Tony:
>I've seen this happen. My TRS80 M4 keyboard (which uses individual
>keyswitches which use this technology) had this sort of problem. Of
>course there I could move them around to put the bad ones on the least
>used keys (like the numeric keypad).
>Two ideas :
>1) Rub a _soft_ pencil (I manged to get a 6B) over the rubber pads. This
>will put a new graphite layer down.
>
>2) Chemtronics sell (sold?) a repair kit for these pads. You mix the 2
>parts and then put a drop on each of the pads. The problem is that once
>you've misxed the 2 parts you have to use the kit in a day or so, and
>there's enough stuff for quite a few switches -- and it's not cheap. It's
>therefore probably not worth doing for one TV remote or something, but it
>might be just right for a keyboard.
Gordon:
>The pads either wear or "dry out" or something, never worked out which.
> I talked a mate of mine through repairing some vintage synthesizers
>which use conductive pads for the control panel (Sequential Six-Trak,
>Alesis drum machine and sequencer) by taking the panel apart and
>painting a blob of silver-loaded paint for repairing heated rear windows
>in cars. The bottle was a couple of pounds from Halfords, and probably
>cheaper in your local independant motor factors. A tiny bottle lasts
>for ages because you only need a little spot.
Paul:
> I've tried several things on my Sony TV remote control. The various
>paints and other expensive fixes don't last very long. What finally worked
>for me was some heavy aluminum foil tape used for sealing air ducts.
>
> Cut some tiny squares of the tape just big enough to cover the two
>contact pads on the circuit board and stick it to the surface of the key
>plunger. Evidently the resistance value is not critical, as long as it's
>below some minimum value -- zero ohms is OK. My repair has been working for
>a couple of years now.
>
> You can find the tape at home centers (Lowe's/Home Depot), and appliance
>or plumbing parts suppliers.
Hi Guys,
THANKS for the good ideas...
I think I like the tape idea the best - I had thought about trying to glue
in a bit of tinfoil - I've done that for "round" pads, however these are
very thin/long pads, and the tape might be easier to work with.
Btw, they are NOT the kind where the PCB pads are interleaved "fingers" -
these are two separete pads which are perhaps as much as 1/8" apart - the
rubber bit is nearly 1/4" long and has a "bump" on each end to contact
the pads - this means that the rubber flexes as it pushes down, and I
think that graphite or paint would probably crack and flake off.
I don't think it would be easy to replace the rubber pads, as you would
need the right shape, and also the pad is bonded to a little strip of
material like this (cross sectional view):
| | <= Key plunger
| |
+--------+
| | <= open space
+--------+ <= "Carrier strip"
[====] <= Conductive Rubber Pad
Btw, this is for a Commodore PET - I just remembered that I have an
extra C64 keyboard, so I'm going to pull it apart and see if by any
miracle the key assembly is the same.
Regards,
Dave
--
dave04a (at) Dave Dunfield
dunfield (dot) Firmware development services & tools: www.dunfield.com
com Vintage computing equipment collector.
http://www.parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/index.html
Here's an update on the latest additions to VCF 7.0:
OK
ATDT19252945900
CONNECT 300
Connected to the VCF BBS...
Featuring 10 megz of k-rad computer history!
_______________________________________________________
| |
| : Vintage Computer Festival 7.0 : |
| |
| Saturday, November 6th through Sunday, November 7th |
| at the Computer History Museum |
| Mountain View, California |
| |
| http://www.vintage.org |
| |
|_______________________________________________________|
The 7th Annual Vintage Computer Festival comes at you this November
6th and 7th with the sights, sounds and smells of vintage computing!
Join us for another action packed extravaganza, featuring an exciting
lecture series, a diverse and vibrant exhibition, and a marketplace
brimming with vintage computers o' plenty!
[> Current Speaker Roster <]
Saturday, November 6
10:00AM => Fred Cohen: Using Vintage Computers in Computer Forensics
10:30AM => Jason Scott: Documenting the BBS
11:00AM => Christian Wirth: The Art of Textmode
Sunday, November 7
11:00AM => Nick Tredennick: Early Microprocessor Design
1:00PM => Andre' LaMothe: The XGameStation
* Many more speakers to be added soon; schedule subject to change
For more information on the speaker series, including abstracts and
speaker bios, visit:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/speaker.php
[> Special Events <]
o Beta screening of Jason Scott's BBS Documentary
Jason Scott has been working on a series of seven films that
document the history of online bulletin board systems. This will
be the first public screening of these films, and the feedback
from the screening audience will help direct the final cuts. More
information can be found here:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/screening.php
o Retro-Code Video Game Programming Challenge
Can you write a videogame on a vintage computer platform in three
hours or less?
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/retrocode.php
[> Vintage Computer Exhibition <]
Vintage Computer Collectors: we want you! Exhibit your favorite
computer in the Vintage Computer Exhibition. Ribbons and prizes
are awarded in six classes and eight special categories, including the
coveted Best of Show and People's Choice awards.
For more information on participating as an exhibitor at VCF 7.0,
visit:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/exhibit.php
[> Vintage Computer Marketplace <]
Do you have some vintage computer items you'd like to sell? Whether
you rent a booth or sell on consignment, the Vintage Computer Festival
Marketplace is the premier venue for selling old computers and
related items. For more information, please visit:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/vendor.php
[> Spread the Word! <]
Download and post this gorgeous VCF 7.0 flyer on every flat surface
in your immediate and extended sphere of existence!
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/vcf70flyer.pdf
!~(&*GHI#
NO CARRIER
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
Well I got a classic fraud offer from Great Britian today and was wondering
how to deal with it. I would love to see the offeree busted but not sure what
can be done.
I posted a HP110 outfit on the classifieds of the HP Calculator Museum. Got
a reply of interest from GB so I sent back info and got the following reply
today. I have heard of this scam being perpetrated on computer collectors in
the past so I recognize it as a scam.
Is there any way of identifying the culprit whose name (may or may not be
real) is posted at the end of the letter. I assume this is illegal in GB but how
would you go about informing the authorities? I would be happy to
participate in a sting if that is possible. I am on the west coast of the US.
Paxton
Astoria, Oregon
USA
Following is the message I got today:
Hello,
Thanks a lot for your mail and the information, also
for all your efforts towards making this transaction a
success, i really love it and wish to buy as soon as
possible. Anyway, this is how we are going to seal
this transaction there is an associate of mine in the
US who is owing me $2,500 i am going to instruct him
to send you a cashier's check for that amount,and when
it clears your bank you can now send my balance by
Westernunion. Although i know that the value of the
check is more than the price of the HP 110 outfit,
9114 disk & 2225B Printer but i am willing to trust
you with my balance So if this offer is acceptable to
you,let me have your contact information so that i can
instruct my associate to send you a check,that is your
name,address and phone number Please get back to me as
soon as soon as you get this mail so that i can know
your decision regards this transaction. I am banking
on my balance so that i will be able to settle my
shippers here in there local office because it is
cheaper and faster.My regards to the family.
James Cole
=====
James Cole
42-46 James Villa, Woolmer Way
Woolmer Trading Estate
Bordon,Hampshire
GU35 9QF UK
No but he might have it. I'm up to my elbows with our new web site at the moment. Once done I'll have a hunt - I'll recognise it if I see it.
++++++++++
Kevin Parker
Web Services Manager
WorkCover Corporation
p: 08 8233 2548
m: 0418 806 166
e: kparker(a)workcover.com
w: www.workcover.com
++++++++++
-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctech-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Vintage Computer
Festival
Sent: Tuesday, 7 September 2004 7:39 AM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: RE: xenix
On Mon, 6 Sep 2004, Parker, Kevin wrote:
> Do a hunt on the net - I downloaded some disc images about 2 or 3 years
> ago for XENIX for the TRS80 Model 12 or Model 16B - the site had heaps
> of OS's for old machines (might ring a bell with someone)
That sounds like Ira Goldklang's TRS-80 site:
http://www.trs-80.com/
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
************************************************************************
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http://wps.com/temp/Black-Hole-02-Sep-2004/
Just a few photos I took. The ND812 (not 811) is visible, the CDP1802
thingies, some Gray Era IBM, etc.
Also a pic of Ed (left) and Frank. The search warrant from the latest
harrassment [1].
THe LGP-21 at home (mine). The specialized LGP Flexowriter, changes not
restricted to keyboard and charset.
(Note the black keys -- those of course are the machine's order codes
(instructions), eg. "B" is "BRING" (load accumulator from memory).
Imagine you have 400 transistors arranged as a calculator, and NO
SOFTWARE OF ANY KIND. The hardware is arranged such that, when the
machine is executing an INPUT instruction, if you type the following
keys
B 1 2 0 3 '
the bit pattern generated by those keystrokes *IS* the 'BRING 1203'
instruction. Voila! Who needs an assembler or compiler?!
The trailing ' character is decoded -- by the INPUT instruction
hardware! -- to mean 'stop shuffling characters into the accumulator and
proceed with the next instruction in memory' which has the unpleasant
side effects that you cannot input ordinary text from the keyboard into
the machine, nor input the ' character at all. Every character input
must be terminated with ' (aka "CONDITIONAL STOP").
So much for text editing on an LGP-xx machine (a typewriter and salaried
secretary was cheaper). If you are clever though, and need to input a
data table, say, into a running program, you do so by arranging the data
as 'instructions' that go directly into memory, and not input and
handled by the target software. At 2500 instructions/sec this is umm
helpful.
(I'm surprised the space key wasn't assigned this function, but I guess
text input wasn't seen to have much use, and debugging with spaces would
be a lot harder than '.)
tomj
[1] Ed's a big anti-Lab (LANL) activist and crank letter writer. During
the Wen Ho Lee fiasco, Ed took some old 5" hard disk and put a SECRET
sticker on it, left it on his desk (you can see in the photo what that
looks like...). Pretty standard junkyard humor. Mr. Lee visited Ed (who
was a big supporter during the mess) after jail, so Ed gets to say "Hey
Wen, we found your disk drive").
Fast forward to July 04 -- "disk drives missing from the lab!". Likely
some Ed-detractor (there are many up there) called the FBI, who shows up
one day, and basically takes the joke-SECRET-disk, plus some old
cartridge tape. The search warrant was dropped by the next day (so much
for procedure).
So of course the best recourse is to put SECRET stickers on everything
-- which of course Ed has done.
(Reported with a lot less fanfare was the later discovery that no disk
drives were in fact missing from the allegedly unwatched safe, only some
of those fancy inventory stickers, which were determined to have not
been applied to any property. The entire episode proving that their
system was WORKING, in that they were in fact tracable, after an
interval. Anyone who's worked with this sort of property tracing system
knows that this is exactly how it's supposed to work, but it doesn't
make for glamorous news.)
(As an aside, the TV news from Albuquerque said that this year's balloon
festival (a zillion annual hot-air balloons ... big event) will have
tighter security, apparently to prevent 'terrists' from hijacking them?
Using them to bombard citizenry?!)
do you remember your posting? :
No the LED is in the chassis. I started thinking it might be some sort of heart
device timer as the deceased former owner of the auctioned items was quite
elderly. I guess you could use it as a timer strobe.
Lawrence
> On Thu, 11 Jul 2002, Lawrence Walker wrote:
>
> > Likely way off topic, but I acquired some sort of frequency device in
> > an auction junk box. It's a well machined device made by MECOS, made
> > in W.Germant. It's about 2" square by 1/2" powered by a Li. battery
> > and has micro-switches labelled 3 hz, 7.8 hz, 14.0 hz and a small led
> > that flashes at the selected frequency. Anyone have any idea what it
> > might be ?
> >
> > A search turned up that MECOS makes Active Magnetic Bearings and
> > control boards and programs.
>
> Could this be some sort of timing device used for calibrating the speed of
> something? Is the led separate from the chassis?
>
> -Toth
>
well, i bought a mecos at the jumble sale...i had no idea what it is. i serches the i-net and the only interesting i found was your posting. but: now i know!! : its a device for the magnetical field therapy similar to the MEDICUR ( http://www.magnetfeldtherapie-2000.de/common/pulsierende-magnetfeldtherapie…) i am sorry, but the page is in german... i am german too, so i hope you excuse my bad english....
greetings,
daniel
...are spoken for. Thanks for the responses!
Also, did I mention I have a little DEC HiNote 433 laptop (with the
optional floppy drive wedge-o-cheese)? I think that is in the ultracheap
pile.
William Donzelli
aw288(a)osfn.org
Do a hunt on the net - I downloaded some disc images about 2 or 3 years ago for XENIX for the TRS80 Model 12 or Model 16B - the site had heaps of OS's for old machines (might ring a bell with someone)
++++++++++
Kevin Parker
Web Services Manager
WorkCover Corporation
p: 08 8233 2548
m: 0418 806 166
e: kparker(a)workcover.com
w: www.workcover.com
++++++++++
-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctech-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of
pzachary(a)sasquatch.com
Sent: Thursday, 2 September 2004 12:15 PM
To: cctech(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: xenix
What version Xenix?
what application are you using and do you have the media for that?
Xenix is not freely available, but there are some unopened copies floating
around in the computer junk shops and perhaps ebay.
Pavl_
> Hi
> I am trying to locate XENIX install disks
> would you know where to look ?
> I am helping a friend get a cnc machine up
> something made by cybermation
>
> Any help would greatly appreciated
>
> Regards
>
> Ephraim Schoenfeld
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Win 1 of 4,000 free domain names from Yahoo! Enter now.
> http://promotions.yahoo.com/goldrush
************************************************************************
This e-mail is intended for the use of the addressee only. It may
contain information that is protected by legislated confidentiality
and/or is legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient you
are prohibited from disseminating, distributing or copying this e-mail.
Any opinion expressed in this e-mail may not necessarily be that of the
WorkCover Corporation of South Australia. Although precautions have
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transmitted with it are free of viruses or any other defect.
If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender
immediately by return e-mail and destroy the original e-mail and any
copies.
************************************************************************
