26 Jul
1998
26 Jul
'98
2:39 p.m.
< I've not been able to find time to dig into the machine, are the two
< powersupplies in a BA123 the same or different? My dead one is the one
< that powers the card cage.
<
Zane,
thy both power the card cage each one a different part of it. Running on
one is bad.
Do inspect them for fan failures and blown fuses. Also if one or the
other is not loaded enough it's may not start up!
Allison
26 Jul
26 Jul
1:25 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000 [the Delorean of computers]
Hi,
I have one of these somewhere but not handy. I don't remember what
the deal is with the switch but I do recall that the one I bought had
the batteries taken out of it and replaced with a power supply.
I got the impression from the owner that the system originally
trickle-charged the batteries as the unit ran. Without the batteries
I think it would not work unless you take the back section apart and
rewire it.
It is _very_ nice early-PC machinismo. The quality of industrial
design put into the unit has rarely been matched. Back-lit display
and the whole deal.
I guess you could call it the DeLorean of early MS-DOS compatibles. :-)
Hope this helps...
Thomas
3:11 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
OK, I feel like an idiot. Could somebody tell me where the power switch
is located on a Kaypro 2000?
-- Doug
3:37 p.m.
New subject: NES ROB
Cool. I just picked up a Nintendo ROB (robotic operating buddy). The web
tells me this thing only worked with a couple of games: Gyromite and
Stack-up. I don't have either of these games. I'd like to see ROB in
action -- does anybody have one of these games they'd like to sell or
trade?
If, like me, you've never heard of this toy before, try:
http://www.internet1.net/~nesworld/rob.htm
-- Doug
6:53 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
OK, I feel like an idiot. Could somebody tell me where
the power switch
is located on a Kaypro 2000?
-- Doug
Whoa, it's been a long time. That was my first PC compatible back when
they were available new. IIRC the power switch is one the right side, and
the button looks like part of the ribed rubber thing around the middle.
What made it nice was the 4 hour battery!
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
8:40 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
On Sun, 26 Jul 1998, Don Maslin wrote:
Either my switch is missing or I'm thick as a brick. On the top is the
detachable keyboard, the pop-up floppy, a cubby with the keyboard cable, a
partition between the two, LCD hinges, the LCD release latch, and the LCD
itself. There's a handle and DC plug in the back. There's a serial port
on the left side covered by the bumper strip, and there're modem jacks and
a bus connector on the bottom. Can you give me another landmark for where
the switch should be?
-- Doug
OK, I feel
like an idiot. Could somebody tell me where the power switch
is located on a Kaypro 2000?
Top center, just below the LCD screen, Doug. 
27 Jul
27 Jul
7:59 a.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998, Doug Yowza wrote:
On Sun, 26 Jul 1998, Don Maslin wrote:
Either my switch is missing or I'm thick as a brick. On the top is the
detachable keyboard, the pop-up floppy, a cubby with the keyboard cable, a
partition between the two, LCD hinges, the LCD release latch, and the LCD
itself. There's a handle and DC plug in the back. There's a serial port
on the left side covered by the bumper strip, and there're modem jacks and
a bus connector on the bottom. Can you give me another landmark for where
the switch should be?
Aha! We have discovered that there is more than a single version of the
2000, Doug! On mine the deck between the detachable keyboard and the LCD
screen is clear except for the ON/OFF switch, a battery meter, and a
sliding contrast control. The drives are on the left and right rear edge.
Guess I cannot be of help. Sorry!
- don
OK, I
feel like an idiot. Could somebody tell me where the power switch
is located on a Kaypro 2000?
Top center, just below the LCD screen, Doug.
3:29 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
Aha! We have discovered that there is more than a
single version of the
2000, Doug! On mine the deck between the detachable keyboard and the LCD
screen is clear except for the ON/OFF switch, a battery meter, and a
sliding contrast control. The drives are on the left and right rear edge.
Guess I cannot be of help. Sorry!
- don
Drives? Battery Meter? I believe that's a 2000+, my memory is bad, but I
remember the 2000+ and I distictly remember there not being a battery meter
and only one drive on the 2000.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
4:04 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998, Zane H. Healy wrote:
Drives? Battery Meter? I believe that's a 2000+,
my memory is bad, but I
remember the 2000+ and I distictly remember there not being a battery meter
and only one drive on the 2000.
That matches my memory of the 2000 (from last night). Other interesting
attributes: the trademark Kaypro brushed aluminum case, and a mobo in
which *every* chip is socketed, even the cheap TTL logic. That should
make it easy to work on, but probably also expalins why it's not working
at present.
Somebody mentioned the battery as a possible culprit. AFAICT, the battery
should not affect bootability. For one thing, I couldn't find either a
CMOS battery or a bridge battery, and the main battery seems to be in
parallel with the DC input, so the thing should take juice from either.
-- Doug
7:11 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998, Doug Yowza wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998, Zane H. Healy wrote:
That is(/was) fairly typical of Kaypro. A lot of the 8-bit machines were
built that way.
Drives? Battery Meter? I believe that's a
2000+, my memory is bad, but I
remember the 2000+ and I distictly remember there not being a battery meter
and only one drive on the 2000.
That matches my memory of the 2000 (from last night). Other interesting
attributes: the trademark Kaypro brushed aluminum case, and a mobo in
which *every* chip is socketed, even the cheap TTL logic. That should
make it easy to work on, but probably also expalins why it's not working
at present. Somebody mentioned the battery as a possible culprit.
AFAICT, the battery
should not affect bootability. For one thing, I couldn't find either a
CMOS battery or a bridge battery, and the main battery seems to be in
parallel with the DC input, so the thing should take juice from either.
Don't be too sure, Doug. If the NiCads are really hosed, they may drag
down the external power to much. I had a Sharp calculator that acted
like that.
- don
8:09 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
That matches my memory of the 2000 (from last night).
Other interesting
attributes: the trademark Kaypro brushed aluminum case, and a mobo in
That was the other thing besides the battery life that I loved about that
computer, it had such an awsome case. I hope you've got the shoulder bag.
It was the nicest case and bag of any of the following 4 laptops I've
owned. Although the PowerBook 520c and 540c have got a lot nicer case
design, they just aren't as nice a case (to flimsy feeling).
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
8:31 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998, Zane H. Healy wrote:
That was the other thing besides the battery life that
I loved about that
computer, it had such an awsome case. I hope you've got the shoulder bag.
It was the nicest case and bag of any of the following 4 laptops I've
owned. Although the PowerBook 520c and 540c have got a lot nicer case
design, they just aren't as nice a case (to flimsy feeling).
I got the shoulder bag, but it's a pretty tight/flimsy synthetic thing
with no pockets. Maybe you had the ShoulderBag+ :-) I'm generally fond
of leather bags, but I also like the synthetic one for the Mac Portable:
lots of pockets and padding + cool neoprene handle.
As far as cases go, the aluminum Kaypro 2000 (which, despite the name,
probably isn't Y2K-ready, BTW) is definitely in the top-10. Magnesium
alloys (pioneered by GRiD) are making a comeback (checkout the latest
light-weight HP notebook, for example). But as long as portable makers
are going to use plastic, it should always be translucent green like the
eMate's :-)
-- Doug
7:07 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998, Zane H. Healy wrote:
Drives? Battery Meter? I believe that's a 2000+,
my memory is bad, but I
remember the 2000+ and I distictly remember there not being a battery meter
and only one drive on the 2000.
You are exactly right, Zane. That portion of the lid is scarred up a bit
and the '+' is not all that apparent!
- don
26 Jul
26 Jul
10:53 p.m.
New subject: Kaypro 2000
On Sun, 26 Jul 1998, Don Maslin wrote:
Top center, just below the LCD screen, Doug.
Oh, now I get it. The switch is hidden beneath the LCD and lifting the
LCD all the way up is supposed to trigger the switch. So, now I just have
to figure out why it's not powering up. Probably a dead battery.
-- Doug
9492
days inactive
9494
days old
14 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
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allisonp＠world.std.com -
donm＠cts.com -
healyzh＠ix.netcom.com -
thomas100＠home.com -
yowza＠yowza.com