new find: an Intel MDS 800

[Tony Duell]

> I've popped it open and some of the ICs (mostly TTL) have corrosion on
> the leads.  I have a few opening questions for others who have
> restored hardware in similar condition:  should I remove the corrosion
> on IC leads, or do I run the risk of 'removing' the leads.  The
> circuit boards look really good, so worst-case I will replace some of
> the chips.
> 
> What is the opinion about this kind of servicing?  The chips in
> question are all (so far as I have investigated) common 7400 series
> (some Schottky) TTL gates.  Do people consider it as 'damaging' to the
> 'credentials' of a piece of classic hardware to replace chips with
> others with significantly different date codes?

Well, I don't go around replacing good chips :-). But I do feel that if 
at all possible my classics have to work, and that means replacing parts 
if necessary. My rule (of course) is to replaced the least amount 
possible -- that it to replace a chip rather than the entire board. And 
no, I don't care about date codes, or even families (in other words I 
might put a 74LS-series chip in place of a plain 74-series one if it 
would work). In fact I have an HP9810 calculator (1972 vintage) with the 
odd 74Fxxx chip in the processor for that reason.

> This is going to be a long term project for me, I fear, because I want
> to do it right.  This machine has a built-in CRT display so I might be

All I can say here is that it often takes me a couple of months before 
powering up a new toy. Better to be patient now than to have to track 
down irreplaceable parts...

My MDS800 is the older one without the built-in terminal. I don't have 
the Intel terminal for mine, I just use a PC running a terminal emultor

> forced to do some (something I almost always refuse to do these days)
> video monitor troubleshooting.

Ah :-). Monitors actually are not that bad to work on.

-tony