Think the oldest digital I've got is a Sony Mavica FD85 from around 2000 as I recall. Which does take surprisingly decent photos all things considered.
Had a rather special bit of vintage tech arrive today in the form of a not absolutely hanging example of a Compucorp 324G. They're rare machines in any form, but being a UK market example (identifiable by the Sumlock branding as Compucorp partnered with them for the UK distribution) makes this even more rare. Oh...and having the original case probably isn't exactly common either.
Unlike my original example, this one actually works.
Which is likely thanks to someone having removed the batteries before they had time to dissolve half the innards and the display. I've not had time to do anything today with it aside from take those two photos and confirm that it survived shipping. I'll do a bit more experimentation and get some better photos in due course.
Yes it's just a calculator, but it's one that's been something of a unicorn for me as someone with an interest in vintage technology basically as long as I can remember. These were very, very advanced machines for their time.
-- -- --
Today was breezy and cold but not really too bad so out came the pressure washer.
This car really needed it. I'm pretty sure this is the first time this poor car has had a wash since at least 2017 when it was put back on the road, possibly longer.
Just horribly ingrained dirt and green gunk everywhere.
Of course because it was cold the hose on the pressure washer just turned into a 25 metre long spring.
I did spend a not insignificant amount of time trying to untangle this however it was having none of it...so it got shoved in the corner still in a mess. Hopefully when it's a bit warmer it will be more amenable to being disentangled.
An hour or so later the car looked a bit better.
Came out looking almost black from this angle.
Bit less moss and such attached now.
Still needs a lot of tidying, but looks a little less neglected at least. Getting some treatment on the plastics will help a lot too.
We did have one grumpy cylinder after the engine bay cleaning, so will check back in on that tomorrow. I did manage to blast the distributor pretty well courtesy of me tripping over the hose. So that might want drying out. HT leads do feel a bit petrified too so I'll probably get a set on the shopping list.
All my cars get their engine bays washed at least once or twice a year. Firstly I hate working on a dirty engine bay. Secondly, if something is going to protest at getting wet I'd far rather it happened on my driveway rather than when I hit some unseen puddle in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. Yes, that included the V12 Jag. No, water in engine bays is nothing to be afraid of so long as you use some common sense and are confident in doing a bit of gremlin hunting if something does get cranky.
