My DEC dealer has a RA82 he wants $200 for, and I was thinking of trading
him one of my RL02s for it. That's what actually came in this chassis, but
I'm really concerned about the power requirements of the disk and
controller - I know the KDA50 is a pig, but I do have a separate expansion
box for it. My real concern is blowing a breaker in my apartment building.
Now, I've read the current surge draw on a RA81 (in the RA81 user guide) is
35A in 110V mode. Is this correct?
Also, what are my power bills going to look like running this thing 24/7? A
already run one RL02 and the CPU 24/7, and I'm talking about adding an
expansion box to it with the KDA50...will I be OK on one 15A circuit? Logic
with these numbers says no, but I saw somewhere on the web where a guy said
he was running an 11/750, RA82, and some other stuff all off 1 15A circuit.
The only way I can see this working is if the drive spins up somehow by
trickle charging a cap(or more than just 1) and then spinning up the drive.
Can anyone shed any light on this? Will I blow something with this RA disk
on my setup?
Thanks
Julian
> On the classic PERQs (1, 1a, 2T1, 2T2), there are several available
OSes.
Until these have been archived, it is best to say "there WERE several
available OSes"
I've archived one or two versions of POS, but that's it so far.
> I think it is likely that your 390 is generating two stop bits. If your
Very likely. I think all Model 33s do.
> laptop
> isn't expecting that, it would likely construe the second stop bit as a
> start
> bit and begin looking for the next character. If none is forthcoming (as
I'd love to know why, considering that start and stop bits have opposite
levels.
In general, a receiver won't care if the transmitter generates too many
start bits, but may well object to too few.
-tony
Hello,
Another box dug up from the pile ;-)
This time its DataViews 8.0 for VMS 5.3. Seems to have been hardly
used and includes the installation TK50 tape complete with manuals.
I am not sure what kind of software this precisely is, but it seems
to be something like "a Real-Time Graphical User Interface and Data
Visualization Tool" (that came from the net somewhere).
Anyway, its up for sale or swap, if interested just simply make me an offer.
Stefan.
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.oldcomputercollection.com
I just posted some extra copies of the Computer Library and Computer
Select CDs on VCM. They use the Lotus Bluefish search software, and are
relatively easy to search ... if you know how to do online searches :).
http://www.vintagecomputermarketplace.com/
Hi, continuing the saga of the no worky sx-64 keyboard, I found these
instructions. I will be reseating the chips in the sx-64 and
following these steps- hopefully the bladder won't be ruined in the
process.
From
http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/keyboard.txt
---------
THE SX KEYBOARD: DISASSEMBLY AND CLEANING (from the SX64 article)
This keyboard is completely different than previous CBM designs.
Therefore, some of the previous information in this article will not
apply. You need to know how this one works to be able to safely take it
apart for cleaning. The main component is a conductive rubber bladder
separated from the PC board underneath by a white or grey plastic sheet
with holes in it. The plastic sheet is an insulator. Until a key is
pressed, the insulator holds the bladder away from the PC board contact
points. If the insulator gets damaged or distorted, some keys will not
work or may make contact all the time. Removing the bladder from the PC
board requires great care. The insulator tends to stick to the board
near each contact point. If pulled away quickly, it will most certainly
be torn. I use a dental pick to slowly nudge the tiny areas that stick
as I gently pull the bladder off the board. The last one took me about
10 minutes to remove. That work cannot be rushed. Some areas of the
elastic insulator deform as they pull loose and must be pushed back into
place before reassembly.
The keyboard comes apart for cleaning by pressing in on the four
plastic snaps on the front edge while separating front and rear panels
with fingers. The two center ones are easy... just press in and up on
the brown plastic top panel and it will bend upward. The two side snaps
need a bit of pressure... use a small flat tool like a screwdriver
blade inserted into the slots to make them release. With the top off,
the keyboard is visible as several rows of keys over a conductive
rubber bladder, which in turn is mounted over a PC board. Each key
plunger assembly can be removed for cleaning if one or more are sticky
>from a spill. They would -all- have to be removed to gain access to the
PC board under the bladder. None of the keyboard parts are
interchangeable with a C64. Note that the shift-lock key is not a
latching switch as in a C64 or C128, but a momentary contact
pushbutton like all the rest. A circuit in the SX forms the "latching"
device and an LED on the keyboard key comes on when ShiftLock is on.
The following is a report from a fellow user who sucessfully cleaned
his SX keyboard:
"I am pleased to report complete success with my efforts to clean the key
pads on my SX64 and the keyboard is working like new again. Although not a
terribly difficult operation, care must be taken.
After removing the upper keyboard case half I removed the five screws along
the front of the circuit board that holds it in place. I then removed the
two screws holding the keyboard cable connector in place. At this point I
removed the keyboard from the lower case half and removed the keys one at a
time by pressing the two tabs together from the back side of the circuit
board that hold the key assembly in place. I didn't bother to keep the keys
in order as I would use a C64 keyboard as a guide when replacing the keys.
I then removed the two tiny screws that hold a small strip of metal to the
black rubber like bladder on the right side. At this point I was ready to
lift the bladder from the circuit board. Under the bladder is a grayish
colored membrane that is somewhat fragile and care must be taken not to tear
it. On several occasions this membrane stuck to the circuit board as I
attempted to lift the membrane from the circuit board. I used the tip of a
very small thin flat screwdriver to ease the membrane off the circuit board
when it would stick.
Once the membrane was removed I cleaned all contact pads on the
circuit board using cotton swabs (Q-tips) and alcohol. I also cleaned the
contact areas on the bladder in the same manner using VERY LIGHT pressure.
I replaced the membrane onto the board and attached the metal strip with
it's two tiny screws. I attached the cable connector and mounted the board
in the lower case half with the five screws. Take care not to over tighten
the screw that goes through the bladder to avoid damage. After the board was
secure in the case half, I replaced the keys. They simply press into place.
The space bar will require a little care to line up all three connectors.
Replace the upper case half and that's it. Not that difficult but very time
consuming and it does not pay to hurry. While the key assemblies are off the
keyboard it is a good time to clean the keys themselves and to blow any dust
or debris from the underside of the key. If you find this information useful
please feel free to pass it along to others." Charles Houck
All I have to add to what Charles has said is some cautions when
cleaning the contact points. Never use anything abrasive on the bladder.
The black dots are the contacts. They are just a conductive coating on
plastic, so rough treatment can easily destroy the bladder beyond repair.
A -light- rub with a dry Q-tip is all that is needed on each black spot.
For the copper keyboard contacts, I use a #2 pencil eraser to remove
oxidation from each contact point, then rub each with a dry Q-tip to
"polish" the surface. The resulting contacts should be shiny with no
spots or blemishes. I don't use solvents unless the board and/or bladder
is contaminated because of a liquid spill.
--
>From: "lee davison" <leeedavison at yahoo.co.uk>
>
>>> Anyone want a cray..
>
>>> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5215815875
>
>>> Not entirely certain the auction is legit.. almost seems "too
>good"..
>
>> It's been relisted at least a dozen times now, it was started
>> somewhere around $300k-$500k the first time, and has gotten
>> progressively cheaper each time.
>
>I remember the first 'Buy it now' price was $375,000 with an opening
>price of $250,000.
>
>It's a lot cheaper now but it's missing the on-site install by Cray
>and the site license for the software.
>
>Lee.
Hi
There is nothing particularly significant or
historic about this particular machine. It is
too bad that it will most likely end up being sold
for scrap. A museum may want to buy it but it
is generally like many current PC's. It is too
new to be of particular interest and is too
obsolete to be particularly useful. A school
might find it useful.
I'd like to have the machine but I tend to like
to collect useable machines. It would just be
floor space to me. Surely a conversation piece
but that is about all.
Dwight
>> Anyone want a cray..
>> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5215815875
>> Not entirely certain the auction is legit.. almost seems "too
good"..
> It's been relisted at least a dozen times now, it was started
> somewhere around $300k-$500k the first time, and has gotten
> progressively cheaper each time.
I remember the first 'Buy it now' price was $375,000 with an opening
price of $250,000.
It's a lot cheaper now but it's missing the on-site install by Cray
and the site license for the software.
Lee.
.
___________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Messenger - NEW crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
I tried to post this once before, but I never saw that it showed up, so here goes again... I'm trying to build a replica of a 680B using a real 680B case from eBay, authentic switches and LEDs, and a power supply and CPU board of my own design. I've seen both flat- and round-handled toggles in pictures on the web and my old issues of Byte magazine, and have been unable to discern a pattern to it. Can anyone on the list tell me why the difference, and which one is more accurate to use? Thanks.
