose keyboard didn't work at all and after disassembling the keyboard entirely, I discovered that it had a random screw trapped inside the mechanism. How it would've found its way so deep inside is a mystery.

Come to think of it, the entire story deserves a post within this thread as I ended up with a nice eBay bargain...

If I'd bought this keyboard new (the latest version is $139.99 on Amazon, apparently) then I'd definitely would go to a lot more trouble to diagnose the issues with the numpad 3 key (and now apparently I've seen it happen also with the "d" key too). But the thing is that if I'm not deep into playing an FPS (what I've been playing is single-player AssaultCube and Marathon Phoenix) the keys work perfectly fine. But even in those games the problem isn't consistent or repeatable.

I'm also not sure what I'd do to fix it; replace the switches? I had the impression that keyboards with replaceable switches are very expensive.

 

[TheShortTimer]

I'm also not sure what I'd do to fix it; replace the switches? I had the impression that keyboards with replaceable switches are very expensive.

I honestly think that a good through internal clean would probably do the trick but it can be something which you consider when you have the inclination to tackle something that requires an in-depth focus. Maybe take your time over a series of days split into segments of stages? That's often worked for me in the past.

Which reminds me, I have a PS4, an iBook G3, a couple of A1181s and many other items to strip down/reassemble/solder...

 

[TheShortTimer]

I've got a computer whose keyboard didn't work at all and after disassembling the keyboard entirely, I discovered that it had a random screw trapped inside the mechanism. How it would've found its way so deep inside is a mystery.

Come to think of it, the entire story deserves a post within this thread as I ended up with a nice eBay bargain...

Here's a classic 90s computer that I purchased for £43 GBP (I'll return to the price later) boxed and complete - with the exception of the manual but I know my way around this machine well enough to get up and running without it and besides, the PDF is easily found online.

An image heavy post follows: so be warned!

It's a significantly improved successor to this machine from an earlier post. New ownership of the hardware had seen drastic refinements right across the board and the re-engineering present in this particular revision makes it often regarded as the best model to own in the entire range.

Yup, that's a light gun which you might've glimpsed in an earlier photo. I've still got a couple of working CRT TV's that I can use it with.

In a narrative that's familiar to anyone who's used eBay regularly, the seller listed the computer as fully working and confirmed this to me in writing during a conversation, so I was disappointed when it arrived and the keyboard was non-responsive. Initially my first reaction was to begin the return process and request a refund but it was suggested to me that I disassemble the computer and check the keyboard for dust clogging as that's a frequent culprit.

A strip down followed and this is what I found...

...somehow a screw had fallen inside the keyboard and jammed it completely. This meant that either the seller had powered it up, didn't bother to proceed any further and was content with that as evidence it was working or they'd been dishonest.

I still needed to ensure that this was not the only issue and so I tested the membrane by itself - because if that was shot then it would be difficult to locate a replacement.

From the start menu, I checked that the membrane responded to presses.

Wonderful!

Now, what about the keyboard itself with that rogue screw removed?

Fixed!

Although it came with a number of software on cassette, much more is available to me online, so with the assistance of a cheapo car adapter, I was able to load in games from a mobile phone accessing a software repository.

Again, this was just a stop-gap till a package arrived from the Netherlands...

A very impressive piece of kit that provides you with the possibility of four player games and instant loading via SD cards. I also invested in an RGB SCART cable for the optimum A/V quality.

Let's have some fun!

There was still the issue of being sold an item that was clearly not in full working state. I opened a case with eBay customer services and offered the compromise that if the seller agreed to reduce the price by £20 then I'd be happy to keep the machine. They agreed and this meant that in the end I paid just £23 (postage included) for a boxed computer, with all its accessories and now fully working thanks to 30 minutes with a screwdriver.

I'd call that a bargain!

 

[Amethyst1]

Although it came with a number of software on cassette, much more is available to me online, so with the assistance of a cheapo car adapter, I was able to load in games from a mobile phone accessing a software repository.

It’s so fascinating and funny that this works.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Here's a classic 90s computer that I purchased

Well done! What a super buy With that SD card gizmo you must have instant access to, what - maybe 30,000 games?

 

[TheShortTimer]

It’s so fascinating and funny that this works.

Yeah, the beauty of it is that something so simple and cheap works so unexpectedly well.

I've used that car adapter device with other 80s/90s computers too.

Well done! What a super buy

Thanks.

With that SD card gizmo you must have instant access to, what - maybe 30,000 games?

I think so. The entire Spectrum game library can be stored on there and homebrew programmers are still churning out new titles and updates to existing software. Could you imagine the amount of tapes/disks that would be required for 30k games?

 

[Dronecatcher]

Could you imagine the amount of tapes/disks that would be required for 30k games?

Made me go hunting for this

 

[MarkC426]

Here's a classic 90s computer that I purchased for £43 GBP

Looks like the same joystick ports as my Atari ST....
There is a similar device for Atari that plugs in with SD cards, which is on my list....😜

I have just bought something from CoolNovelties.....very good seller.....👍

 

[ToniCH]

Here's a classic 90s computer that I purchased for £43 GBP

Very nice! I was a C64 and Amiga guy myself in the 80's. But did some ZX81, Spectrum and also Amstrad stuff back then too. I have build my C64 and Amiga software and hardware libraries again during last couple of years. And today I have a running C64 and a Amiga 600 with good selection of software/hardware/upgrades.

But, my latest acquisition is a late 2005 G5 which seems operational. RAM and specific processor config is unknown until I receive it. This computer was a daily driver for the seller until about 7 years ago. Paid a full 15€/$ for it. Hope I can get it running properly.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Made me go hunting for this

Ah, yes: that was the rationale among many parents in the UK that a computer could be of assistance with their children's schoolwork. Mine included. I remember the dispassionate "no" when I asked a teacher if it would be ok to put my C64 to use with my maths homework.

Looks like the same joystick ports as my Atari ST....
There is a similar device for Atari that plugs in with SD cards, which is on my list....😜

Appearances can be deceptive.

The internal joystick ports were configured with a non-standard pinout to force the user to purchase proprietary controllers and I had to use an adapter cable to circumvent this nonsense.

However the ports featured on the interface are the traditional Atari 9-pin standard.

I have just bought something from CoolNovelties.....very good seller.....👍

Very much so.

Very nice! I was a C64 and Amiga guy myself in the 80's. But did some ZX81, Spectrum and also Amstrad stuff back then too.

That Spectrum is my third (and final!) acquisition from the range. In this post I documented my resurrection and restoration of a 48K Plus model that was given to me.

ZX81? I've got one of those.

Here it is, beefed up with an expansion unit that provides 32K RAM, SD card loading, stereo sound, a reset button and a joystick port - among many other goodies.

Which enabled me to run this very impressive Manic Miner port.

Amstrad? Here's my CPC 464...

I bought an expansion unit from Poland that boosts the RAM to a mighty 512K and also provides USB loading.

Here's my other Amstrad!

Again, I retrofitted it with a Gokek USB drive and the seller included literally the entire library of PCW software.

I have build my C64 and Amiga software and hardware libraries again during last couple of years. And today I have a running C64 and a Amiga 600 with good selection of software/hardware/upgrades.

Earlier this year, I repaired a C64 and have had a great time revisiting classics and discovering new releases. I have an A600 from 1993 but really need to check the motherboard because the capacitors might have leaked by now and destroyed it...

But, my latest acquisition is a late 2005 G5 which seems operational. RAM and specific processor config is unknown until I receive it. This computer was a daily driver for the seller until about 7 years ago. Paid a full 15€/$ for it. Hope I can get it running properly.

Congrats! My G5 ranks as my most esteemed PPC Mac and we'll be on hand to help you with any issues - should they arise.

 

[TheShortTimer]

My Mac Pro 1,1 has languished in disuse for too long - and not because I'm scared of the electricity costs. For a while I've been working towards acquiring the components to upgrade its current bare bones spec (3GB RAM, 250GB HDD!) to something much more substantial and this purchase marks a major step towards that goal.

Adding USB 3.x capabilities was an essential addition but most of the affordable cards that I'd considered only had one USB controller shared between four ports - which of course means that the bandwidth is shared during multiple transfers. Surprisingly, even the Sonnet Allegro suffers from this issue and the pro version with multiple controllers was beyond my budget.

However, looking through this thread prompted me to browse through eBay for the High Point RocketU 1144D card as it features a separate controller for each port, doesn't require additional power connections, works immediately with 10.9+ and is recommended for cMP owners who want to add USB 3.0 to their machines.

I found a seller in the U.S. and made an offer of $36 USD which converts to £29 GBP. The import duties and postage to the UK bumped up the final total to £62 GBP but that was still significantly cheaper than another U.S. based listing for the same card which would've cost me in the region of £100 GBP.

 

[MBAir2010]

Ebay done conquested me!

I need a replacement iPad cover, ordered on expecting to get that by Tuesday
after confirming, order date dec 24th

so I cancelled the order under 1 minutes after confirming.

wish me luck!

Upadte: ReFunded!

 

[ToniCH]

But, my latest acquisition is a late 2005 G5 which seems operational. RAM and specific processor config is unknown until I receive it. This computer was a daily driver for the seller until about 7 years ago. Paid a full 15€/$ for it. Hope I can get it running properly.

Received the late 2005 G5 on wednesday, it is the base model dual core 2.0GHz with 4GB RAM. I installed a 1T SSD drive and the Sorbet Leopard. The machine works just fine. The RAM is a mixed bag of 3 sizes and 2 speeds though and all slots occupied. Sadly the largest 1GB sticks are of wrong speed (too slow).

So, I searched and ordered a new batch of 16GB RAM to it (40€). I also want a working wifi so ordered a wifi card (12€) and a PCI-E carrier (6.5€) for it. Want some quicker disk access so Accelsior S (36€) is on its way too. The wifi card is second hand, rest are new. I have a selection of suitable SSD drives to make a good setup.

I then stumbled into GPU threads and realized I could do much better than the GF 6600LE 128MB. So, I ordered the $30 X1900GT 256MB which was recommended in the how to flash such a card -thread. Next I found the FX4500 -thread and after few beers and out of interest made a quick search and found one for sale at pretty much the same price. Uh..oh, ordered it too. 😱 Lets see which one ends up in my G5. My brother promised to set me up with a suitable PC to flash them.

FX4500 & X1900GT

I was hoping to find a USB 3 -card for it but I haven't found any data if a suitable card for late 2005 G5 exists. If anybody knows one please let me know. Or if is it not even possible under 10.5, then I can stop searching. Hmm... the second PCI-e slot is awfully close to the graphics card, I wonder if its usable with the x1900? The FX4500 cooling system seems to scrap any hopes of a card in that slot. Oh, well.

So, the 15€ G5 is no longer a 15€ G5. 😂 I have now put more money into it that is probably smart but man has to have hobbies, right? No single part has been expensive but I guess it adds up (+ shipping costs).

I still have a cheap electricity deal for the next 18 months and I keep hoping things have normalized by then on that regard. So, I can play with the G5 for a long time without suffering too much in energy costs. And as there is a meter of snow outside already I do need all the heating I can get (not really, have couple of fireplaces and other heating means to handle it like everybody in the nordic countries, but in reality the heat from the G5 is not wasted)

 

[Amethyst1]

I was hoping to find a USB 3 -card for it […] Or if is it not even possible under 10.5, then I can stop searching.

You can stop searching. No drivers for 10.5.x.

 

[ifrit05]

I then stumbled into GPU threads and realized I could do much better than the GF 6600LE 128MB. So, I ordered the $30 X1900GT 256MB which was recommended in the how to flash such a card -thread. Next I found the FX4500 -thread and after few beers and out of interest made a quick search and found one for sale at pretty much the same price. Uh..oh, ordered it too. 😱 Lets see which one ends up in my G5. My brother promised to set me up with a suitable PC to flash them.

If only running Mac OS X and you're not worried about fan noise then the X1900GT is great. Otherwise, FX 4500 is a great universal card for Linux as well.

Also, USB will work with Linux, but not Mac OS X.

 

[TheShortTimer]

So, the 15€ G5 is no longer a 15€ G5. 😂 I have now put more money into it that is probably smart but man has to have hobbies, right? No single part has been expensive but I guess it adds up (+ shipping costs).

You have to look at this way, the low cost of the computer means that you've saved money which can go towards the upgrades and it's an inevitability that you'll have to open your wallet to some degree, regardless of whether the machine is spanking brand new, cheapo vintage or even free.

I still have a cheap electricity deal for the next 18 months and I keep hoping things have normalized by then on that regard. So, I can play with the G5 for a long time without suffering too much in energy costs. And as there is a meter of snow outside already I do need all the heating I can get (not really, have couple of fireplaces and other heating means to handle it like everybody in the nordic countries, but in reality the heat from the G5 is not wasted)

I'm in the UK and it's very frosty and we'll probably join you with snow very soon.

You can stop searching. No drivers for 10.5.x.

Also, USB will work with Linux, but not Mac OS X.

I did wonder about Linux. How about 10.6 PPC - might that have drivers?

 

[ToniCH]

If only running Mac OS X and you're not worried about fan noise then the X1900GT is great. Otherwise, FX 4500 is a great universal card for Linux as well.

Also, USB will work with Linux, but not Mac OS X.

Thanks for the info. I run Linux in several computers so I am ok with it. Only problem is that with FX4500 I don't think I have space for the USB-card. Does the Accelsior S work in Linux? If yes, then (if I went with Linux) I guess I would rarely need to transfer anything over USB. And I do have a Firewire -enclosure which I could use instead of USB if needed.

Wonder if there is an 802.11AC -card I could get to work in G5 with Linux? This card I bought for the 10.5 is an Apple N-card.

You have to look at this way, the low cost of the computer means that you've saved money which can go towards the upgrades

That is true. I haven't spend anything compared to new Mac.

I'm in the UK and it's very frosty and we'll probably join you with snow very soon.

I think were are going to need a bit more of climate change for that... I used to live in London for couple of years back in the day and I remember some extreme weather but not so much snow. Could be different in north though.

Last couple of days its been snowing. Yesterday and today total of 3.5 hours of clearing snow out of our driveway (2 people) and my sportswatch reports 200% of daily activities reached and 1700 kcal spent. 😵 I am too old for this s...t.

Ps. wife just calculated that yesterday we removed approx 30m3 of wet and heavy snow and today 75m3 of light (frozen) snow. By hand. I am spent. 😫

 

[pc297]

Hmm... the second PCI-e slot is awfully close to the graphics card, I wonder if its usable with the x1900? The FX4500 cooling system seems to scrap any hopes of a card in that slot. Oh, well.

I use a 7800 GTX 512Mb (physically identical to the quadro FX 4500) in the x16 slot and a Radeon HD 5770 for linux in the x8 slot, they are both dual-slot, no worries at all re cooling

 

[Amethyst1]

How about 10.6 PPC - might that have drivers?

No. Generic USB 3.0 (XHCI) support only came with 10.8.3 IIRC.

 

[netsrot39]

I got myself this Sonnet Tempo SATA E4 card the other day for one of my 3 Late 2005 G5s. It seems to be one of the more obscure ones since it is an older version of the card (if you look on the Sonnet archival product website some components on the card are different). On the backside of the card it says that it is from 2005 which also explains why this card maxes out at SATA II speeds which is not a problem at all since the PCIe version 1 of the G5 caps the bandwith anyway. I have yet to test the card with an SSD but a really old hard drive (15 years old) showed transfer speeds of approximately 90mb/s write and read which is significantly more than I got with the generic 2-port ASM1061 eSATA card that I had previously installed. I'd say for 20,50 € (free shipping included) I did pretty good. IMO eSATA is the perfect addition to any G5 since it lacks USB3 compatibility for fast data transfers but you need to have the right equipment for it (power supply for 3.5" drives, SATA to eSATA cable, etc.). Since I do own a bunch of that stuff it is the perfect solution for me .

 

[weckart]

The earliest Mac OS X you can use with USB 3.0 is 10.6.8 with some proprietary Caldigit drivers for their own PCIe and Express Card products. XHCI universal USB 3.0 drivers came in with 10.8.2 IIRC.

As for snow, we had an inch or two in Cheshire yesterday, none really in the Midlands although some fell today and melted on the roads.

 

[Amethyst1]

IMO eSATA is the perfect addition to any G5 since it lacks USB3 compatibility for fast data transfers but you need to have the right equipment for it (power supply for 3.5" drives, SATA to eSATA cable, etc.).

I’ve wanted to say this but you beat me to it. eSATA was as good as it came before TB and USB3. There are some drive enclosures which have eSATA ports, with some LaCies having “quad” interfaces (eSATA/FW400/FW800/USB2).

 

[TheShortTimer]

I’ve wanted to say this but you beat me to it. eSATA was as good as it came before TB and USB3. There are some drive enclosures which have eSATA ports, with some LaCies having “quad” interfaces (eSATA/FW400/FW800/USB2).

Yes and I've got several of these! Also Freecom drives too.

Since we're on the subject, seeing as I have numerous enclosures with the quad interface, is it worth adding an eSATA card to my Mac Pro?

 

[Amethyst1]

Since we're on the subject, seeing as I have numerous enclosures with the quad interface, is it worth adding an eSATA card to my Mac Pro?

Why not? Unless you have Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.x on the Mac Pro and a matching enclosure you could use instead.

 

[netsrot39]

Since we're on the subject, seeing as I have numerous enclosures with the quad interface, is it worth adding an eSATA card to my Mac Pro?

I have an eSATA card in my Mac Pro 2,1 (this one) and it is amazing. It is actually faster than the USB3 card in my Mac Pro 2,1 but that could also be due to the drives and the card itself that I'm using. Anyways, I can highly recommend a quality eSATA card in the Mac Pro