Obsolete Electronics

[LadyZod]

Inspired by the Faux 1977 iPod thread, I started thinking about electronics of days past and I realized that anyone walking into my home might be surprised at how many obsolete dodads we have.

I'm talking multiple laserdisc machines (one in each room), record players, cassettes, things of that sort.

Then there is the goofiness... my husband LOVES buying atari machines (the woodgrain ones) and portable 8Track players everytime he finds them at a thirft store or fleamarket/garage sale.

Me? I'm goofy in the sense that I love obsolete computers to fiddle with. I'm currently working on an Apple iBook (clamshell model) with a whole 3gb harddrive and 300mHz fast PPC processor. (Planning on getting it up and going running linux or if I can get a recovery disc for OS 9, OS 9 and using the airport card for wireless surfing in public places to goof on folks.)

Anyone else here have a quirky love for out of date machines, collect them or mod them into newer pieces that resemble the old pieces?

I've had this goofy idea to get a console TV turntable woodgrain enclosure and replacing the tube TV with a new flatscreen (with woodgrain bezel) and removing the old recordplayer and placing with a USB turntable. Might make for a cool conversation piece once we finish our den. (and by finish our den, I mean actually start on it.)

[generic]

Record players are NOT obsolete! I still listen to records and for many albums, I prefer to listen to them on vinyl than on CD. The first Ramones album just doesn't sound right on any other format (and I heard it on Cassette and CD before I ever heard it on vinyl so that opinion is not simply because vinyl was how I heard it first!)

Also, I love the Atari 2600 and have many games for mine!

[megoat]

In 2010 I'd hardly call a record player "obsolete"--maybe "niche" but not obsolete....

But yeah, I have a love for this stuff, too. I collect space age era electronic devices....



I like 80's boomboxes. I have a couple of those around.



Also, I have an Apple IIGS I fire up once in a while.

I have an Atari 2600 and an NES.....

[spamn]

I bought a classic Mac off Ebay for $25 with plans to use it as a custom case mod. I hope I get to it someday. I love retro computers. I also want to get a TRS-80 and do the same thing.

[HardyGirl]

Seriously? You have to ask? Nothing but in my house. 2 record players, (living and my room), 2 dubber tape decks, (same) 2 VCRs (yep), 1 Atari and 180 games (my room) 1 Intellevision 2 and 40 games (garage). 4 analog clocks., (living room, my room, toyroom, kitchen) no big screen or flat screen TVs, 2 boomboxes, (one on my bed), 9 year old PC, plus the AM radios, mechanical dolls and assorted 70s toys that require batteries in the toyroom. Oh and the Omni 8-track game in my toyroom closet!

Keeping it old school at HardyGirl's house!

[toys2cool]

I still have a VCR and a portable CD player I use to take to the gym to workout when I was in high school

I might have one of those yellow sony tape walkman

[LadyZod]

I use the term "obsolete" to describe this older tech (and yes, we still play our vinyl and love it) as that is how I heard it described once sometime last year, in a vinyl record shop by a college age girl who was upset that her hipster boyfriend wanted to stop in.

So, not derogatory... using the phrase as an ironic twist.

[Mikey]

I used to have a Zenith TransOceanic Radio with tubes for the longest time (always worked fine)

I only sold it a few years ago.

[jds1911a1]

I still have a green screen 19" tv with a knob on it, laserdisc players, record players, atari 2600, pong, cassette walkman, top loading vcr (the beta finally wore out a few years ago), rotary phone on the wall

what I really need is an old commodore 64

[LadyZod]

My husband came home one day all a twitter (old meaning, not new stalking meaning) because he found a double deck GoVideo machine for $10.00. His original one he paid close to $600 when it came out.

He loves that machine because it was the first to lift the macrovision protection on VHS tapes. And of course, this new one works fabulously. (His old one does too. So now I have two in my home. 2 machines that dub VHS cassette to cassette... now that we've transferred the old tapes to DVD-rs!)

[Nostalgiabuff]

I might have one of those yellow sony tape walkman

ha, I just threw one of those out, was tired of it kicking around and not getting used - ever - I have been thnking of getting one of those cool looking 8 track players, course then i would have to get some 8 tracks to go with it but it would look cool in my "Man Cave"

[HardyGirl]

I might have one of those yellow sony tape walkman

Oh shoot! I forgot about my walkman. I carry it around all the time! Mine is purple.

[LadyZod]

These are the 8 track players my husband keeps bringing home.

[cjefferys]

I still have a VHS recorder, laserdisc player and HD DVD player hooked up to our main TV. I like to be able to handle as many formats as possible, obsolete or not.

Old tech is cool, and I love looking at old consumer electronics advertisements like the above.

[livnxxxl]

My husband came home one day all a twitter (old meaning, not new stalking meaning) because he found a double deck GoVideo machine for $10.00. His original one he paid close to $600 when it came out.

He loves that machine because it was the first to lift the macrovision protection on VHS tapes. And of course, this new one works fabulously. (His old one does too. So now I have two in my home. 2 machines that dub VHS cassette to cassette... now that we've transferred the old tapes to DVD-rs!)

I still have a couple of those dubbing machines. I can say that I did actually make money on my machines back in the days of the VHS tape. R.I.P.