Welcome to the Bunker of DOOM Bitcoin Store
Where you can buy the technology of the past with the currency of the future!
(Please scroll down to see the items. The FAQ and instructions are below.)

updated 2015 March 07

Today there is one item only, and I guarantee you will never, ever see this anywyere else. I'm afraid they have all but been destroyed decades ago.

A pair of rackmount, slide-out, 7-CRT display units from an Ampex 14-channel data recording system, vintage Apollo program. These units need a little attention and certainly inspection of all the components, but are much better than typical "not DOA" condition, and all the 2" CRTs lit up and seemed to work. I know that they will need some of the little 9-pin vacuum tubes replaced, but they all are inexpensive types with regular or industrial cross numbers. (has not been looked at in a while!) I recall that for symptoms like no deflection, swapping in a tube from one of the others fixed it. Anyway if I had totally restored it then I wouldn't consider us selling it.

Each of the 14 display scopes unit is a complete individual oscilloscope with a variable horizontal timebase and a vertical input and amplifier. Calibration controls are on the top. On the back, a bunch of shielded cables come out to accept audio or data signals. I had tested one of the units with audio before and it works very well for that.

It would be killer in a recording studio. No one else would even have one. The alternative low-cost unit Ampex sold with the data recorders was just a panel with meters. Bah! Here is the CRT one, fit for a king. Fourteen 2-inch CRTs for audio.

Power for each of the 7-CRT oscilloscope units comes from a regulated electronic power supply built into the back of the slide-out shelf. The input power is 120V 60Hz.The rack slides and mounts shown in the pictures come with the units.

These things are heavy, about 20-21" wide and 24" deep. Each should be packed in a quite large carton. maybe 30x30x16 with protection above and below and with bracing to limit the unit's movement.


unit 1 of 2


unit 2 of 2


with drawer out

Price $750 or equivalent BTC for both units, plus shipping

FAQ and instructions

Q. Exactly what will be offered here?
A. books, stacks of books, small-sized old equipment <50 lbs, interesting parts, 'lots' and the like.
A. Things that ship by fedex ground to business or home delivery up to 150 lbs.

Q. How is the price determined?
A. We are a little old fashioned, so as sad and horrible as it is, you must please convert the $US figures to the price in BTC if you want to pay that way. Generally, the Bitstamp rate is acceptable. We accept BTC for payments, unless you want to mail a check or money order.
Q. Exactly what will not be offered here?
A. We do not offer sales to any locations outside the USA because of the customs paperwork and fees. Hopefully some day we can find a way to make it practical.
A. We use FedEx. They deliver to any street address. We will not offer to ship to P.O. boxes, or anywhere else FedEx does not deliver. Interested persons concerned about their address can use the fedex web site to determine if their address is available. If not, maybe a friend can receive the item for you.
A. We do not sell certain items including 'military surplus' items to those outside the USA. This includes selling them to a person here who would in turn ship them to a foreign destination. To do so would cause problems with the government.
Q. Old Electronics! What else do you have? Got any NOS 211's? Western Electric? Collins Radio?
A. Only what is listed is for sale; please do not ask about other things that are not shown here. Shelf by shelf, inch by inch.. it will all show up here when it is time to sell it. We do not have resources to notify people when the page is changed to include new items. There is probably an application for that.
Q. Old Electronics! All I see is piles of ugly looking old junk!
A. We sincerely apologize for your wasted time, but we thought that was what you were here for. Try here for new junk that is less ugly and more expensive.
Q. Why are you doing this?
A. Because it's fun. Because over the last 6 decades, buildings and garages and attics have been filled with electronic surplus, parts, equipments, etc. by the enthusiasts and hobbyists that loved to build stuff. As those places closed, or the owners passed on, we got to clean some out. There is a remaining hoard of unusual and useful items, if you like old electronic stuff, in Dallas, TX, and we want to let it all go. Meanwhile, we discovered Bitcoin, got a wallet, have even bought some things onlne with it. A Bitcoin store seems like an interesting way to go about buying and selling. We're certainly not doing this to get rich, but we dont want to see the ancient electronics stuff go to the scrapper when we all kick the bucket either.
Q. What kind of steps are taken to be sure nothing gets broken?
A. In case more padding is needed, the next size box up will be used. This cost the buyer more, but if it were us we would want it in one piece rather than to be cheap and risk it getting broken. We will do our best to pack the items. If they have tubes, then we can remove them and wrap them separately and put them back inside the equipment. It will be very rare that anythng offered will be so large and heavy that it will require the removal and separate shipping of huge components like power transformers.
Q. How would I place an order, pay, and receive the goods?
A. Pretty much the old fashioned way. Here's how it works:
Orders can be e-mailed to an address provided for the purpose. An order includes a recipient name, street adress where the package can be received, phone number, and the item name/number (which will be below the picture with the price and description - just copy it and include it in the order e-mail).
Someone will read the e-mail and verify the item and send an e-mail back with the shipping cost and total.
The buyer then can pay if it is satisfactory.
The item will then be shipped. The site has been around in one form or another since 1993. We don't have a reputation for ripping people off. Google it, there is no dirt.
Q. How long does it take to ship an item, and what about tracking?
A. We do this on weekends, when we have acess to the Bunker's immense hoard of ancient and forsaken technology items. So, the item will be packed on the weekend following the business day on which payment is received.
Tracking is always free with fedex ground/home. Variable shipping cost for size and weight up to 150 lbs. Note: fedex requires a phone number for deliveries. If you do not provide one we will put ours in, but it will do no good if the driver can't find the address for some reason and tried to call. Your choice. Fedex is mostly a business service, so they are used to well marked easy addresses.

Q. How can I tell if I am getting overcharged on shipping?
A. Use the shipper's web site and calculate the shipping from 75216 to your zip code. The amount should be close if you consider the box has to be larger to have packing in it. Obviously a box with books or 1000 loose parts in a bag doesn't need much packing, but a 'lot' of 5 old microphones does need some individual wrapping up or they will be broken. You won't be overcharged or gouged, but there is our cost for handling which covers boxes (we re-use if possible to avoid charging), bubbles or other packing material, and fuel to get to fedex, which is a 10 mile round trip each. It's little things but they add up. Just use your brain. You will have our exact shipping quote before you pay, so.. your choice to accept or decline.
Q. What are the terms?
A. Unless we say otherwise, these are really old weird electronics items and are sold are as-described and as-is. We will have some pictures and document what we find out. You can ask in the 'order' e-mail about anything you like. Sales are final. We pack things so they won't get broken when handled correctly. That does not include others dropping them off a truck or crushing it under a refrigerator. Those actions are not correct. If you get it and the box looks like a ball, that is because the shipper has destroyed your goods. If something is broken, the buyer files a claim with the shipping company. We are not responsible for a shipper and driver destroying/throwing/dropping/kicking one's goods.
Q. Why don't you use eBay?
A. When eBay was started, it was OK and fun, but over time they changed the game to a high-fee multiple-fee scheme unfavorable for those offering low-cost, low-profit items. It's now rife with scammers who buy an item, claim it's bad or they never got it, reverse the charges in paypal, and never return the item. The seller has no recourse. So we left and have been happy since.