OT Troubleshooting: Old computers with modern parts

[Tony Duell]

> > I have a rug and a cat in my apartment.  Meow walk ... zap
> 
> If your static situation is that bad, you'd better not use any

I prefer just to keep the cat off my workbench, and not stroke him when 
I'm working on anything electronic (even bipolar stuff _can_ be damaged 
by static).

> RAM, EPROM, or Flash chips made in the last 15 years.  They're all
> CMOS.
> 
> > I forgot to add , I like things socketed.
> 
> I like things reliable.  Soldered is more reliable than socketed.
> If you *must* use sockets, use high quality machined-pin sockets.

For prototyping / experimatal work I always use sockets if I can. It 
makes debugging a lot easier (you can pull the chip and force pins to 
particular levels). I only ever use what we called 'turned pin' sockets 
(and I guess are the same as 'machined pin' ones, and I don't think I've 
ever had a bad contact on one. I've had plenty of problems with cheaper 
sockets, though... My time may not be worth much, but it's worth enough 
not to want to deal with that sort of problem...

> > Straight 8's look better and better all the time. :)
> 
> I'd love to get one.  Closest I have is an 8/I.

I only have an 8/e.

> 
> The only nontrivial electronic computing devices I have which use
> no ICs are Friden EC130 and EC132 desktop electronic calculators, circa
> 1964 and 1965, which use lots of transistors, a delay line memory, and a
> CRT display.

The only no-IC machine I have is a Casio AL1000 calculator, from around 
1967 -- IIRC it was sold under the Commodore name as well. It's all 
discrete transsitors and diodes, core memory, and a row of nixie tubes 
for the display.

Somebody is going to say 'don't you have an HP9100'. Yes, I have a pair 
of 9100Bs, but they have 8 ICs in them. 8 op-amps on the magnetic card 
reader PCB (read amplifer and comparator for the 3 data tracks and the 
timing track). The logic, of course, is all discrete transistors and 
diodes, with a core read/write memory, core-on-a-rope microcode and that 
inductively coupled PCB main firmware ROM.

-tony