Questions for vintage computer geeks, and a question for more current geeks. [View all]

I actually mean geeks for vintage computers.

But vintage geeks works also.

Cleaning out some storage units and came across really, really vintage computer stuff.

Taxan monitor, 12", monochrome amber, 34 years old. Powers up. No idea if it works.

IBM PC XT keyboard. No idea if it works.

Here are the questions. I think I can get a DIN5 to a mini DIN6 PS/2 adapter, and then add to that a PS/2 adapter to USB. That might allow me to see if the keyboard works. What do the geeks think?

Having come up with that, I wonder if I can do the same with the Taxan monitor, which has a horizontal 4-pin connector. I think I'd have the analog to digital problem connecting to a modern Dell PC. But I'm open to suggestions.

I also have an Okidata Microline dot matrix printer. I haven't taken a close look at that to see if I can get it working.

I haven't yet come across the vintage PC XT that these peripherals went with. Not sure where that might be hidden. I have a photo of my younger self with my new PCXT in around 1983/84 looking cool and smug, cutting edge, state of the art. And very young. What happened to that guy? Getting old is definitely not for sissies.

BTW, the only reason I want to see if I can get them working is to sell them. Working items get at least a little money on ebay. Non-working and it's hardly worth the effort. For example, a new in-the-box keyboard like the one I have goes for $400 online.

New question, unrelated, about more recent computers. I pulled hard drives out of 3 10-20 year old laptops so that I can dispose of the laptops. I got to thinking that I can problem retrieve the data on the drives and get this to my kids (two of the computers were theirs in college, the third was mine from the mid(ish) 2000 aughts). I found cables on Amazon that claim to connect most any 2.5" SATA drive to a PC. Does this really work?

Thanks.