Stuff and Things.

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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

PhilC wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 11:56 am Wow @rubber_jonnie youre going to have a busy weekend. Even busier if I get a chance to post the pcb as well :D
Indeed I am, as I also have to replace the derailleurs & chain on my bike!!

I really need to get back to the MSX Mapper/Megaram and CoCoSDC and see if I can actually do some good stuff with them. Of all the SD solutions I have, they are the most awkward to use.

And I need to pull out my STEs and see if they have the snap, crackle and pop issue.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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mrbombermillzy
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by mrbombermillzy »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 12:02 pm And I need to pull out my STEs and see if they have the snap, crackle and pop issue.
Can we offically call it the Atari STe Rice Crispies problem then? :lol:
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

mrbombermillzy wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 4:39 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 12:02 pm And I need to pull out my STEs and see if they have the snap, crackle and pop issue.
Can we offically call it the Atari STe Rice Crispies problem then? :lol:
Works for me :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

In an effort to give myself more to do (Like I needed to), I've just got myself an OSI Superboard 600 Rev D via a chap over at Stardot.

PXL_20220811_095906821.jpg
PXL_20220811_095906821.jpg (396.83 KiB) Viewed 961 times

Looks like I'm going to have a busy rest of the year!!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by stephen_usher »

It's interesting that it's been manufactured without a solder resist layer. That's very late 1970s that is.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 1:54 pm It's interesting that it's been manufactured without a solder resist layer. That's very late 1970s that is.
Given it's a repro board, clearly the whole plan was to make it look as original as possible.

The lack of solder resist was about the first thing that caught my eye too.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Minor panic with the OSSC, it started losing sync over SCART, and since that is one of the primary inputs I use, I was worried something had gone bang!!

I tested through the component connection using my TI99/4a and all seemed well, so I pulled it out of the case and noticed a lot of flux left over the bottom of the board, and specifically the SCART connector. Since it was a new item when bought a few years ago, it's a little off that it wasn't cleaned up during assembly.

I cleaned that all up with IPA and then reflowed the SCART socket. Fingers crossed it's done the trick and I've left it running to keep an eye on it, my Atari 600XL is the test machine running the enhanced version of PETSCII Robots :)

So far so good.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Well, seems like I have a few things on the cards.
  1. Caps are ordered and on the way for the Cumana drive for the BBC.
  2. Memory is on order for the Dragon 32
  3. The TRS-80 has a power issue, but since the PSU is working, but there seems to be no power to the ICs, it's somewhere in the muddle that is the rectification and voltage generation section. I may just hook up 5v from my bench PSU to see if I can get any activity. At least I have decent schematics, unlike those for the D32!!
Should keep me busy for a bit.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Another component with an identity crisis:

PXL_20220828_131527692.jpg
PXL_20220828_131527692.jpg (152.54 KiB) Viewed 812 times

And yes, it was connected the right way around :) (In reality, the component tester doesn't care and figures it out itself)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: Stuff and Things.

Post by rubber_jonnie »

And just in:

PXL_20220909_101702006.jpg
PXL_20220909_101702006.jpg (240.88 KiB) Viewed 762 times

The RAM tester recommended by @stephen_usher, which has beyond doubt proved that 5 of the 8 RAM ICs from the TRS-80 were indeed dead as dead can be.

The 41256 was known good and tested just fine :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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