More than 2,000 computers are currently being sold for 100 euros on eBay. The devices were discovered rather by accident, as the storage space was about to collapse. Behind the devices is Canadian tech history.
Thousands of old computers were found in a barn in Massachusetts. The devices were discovered because the barn where the computers were stored was about to collapse. The approximately 2,200 computers are said to weigh as much as 11 cars (via vice.com).
For 40 years, the computers are said to have remained unopened and unused in this barn. Now the devices are available for 120 US dollars (around 100 euros) on eBay. If you want to buy one of these devices now: You still have to pay shipping fees of around 80 euros and will then end up paying around 200 euros.
A 69-year-old retiree stored the devices in a barn
Who owns the devices? James Pellegrini is now a 69-year-old retiree from Massachusetts and quickly got personally excited about technology. The retiree told the magazine Vice.com.
In the late 80s, Pellegrini came up with the idea of developing a phone switching system for small businesses. For this, he needed old computers on which his idea was based. At the same time, he didn’t want to compete with large companies like Apple or Microsoft. Through a bankruptcy sale, he acquired a few models of the NABU and immediately fell in love with the devices:
I ordered a few copies, and to be honest, I fell in love with their appearance. I thought these were the coolest computers I had ever seen.
He ultimately bought the entire NABU stock out of the bankruptcy estate: Pellegrini does not reveal the exact price he paid in 1989. However, he explains that the offer was really good, as the price was significantly below the official selling price.
What happened to his project? Although he invested a lot of time and money, nothing came of his project. “Nothing happened. I never got to the project. I think I made some sketches for the circuit diagrams. But I never finished the product.”
So the idea of the phone switching system came to nothing after all. Eventually, the NABU devices ended up in a large barn owned by his neighbor, where they stood for about 23 years. But the more than 20 tons of weight eventually became too much for the barn. Comparatively lighter was at least the first hard drive in the world, which needed an airplane for transport.
NABU computers already offered rudimentary internet and gaming
The NABU, launched in October 1983, was a kind of network based on computers connected to the cable network, rather than through dial-up modems. The NABU network was connected to a precursor of the World Wide Web via cable television and was operated mainly in Ottawa, Canada, from 1982 to 1985.
The thought behind the NABU network was revolutionary but brought no financial success. Probably also for this reason, the computers and the network disappeared again.
What could you do with it? The device could be connected to the NABU servers via cable television. With the computer, you could download software and information from the servers and also upload simple information. Even banking and shopping were possible with the system.
You could even play with the devices: The NABU network offered the game “Managers Baseball” and provided real names and statistics of MLB teams and players. The performance of the players in the game was based on real player statistics, and as a manager, you could assemble your team and compete against another owner in a simulated game.
