Uploaded October 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It was a very good year. I hope it's not too much to ask that you watch the whole video *before* commenting.
Yes, I should have noticed the model number on those small UPSes.
Of the stuff not fully shown in the video:
1. After a marathon of pin straightening, nearly all the PCI video cards work. Most of those that don't have the same defect, in that they output perfect video in *purple*! I looked for obviously broken solder joints and didn't find any. One was fatally damaged before I got it (chips ripped loose or "skewed" on the board) and another has bad video RAM. Two others didn't output any video (though I have found certain older PCI video cards won't work right in newer computers -- maybe timing sensitivity or speed-sensitive routines in their video BIOSes?). I'll try those in older computers.
2. I haven't tested the floppy drives yet.
3. All the wireless routers and laptop power supplies work.
4. The Peavey amplifier works perfectly, but did you expect any less? Tanks aren't built as well as it was!
5. I have no idea about the "PC Air Conditioner" thing. It's not like anyone cares, up until the point that someone indicates such in the comments. :-P
6. I still haven't checked to see if those Liebert UPSes isolate the battery from the AC power powerline or not.
7. The solar panel works *perfectly*. It was very obviously miswired. I think it's a 20 watt panel, and at times it has exceeded that figure.
TenFourFox: floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox
Quicktime Enabler: github.com/classilla/tenfourfox/wiki/QuickTimeEnabler
As much as I hate to say it, those Optiplex GX280 systems are pretty worthless. They're painfully limited in terms of CPU support. A Pentium 4 650 seems to be pretty much the top end (and ought to be essentially free these days), although the BIOS doesn't properly/fully support it. Speaking of CPUs and the BIOS: there appears to be support for some Cedar Mill chips within. I've even read of people using them elsewhere online. I don't have a good selection of Cedar Mill era chips and those that I do have were rejected (orange power LED of doom at POST). Pentium D CPUs are not supported due to hardware limits.
So far I've installed several different operating systems on them. They'll probably end up being used as "playgrounds" for a while, and then I'll likely send them on down the road.
It was a very good year. I hope it's not too much to ask that you watch the whole video *before* commenting.
Yes, I should have noticed the model number on those small UPSes.
Of the stuff not fully shown in the video:
1. After a marathon of pin straightening, nearly all the PCI video cards work. Most of those that don't have the same defect, in that they output perfect video in *purple*! I looked for obviously broken solder joints and didn't find any. One was fatally damaged before I got it (chips ripped loose or "skewed" on the board) and another has bad video RAM. Two others didn't output any video (though I have found certain older PCI video cards won't work right in newer computers -- maybe timing sensitivity or speed-sensitive routines in their video BIOSes?). I'll try those in older computers.
2. I haven't tested the floppy drives yet.
3. All the wireless routers and laptop power supplies work.
4. The Peavey amplifier works perfectly, but did you expect any less? Tanks aren't built as well as it was!
5. I have no idea about the "PC Air Conditioner" thing. It's not like anyone cares, up until the point that someone indicates such in the comments. :-P
6. I still haven't checked to see if those Liebert UPSes isolate the battery from the AC power powerline or not.
7. The solar panel works *perfectly*. It was very obviously miswired. I think it's a 20 watt panel, and at times it has exceeded that figure.
TenFourFox: floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox
Quicktime Enabler: github.com/classilla/tenfourfox/wiki/QuickTimeEnabler
As much as I hate to say it, those Optiplex GX280 systems are pretty worthless. They're painfully limited in terms of CPU support. A Pentium 4 650 seems to be pretty much the top end (and ought to be essentially free these days), although the BIOS doesn't properly/fully support it. Speaking of CPUs and the BIOS: there appears to be support for some Cedar Mill chips within. I've even read of people using them elsewhere online. I don't have a good selection of Cedar Mill era chips and those that I do have were rejected (orange power LED of doom at POST). Pentium D CPUs are not supported due to hardware limits.
So far I've installed several different operating systems on them. They'll probably end up being used as "playgrounds" for a while, and then I'll likely send them on down the road.
