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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday June 09 2020, @08:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the does-an-astrolabe-count? dept.

A recent story on the BBC posed a question to its readers. If it ain't broke: You share your oldest working gadgets. Folks wrote in with their favorite, longest-lasting devices.

Besides being curious about the latest tech devices and advancements, I've noticed our community also seems to have a number of thrifty folk who thrive on getting the most out of their gadgets.

I'll count myself among those in that category. I'll start with a Sharp EL-510S solar-powered, scientific calculator from the early 1980s. I also have a JVC stereo receiver from the mid 1980s that is still going strong. The computer I am currently using is a Dell Latitude Core 2 Duo from about 2009.

So how well has your stuff held up? What was been your best acquisition for long-term durability?


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2020, @02:15AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2020, @02:15AM (#1005604)

    I like old computers and I get lots of old things as I usually take damaged hardware and repair it. Until 2017 I was actively using HP LX palmtop from 1994. It gave up as its hinge broke and I still don't have a working replacement - OK, I can buy an UMPC, but it works only a few days on one battery charge and batteries cannot be replaced. Among interesting gadgets, someone left me a "thumb drive", ca. 1992, attached to parallel port.
    One of the oldest electric parts I have is a "programmer wire network" made of wire matrix which can be linked with bolts, it is from 1960s and was driving some industrial machinery which had timing mechanisms programmed with it. It was seen as a huge improvement over camshaft mechanism. I also have a memory vacuum tube from 1963.
    Once my friend was in Ukraine and brought me a Russian-style abacus, used in a shop until 2000s. Made in 1950s.
    Another thing is a slide rule made around 1920s, and it was made of bamboo so it not needed a lubrication.
    And a few years ago another friend called in: "Hey, we're trashing old electronic typewriters and I found a manual one, want it?". So I decided to have one. And he got me an Underwood v. 5 from ca. 1910. Yes, manual one. He generally had no idea that there was something between 1910s Underwoods and electronic typewriters.