25 May
2003
25 May
'03
4:14 p.m.
I just retrieved an Altair 8800B from long term
storage. I blew away
the dust, checked for loose connections, and finally powered it up.
Lights flickered to life, and then smoke poured from the front panel.
I pulled it apart, and found a very crispy capacitor number C4 on the
front panel card. My first problem is that this capacitor is so crispy
that I have no way of determining the proper value. It is (was)
connected to a voltage regulator marked "F 79MO8 AUC 7535"
The 79M08 is a -8V regulator FWIW...
If you are lucky, and if that was a tantalum bead capacitor, then it
might be the only fault. I've had them go short-circuit for no good
reason and then burn up quite spectacularly. Often the machine carries on
running.
I can't tell you the value (my schematics, in the 'S100 Handbook' don't
show the regulstors), but try someting like 2.2uF as a start.
-tony