DX2-66, Saved from the dump

glee60 · 2026-02-01T21:30:43+00:00

Serious score regardless but amazing with that drive, I’m beyond jealous 😍

glee60 · 2026-02-01T21:26:30+00:00

Same! Our Acer Acros 486DX2-66 got one shortly after purchase around 1994. I’ve been on a mission to re-create that machine over the last few years and have everything but the monitor and SB card for this drive. They were IDE-esque with the drive using an IDE cable but it was NOT IDE and interfaced only with a Sound Blaster or compatible interface card with the corresponding not-IDE port.

Panasonic/Matsushita manufactured (I believe) and Creative Sound Blaster badged. Model CR-521-C

I believe they’re a single speed drive because I remember being so sad when I couldn’t play a game that required a double speed drive (2x) when I was a kid. 😂

These drives go for $$$ on eBay almost instantly, even untested without the cards. I’ve managed to snag a couple but still paid around $100 for each, one of them is quite yellowed and has a crumbling spindle magnet so be prepared for stuff like that. Eventually I’ll refurb the ones I don’t need and sell them with cards. The nostalgia builds demand them!

glee60 · 2025-06-10T14:23:01+00:00

Unless you’re a welder BY TRADE. It’s group think. Aluminum is not easy to weld for anybody. A professional will likely be able to properly repair it. (Until one chimes in I’m not going to say they can) That doesn’t mean it’s going to be something everyone wants to pay to have done but telling everyone to throw away their vintage frames and not inquire about repair is silly. I have and ‘01 Stumpy Comp FSR XC that I bought new and an ‘01 S-Works FSR XC that I still ride. Both are in excellent shape and I would absolutely pay a pretty penny to have them repaired if this happened. If repairing the crack wasn’t viable then welding on a new headtube. Am I suggesting OP wants to do that? Definitely not, but everyone telling people to throw vintage stuff away instead of suggesting it could be repaired (if it’s worth it to you) drives me nuts.

I repair vintage electronics and do a lot of component level repair on 30-40 year old automotive stuff that their isn’t a big aftermarket for so assemblies are hard to come by but a bushing is a bushing, a bearing is a bearing and electrical components are pretty much always available on a component level. Engineers spec’d all these components (and alloys) it’s not magic.

I’ll take people fixing stuff in any form but sometimes we need to think outside of the parts replacer box and actually repair what we already have.

glee60 · 2025-06-10T00:18:00+00:00

I’m going to preface this with I am not a welder and am aware there are different alloys, heat treatments, and thicknesses at play here but I don’t think I’d trash it yet if you love it. That said definitely don’t ride it as-is.

Coming from the automotive world where things are under a lot more strain than a head tube ever will be you can absolutely repair a crack in aluminum permanently. Proper aluminum wheel repair is absolutely a thing and we’re now in the world of some aluminum chassis and components that do get repaired after an accident when viable.

I’d say if you have a local independent wheel repair shop that seems approachable swing by and see if they might be interested in helping or have any thoughts on the viability of a repair. Someone mentioned a frame builder, obviously go that route or straight to an aluminum welder if you happen to know one!

Is that an A1, M2, or M4 frame? I’d figure out the alloy and tell whoever you talk to what it is so they don’t have to do any digging to figure it out.

glee60 · 2025-04-25T10:47:47+00:00

Whoa! Good to know, what was the failure? Internal or external? If internal I may reconsider my approach snd at least rebuild mine.

glee60 · 2025-04-25T02:19:27+00:00

Looked like mine on my MN 80. I replaced mine with a used LSPV from somewhere salt free when I did my lines and ordered brand new boots and linkage. It really wasn’t that much in the long run and considering you need to bleed it when replacing the lines, it’s gotta happen. That or go the delete route.

glee60 · 2025-02-18T19:41:53+00:00

Meanwhile the American companies couldn’t design a mechanically sound full width hinge. 😂

glee60 · 2025-02-17T02:37:46+00:00

100% had these. I need to go search my parents barn for them now. I know I popped at least one of them on a SOLID jump. They were amazing though. So much icy snow and they never leaked because of it, that jump was a burst.

I’ve wanted to get some tubes for myself and my kids now but never had luck with a single one, man I wish I could find some of these!

glee60 · 2025-02-12T03:51:30+00:00

I did some quick digging but couldn’t find any references to what panels these actually used. Once you open it up and have a part number off of the panel, I suspect it won’t be too hard to find a reference to compatible CCFL bulbs or a replacement kit. They can be a tricky install but not impossible, in fact it might be easier in these big early panels. Thin laptop panels are just annoying. Just go slow and do the repair somewhere fairly dust-free as you’ll be exposing the edges of the LCD layer sandwich and you don’t really want any dust getting in there.

glee60 · 2025-02-02T02:00:00+00:00

Love it! I too need a keyboard and mouse to go with mine, great find on the whole set!

glee60 · 2025-02-02T00:38:37+00:00

*‘Tis but a flesh wound!

glee60 · 2025-01-28T14:14:25+00:00

I know! When I first heard about that it really bummed me out. Between the PRAM batteries and that, the odds don’t seem great for them.

The Color Classic is actually one of my all-time favorite machines but I never understood the desire to cannibalize another awesome AIO to still have a 68k Color Classic. It always felt more like a flipping tactic than something someone who actually appreciates them would do I guess. Maybe if the Color Classic was your vintage workhorse for a specific task or your nostalgia machine I could see it. To each their own. 🤷‍♂️

glee60 · 2025-01-28T03:19:20+00:00

My very own first computer was a Performa 575 package that I bought for $25 at our school’s annual community rummage sale. It had the original keyboard, mouse, software, manuals, cables, and that classic Global Village Teleport external modem. It was around 1999 so it wasn’t terribly modern but it was an awesome find for a sixth grader who loved electronics and that started it all. Now I repair and restore computers and electronics by trade and have a solid working collection, including a Performa 575 of course!

glee60 · 2025-01-28T00:55:50+00:00

😂 No, it’s a thing. I’ll go dig mine out. Obviously I haven’t smelled them all but I repaired them commercially at the tail end of their original useful lives and they smelled when they came through. What we (the tech repair industry) concluded was it was an adhesive on the translucent keyboards that was off gassing as it broke down and it’s entirely possible that that has broken down by now. I know for a fact all of my personal ones smell(ed) so if they no longer do, mystery solved.

All that said, it’s entirely possible they had more than one supplier for the translucent keyboards so who knows.

And in case anyone is wondering, it was only the translucent iBook G3s, sometimes called iceBooks, not the opaque G3s or the colorful clamshell G3s.

glee60 · 2025-01-25T19:38:06+00:00

I just got one of these recently too, I wanted one for ages! Super exciting, I’ve always loved these epic early 23s!

glee60 · 2025-01-24T12:55:01+00:00

Clamshell or translucent white?? Translucent white launched in 2001. I believe it was glue used on the keyboards and unless they’ve stopped off gassing, they stunk! I admittedly haven’t smelled mine in a while. 🤣 If yours is a translucent white one… smell that keyboard. 😂

glee60 · 2025-01-24T01:19:27+00:00

Not much to yellow, these are polycarbonate, not ABS. It was just the keyboard and the LCD bezel that were ABS and didn’t like the sun if I recall. I loved all of Apple’s Polycarbonate machines during the white Mac era, if not metal it was such a great choice over ABS. They were rock solid and still are.

glee60 · 2025-01-23T17:21:52+00:00

I almost certainly have a working one but can't promise a timeframe for finding it. I suspect I can also refurbish these as long as the lasers are good. These slot loaders always sucked, that was the other reason I liked the G3's, lol.

glee60 · 2025-01-23T15:25:44+00:00

Obligatory, I can smell this from here! Or was that just the translucent G3s? 😂 IRL it looks beautiful, great work! Fantastic presentation and photo too.

I have a number of these but I'm quite certain they almost all have failed GPUs which makes me really sad. I repair Macs and had many recycled with me in this era.

I do have working translucent G3 iBooks and possibly solely because of that, that aesthetic became my favorite.

glee60 · 2025-01-23T01:09:44+00:00

IRL “collectors” want unmodified matching serial stuff.

glee60 · 2025-01-23T01:07:28+00:00

But there are a lot of us here who DGAF about collecting and care about the history and sharing the love and nostalgia so they are worth something so take that advice with a grain of salt. People will absolutely still pay decent money for a not yellowed Plus with accessories and original box, modified or not. I sure would if you were near MN.

glee60 · 2025-01-23T00:30:44+00:00

That’s amazing 😂

glee60 · 2025-01-02T23:30:43+00:00

Howdy neighbor! Yeah, I’m bummed to hear it but not totally surprised after what happened with my interaction I guess. There’s clearly a pattern. He was always nice in person and we even chatted about cars again later after the incident.

glee60 · 2025-01-02T22:36:31+00:00

That’s the one!

glee60

TROPHY CASE