Omega-TI Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Okay, post 'em here... This is the worst I've seen (at least so far)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Okay.... one more from me, I don't know how classic it is, but it's pretty thrashed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Oh, I've got a TI 99/4A in my collection that's in worse shape than that. The silver trim was half torn from the system! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I don't have them anymore, but some of my 1200XLs from back in the day... Open the top, and wires everywhere. They didn't look good, but they worked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 Oh, I've got a TI 99/4A in my collection that's in worse shape than that. The silver trim was half torn from the system! Pics, pics, I wanna see pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I've had several machines damaged in shipping. A few broken keys and broken corners on cases.But it's nothing compared to the Apple IIgs someone just posted pics of in the Apple II Enthusiasts group on facebook. I'm not sure if you have to be a member to see it but...https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3885613714901&set=p.3885613714901&type=1&theater 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 I've had several machines damaged in shipping. A few broken keys and broken corners on cases. But it's nothing compared to the Apple IIgs someone just posted pics of in the Apple II Enthusiasts group on facebook. I'm not sure if you have to be a member to see it but... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3885613714901&set=p.3885613714901&type=1&theater Will this help? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I bought Three Apple ][e from an e-bay Buy-It-Now for $50.00 each, for a total of $150.00.. I had the foresight to ask for Insurance, and one was Damaged in shipping. The seller submitted a Claim, and I received a check for $50.00 in the mail...The ][e still seems to operate... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 The ][e still seems to operate... I'm wondering if some model airplane glue could cement the pieces back together, then a little 'bondo', sanding, primer and paint. Good that it still works. At the very least you have backup parts in case of a failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I'm wondering if some model airplane glue could cement the pieces back together, then a little 'bondo', sanding, primer and paint. Good that it still works. At the very least you have backup parts in case of a failure. Actually, I removed the Case, took a few photos and threw away the Case.. Now I use that ][e as a Smoke Test System.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I believe computers damaged through shipping should be counted separately from computers beat up by heavy use and/or modding. It only takes inferior packaging and/or unusually rough package handling to damage most plastics very badly, and a thread like this could easily be filled up with horror examples of such. I've both sent (large PET computers) and received (large TRS-80 computers) packages with content not padded enough which lead to more or less wrecked results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I believe computers damaged through shipping should be counted separately from computers beat up by heavy use and/or modding. It only takes inferior packaging and/or unusually rough package handling to damage most plastics very badly, and a thread like this could easily be filled up with horror examples of such. I've both sent (large PET computers) and received (large TRS-80 computers) packages with content not padded enough which lead to more or less wrecked results. A very good point.... How about Computers damaged by Neglect??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatta Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Back in the late 90s, I refurbished an IBM XT that had been stored in a garage. There was an old wasps nest inside the computer. Still ran fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 A very good point.... How about Computers damaged by Neglect??? I dunno, almost anything except INTENTIONAL damage. I'd hate to see a classic computer destroyed just for a 'photo op'. So keep your sledge hammers in the garage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIO2 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Photos are hard cause I don't leave them that way. I got an old Tandy once at a School sale. It had a pencil broken off in the disk drive and the keyboard had an old pcb substrate which was cracked in half. The worst Atari I personally have seen was an 800XL I bought on ebay as a for parts machine. It arrived looking worse than the pics. It was so filthy it looked like it had been buried in a landfill. I took it apart and sprayed the shell down with 409 three times, scrubbed it with soap and water and soaked it in the tub. Then I discovered the RAM was shot, so I de-soldered, socketed and replaced the RAM. The space bar was also busted and missing so I made one from a popsicle stick. After I put all that effort in it, I couldn't use it for a parts machine. I use it to play games sometimes. Edited January 10, 2014 by SIO2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Oh man, I wish I could. It's buried in the barn right now and with all this snow, it would be impossible to reach. I've got some Apple II systems that I left outdoors. My brother satisfied his lust for target practice by shooting at them with his bang bang penis replacement... if they were any good before, they certainly aren't now. The Apple IIe is missing three keys and the disk drives are shot to hell (literally); the Franklin 1000 is in better shape but probably not functional. In my defense, I didn't have any interest in Apple computers at the time and the machines were purchased for, like, a few dollars each. How was I to know they'd be valuable later? (Well duh, Jess, EVERYTHING is more valuable later.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 look and see if the CPU chips are still good. If it happens to be a 65c802, I want it Thanks. -K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 It reminds me of a web page I saw some time in the late 1990's but then seems to have disappeared. It was about someone who did an experiment with target shooting at various computer hardware to see which one would hold up best. First he shot a Yamaha CD-RW unit (IIRC) to pieces, it didn't take much. Then he went onto a X Terminal that took some damage, but handled the birdshot rather well. Finally he aimed at a Sun 3, on which the ammo almost bounced off, barely made a dent in the case. He moved on to buckshot and placed a bullet into the motherboard. The computer still was possible to power on and it would boot up, to the point it still qualified for Sun's trade-in program at the time, although they probably would have asked questions if he traded in a computer with bullets on the motherboard. I have tried to find that page, or pictures from it over the years but never had any success, not even on Archive.org. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 I have tried to find that page, or pictures from it over the years but never had any success, not even on Archive.org. Here's a consolation prize. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHFk7TTob5w This guy has too much time on his hands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I hope he cleaned up all the mess afterwards. If the shooting partly was for target practise, it makes me wonder what kind of wildlife he usually hunts. In particular the smaller items placed on the ground makes me think he is hunting moles, perhaps swamp rats and alike but it would be quite messy to kill moles with 12 gauge shots. I also wonder if putting a bullet through a hard disk is considered a non-retrievable way of destructing it, or if technically part of the data still would be possible for someone to recover. But yes, that is obviously intentional damage and anyone with access to a weapon could do that to the least favorite items in their collections. Personally I don't have anything in my collection right now that I like so badly that I wish I could shoot it. Well, maybe some old 14" CRT VGA that I'm about to recycle anyway but I'm too much of an orderly person to put things in the mess it would be to put a bullet through the CRT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyChris Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Their guns suck! I guess that's one way to wipe an old hard drive... - Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Their guns suck! I guess that's one way to wipe an old hard drive... - Chris I know, what a wimpy gun! That was something my grandmother would have used. This is my weapon of choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hm, that weapon is almost certain to turn a TI-99/4A into a 32 bit computer, if not even more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 12, 2014 Author Share Posted January 12, 2014 I found another THRASHED one... what is it anyway with people abusing TI-99/4A's?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPA5 Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 It's not really a trashed trashed computer, but it is the most disgusting keyboard I've ever had the pleasure of cleaning. After about 40 minutes with vinegar, soap, rubbing alcohol, a toothbrush and q-tips, it was restored to not-vomit worthy condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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