Old components are still (and will be) manufactured, since so many old tech depends on it, like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, ...
Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
11–20 of 79 posts
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#12My two cents: If we are talking about 1970s and '80s machines, they tend to run pretty hot, related to the PSU technology. Things like electrolytic capacitors "don't like this" and may contribute to cascading failures. PSU failures are apt to fry some chips, some of which may be hard to come by. So, better keep them cool = off. If you consider machines from the 2000s retro, continuous run, avoiding the stresses cause…
Something I didn't see mentioned but a consideration: what's the quality of your electricity supply? I live in a location with a lot of summer thunderstorms and even with a surge protector and lighting arrestors I'm nervous about having stuff plugged in unnecessarily during storms, having seen devices destroyed by it.
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#13Old components are still (and will be) manufactured, since so many old tech depends on it, like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, ...
Some old components will be, sure, but there are some chips that aren't manufactured anymore. There's no one blanket rule.
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#14My two cents: If we are talking about 1970s and '80s machines, they tend to run pretty hot, related to the PSU technology. Things like electrolytic capacitors "don't like this" and may contribute to cascading failures. PSU failures are apt to fry some chips, some of which may be hard to come by. So, better keep them cool = off. If you consider machines from the 2000s retro, continuous run, avoiding the stresses cause…
Something I didn't see mentioned but a consideration: what's the quality of your electricity supply? I live in a location with a lot of summer thunderstorms and even with a surge protector and lighting arrestors I'm nervous about having stuff plugged in unnecessarily during storms, having seen devices destroyed by it.
Power them from a pure sine wave inverter connected to a battery thats being charged. Aka a good UPS
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#15Old components are still (and will be) manufactured, since so many old tech depends on it, like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, ...
Some old components will be, sure, but there are some chips that aren't manufactured anymore. There's no one blanket rule.
That's true, but in many cases, it's not the integrated circuits (ICs) that fail, because they tend to be quite reliable. It's more often the capacitors, resistors, storage devices and power supply components that degrade over time. Capacitors, in particular, can fail due to heat, aging, or voltage surges, which can lead to failure in devices even if the ICs are still in good condition. Power sources can also fail due to wear on these exact components.
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#16Old components are still (and will be) manufactured, since so many old tech depends on it, like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, ...
Some old components will be, sure, but there are some chips that aren't manufactured anymore. There's no one blanket rule.
I doubt it would be impossible to replace a Pentium 2 machine in most of the western world for at least the next 20 years.
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Something I didn't see mentioned but a consideration: what's the quality of your electricity supply? I live in a location with a lot of summer thunderstorms and even with a surge protector and lighting arrestors I'm nervous about having stuff plugged in unnecessarily during storms, having seen devices destroyed by it.
Power them from a pure sine wave inverter connected to a battery thats being charged. Aka a good UPS
That's not good enough - everything attached to the computer (including network gear, unless it's fiber) must be powered by the same UPS, or you have pathways for lightning current to enter.
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#18if you never turn the computer on, why does it matter if it's hypothetically still functional? boot it occasionally, the only thing that keeps a machine alive is someone caring for it
>why does it matter
Because you aren't a cat whose owner is called Schroedinger.
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Some old components will be, sure, but there are some chips that aren't manufactured anymore. There's no one blanket rule.
That's true, but in many cases, it's not the integrated circuits (ICs) that fail, because they tend to be quite reliable. It's more often the capacitors, resistors, storage devices and power supply components that degrade over time. Capacitors, in particular, can fail due to heat, aging, or voltage surges, which can lead to failure in devices even if the ICs are still in good condition. Power sources can also fail du…
> It's more often the capacitors
And the electrolyte can and will start to leak and foul the ICs around them, if not by ruining the traces/pads, then they can also foul the legs and/or find their way into the chip package itself, so the ICs will fail as a secondary issue.
Re: Are retrocomputers best left on or off?
#20Honestly emulators work better than the real thing 99% of the time, so I don't feel the need to play with flaky and dusty 30yr old hardware
Call me when you can emulate that 30 year old solder smell, among other things.