Hello GRF, from Melbourne, Australia

[IBM7044]

Hi All,

I've been lurking since joining about 3 months ago, but now it's time for my first post.

The forum has taught me many useful tips and techniques, and along with You-Tube videos, has enabled me to make a successful start in the field of gold and silver recovery and refining.

I actually began recovering PM's many years ago, but have only now ventured into refining. The only attempt at refining I made back then was a flop, and led me to develop a personal maxim: "don't dissolve your gold - you'll never see it again!"
But lately after seeing the videos, and reading the forum, asked myself "how hard can it be?", and decided to have a go.
And I've been far more successful this time around.

I have recovered several ounces of gold from just 2 computers, and I'm not finished yet!

Obviously, these are not the computers generally talked about on the forum.
While thinking about how I would present my experience, I decided that the story was interesting enough, and the source material unique enough, that it deserved a proper detailed write up.

The result is the attached PDF, which does waffle on a bit in places, but has some interesting pictures of things that may be new to members. It's about 19 pages and 13mb, but I think it makes for a good read, and I hope you guys will take a look at it, and enjoy.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[Palladium]

Very nice sir!

 

[Barren Realms 007]

That was a very good write up.

 

[Anonymous]

That's a really nice story - thank you.

Jon

 

[glorycloud]

Those are some OLD boards in your avatar. They look like IBM boards to me.
I have had this old board for some time now that was given to me by a friend
who said it was from an IBM 360 mainframe but I kind of doubt it. Any idea
what it might have come from?

Sorry to hijack your thread - I look forward to reading the article! 8)

 

[IBM7044]

Yes, that is indeed an IBM SMS card, type YKR, (with the gold fingers snapped off)

YKR was used in the 1443 printer, part of a 1440 computer system (fairly unusual).
YKR was also used in the 2821 control unit, and this is much more likely where yours came from.

Your friend is most probably correct in that it came from an IBM System/360 system, but not the main computer, as they used only a few SMS cards, mainly in the power supplies. It's almost certainly from the 2821 control unit which was part of most 360 systems. The 2821 controlled "unit-record" devices (card readers and punches, and line printers).

The System/360 series launched in 1964 introduced new packaging technology to replace SMS, but the 2821 was still
built using the older circuitry.

The circuit description of your card:-
http://files.righto.com/sms/YKR.html
The (elegant, but technical) description of the 2821 control unit:-
http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/ibm/28xx/2821/GA24-3312-9_2821_Unit_Description_Oct82.pdf

 

[glorycloud]

:lol:

I had forgotten about the IBM 2821's. They were used with the IBM 1403-N1 printers. "Nancy 1" as we used to say.
The 1403's used the 1416 print chains if I remember correctly. Then we sold the 3203-5's after that as a replacement printer.

Memory lane for sure - thanks! 8)

 

[toober]

:lol:

I had forgotten about the IBM 2821's. They were used with the IBM 1403-N1 printers. "Nancy 1" as we used to say.
The 1403's used the 1416 print chains if I remember correctly. Then we sold the 3203-5's after that as a replacement printer.

Memory lane for sure - thanks! 8)

2821! I actually need a 2821 for the computer collection here, as I have a Nancy-1.

Anyway, a very nice writeup from Mr. IBM7044. Things of changed now, of course, and the old mainframes, especially the ones from the 1960s and 70s, are worth far more to collectors than they are in metal value. Some collectors might even pay in gold!

--
Will

 

[IBM7044]

Thank you all, for the appreciative comments.

2821! I actually need a 2821 for the computer collection here, as I have a Nancy-1.

Paul Pierce in Portland (and now the Computer History Museum) may have one:-
http://www.piercefuller.com/collect/index.html

 

[SPBF]

Hi Rob,

I am also in Melbourne, though you are literally light years ahead of me in terms of refining.