What interesting or unusual technological marvels do you own?

UNM

Anyone else got old and/or unusual gadgets or techie toys lying around?

Reading a comment by hiphipharrar on another thread got me thinking there must be some interesting stuff out there.

My espressigo is a rare beast, but I also still have my first electronic calculator (a Sinclair Scientific, sold in kit form back in the seventies) a rare PDA with a chord keyboard and no doubt a few other items of historical interest.

Anyone else care to share what marvelous technology is lurking in their cupboard?

What do you remember that really made a difference to the world during your lifetime?
Edit - we all like pictures. added a couple

RichardM

I still have an old hardware based V.92 serial modem. The speed I got through that thing was amazing. I really think it's going to make it to the bin in the next cleanout though. If my net goes down, I no longer need dialup - I just use either one of my mobile phones these days.

hiphipharar

UNM wrote:

Anyone else got old and/or unusual gadgets or techie toys lying around?

Got a Casio FX-702P programmable calculator I think I bought it 1983. My first calculator was one of these babies which I no longer possess. It had a 3 digit LCD which you had to scroll through and was only accurate to 3 dec places IIRC. I think I still have one of the first scientific Sharp calculators lying around - about a 1975 vintage. It didn't even have algebraic logic (you have to enter the calculation in the correct operational order) but it did have a memory and trig functions.

Dry_bean

Bought one of these new in 1973, one of the best calculators I've ever owned, still have it but no longer working. 🙁 Sharp Model EL-814, S/N 3015931 Functions: ASMD, constant, 1 memory Technology: MOS-LSI (2 chips), portable Display: 8 digits, 7-segment LED modules Dimensions: 90W x 150D x 32H Weight: 0.43kg including batteries Manufactured: Sharp, Japan, early 1973.

UNM

hiphipharrar wrote:

Got a Casio FX-702P programmable calculator

I still have my fx502p. I remember working out a coded way to load it with what might be called study aids for my final school exams. By the time I had done so, I knew all the formulae by heart and didn't need the info

Kelsey

I've got an old Telstra 'Talkabout' phone. Talkabout was a mobile network precursor from around 1990 or so. The we're essentially cordless phones that would work within 100m of a talkabout street sign. In the city the coverage would overlap, but you couldn't transition to another sign mid-call until late in its life cycle. You could also get a base station for home. Once you were in range, the phone would auto switch to being a landline. They were actually quite good and when you opened the flip-cover they'd make a sound modeled on Star Trek communicators. The network only lasted a couple of years, until mobile phones became more affordable. It was a crazy, unworkable plan with a stunning lack of vision or understanding of the industry as a whole. It was Telstra tho, So no real surprise there!

mycuppa

Working at HP for 8 years at the time when they made the most insanely durable devices ever. Ultra robust and designed to last a lifetime. The first HP calculator I owned was a 20S, being the 2nd generation version of the ground-breaking HP35 platform in a smaller and lighter footprint. Dropped onto the ground at least 150 times, squashed in bags and computer cases for years, traveled with me around the world many times and 12+ years catching flights almost every other week. Still going strong today after 16 years of trusty duty. Where would I be without the baffling RPN......

hiphipharar

Then there was the old Canon Canola. Never owned one but I used them at school briefly which, not unlike UNM's Casio, took so long to develop a working programme for made it more of a curiosity than a useful learning aid. Good for business if you are performing the same calculations all the time

Koffee_Kosmo

hiphipharrar wrote:

Got a Casio FX-702P programmable calculator I think I bought it 1983. My first calculator was one of these babies which I no longer possess. It had a 3 digit LCD which you had to scroll through and was only accurate to 3 dec places IIRC. I think I still have one of these Casio programmable calculators lying around - about a 1975 vintage. It didn't even have algebraic logic (you have to enter the calculation in the correct operational order) but it did have a memory and trig functions.

I have one of these Casio programmable calculators and still stored in a drawer somewhere in the house Just like My Cuppa I also have the pleasure to own a very durable HP 10B II calculator & still use it on a daily basis I have a fairly long list of old stuff in storage -for instance I have kept my first computer - its an Atari 520 ST (but not the screen) And I might add that its kept/stored in its original box with user manual You could say its looks just like new but its over 25 years old KK

paranomia

I think this is going to be embarrassing.... in my shed/study/etc I've got a MiniScamp, Apple II, HP25C, HP41C, a few banks of core, a box of 8" floppies, a reel of mag tape and far too much more. The other day I found one of those A3ish sized pads of Fortran coding forms and a whole bundle of Byte magazines from the 70's. Sadly, my HP's didn't last a lifetime and I don't think I'd be game to plug any of the rest in again. Thanks for reminding me of the Canon Canola hiphipharar - fond memories from school as well.

Lacehim

I'm still looking for one of the old 5 1/4" floppy drives. I've got some of the old disks. If you have one I can borrow please let me know. AM, threw out a heap of them 6 months ago! Doh! I haven't kept much but I do have a old Olympia CD 202 calculator that I can't live without. I've fixed it a few times, just fluff inside and bad connectors, but it's still going strong. I still wish I had my old Amstrad 6128 with the old hard 3.5" floppies (first computer) and I used to plug in the cassette tapes and watch it load for ages, with the noise. Classic, the kids just don't understand, it all has to load instantly these days! lol. It's pretty amazing how fast things have moved forward. My mother in law has a heap of old telephones, including an old exchange with the plugs that she used to work on, and an old phone with the wind up handle. Old mobile phones too the size and weight of bricks!

Muscles

Ahhh the cpc6128 🙂 great machine.... My parents bought me one as my first pc and I used to code all my own games on it, I miss it dearly

Rider

Okay, I can now join... Stereo - hifi Just bought one of the new fandangled receiver/amp/hdmi contraptions... this will replace my hifi sysytem or most parts thereof... Marantz gold series, built under the Marantz ownership by Superscope, therefore pre Philips days. 31 years old, had the amp repaired twice in that time... December 1980 and my father nearly killed me........... 10 or so years later he said it was the best thing I ever did...... About to offer it free to a good home sans speakers, putting it on my facebook but if any of you tinkerers are interested let me know. Chris ps.... Sydney

RichardM

Wow, Rider. Didn't think of the audio thing. I have a Technics amp (SA-120 - http://vintagetechnics.co.uk/receivers/sa120.htm ) that my parents bought around the time I was born (1985) that I keep going back to when I need basic stereo amp. It's hanging off the Xbox 360 at the moment, while the two floor standing speakers that originally came with it are in use in my lounge-room as my main pair. For music, nothing seems to beat them!

JimG

HP35, 1974. Used daily for almost 15 years. Still works, except one of the conductors in the charger cable is a little dodgy. Replaced it with a 15C. Really top notch hardware, both of them. Jim