The Jim Austin Computer Collection

 

Pictures of some of the best machines in the collection 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST NEWS ON NEW ITEMS!

Collection featured on BBC 10 O'clock news to celebrate the Birthday of the IBM PC 5150

The collection has over 2000 computer magazines - now listed for information here (many complete sets and 1st copies)

The collection has been Filmed for a Discovery channel TV program. See here for more details.

 

I have given a short overview of the collection here to help you see, and understand the best machines in the collection.

Last update: 18 Jan 2008

These pages describe a large collection of computers that has been built over the last 20 years by me, Prof. Jim Austin.. The collection holds over 400 machines and focuses on small machines to very large main frames and super computers. The aim has been to save machines that would otherwise be forgotten! The collection is unique from others on the Internet as it concentrates on machines from each generation - these are defined by the technology they are based on i.e. mechanical, relay, valve, transistor, small scale integration, medium scale integration and large scale integration. The machines are from 1960's onwards, often used only for scientific research and many of which you won't find anywhere else on the web. Many of the machines are not indexed here, I will get around to it some day.

All the systems shown on the site are real and in the collection.  These range from mechanical machines, relay machines, parts of valve based machines, through transistors to VLSI.

I'm looking for information on all the machines in the collection, as there is very little on them at the moment, please use this form if you have any information on the computers, I am looking for both technical information and your own personal thoughts, so if you have any experience with these machines please get in touch.

I hope you enjoy the site and will see some of the machines from the past are worth collecting!

Thanks to loads of  people who have helped, donated, shifted the machines, most notably Gary Morgan who has loaned me some of the machines!

Web hits now reaching 11,000 per month (may 2007).

If you want to see what I do as a day job, please visit my site at the University of York and the company I run Cybula Ltd.

Links to other Sites found here