Good uses for old Macs

I wish I had heard about MacHTTP a long time ago before I tossed all my classic computers, I waited till I got a hold of Mac OS X server before I set up a web server.
 
Help! I can't find a place to buy for $15 or less a SCSI drive that will fit in the Power Mac 7100/80AV. Everywhere I look, they cost at lest $50. I just want a small one like the one that came in it.
 
Most of the older Macs use 50-pin SCSI, some might use 68-pin SCSI. Though it's hard nowadays to find decent-sized 50-pin SCSI hard drives, you can purchase an adapter that will convert some from either 68-pins or 80-pins to 50-pins. I have a 68-pin to 50-pin SCSI adapter so that I can use a 68-pin SCSI hard drive on my Quadra 650 which has a SCSI bus that uses 50-pins. The following link from the site that VT linked to also has them, but I'm sure that you can find them elsewhere as well:

http://www.mcpb.com/html/scsi201.html
 
Could you use a USB flash drive, a SD, or CompactFlash some how connected to the SCSI connector in the Power Mac 7100/80AV as a boot up disk? Could you get the adaptors for under $15?
 
#1 Rhapsody said:
Could you use a USB flash drive, a SD, or CompactFlash some how connected to the SCSI connector in the Power Mac 7100/80AV as a boot up disk? Could you get the adaptors for under $15?
Click to expand...

This page on Low End Mac might be of some help regarding CF adapters. As it stands, they are only CF to IDE, but it is said that you could also use them in conjunction with a SCSI to IDE adapter.
 
I also will be getting some older PCs as well (a i486 and several Pentiums). Do they make good web servers? I have the 98 install disk but I lost the registration card but I do have the card for my 95 disk.
 
#1 Rhapsody said:
I also will be getting some older PCs as well (a i486 and several Pentiums). Do they make good web servers? I have the 98 install disk but I lost the registration card but I do have the card for my 95 disk.
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With something like GNU/Linux (preferably Debian IMO, or Slackware if you REALLY want to learn GNU/Linux) or any of the free BSD derivatives, it should run just fine. If it's for server purposes, make sure you do a base installation and then install the services that you need. You don't want to give such an old box the extra overhead of X Windows and a desktop environment.

However, if you must install a desktop environment, I recommend XFCE. I did a base installation of Debian on an old AMD K6-300 system with only 64 MB RAM, followed by Xorg, XFCE, and some needed apps (Iceweasel and Pidgin) and I was pleasantly surprised at how usable this old system actually was. Mind you, Web 2.0 sites made Iceweasel crawl, but it should handle light web browsing, IM, and e-mail just fine. Don't even bother with Flash-based sites like YouTube. :p

Since you are getting multiple PCs, you might also want to tinker around with creating a Beowulf cluster just for kicks and that extra geek factor. :D
 
I know I am off the subject but does anyone know where I can get a copy of CrossBasic or REALBasic cheap. It can be any version, Mac or Windows (for REALBasic).

On topic again, one of my Performa's ethernet cards won't work. Either It is not secured properly or Mac OS can't recognize it. I'll mess with it soon.

Thanks in advance
 
I am assuming that you guys are using a cable or broadband connection to host with? Will the ethernet connection on the back of my Quadra work with with a cable modem? How about my Power mac 7600?
Any body use this older machine as a work station to record music? I record my instuments with a digital recorder now I just want to experiment with it and a larger screen like a monitor would be an improvemnet over the small sreen on it. There is no way to hook a monitor to my digital recorder.
This is fun stuff especially for a tinker like me
Dewey
 
Dewey said:
I am assuming that you guys are using a cable or broadband connection to host with? Will the ethernet connection on the back of my Quadra work with with a cable modem? How about my Power mac 7600?
Any body use this older machine as a work station to record music? I record my instuments with a digital recorder now I just want to experiment with it and a larger screen like a monitor would be an improvemnet over the small sreen on it. There is no way to hook a monitor to my digital recorder.
This is fun stuff especially for a tinker like me
Dewey
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I'm using the AAUI connector on the back of my Quadra 650 to connect to my network. The AAUI connector is using an AAUI-to-RJ45 Ethernet converter, and that can be purchased from the vendors highlighted on Low End Mac. You can also purchase Nubus Ethernet cards from those vendors if they sell them. Mind you, these will probably be no more than 10Mb/sec., but at least it works.

I've also used my Quadra with Master Tracks Pro 6.0, which is a MIDI sequencer software package. I haven't done any audio recording on it, mainly because I don't have a large enough hard drive. However, you could possibly put in a larger hard drive with the aforementioned adapters in previous posts. The only thing you would need is an serial-port-based MIDI interface if you want to do MIDI sequencing. Fortunately, you can still purchase some of those interfaces online or you can build your own from schematics found on the Internet.

Your 7600 is even better off because it uses standard PCI slots. All you need to make sure is that you find one that supports Mac OS 9 or earlier. If you plan to put Linux/ppc on it, then practically any PCI network card that the vanilla Linux kernel supports would also be supported. However, you then would not be running Mac OS. :)
 
Dewey said:
Any body use this older machine as a work station to record music?
Click to expand...
I don't do music, but I capture video using an 8600/300 (with a G3/450 upgrade) that has both a VCR and DVD Player connected to it (it also serves as my TV). Add to that some of the other stuff that I still do on my PowerBook 3400c/200 (like 3D modeling) and I get a lot of use out of my older systems.

Of course the key isn't just having the hardware... you need the software too. But if you have it, you'd be surprised at what you can create. Like this video which was made using Strata Studio Pro 1.5.2 and Strata VideoShop 3.0, both from 1994.
 
RacerX said:
I don't do music, but I capture video using an 8600/300 (with a G3/450 upgrade) that has both a VCR and DVD Player connected to it (it also serves as my TV). Add to that some of the other stuff that I still do on my PowerBook 3400c/200 (like 3D modeling) and I get a lot of use out of my older systems.

Of course the key isn't just having the hardware... you need the software too. But if you have it, you'd be surprised at what you can create. Like this video which was made using Strata Studio Pro 1.5.2 and Strata VideoShop 3.0, both from 1994.
Click to expand...

Well, well, well! Good to see you back, RacerX. Missed you, man. :)
 
RacerX, Is there any other free software for Mac like Studio Pro and Strata VideoShop? That was pretty good animation for such old software. I had VideoShop but accidentally deleted it and I can't find the install disks. Where did you get the G3 acceleration card and for how much?
 
#1 Rhapsody said:
RacerX, Is there any other free software for Mac like Studio Pro and Strata VideoShop? That was pretty good animation for such old software. I had VideoShop but accidentally deleted it and I can't find the install disks.
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I'll have to go back through my old software, but the three software titles released for free by Strata include the following...
  • Strata Vision 3D 4.0 (basically a free version of Strata Studio Pro 1.5... I actually created my original models using it)
  • Strata VideoShop 3.0
  • Strata MediaPaint 1.1.2 (for adding special effects)


Where did you get the G3 acceleration card and for how much?
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With that I actually got both the 8600/300 itself and the G3/450 upgrade together for the cost of shipping (about $35). I added two video cards and an ethernet card which I already had on hand.

This system has effectively replaced my older 8100av which means my wife will be selling the parts on ebay soon (the G3/500 Nubus upgrade and the AV Card are the two main items).

I just happen to really like the the 8600/300... which is why I have two up and running right now (one with Mac OS 8.6 and the other with Rhapsody 5.6). Both are wonderful systems and both are set up with dual displays. :D



nixgeek said:
Well, well, well! Good to see you back, RacerX. Missed you, man. :)
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I've been mainly doing math related stuff in my spare time, so I haven't been playing with my computers as much.

I'll try not to be as infrequent a poster.
 
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Does anyone know where to get a cheap, working Clamshell iBook battery because I found a cheap one off eBay but it doesn't have a working battery.

Thank you
 
Thank you NixGeek but the batteries are $99.99 and up. I don't want to spend that much on an older computer. RacerX, is your site hosted by your own web server or is hosted by some service. If it is the latter then what is the service and if it is the 1st option what computer is it and what specs. Also, can you load VideoShop 3.0 and MediaPaint 1.1.2 on your site? Tell me please when you sell your Power Mac on eBay.

Thank you
 
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