3 Dec
2018
3 Dec
'18
8:45 p.m.
A company called RDI made the Britelite and Powerlite laptops. They
eventually merged with Tadpole, which made its own SPARC laptops
(SPARCbooks). As someone else mentioned, there were different Britelite
models based on the various Sun lunchbox system boards. When I had my
Britelite IPX on display on VCF, someone told me that they recognized
the case as something used in another laptop.
Sun never made their own laptop, but they made a portable called the
SPARCstation Voyager.
On 12/3/18 7:33 PM, ED SHARPE wrote:
Very Nice collection! Yes? have to love that? laptop.
Did not know?
SUN made one. or? I? guess a third? party? put the? Sun? goodies in a
case of their? design?? either way? ?NEAT!
Seeing? ?a? nice? run of? systems like this in wonderful condition?
is? great!
Ed#
In a message dated 12/2/2018 5:49:49 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
cctalk at classiccmp.org writes:
I will have to get back with you on the audio. It is on offline backup
media and I need to find it.
Here is a link to some photos of the exhibit -
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7qC8UbEYCeCf9CBo7
The RDI Britelite (laptop) is a SPARCstation IPX system board in a
laptop chassis. It was in the Day 1 exhibit, but not the Day 2 exhibit
because the power adapter died on the morning of the second day.
One of the photos is an opened-up SPARCstation LX, which is very similar
on the inside to your IPC.
My exhibit next year will be on early 90s SPARC clones.
alan
On 12/2/18 1:43 PM, ED SHARPE via cctalk wrote:
Alan...? ?would? ?love? a? copy? of? the? audio?
for? our archives?
here.
Would? like to? see pix? of? your? display too? sounds neat!
Any? other? ?files? text? or? otherwise? welcome? also ?to? this?
address? ?or?
drop? us a? ?dropbox? link
The? Sun? workstations? I? never? knew too much? about as at the
time? ?did not?
seems? like? old? history? nor? did? we use any? so
playing catchup!
Thanks in? advance...
Ed#
In a message dated 12/2/2018 12:44:32 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
cctalk at
classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org> writes:
There is only room for drives in the top half of the chassis.? The PSU
and an assembly that holds the drives fills the top half. A 3.5"
half-height drive fits in one side of the assembly and a 3.5" floppy
drive fits in the other. The PSU cables go from the rear to the front of
that side of the chassis, below the FDD (when the chassis is closed).
I did an exhibit on Sun lunchbox systems, including the IPC (4/40), for
PNW VCF earlier this year. I looked for press kits, posters, etc. to use
in the exhibit, but could only find text files. I know people who worked
at Sun on the development of those early SPARCstations and none of them
had any of that kind of material.
I had an audio cassette "Introducing the IPC" for Sun sales. I donated
it to CHM this year (but I ripped the audio before I sent it to them).
alan
On 12/2/18 10:13 AM, ED SHARPE via cctalk wrote:
> Thanks? for the? info? to? get it? open!? when? back at the?
office? ?shall?
?do that..? ?there? may? be? drives in 2 places -? on
board and? the off board? one. Always interesting to? explore?
something? ?one? has? only? read? about!
>
>
>
> Along the? ?same? line? of? UNIX? ?stuff? ?we? have a COBALT? ?1U
Pretty?
blue? sever and a? COBALT? CUBE.? I? do remember? ?lusting?
after? one of these? ?1U? COBALT? servers when they? were? current
didn't? have anything in? the? budget back then? though? for? one.? I?
have? been? told? SUN eventually ended up? owning COBALT.
>
> As? will all that? ?we? ? have? we? are? looking? for any? ad
slicks? ?press
kits? ? posters,? wild artwork? ?for the? Sun $/40,? ?
and the? 2? COBALT? machines..
>
> Ed Sharpe archivist? for SMECC www.smecc.org <http://www.smecc.org>
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 12/1/2018 8:15:39 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
aperry at
snowmoose.com <mailto:aperry at snowmoose.com> writes:
>
>
> Yes. It is next to floppy in the upper half of the chassis. There
is a 50-pin
(IDC connectors) ribbon cable that goes down to system
board at the bottom of the lower half of the chassis. The chassis
splits in the vertical middle in a, if looking at the chassis, fairly
obvious place. Because of the cables that run from the top to bottom,
it effectively hinges at the front of the chassis. There a couple
buttons on the side to release and sometimes a security cable bit to
remove (phillips screw).
>
> On 12/1/18 7:08 PM, ED SHARPE wrote:
> Hi? Alan - The? hard drive is same? size cabinet.... with? I? guess
a? SCSSI?
?cable.? I? will have? to? look? at it? ?further...? ?wonder
if starting it? out on? a? variac ?would? help the capacitors? like?
I? do? with the old radio sets? here in the museum? ed#
>
>
> In a message dated 12/1/2018 8:04:03 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
> aperry at snowmoose.com <mailto:aperry at snowmoose.com> writes:
>
> Well, as I said, in my experience, the NVRAMs that you can buy new
from
Mouser work good enough. And the mod to the original battery
isn't that hard to make.
>
> In my experience with IPCs, the bigger problem is the power
supplies. If the
PS on the IPC that you have now doesn't need to be
re'capped now, it will need it soon. After that will likely be the HDD
that needs work. Almost all of my HDDs that originally shipped with
lunchbox systems up to the 424 meg (ST1480N) have died. The price for
working 50-pin SCSI HDDs are at a point that SD2SCSI parts make more
sense (unless you want to exhibit them as they originally ran).
>
> alan
>
> On 12/1/18 6:55 PM, ED SHARPE wrote:
> BUMMER
> It may become a static? display.....
>
> Ed#
>
>
> In a message dated 12/1/2018 7:53:44 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
> cctalk at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org> writes:
>
> A 4/40 is a SPARCstation IPC. It used a M48T02 NVRAM for the IDPROM.
>
> Yes, one with the dreaded battery.
>
> alan
>
> On 12/1/18 5:04 PM, Ed via cctalk wrote:
>> we were given this and a hard dribe a floor standimg
decwriter..... does
this use NV ram with dreaded battery? thanks,ed
>>
>> Sent from AOL Mobile Mail