This week, we’re taking a look at the setup of TMO reader Jason (a.k.a “aftermac” on the forums).
Jason, as you can see from the pictures, feels he has a bit of a “problematic” hobby. With 84 computers from all eras of computing history, however, we here at TMO think his only problem is an overabundance of awesomeness. In fact, there’s only one expression we feel appropriately describes our feelings:
The Simpsons, 20th Century Fox
Jason’s desk is located just outside of his basement office where the majority of his computers are stored. It features a Power Mac G5 used primarily for storing music and photos. The Dell monitor is connected to an RCA switch, allowing him to flip between displaying the Power Mac’s output, the Apple IIe, and a VCR which serves as an RF-to-RCA adapter for his Atari 7800.
The Apple IIe is also connected to the Power Mac via a serial-to-USB adapter, allowing Jason to use Apple Disk Transfer Pro (ADTPro) to transfer floppy images to the IIe so that they can be written to a disk. ModemMGR is also used to turn the IIe into a serial terminal.
Off to the right of the desk is Jason’s home-built MAME cabinet, while to the left are an HP Color LaserJet 2605dn, Canon CanoScan 4400F, and an Apple LaserWriter Select 360 networked with a D-Link 301P+ parallel print server.
Inside the office, Jason’s workbench serves as the center of his computer repair side business. A recent remodel added custom shelving and storage giving him plenty of room to work on both clients’ computers as well as his own.
On the right of the workbench is Jason’s Apple SE/30 with the IIgs ADB keyboard, his absolute favorite keyboard. The SE/30 is also connected to an ALPS ADB Glidepoint Trackpad, AppleCD 600e SCIS CD-ROM drive, and a Metrologic Barcode scanner.
Jason’s custom shelving helps organize and display his impressive collection of computers. “I love the look of the compact Macs sitting in a row,” he said. What’s not to love?
While most of the computers are currently only stored and on display, Jason eventually wants to set up a working Mac model from each generation and connect them via FTP to his extensive collection of vintage software. For the Macs in his collection without Ethernet ports, he has a Cayman GatorBox, allowing him to route the older Macs’ LocalTalk connections to Ethernet.
Turning around, we see the other side of Jason’s office, with a newly installed network rack and additional storage bins. Each room in Jason’s house is wired with Cat 5e served up from a Bay Networks Baystack 450-24t 24-port managed switch. Going forward, Jason wants to use his managed network switch to separate his home network from the connections used by his repair business.
Obviously, there’s so much to Jason’s setup that we couldn’t possibly cover everything. We hope we’ve given you a good taste of his workspace, and we invite everyone with specific questions to chime in below. Thanks, Jason, for sharing your drool-worthy setup with us!
If you have a sweet setup that you want to share, send high-quality pictures and descriptions to [email protected] with the subject line “TMO Workspaces” and we’ll be glad to share your creativity with the world!
Previous TMO Workspaces: