[rescue] A real rescue

[Dave McGuire]

On May 6, Robert Rose wrote:
> I was walking past our asset people today and noticed a truly beautiful old 
> DEC being decommissioned.  The only identifying marks (apart from the usual 
> asset stickers) I could find were "Digital 4000" on the front/top 
> "430AK-A9" on the back (left hand side) and "KN430-BA" on the CPU board.  A 
> quick google shows this model as a 4000/610.

  Wow, that's a pretty serious box.  Not even particularly old, if
memory serves.

> Questions to be answered:
> 1. Is this an Alpha or some funky DEC cpu?

  It is indeed a funky DEC CPU...An Alpha.

> 2. Any chance of running some reasonably recent and easily obtainable 
> operating system?

  Tru64 or VMS.

> 3. What would be a realistic offer to make for said system given that
> - It's gonna be a bitch to get home.
> - A few numptys that have seen it will probably be interested for the 
> gee-whiz factor.

  Numptys?

  Hell...I'm interested for the "crunch data" factor. 8-)

  US vendor prices on that machine range from a few hunred bucks in
empty-box configs to a few thousand bucks for machines with big
balls.  Compaq's trade-in allowance is $1500 for that box.

  Why are they decommissioning it?  Suits/Windows?

> - The power supply indicates it'll suck 5A @ 240V (remembering of course 
> that we're all 240V here).

  There's no way it's gonna pull that much...Most manufacturers
grossly overspec those numbers, and DEC does it even more than most.
Count on 2A if it says 5.

  Good luck getting the machine...it'll surely be a nice box to have!
[I sure wish a few of those would turn up around here...  *drool*]

       -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire                       "Actually, I've found that I rarely wear
St. Petersburg, FL                    pants in Florida." -Sridhar