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The rack in this image appears to house a Texas Instruments minicomputer of some model, not sure exactly which. 980 maybe? Might be fun to play with, but not fo

The rack in this image appears to house a Texas Instruments minicomputer of some model, not sure exactly which. 980 maybe? Might be fun to play with, but not for $20K. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e52f79c0260e664b9064208/1779425150570-FHJFLSRYGD3RD8AUCK11/PXL_20260516_194445628.RAW-01.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e52f79c0260e6... Note the 8" floppy disk drives also.

badc0ffee 6mo ago
Usagi Electric is in Texas. He could make use of that thing.
- theodric 6mo ago
  We don't need to provide one man with every computer made before 1975. The rest of us would also like to have a chance to play with them.
bilegeek 6mo ago
Looks like a 980B. Pic from a DC-8 sim for reference. https://i.imgur.com/b3py96N.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/b3py96N.jpeg https://imgur.com/gallery/dc-8-simulator-xY7eS https://imgur.com/gallery/dc-8-simulator-xY7eS
arjie 6mo ago
Getting it working would probably be a massive challenge since it’s missing parts.
nsxwolf 6mo ago
The 980 was used as the CPU in the Evans and Sutherland Novoview graphics system, part of a flight simulator.
- budman1 6mo ago
  The E and S rack was an 'image generator'. That one was called an SP1. I fondly remember the SP3T as being the pinnacle of that series; the T meant "texture processing". image a computer display made up of 1000 line segments. that is what you would get. it was possible to buy these with an output that was not raster, rather it drew on the CRT with vector segments. incredible light points to simulate night landings.
yaur 6mo ago
Even if it was free, it sounds like it’s going to cost more than that to move and house these things
- quickthrowman 6mo ago
  At the minimum you’d need a telehandler or forklift capable of lifting 20,000 lbs (according to the listing) which is probably $1,500 for one day with delivery and pickup, a flatbed semi trailer to load it on, and labor to load it. If the equipment isn’t on skids you can lift with a forklift, then you need riggers and a crane truck. Either way sounds fairly expensive, and that’s without having a place to move it to.
prismlfx 6mo ago
do you think it still runs?

badc0ffee 6mo ago

Usagi Electric is in Texas. He could make use of that thing.

theodric 6mo ago
We don't need to provide one man with every computer made before 1975. The rest of us would also like to have a chance to play with them.

bilegeek 6mo ago

Looks like a 980B. Pic from a DC-8 sim for reference. https://i.imgur.com/b3py96N.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/b3py96N.jpeg https://imgur.com/gallery/dc-8-simulator-xY7eS https://imgur.com/gallery/dc-8-simulator-xY7eS

arjie 6mo ago

Getting it working would probably be a massive challenge since it’s missing parts.

nsxwolf 6mo ago

The 980 was used as the CPU in the Evans and Sutherland Novoview graphics system, part of a flight simulator.

budman1 6mo ago
The E and S rack was an 'image generator'. That one was called an SP1. I fondly remember the SP3T as being the pinnacle of that series; the T meant "texture processing". image a computer display made up of 1000 line segments. that is what you would get. it was possible to buy these with an output that was not raster, rather it drew on the CRT with vector segments. incredible light points to simulate night landings.

yaur 6mo ago

Even if it was free, it sounds like it’s going to cost more than that to move and house these things

quickthrowman 6mo ago
At the minimum you’d need a telehandler or forklift capable of lifting 20,000 lbs (according to the listing) which is probably $1,500 for one day with delivery and pickup, a flatbed semi trailer to load it on, and labor to load it. If the equipment isn’t on skids you can lift with a forklift, then you need riggers and a crane truck. Either way sounds fairly expensive, and that’s without having a place to move it to.

prismlfx 6mo ago

do you think it still runs?