85 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
85 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
MiniSport Laptop Hacker - Vol 4 28 Nov 92
|
|
|
|
A few more folks checked in since the last issue. It was good to hear from
|
|
KI6PL, N8OWM, N8PJP, KU8H. These volumes come out pretty spuratically.
|
|
That's why they're labelled Volumes rather than Parts. Each is put out on
|
|
the network as I have info to fill it. Be sure to send me *your* informa-
|
|
tion! The rumor mill suggests a large pool of these machines is becoming
|
|
available in the Michigan area at reasonable prices. That should provide
|
|
a much bigger pool of users to swap information. Good!
|
|
|
|
One of the best purchases I've made recently is a CD-ROM. I survive with
|
|
one Ham radio related disk and one shareware distribution disk. Any of the
|
|
programs I refer to are likely sourced by these two CD-ROMs. I would love
|
|
to share them with you, and it's encouraged by the program authors. Make
|
|
it painless for me (disk SASE, clear request, etc) and I'll make copies for
|
|
you. If you're a "want it now" type of person, we can do a phone data
|
|
transfer.
|
|
|
|
>>> FLOPPY DISK SOURCE The strange 2" floppy disks problem seems to be a
|
|
perennial concern. Here's all the non-rumor info I have. Rex Television
|
|
Service Co (7030 W. 111th Street, Worth, IL 60482-1827) sells a 10cnt box
|
|
for $45.00, but then tacks on another $10 for freight. They also tried to
|
|
get me for sales tax, but refunded it later. Phone 708-448-5558. The box
|
|
I have indicates a lifetime warantee from FUJI, with the following Point of
|
|
Contact: Fuji Photo Film USA, Inc., 555 Taxter Rd, Elmsford, NY 10523.
|
|
|
|
>>> FILE TRANSFERS I found COMMO and DSZ will work together on the MiniS-
|
|
port for what I need in less space than PROCOMM takes. This allows packet
|
|
(or modem comm) with ZMODEM, YMODEM, and XMODEM protocols. I tried using
|
|
DSZ with a hardwire between computers, using a null modem cable (FWL, which
|
|
is on your disk C:, is faster. Don't ask why I do these things!). DSZ did
|
|
not like the 3-wire null cable I described in MLH Vol3 that works with
|
|
FWL. It needed to "hear" the CD (Carrier Detect) on the serial port. Try-
|
|
ing to stay as globally portable as possible, here's a full blown null mo-
|
|
dem cable that lets you plug into almost any IBM/PC/XT/AT/'286/'386/'486/?
|
|
that you may come across.
|
|
|
|
{9fem}--------4' 7cond cable------({9fem}----- 5" 7cond cable----{25male})
|
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
0 (0 1) DB-25 Frame Ground is not used
|
|
1-6 (1-6 8-6) Each feeds it's received DSR into CD, also
|
|
2-(3-2) Data to loner
|
|
3-(2-3) Data from loner
|
|
4-(6-6) DTR from loner goes to others' DSR
|
|
5-(5-7) Signal Ground
|
|
6-(4-20) DSR to loner from others' DTR
|
|
7-(8-5) RTS from loner to others' CTS
|
|
8-(7-4) CTS to loner from others' RTS
|
|
9 (9 22) Ring Indicator not used
|
|
|
|
The numbers to the left are pin numbers. Wires are represented by "-". In
|
|
the text description, "loner" refers to the computer at the lone connector
|
|
end.
|
|
|
|
DSZ supports much more widely-known protocols. For that reason, it has
|
|
been important for me to get running. It's still in an evaluation stage at
|
|
this QTH. If you have any experience with this program, I'd be interested.
|
|
But be assured that Zenith did you well by providing FWL. It is an order
|
|
of magnitude faster for local hard-line transfers. I've not tested FWL
|
|
over the phone line.
|
|
|
|
SWAPPING THE SECOND MEGABYTE
|
|
I had two MiniSports. The 2M one had a power supply problem. It would
|
|
work work for a week or so and then no longer power up. Each time, I took
|
|
it apart, wiggled all the connectors, put it back together and it worked.
|
|
The fourth time around I decided "enough!"
|
|
I unsoldered the single-inline-pins of the add-in memory package (8 bits by
|
|
1 Mbyte). I resoldered into the same position in a second machine that was
|
|
working reliably as a 1M system. The memory package's pins are not actual-
|
|
ly the pins of the ICs, so I wasn't too worried about heat damage. I used
|
|
an alligator clip between the soldering iron and the computer ground.
|
|
No jumpers, solder traces, etc needed to be modified. I reran the SETUP
|
|
option (hold ESC on power up), specified new memory sizes in both, and,
|
|
voila!, they both have worked fine now. I'm still waiting for the old 2M
|
|
to fail again.
|
|
|
|
If you have any supply information on 1Mbyte x 8bit SIP (or SIMMs, I'll add
|
|
the pins), please let me know! I'm confident that I and other hams can
|
|
successfully double the memory in a 1Mbyte version of the MiniSport.
|
|
|
|
Next time, DISASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS, POWER SUPPLY PINOUT, MINIMUM BOOT
|
|
FILES, and discussion of BOARD REVISIONS.
|
|
|
|
73, Brian, ka9snf@wb7nnf,#spokn.wa.usa or Internet ka9snf@jupiter.spk.wa.us
|