karl@grebyn.com (Karl Nyberg) (06/23/89)
I have recently become the proud owner of most of a used Balance 8K. The
processor boards (NS32032s) have been checked out (well, 5/6 on three
boards), but nothing else has. The system came without memory, disk
controllers (there is a 4 port SCSI controller, I think) or disks. Assuming
the power supplies are working and the other parts are as well, what would
it be worth spending to attempt to bring the system to a running state? Or,
since I'm not really into Sequents, would I be better off selling the whole
or parts and getting out? (I asked that question in a roundabout way in
misc.forsale.) The system is about four years old. Ad-THANKS-vance.
-- Karl --
--
Karl A. Nyberg karl@grebyn.com, nyberg@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu
Grebyn Corporation karl%grebyn.com@haven.umd.edu
P. O. Box 497 {decuac,haven}!grebyn!karl
Vienna, VA 22183-0497 703-281-2194dlg@riacs.edu (David L. Gehrt) (06/23/89)
In article <12155@grebyn.com> karl@grebyn.com (Karl Nyberg) writes: >since I'm not really into Sequents, would I be better off selling the whole >or parts and getting out? (I asked that question in a roundabout way in >misc.forsale.) The system is about four years old. Ad-THANKS-vance. > >-- Karl -- >-- >Karl A. Nyberg karl@grebyn.com, nyberg@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu >Grebyn Corporation karl%grebyn.com@haven.umd.edu >P. O. Box 497 {decuac,haven}!grebyn!karl >Vienna, VA 22183-0497 703-281-2194 The Balance architecture has been supplanted by the Symmetry, and spare Balance processor boards have been going at fire sale prices. This will hurt the value on the used market for the parts. But there are still Balances out there, in fact we are still using a couple of Balances. They are very reliable general purpose computers the per processor speed will not knock your socks off, but with 6 (5 :-) there are a lot of cycles available. Our first Balance, an 8K, came with a couple of 72 MB Fujis (?) on the SCSI, and they were just OK. (Better than no disks at all.) The answer to your question depends on the use for the thing if it were reactivated. It would be a little pricey as a PC replacement, but if you need to serve up cycles for general users, text editing, compiling etc. or for parallel work, it would be fine. If this is the way you want to go, and have the bucks you probably want to hang a multibus SMD controller onit and perhaps an old eagle or two or similar drive on it. Add a 16MB memory card and you would have a system that would support a bunch of users on the cheap. Good Luck! dave Internet: dlg@riacs.edu UUCP: {backbone)!ames!riacs!dlg