Anything about old PCs, their uses, related OSes and their users
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Hook it up to the input jacks on the back of a old junk free stereo system, Set the switch on the stereo to accept that input jack. Blast away at your hearts content.
That's how I run the Thinkpad X61 I use as my MP3 player through my vintage stereo system. I run a patch cord just like that from my headphone jack to the back of my Graphic EQ, through the Pioneer amp and back out through full-sized headphones. Works with a Walkman, too.
It sits on a table within reach of my recliner and the music never stops.
Well. Since the pigeon flew coop, And you have some bird seed funds saved < maybe? >, Might I suggest < for a more fun experienced life if you like listening to music ? >? This?
Thanks, this is very good to know indeed. I am still feeding feral pigeons on and off, however can afford something like this for sure. I already have an mp3 player, love and use it more, as my pet parrots object it if I use the PC speakers to play audiobooks loud.
That's how I run the Thinkpad X61 I use as my MP3 player through my vintage stereo system. I run a patch cord just like that from my headphone jack to the back of my Graphic EQ, through the Pioneer amp and back out through full-sized headphones. Works with a Walkman, too.
It sits on a table within reach of my recliner and the music never stops.
Doesnt this drain the battery of the mp3 player ? When I did this years ago, the battery drained away a lot faster on my mp3 player.
rvijay, I'm talking about using one of my laptops as a dedicated .mp3 player. It's a Thinkpad X61 with Intel HD Audio, 4:3 screen ratio and a 250GB HDD for my digital music collection. You could do the same with most any computer and a USB stick.
It has a relatively small footprint so it sits on a table by my recliner and I use a patch cord like rokytnji posted to run the sound out from the headphone jacks to my vintage stereo system. Sometimes I just listen to it with lightweight headphones straight from the jack.
The Internet Archive has free music for download, from Grateful Dead concerts to Cowboy Junkies FLAC files. Make a day of it.
Here's a screenshot of my X61 running FreeBSD 11.1-RELEASE-p10, Fluxbox, gKrellm and XMMS. It's a full FreeBSD build and as capable as any of my other machines, but since its only job is to play music for me I keep that theme to it.
Last edited by Trihexagonal; 05-15-2018 at 06:08 AM.
Yeah. I just mentioned the mp3 player because it packs well on bicycle/motorcycle,bus, whatever.
Like Trihexagonal. I run a Media Center out of a old computer in my motorcycle shop like he does.
That one I use streaming radio stations links in xmms or moc. I use a old satellite dish as my wifi antenna. I get good wireless speeds in my shop with that setup.
Yeah. I just mentioned the mp3 player because it packs well on bicycle/motorcycle,bus, whatever.
Like Trihexagonal. I run a Media Center out of a old computer in my motorcycle shop like he does.
That one I use streaming radio stations links in xmms or moc. I use a old satellite dish as my wifi antenna. I get good wireless speeds in my shop with that setup.
Very nice, thanks for sharing, yes net radio is good, it is current, live and has different sounds. Very dark and rainy here so my parrots are sad, will try some net radio for them now
I have a battery operated mp3 player also from long term past, it takes only AAA battery and as 1Gig internal memory. This is more than enough for audiobooks. Got this 7 years ago in store for 25 bucks or so with tax. Now they don't sell them in stores as they are not enviro friendly with their battery needs. Folks are going more green. Then from mp3 players with battery now most have moved to cell phones. Wonder who still buys these battery using mp3 players and why ? Perhaps folks on limited budget and also those with retro interest. I still like and enjoy mine for sure. It is easy to mount this and load files using my old computer with linux on it.
Distribution: Mainly Devuan, antiX, & Void, with Tiny Core, Fatdog, & BSD thrown in.
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I've got an old Sony 1GB pendrive type re chargable mp3 player, great for when you don't want to carry much, just plug in some earphones & listen - also got an old 20GB Creative Touch re chargeable, (like an old iPod), sometimes I just plug in a pair of powered speakers & have a blast.
Using an old computer as your music player always works, even FreeDOS has a music player.
I've got an old Sony 1GB pendrive type re chargable mp3 player, great for when you don't want to carry much, just plug in some earphones & listen - also got an old 20GB Creative Touch re chargeable, (like an old iPod), sometimes I just plug in a pair of powered speakers & have a blast.
Using an old computer as your music player always works, even FreeDOS has a music player.
FreeDos is good to know but I dont feel comfortable with it online due to all the Malware. Offline it is ok, mainly to play Dos games. But even dosbox is enough for this.
I prefer to play classic audiobooks on my old computer with linux on it also, this somehow feels more real, fulfilling.
Perhaps must try and see if I can get my parrots used to this with time. If they start to enjoy listening also, then this will be excellent.
With linux, old computer to DL classic free audiobooks and mp3 player, listening to classic audiobooks that are free can get addictive and out of hand easily. So it helps to set some basic guidelines for their use. It is also a learning experience not to fall asleep listening as this leads to battery drain and is not good for ears also.
It would be of little use to me, I'd rather have another vintage Thinkpad. I know FreeBSD, OpenBSD and Solaris will run on them and I seriously doubt that machine would without considerable consternation on my part.
And I don't need to "crush my opponents" with meine uberkomputer. I prefer to eviscerate my adversaries with verbiage.
Last edited by Trihexagonal; 05-19-2018 at 08:31 PM.
It is not just linux and old computers. Now I realize that I have a deep historic pull to past events specially challenging times like uboats, famine, quake, titanic, us civil war etc., This prevents me from focus on current events and also where the puck is going to be. Now if I was a historian, archeologist museum worker etc., then this interest will help me get a career in that area. However, my interest in history is at an intense hobby level, this creates lack of balance in my life. On the bright side tho, if during world wars instead of focusing on the war, all the soldiers focused on world history reading, these wars would not have happened. Basically my interest in Linux and Old Computers is supporting my historic interests and vice versa. I realized this on deep reflection over a period of time.
On the bright side tho, if during world wars instead of focusing on the war, all the soldiers focused on world history reading, these wars would not have happened.
That's a very optimistic view of world events, rvijay.
I collect Soviet Era Russian watches, which led me to researching their history and the factories, how they were converted from making machina of war to watches and developed an interest in Russian history. They are a tough, resilient people as a group IMO and my best friend online has roots going back to when his ancestors were banished to Siberia.
He lives in the Ukraine and some of his friends are fighting there now. I'm not sure focusing on the positive is going to make things any better, or would have in WWII.
This is a Russian made Pobeda that celebrates the 1995 50th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Germany in WWII. Pobeda was the name chosen for the watch company by Joseph Stalin and means Victory. It was made after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1993 and the word at the bottom of the dial means Russia. Those made before then carry the CCCP mark. The image in the circle within star is the Moscow skyline.
It was ceremoniously presented to a veteran of that war and the inscription on the back in Cyrillic reads:
"Meeting of the Deputies
Administration of Lipetsk State
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