Ask HN: Which old, functional, electronics do you have? I’m investigating a project to up-cycle old, unused, electronics that are functional. Specifically anything that can run custom software. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Do you have any of those? Just comment below with what you have lying around, if you wouldn't mind. I have a couple laptops dating back to 2013. A couple tablets and a couple iPhones more than 5 years old. |
I’ve had to change the battery, and the iPod is quite beat up. But it works great.
- RPi 1 B+
- Apple PowerBook G4 (Al)
- Some old Samsung non-Android smartphone, circa 2010 or so
- Older Android-based Amazon Kindle tablets
- Older bargain bin Android tablets (think RCA)
- Pre-iPod MP3 players (think Diamond Rio and similar)
Nokia N810 might still work as would 7650...
Edit: Ah you want to run custom software, nevermind the ipod then.
I have a ThinkPad P1 Gen1. Got it in 2018 - it's a beast - and still runs just as well as on day one.
HP 48g
I have a Palm Pilot V along with charging cradle and data transfer cable, must be at least 20 years old but I haven't fired it up for a number of years, but pretty sure it will still power on and I have installable software files in my archives.
I have an old tower PC with Win 2K installed, last fired it up maybe five years ago. I also have a rackmount generic PC from 2005 which works fine, running Windows XP.
Compaq Presario notebook from 2005, with Linux Mint installed now, built like a tank, cost almost $1,300 in 2005 with 512MB RAM.
I have my Samsung feature phone (slider with full QWERTY keyboard), it boots up just fine but no longer connects to anything with the end of 3G service earlier this year.
I use an old iPad for running authenticator apps, not sure how old but it will no longer receive software updates from Apple.
Have a working Sony PS2 in storage, and still use a PS3 to play Bluray discs and access internet streaming.
Stuff that comes to mind:
A few commodore 64's, a vic 20, C128, IBM 5155, RS/6000F80, Apple SE/30, Power Mac G3, Libretto CT70, ipaq hx4700, hp streambook 11, Lenovo T420, Olivetti M6 460 Suprema, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Super Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Atari 2600, A couple Dell Optiplex 755, Victor V386MX, amiga 500, atari 1040 (not fully working, to be repaired).
On top of that, the hifi stuff, vhs players, a betamax, a video 2000, a few laserdisc players, crt tv's, various computer monitors, reel to reel players..
Some laptops and other crap, and some modern PC's and some rack servers and switches.. Probably less than 200 working items.
That said, I'd not donate anything, unless to someone who could appreciate it deeply.
Some I remember from early childhood, others seemed historically significant and yet others were just cool looking and happened to fall into my lap for random reasons, like the IBM 5155 that I got from a guy at school who'd have been keeping it, but couldn't take it with him when he moved.
I grew up without rich parents, and probably got a hording streak from really wanting to make sure I'd never go without computing, no matter what kind.. These days, I'm also kind of worried about when the general purpose computer is either outlawed or just organically becomes unobtainable, and so, at least I'll have whatever I have, and have enough hardware to last my time out (especially the older stuff is easy to repair)
https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/vhk4xy/12_pow...
I test all my shell scripts on it to ensure the maximum of cross compatibility. You can't leave the PPC folks behind.
I have had a few issues I can't recall off the top of my head just down to really old versions of stuff. There's always "the old way" to do something and it can be fun to figure out.
edit: and a Macintosh LC III that is my SimCity/SimCity 2000 machine. That's all it does-- sit in a corner and wait for me to want to play a game of SimCity.
Offtopic: I just bought a Western Electric touch tone desk phone to hook to our "phone line" provided with our Cable Internet. I needed something that could withstand our household. (They're not as careful as I am, my stuff lasts 10x longer)
Also have a Mac SE from 1990. Booted the last time I tried (~2020). Somehow avoided the capacitor apocalypse.
Am finding many of my early Apple iPads won't charge and won't turn on at all even if plugged into a charger. Am assuming if the battery is hosed they won't do anything. As a general thing I've found that mobile devices won't turn on if the battery is dead or removed, seems constant across Nokia/Sony/Motorola/Apple.
I went through a frenzy of ditching old equipment about a decade ago, until then I had a collection of IBM Thinkpads dating to the late 1990s as well as some Apple PowerBooks as well as an Apple //e from mid 1980s. Ditched the older game consoles as well, unfortunately.
The oldest electronics I have are from the '60s and earlier, in various states of repair. I have a preamp and amplifier that I believe still work. I also have some of my dad's old equipment such as his Heathkit VTVM and audio signal generator. I have his ancient (1930s?) voltmeter that would probably work if I could get a 22.5V battery for it. And I have a non-functional '30s era Atwater Kent multi-band radio.
I still have a large collection of PowerPC based macs, though I rarely use them these days. The G4s and G5s can still browse the internet with a special fork of firefox, and they're still good for playing the small library of games released for them.
I imagine that perusal of such places could give you a sense of what surplus equipment is being dumped in the community. You might even be able to chat up the workers and get a little better sense of how much waste is cherry picked versus sent onward to its destruction.
However, I also imagine these are also your competitors if you are trying to validate an idea based on collecting useful "junk" from people.
[0] https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Nokia_N900_(nokia-n900)
Some software to turn these into gadgets like a surveillance camera, doorbell camera / intercom, walkie talkie, etc would be cool. Basically the equivalent of a Nest camera / doorbell using the camera, and not using the screen so much (although its often still useable, just a bit too annoying for frequent use). It would be nice re-using some broken, "free" hardware, so if it gets damaged/stolen it doesn't really matter, those Nest / equivalent devices are not cheap.
Once set up, you can plug the stream into a security software on a PC or NAS to record the stream, detect motion, etc.
The most remarkable thing about it are the manuals: They are an excellent introduction to programming, simple algorithms, and explain the need for documentation.
I have Lenovo x220 and this is my favorite laptop which does not afraid careless carrying in the middle of my backpack.
> Mobile phones
> Specifically anything that can run custom software.
My old phones (none of them is smartphone) cannot run custom software except of java midp 2.0
> Ask HN: Which old, functional, electronics do you have?
First what is coming to my mind is a beautiful 3-way stereo twice as old as me with paper diffusors. I never consider replacing them with anything else because despite they were built before hi-fi standard started existing, this sound is beautiful if you do not need basses.
There still Linux support, yeah, but last time I pulled it out there was enough friction in the apps I was trying to run to just send me back to using more modern hardware.
My daily Linux machine is a Thinkpad T430 from 2012.
I daily drive a 1993 Saab 9000 -- Can it run custom software? The electronics (HVAC, lights, wipers, etc.) are controlled by a Raspberry Pi, so kind of?
And some old phones lying around, including a working Razr and a Palm Treo that can still sync with Windows 10(!)
Ancient mp3 player that uses regular AAA size batteries. Still in use, now and then. Not being able to economically replace batteries has doomed many other devices I've owned.
Got rid of a forty-year old Sony alarm clock with a snooze alarm that auto-reset for the next day just this year, for reasons of weight; it still worked well and was in use.
Did you give it away?
Like this one: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lista_di_Game_%26_Watch#/media...
https://static.techspot.com/articles-info/2210/images/intell...
The games are very primitive but can still be fun!
HP16C of similar vintage also.
edit: And an HP71B (1984) which is definitely programmable (assembly and BASIC; I don't have the FORTH module).
