This list is not supposed to be the final word on the subject;
it has been kept brief, in the interest of being usable.
If you find something that looks interesting, save it, at least until
you can get a second opinion.
Once it gets into a landfill, it's gone forever.
- Any computer, or part of one, that...
- ...has lots of switches and lights
- ...has vacuum tubes
- ...has core memory
- ...has discrete transistors (ie: no chips)
- ...has a magnetic drum
- ...has an acoustic modem
- ...runs CP/M
- ...uses 8" floppy disks
- ...uses cassette tapes (like those used in a walkman)
- ...uses paper tape
- ...uses punched cards
- ...was made before 1980 (look at the chip date-codes)
- ...is a single-board computer with keypad and LED display
- ...is rack-mounted in a 19" cage
- Specific names to watch for:
- Univac
- Cromemco: *
- Alpha Micro: ...
- SWTPC (Southwest Technical Products Corp): *
- OSI (Ohio Scientific Inc): Challenger C1P, C2P, *
- Heathkit: H8, H11, ...
- IMSAI - IMS Associates Inc: *
- MITS: Altair, *
- The Digital Group: *
- PERQ: *
- 3 Rivers Computer Corp: *
- Intel : Intellec *, MDS800
- Torch : *
- HH : Tiger
- Nascom/Gemini : *
- WCW - Whitechapel: *
- Xerox : Alto, D-machines
- NorthStar: Horizon, Advantage
- Commodore: Pet
- Exidy: Sorcerer, *
- Processor Technology: SOL-20, ...
- RCA: Cosmac ELF, ...
- Intertec: Superbrain
- Compucolor
- Rockwell AIM-65
- MOS Technologies: KIM-1
- SYM-1
- Dec - Digital Equipment Corp: PDP-*
- HP - Hewlett Packard: HP21MX, 21xx, anything HP2000 (TSB) related
- NeXt
- Commodore: VIC-20, C64, Amiga, ...
- Radio Shack/Tandy: TRS-80, Model 1,2,3,4, Color computer,
- Apple: Apple 1, II, III, Lisa, ...
- Atari 400, 800, ...
- Coleco Adam
- TI (Texas Instruments): TI 99/4a, ...
- Terak
- Common, don't bother saving:
- Anything that runs Windows
- IBM PC's & compatibles (except 5150?)
- Macintoshes
- Dot-matrix printers
- IBM PC video monitors
Bill Yakowenko,
yakowenk@cs.unc.edu,
27-Feb-1999