Hi Dug
Sory I havent been able to reply sooner, I got burried under in email,
like a thousand messages. It takes me a while to go threw.
Yah the power failure is a problem, I would write the note and save it to
disk on a flopy, so I would have lots of notes to go threw. I didn't loose
any data this way, but am not sure what the power failure did to the system
files.
It always booted in to the wordprosessor so I don't think power outage
effected the software.
It took a few days of thinking to figure out how to repair the broken
pin on the CPU, since I couldn't solder something that small.
I didn't think it would work, and was trying to find a new CPU for it,
well, it worked so I was spaired that.
Also, I got a new piece of equiptment, it's a little box about five
inches square and about one and some inches thick. It has a cable whith a
DB 9 feemale conecter on the end of it.
It's a Double talk synthasiser, Thought I'de sneek that in on you. I have
been bissy whith configuring software on a notebook computer to make it
talk.
You can hear what it sounds like if you have a wave player, there are
some wave files and other info about the doubletalk at:
www.rcsys.com
The cool thing about the doubletalk is the text to speech conversion is
done by the doubletalk itself, so it doesn't use the computer's CPU to do
that.
Some of the text to speech software takes about 300K of conventional
memory, this is a painfully slow way to use synthasisers whith computers.
Another part of making the computer talk iss a screen reader program, this
is what I was configuring , or trying to configure.
What the screen reader does is it sends what is on the screen to the
synthasiser to be spoken. The screenreader also does more things, but that
is the basic thing it does.
If you want to experiment whith a screen reader and don't have a
synthasiser, I found one that uses the computer speaker to speek threw, I
like this one because it installs itself and is easy to use, it's called
seekline screen reader.
Seekline has some drawbacks mainly the conventional memory usage mentioned
abuv, another problem is seekline doesn't recognise non ascii characters on
the screen, I don't know what these are since I can't see them. This is a
newsence when you are in some setup programs, because when seekline sais
press nonascii to exit, it is unknown what key to press.
Aside from that seekline is a great little program.
If you wnat to try it out it lives at:
http://world.std.com/~speechfb
The downloadable Seekline screen reader is shareware, one file about a meg
or more called sl.exe
works in dos.
I have been trying to get people to try some of the screenreaders to get
some feed back on what they think, I am not doing a servay or any thing like
that, I am just curious about what people think.
So if you have some extra time let me know what you think., I just thought
of some thing, maybe you could install it on the Wang computer, it just
might talk threw the computer speeker.
I didn't know about seekline when I had the wang but if it worked in it I
would have kept the wang.
Befor you install seekline run the installation on a computer whith a
monotor, so you can see what the menu choises are, seekline doesn't modify
config.sys or autoexec.bat what seekline does is it writes a start.bat file
in the seekline directory it writes to the hard drive.
I forgot the 5.25 flopy problem, oh well, it was just a thought.
Well, write me soon!
Pete Persuric
Net-Tamer V 1.11 - Registered
< I'e thought about making a plastic (perspex/plexiglass) box with the
< fan/filter from a demountable drive (I have that sort of thing in my junk
< box) to blow clean air into the unit. Then take the drive apart, fix it,
< put it back.
A plastic box with a blower and a HEPA filter from one of these new vacuums
to put clean air in the box at positive pressure. The front would be clear
with rubber gloves to allow reaching in. level of clean can easily excees
class 100. Adaquate for sophisticated drive repairs.
< 1) Open up a drive, repair it in a minor way (say replace a pre-amp chip
< on the flex cable, replace the end stops, that sort of thing), and have
< it run long enough to get the data off it.
I've done this on at least 4 micropolus 1325s (rd53, 71mb) that had gummy
end stops and one that had a misset end stop!
none have been under special conditions described.
I also have a st506 that I put a plexi cover on about 10 years ago, still
runs though not currently in use (has CP/M on it).
< 2) Open up a drive, or several drives, and move parts around, including
< heads and platters, to make a working drive that'll run for quite a long
< time. Long enough to think of installing it in a classic computer that I
< was using.
Never considered this. though I have several I could experiment on.
<
< Doing (1) means you have to be able to align heads, etc, over the
< existing tracks on the media. Doing (2) probably requires a lower dust
< particle count.
Not really.
< > filtering, or is it absolutely required? Can a drive be opened in room
< > air and be worked on without introducing dangerous dust particles onto t
Look at the air flow and realize that dust on the platter is suffering from
centrifical force of the platters at 3600 rpm. There is an amazing amount
of moving air trying to send everything to the periphery!
< > Why can't they make a hard drive that's crash proof? Even if the
< > mechanics fail, can't some hardend substance like glass be layed over th
< > platter so if the head did crash it would only scratch the glass? Then
<
< Remember that as data density increases, you need to lower the flying
< height of the head. That's why demountable drives have a lower capacity th
< winchesters of the same period. The demountable has to have a higher
< flying height due to the fact that it's 'dirtier'.
All true but... the newer drive are plated metal (cobalt and nickle are
hard!) and some of the substrates used are ceramic and even glass for
rigiditity.
< The old drum stores had fixed heads. The height was set by the screw
< mounts of the heads - and in general it was quite high because of
< mechanical errors in making the thing. The flying heads of the hard disks
< meant that the head would follow slight run-out in the platter, allowing
< a lower flying height and higher density.
The problem there was bearing runout, the concentricity of the drum and
it's size setting up mechaical vibrations. Later drums would float the
head on a spring and didn't suffer many of the problems as they could
float.
< For this reason, I think it's possibly realistic to consider working on
< 50Mbyte and below - maybe up to 100Mbyte - winchesters at home, given a
< clean box. I personally feel that the 1.2Gbyte 2.5" units will not be
< capable of being repaired in a clean box, though - the flying height is
< just too low. But I'd love to be proved wrong.
I ran an old 320mb 3.5" conner with the cover off as it would not seek to
home track without help. ran like that for several hours while I copied
it. It's internal airflow from the platters rotating were quite impressive.
Like I said in an earlier mail, all these drive have internal filters that
take advanatage of the airflow to capture any dust that makes it in.
Allison
> I was just wondering, how many computers do all you have out there???
I have about 20 - 30 computers, about 15 monitors, and documentation for
about half of the units. Mostly 8-bit systems and some Macs. I've got a
pretty meager collection in comparison to most of you guys. :-) The
pickings just aren't as good here in South-Central PA.
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
In a message dated 98-07-12 10:21:45 EDT, you write:
<< >I was just wondering, how many computers do all you have out there???
>
> Michael Sheflin
> >>
My last official count which was last fall, put me at 83. i have ~100 now, of
which a few are going to a local radio rally next weekend. hopefully, i'll
also be given a complete working mac si system.
david
I was just wondering, how many computers do all you have out there???
Michael Sheflin
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< However, a book on metal casting at home (did I mention I have other
< insane interests...) mentions that vacuum cleaner motors produce a
< reasonable pressure, but not that much air flow. It suggests a better
< choice is a car heater fan motor. Those are also easy and cheap to get,
< of course.
It would, however a glove box of 8cuft (2x2x2) would not require much air
flow once "cleared" and the remaining air needed is only that required to
provide some trivial positive pressure to then insure clean air flows out
and dirty air does not get sucked in. For that volumes in the 2-10cfm
level is all than is needed. the positive pressure needed is on the order
of 0.1" water. A vacuum motor is if anything over doing it as they are in
the 200-500 cfm range.
< Yep... That's the drive I rebuilt over the air stream from the RK07 :-).
I've done a bunch of them and I just clear my work area and go to work.
For the paranoid a vacuum with a hepa filter on the output blowing down on
the work area might be in order but take care to not stir up dust.
< I think it's going to be important to be able to do this in the future.
< They'll come a point when there are no (say) Micropolis 1200s working,
< but enough non-working ones lying about to be able to be able to make 2
< or 3 into a good one.
A glove box is trivial to build. I'd use a 25 CFM blower and a small hepa
filter and the box could be made with LEXAN (clear plastic) glued with RTV
and cleaned well. the front would be a curtain of 6mil poly with velcro
holding it to the edges. Holes would be provided to allow reaching in with
plastic gloved hands. The hole to not have to be air tight around the
gloves and the positive airflow in in the box would insure air flows out.
Hint: filter is on the output side of the blower forcing air into the box
and the outflow is through a coarse filter to limit outflow.
< For that reason, maybe we should start keeping dead hard drives....
To perfect technique. Getting the right tools is half the battle.
< Sure... I was pointing out that fixed (not sprung) heads -> higher flying
< height (due to runout) -> lower density. Not that drums are always low
< density devices.
understood. Keep in mind the old fixed head drums were mecanically crude
devices and magnetics were not well understood as yet.
< I wonder why, therefore, that service manuals on winchesters always say
< that you can't work on the insides of the HDA outside a clean room
< (which, by implication, you don't have). Even when the same manufacturer
< made demountable drives and did include instructions for head replacement
< on those.
Because if you making 500-1000 drives a day tossing 10-20 for damage due
to someone sneezing is far to costly. Also they have to insure they are
clean. But the level of clean needed is low. A hair net, nylon dust free
gloves, no facial hair and a dustmask over the nose and mouth would
eminimate 90% of human sources. Also not putting finger prints or other
debries on the disk is a must as rag wiping is already far to filthy.
there is care and there is paranoia. For example did you know that ESD
is damaging to magnetic media? If you deliver a hard spark to the plated
media you may pit it some or at least remagnetize a small area, disaster
for servo tracks.
FYI/note: Why do ALL drives spin up then load the heads? It's to allow
the airflow from the spinning media to establish the clean airflow inside
the drive. Also any dust on the active portion of the media spins off the
media and is then captured in a filter.
Allison
for the most part that's close, I do have some that have cost me in the
hundreds (200to400) per machine. Lately I have been getting alot of free
items from people that find out I collect old machines, a old Lawyer friend
called my last week and asked her to pick up some items he no longer
wanted. I have not seem any of it yet, but on my next trip to Texas I get
to see then and I will give an update on these new finds here. I get about
one call a week here and I have not put an ad in the paper yet. So as
always tell everyone you meet that you are a collector and see what happens
it cost nothing to spread the word this way. John
At 01:39 PM 7/12/98 -0500, you wrote:
>On Sun, 12 Jul 1998, John R. Keys Jr. wrote:
>
>> counting computers, printers, monitors, and ext drives I'm over a 1000+
>> items. John
>
>And at an average cost of about $5 each, right? That reminds me of the
>dilemma I faced when I was buying my first new car: I could either pay
>$10K for the new car, or I could get a fleet of 50 old clunkers and start
>my own taxi business. :-)
>
>-- Doug
>
>
>
>Were does one find this Newton Classifieds ??
I was just referring to <comp.sys.newton.marketplace>, but I don't like
to use those newsgroup names when I'm writing in English and not USENET.
:-)
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
>> I beleive just about all the Newton Messagepads were done in clear
>>cases and they're really not _that_ uncommon. You'll see them for sale
>Nope... I don't recall any clear MP's, except maybe a few special ones that
>I've forgotten about... The eMate 300 is the only Newton I remember that
>had a clear case. And if I think hard, I am beginning to recall there might
>have been a few 100's or 110's with clear cases. They may not be uncommon,
>but they aren't common either... Much fewer than the so called "rare" Woz
>edition Apple IIgs computers.
I don't mean in general production. I know I've seen 100's, 110's, and
120's advertised, not sure about 130's. I know I haven't seen any MP
2000's. There's an _excellent_ web site devoted to rare Newtons. I lost
the url, but a search should bring it up without much trouble.
>Never heard of wood ones. Ouch, I got a splinter from my MP... :-) And I
>think there may ahve been 3 or 4 colors for the prototype eMates. I think
>I've seen two different colors. As for MP100's, $50 is the max they should
>be selling for. I saw someone trying to sell one for $300, and it really
>doesn't make sense until you see all the extra memory cards, the larger of
>which can cost a LOT of money.
When Apple discontinued the Newton a few months back there was a small
protest held by Newton users and developers at Apple headquarters. At
this Apple past around wooden Newtons for the people to look at it. I
don't know if any have been released outside the company, though it
wouldn't suprise me if some disappeared during the rally.
>I haven't heard that. You can always paint them, but why? There was the
>beige used on the 128k through the Plus, and starting with later Pluses and
>SE's, they went to a greyish color they call platinum. And there was the
>MacTV which came in a black case, and the PowerBooks which came in platinum
>or black depending on the model. I've never heard of a Mac II or LC with a
>clear case, unless they were custom made cases for specific applications...
There were a few Powerbook 5xx's done in white. These are _very_ rare
>from what I understand (I've never seen one advertised, at any price).
Anybody have a information on this unit? A picture?
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
Sure! I certainly have quite an aura of dandruff around me. Once, I
opened up a 44MB hard drive because it wouldn't work (still don't know
what's wrong). When I was closing it, I noticed that it had dust on the
platter. After wiping it many times, blowing on it, etc. I found it was
impossible to get it really clean.
>Just the mositure droplets from your breath ot the dead skin and hair
>from your
>body is enough to screw it over.
>
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