My New Hobby!

Today I want to share with you all my latest project which is actually a new hobby as well. As those of you who have read a few of my last postings may know, I enjoy spending time in "nostalgia-ville". I like to be reminded of the "good old days" and for me the good old days are when I was young and just getting into computers. In those days I spent a lot of time using the computer I had and drooling over the computers I wanted to have. I would spend hours looking through computer magazines, looking at the latest and greatest in desktops and lug-able computers that I could never afford.

Well, it occurred to me recently that it may be a neat idea to try and collect some of these old machines. Specifically, I am going to collect the computers I used to have, and the computers I used to really want. The best part of this new hobby is that these computer systems are so old that I can probably get some of them for free! As for the others, I don't believe that they will cost too much. So this can become a new hobby that won't break the bank, and keep the wife from getting too upset.

The first thing I needed to do was try and find some old computers. I placed an ad on a local buy/sell board and waited to see what would happen. The ad just said that I was looking for older computers, and gave a short list of systems. Specifically I was looking for a Commodore 64, an Atari 800XL, and a Macintosh system. The Atari 800XL was my favourite computer for years. But the Commodore 64 comes in at a close second. I learned to program on each of those systems. The Macintosh was only a dream for me. There was no way I could afford to buy one, but I use to want one so badly. I loved the design and look of it. It was a beautiful computer and I would stare at it for hours in magazines. It was just so cool!

I got a few responses from my ad posting. I found one gentleman who had a Mac Classic with keyboard and mouse for $20. After the first email from this computers owner, I could see that he was a "serious" Mac user. Before he would agree to sell me this working Mac, I had to promise that I would NOT turn it into a fish aquarium! I promised and quickly picked it up. Originally, I was hoping to get a Mac 128, but this was close enough. It looks the part, and to be completely honest, I didn't know the difference when I was young, so this system will do just nicely.

I then got an email from another person who said I could have his old Commodore 64 for free! Free is hard to turn down, so I made arraignments to meet him at a common location. The reason for the covert meet-up, was that he was a good hours drive away and offered to meet me at a location he knew how to find. Frankly, I was amazed that someone would be willing to go through the trouble. When I met him, he had a surprise for me. Instead of a Commodore 64 computer, he had two, and a floppy drive, and software, and joysticks, and a monitor! All for free! I thanked him and offered to give him $20 for his trouble, but he declined and said he was happy to get it out of his basement and to not have to throw it out.

I then received another email from a gentleman who had quite a few systems to get rid of. I made arrangements to visit and paid $20 for a Commodore 64, floppy drive and an Atari 400 computer. I already had a Commodore 64, but I want to have a couple of each system, for parts and a "just in case" situation. I used to own an Atari 400 and this would be a chance to collect the line of Atari 8-bit computers. He also had a few other systems that I would like to add to my collection at some point. I plan to remain in contact so that I can pick up a few more later on, when I have a little more disposable income.

I already had two Atari systems in storage in my basement, and now I would be able to dig them out and display them as well. One is an Atari XE game system, and the second is an Atari 1040STE 16-bit system. This was my everyday computer for a few years, and I'm glad I kept it around.

The next problem I had to solve was where the heck was I going to put these computers. I wanted some place that I could leave them out and setup so that I can reminisce at will. My current office is in a spare room which has a closet that really serves no purpose. So I decided to build in some display shelves for my new 'old" computers.

So, with a little time, money and effort I built in several shelves and now have a few systems on display. I still have to clean up these old computers and accessories, but I have something I can work with.

I am still looking for a few old systems to add to my collection. I would like to complete the Atari 8-bit line with an 800, 800XL, 600XL, 1200XL, 65XE, and a 130XE. I would also like to get a few Atari floppy drives, like the XF551, a 1050 and an 810. I would love to get the 410 tape drive for this system too. Pretty much any Atari accessory with the classic brown and white plastic casing will do. Another system I would like to get my hands on is a Commodore PET. This was the first computer that I used in school and would love to have one for my very own.

If you live in southwestern Ontario and have one of these systems that you would like to pass on to me, please let me know.

Thanks