Altair Fan

[Randy McLaughlin]

From: "Tony Duell" <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2005 7:53 PM


>>    What I don't get - and this isn't flame bait, I really don't
>> understand - is the mania to preserve systems like S-100 sytems, big-box
>> Amigas, even PDP-11s, that very rarely show up in their factory
>> configuration.
>
> Oh, not this _again_....
>
> I agree with you. Very few machines were unaltered between leaving the
> factory and getting to you. There is no good reason why they can't be
> altered some more...
>
> My views are simple. I will do modifications if they make the machine
> more useful. Obviously improving cooling airflow comes into this
> category. I will not substantially change the design (and this includes
> replacing linear PSUs with SMPSUs, for example), I won't make unnecessary
> mods. And I'll keep documentation of what I've done.
>
> -tony

If you go to www.imsai.net you will find a file that contains several user 
supplied mods to the front panel.  Imsai collected the mods and made them 
available to other customers.  Cromemco had their own mods for the Z1.

Modifying a classic system was normal a museum could show the system as 
factory original or modified to support a particular piece of hardware.

Imsai and other manufacturers understood this, if you look at the Imsai MIO 
you will find more options than any other board I am aware of.

I believe in keeping to the original but I also believe what the original 
was counts too.

If a disk controller has a data separator added that's good.

Some people repainted the cases (tan/brown was very popular), I would keep a 
tan/brown computer as is I might repaint it back to blue but I would never 
paint an original colored case to a non original color..

I take issue on some things like cutting holes or like a recent post 
removing a large filter cap and replacing it with two smaller caps, even 
changing screws when you still have the originals.

If you need to replace something bad try to replace it with an original 
style piece.

If it is unreliable or doesn't work fix it even if it means changing from 
the original, otherwise you just have a pretty boat anchor.


Randy
www.s100-manuals.com