Questions and Answers

This is quite an extensive collection!

Thank you! Some of the machines have always been mine, I collected them over the years of my life. Many other machines were bought during the Covid pandemic, when the people started to clean up their attics, or given to me as a gift.

Do all the machines work?

Most of them do! 😀

There are some that are still unchecked, or are known to be broken, but are repairable.

I promised myself to not collect broken hardware, with very few exceptions.

You have modified some machines. Shouldn’t a museum show the original state?

It’s not my intention to put these computers in a glass showcase. They should be usable like in the old days. I even still use some of the machines.

But times are changing. Most modern TVs don’t provide a classic “antenna in” anymore. Floppy disks are long out of production, and existing ones are losing their ability to store data due to old age. There are no modern IDE or SCSI harddisks, but SD card based replicas are much faster and also noiseless.

I modify the machines so it’s still fun to use them today. My goal is to make the modification reversible though. I won’t drill new holes into computer cases, and I am keeping the removed components for a reversal.

There is one exception: I want the machines to be fit for the next decades, and to be safe to use. For this reason, I always remove NiCd batteries, and replace all electrolytic capacitors with modern ones, as leaking components can cause major damage to the computer. Power supplies are always reworked by a technician, or replaced with modern industrial PSUs. I also glue heatsinks to old custom chips in order to extend their lifetime.

Can I visit the museum in real?

No, the museum is purely virtual. I mainly use it to keep track of my collection and the works I have done on the individual machines. But there is no showroom or something like this.

Can I buy one of the machines?

No. I might sell individual machines when I need room for new ones, but in general nothing here is for sale. There is no use in asking for prices or offering money.

Can you repair my computer?

Sorry, but I only repair my own machines. There is a huge difference between botching a repair on my own computer or someone else’s.

There are forums for many old home computer brands on the internet. You will often find enthusiasts there who are willing to fix your machine.