Ugh... this takes the cake.
I was pulling apart a 486 logic board, and I pulled the heat sink off the
chip... to be greated with an AMD 486 chip with "Made for Microsoft
Windows" and the Windows logo stamped on it.
What... no other OS is supposed to use an intel compatible processor?!? I
am sure anyone that bought this chip to use with any other OS probably
paid an MS tax because of that stamp!
Just for that, I think I might see if I can get my Intel build of
Rhapsody to install on it.
Ok, so it isn't 10 years or older, but at least you people can understand
the pain.
-c
On December 16, Huw Davies wrote:
> The problem with the Alphabook was that it's not exactly fast and
> the battery life is short. They are also hard to find and expensive
> should you find one. I suspect that a 1GHz laptop will run a VAX
> emulation faster than the Alphabook with better battery life too.
Yes but then you'd have the embarrassment of being seen carrying a
PeeCee around. That's a hangin' offense around here! ;)
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf
On December 15, Pete Turnbull wrote:
> No normal detergent will attack ordinary plastics or epoxies. Some
> industrial detergent powders include caustic ingedients, and (mainly for
> that reason, and because they can harm skin) are banned from domestic sale
> in the UK, and also, I beieve, in the USA. In general, any home-use
> detergent safe to use on your skin, clothes, etc, is safe on PCBs and
> electronics.
Alconox Inc. makes a few different cleaning compounds specifically
for PCBs and electronic components.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf
On December 15, Pete Turnbull wrote:
> Actually, I think that's a good suggestion, if you can find someone with
> the same ROMs. In my experience, most programmers actually do use the same
> algorithm -- one of the common CRCs. At least, all three programmers I
> regularly use do, and the checksums match the ones printed on SGI ROMs and
> a few other ROMs I have that have printed checksums.
Hmm..lucky. ;) My Data-I/O 2900, Heath 4801, and printed checksums
on my SGI I2's ROMs don't match.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf
On Dec 15, 14:29, Dave McGuire wrote:
> What kind of ROMs does it use? Another possibility might be to find
> someone with the same model of PR1ME (how rare are they?) and checksum
> the ROMs & compare them...most PROM burners will generate checksums,
> but now that I think of it, PROM burner manufacturers have yet to
> standardize on a checksumming algorithm so it'd probably be useless
> unless they're summed with the same make/model of burner. :-(
Actually, I think that's a good suggestion, if you can find someone with
the same ROMs. In my experience, most programmers actually do use the same
algorithm -- one of the common CRCs. At least, all three programmers I
regularly use do, and the checksums match the ones printed on SGI ROMs and
a few other ROMs I have that have printed checksums.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
On Dec 15, 14:09, Douglas Quebbeman wrote:
> > On Dec 14, 16:16, Douglas Quebbeman wrote:
> >
> > > In particular, do any of you have familiarity with
> > > systems that flash the on or power light as an
> > > indicattor, sopecifiecally, of a power supply
> > > problem?
> >
> > The only thing I can think of that's *designed* to do something like
that
> > is an SGI Indy; if you power one up and it can't even run the the code
in
> > the PROM, it flashes the power light (which is a two-colour LED). The
> > usual cause id that there's no (recognisable) RAM at all in it.
Probably
> > not relevant to a PR1ME.
>
> No, I'm afraid you may have hit it on the head, and it's been the
> direction I've been leaning, that the microcode ROMs may have
> fried, but that just blows my mind.
Possible, of course, but in the case of an Indy, the processor and PSU are
working, and it gets only as far as the "I think, therefore I am a
processor; I wonder if I have any memory" test in the PROM, and then
executes a loop which controls the LED in the PSU if there's no RAM. At
least, that's what I believe; I've not seen a detailed description of the
PROM startup. I suppose your problem may be something similar, in that the
CPU is running but can't do anyting useful because either it's crippled or
some other part of the system is disfuntional. Does the CPU control the
power supply LED(s), like it does in an Indy?
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
From: Jeffrey S. Sharp <jss(a)subatomix.com>
>I asked and was told not to clean the core, that whatever junk gets
stuck
>in there wou't hurt the core's operation. Maybe it's time for round 2
of
>the discussion.
>
>What if something in that dust is conductive?
I'd rise in clean water maybe Isopropanol(91% or better) by dipping in a
pan with a large quanitiy. Agitate minimally, no brushing or high
pressure air near the mat. dry with warm (NOT HOT) hairdryer.
>What if something in that dust has wierd magnetic properties?
>What if that dust interferes with the core's cooling?
See above.
>What if I slowly dipped the core board into a pan of IPA or distilled
>water, then slowly lifted it out, and repeated until the core board was
>clean?
IPA may not be the best bet for the muck. Use a lage quanity so that
you don't saturate the solution with the muck. Rinse again with fresh
solution to further remove the muck. You might try water with
a small (1%) amount of detergent too. Risnse water out with IPA and
blow dry with hair dryer on warm, not hot.
Remember IPA is flammable and to do a PDP-8 core I'd use about
2 quarts (2L for those on the otherside) for first rine and about the
same for the second. So use care and DO IT OUTSIDE.
Allison
On Dec 15, 10:34, Chad Fernandez wrote:
> I've never seen core in real life...... how small are the wires?
Depends on the core, but thinner than hair, usually. There's a picture of
an H214 core board on EBay at the moment; you'll see 12 large and 8 small
dark rectangles on it.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1309747460
The larger rectangles measure approximately 5/8" x 2 1/4". Those
rectangles are the core mat; it's an 8K x 16 bit core mat. Each of those
131072 ferrite cores has three wires going through it.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
From: Chad Fernandez <fernande(a)internet1.net>
>I use the dishwasher to clean computers too, but what about core
>memory? I've never handled it myself, but I understand it is quite
>delicate.... any special handling needed?
I did a pdp-8/f, washed everything save for the PS and the Core
plane. The acutal core plane was fairly clean but everything
else was a mess and needed a bath serious.
Allison
On Dec 15, 12:20, Matthew Sell wrote:
> I don't know enough about the effects of using certain chemicals on the
> various plastics and expoxies used in the manufacture of the boards, so I
> steer clear of using a detergent unless I know that it would be perfectly
fine.
No normal detergent will attack ordinary plastics or epoxies. Some
industrial detergent powders include caustic ingedients, and (mainly for
that reason, and because they can harm skin) are banned from domestic sale
in the UK, and also, I beieve, in the USA. In general, any home-use
detergent safe to use on your skin, clothes, etc, is safe on PCBs and
electronics.
I'd be wary of some organic solvents, including alcohols, however. Some
attack plastics such as Perspex (Lucite), polystyrene, ABS, etc; some will
attack some types of enamel insulation on wire; some affect PVC insulation,
making it swell or become brittle.
> My experience has been that with certain devices that spend entire lives
> inside, that usually a rinse with hot water makes them look new. I've
been
> satisfied with just using hot water, and everything looks nearly new when
> complete.
Unfortunately that doesn't apply to computers that have been in places
where they may accumulate sticky substances from the air (tobacco film,
brewing residue, oily film + dust, etc). In that case, warm water and a
moderate amount of detergent is the kindest thing you could use. Ever
tried to clean an old TV set with plain water?
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
