It looks like I may have to leave paradise some time by the end of the
year. I have a functioning Symbolics 3620 that I'm worried about
shipping. I'd rather find a good home for it in Hawaii, on the island
of Oahu rather than possibly breaking it during shipping to mainland
North America.
It is one of the Symbolics G-machines, a later, smaller member of the
3600 family implemented on custom integrated circuits. The 3620
chassis is about the size of a tower PC. The main processor has a 36
bit word. It was delivered with 7MW of memory, dual 750MB ESDI disks
and a 17 inch monochrome monitor. I paid $650 plus shipping and
handling.
I swapped out a 1MW memory card for a 2MW memory card to bring the
memory up to 8MW (32MB) of RAM. I also bought a fifty foot console
cable for my 3620. For those who have not seen the Symbolics hardware
before, the keyboard and mouse plug directly into the console.
There are some additional things to consider. The processor chassis is
made of thick metal panals, making it weigh 77 pounds. Additionally
the 3620 needs the proprietary Symbolics console, adding another 60
pounds.
The fans in the 3620 are also reported to be noisy. I haven't really
noticed. The specifcations say that it emits 52 dBA at a distance of
one meter. If the noise of the fans will bother you, think about the
long console cable and putting the machine outside your work area. The
3620 also uses more power and generates more heat than the average
consumer PC or Mac. The specifications report a power consumption of
850 Watts maximum, and 400 Watts typical.
For more information and pictures, see:
http://home.hakuhale.net/rbc/symbolics/
Contact me if you are interested.
Thanks,
--Bruce