Adrian Tilley's Classic Collectable Computers

Adrian Tilley's Classic Collectable Computers Classic computers are more than just retro toys for geeks. The right computers are becoming highly s

I just pulled out this quirky console for a test and it still worked. This is the Atari Jaguar. It was released in 1994,...
09/01/2025

I just pulled out this quirky console for a test and it still worked. This is the Atari Jaguar. It was released in 1994, one year before the first Playstation. Even though it was marketed as the first 64 bit console, it had two 32 bit processors which is not true 64 bit processing. Two years later the Nintendo 64 had a true 64 bit processor. The Atari Jaguar did not sell well and the Sony Playstation released the next year would dominate the market. This was a massive commercial failure and the last console that Atari would make before focusing only on software development.

This is the buildup to testing of a Macintosh Colour Classic II that I just restored. This was the last compact all-in-o...
29/03/2024

This is the buildup to testing of a Macintosh Colour Classic II that I just restored. This was the last compact all-in-one Mac made by Apple.

A computer mouse cost $80 in the mid 1980's, equivalent to about $230 today.
21/03/2024

A computer mouse cost $80 in the mid 1980's, equivalent to about $230 today.

As a side project I wanted to put together a high quality sound system for music and movies from vintage components. I a...
16/08/2023

As a side project I wanted to put together a high quality sound system for music and movies from vintage components. I already had the 6 channel Technics amplifier that I bought new in 1999, but back then they didn't have surround sound decoders built in them like they do now. So the big chunky black Pioneer component on the bottom was the first Dolby Digital AC-3 decoder released for the home market in 1996. It receives the signal using a fibre-optic cable which was leading edge tech back then. Today that entire box would be replaced by one tiny chip inside an amplifier and that one chip will handle all surround sound formats instead of just AC-3. The middle box is a Technics Graphic Equalizer from 1984 used to modify analogue stereo music sound. Graphic equalizers were common place in home and car stereos in the 80's and 90's until they went fully digital with software now performing the same function. The sound from this analogue system is very different to what you hear from Bluetooth digital stereos today. The downside is that it takes a pile of cables to connect all this together.

Yes, they used to build computer components for export from Australia. This is an Australian board from inside a vintage...
25/05/2023

Yes, they used to build computer components for export from Australia. This is an Australian board from inside a vintage Macintosh.

My latest project have been completed, the first of my full Macintosh Colour Classic restores. Not only has the Mac been...
02/05/2023

My latest project have been completed, the first of my full Macintosh Colour Classic restores. Not only has the Mac been fully restored inside and out, but it comes with the full accessories kit and packaging. I did replace the hard drive with an SD card emulator as the hard drives in these are now just too unreliable. These computers are now rare and this was one of Apple's finest !

Restoration work on the inside of a Macintosh Colour Classic. The inside chassis and ribbon cables get grotty after 40 y...
12/03/2023

Restoration work on the inside of a Macintosh Colour Classic. The inside chassis and ribbon cables get grotty after 40 years. Mould, rust stains and who knows what else has to be cleaned off.

Sometimes the equipment used to fix stuff needs fixing. The heater in my ultrasonic cleaner failed. I opened the unit an...
10/03/2023

Sometimes the equipment used to fix stuff needs fixing. The heater in my ultrasonic cleaner failed. I opened the unit and found the undersized and crappy ceramic elements had failed (left picture). So rather than throw out the unit I ordered a much bigger and better heater element with the same max current and some thermal glue from Taiwan. Now installed the cleaner not only works again but heats up much faster.

Latest season of Pawn Stars, Rick buys a working Apple Lisa with box and manuals for $95,000.
21/02/2023

Latest season of Pawn Stars, Rick buys a working Apple Lisa with box and manuals for $95,000.

It's a mundane task, but rewarding when you bring a logic board like this that was as dead as a dodo back to life just b...
15/02/2023

It's a mundane task, but rewarding when you bring a logic board like this that was as dead as a dodo back to life just by replacing all the caps. This one is for a Macintosh Colour Classic II.

I'm working on restoring an Apple Macintosh Portable. It's not a very creative name for Apple's first laptop released ba...
17/01/2023

I'm working on restoring an Apple Macintosh Portable. It's not a very creative name for Apple's first laptop released back in 1989. If you think laptops are expensive now, this portable Mac is the third most expensive item Apple has sold costing close to $10,000 back in 1989. For comparison, a new Holden Commodore cost $20,000 in the same year. I had to source a new battery from the USA because unlike modern laptops, this computer is powered solely from the battery and won't work without one. These batteries are lead acid, like a sealed car battery; very large and heavy. I hope to get this working because this is a historically important computer.

Kids (and some grown-ups) love Animal Crossing, but they probably don't know it's been around for 20 years. Here it is o...
24/11/2022

Kids (and some grown-ups) love Animal Crossing, but they probably don't know it's been around for 20 years. Here it is on the vintage Nintendo Gamecube !

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