480z system disk on ebayu

[Jules Richardson]

Tony Duell wrote:
>>Does the colour monitor just look to be a rebadged something-else? I've 
>>never seen a kosher colour display for the 480Z either, so I don't know 
>>if RML designed their own monitor case (or even chassis), just rebadged 
>>someone else's, or expected the user to provide whatever they chose.
> 
> 
> I am pretty sure RML never made or badged a monitor for the 380Z.

Agreed - all the info I've seen suggests you provided your own. Just not 
sure if the 480Z was the same deal or not (given that it's a much more 
stylised machine)

> The 
> We had 380Z's at school (heck, that's over 20 years ago!), they had those 
> little 9" Hitachi monitors that come in a roughly cubical metal case on 
> them. 

Ahh, yep, I got one of those with my 380Z. Perhaps they were a standard 
option (contrary to what I assumed above), or they were an option like 
that when RML approached schools (or vice versa).

> While I was at school, we bought one RGB output module for the RGB board 
> (you know, the bracket on the back with 4 BNCs).

Reminds me, I need to fix mine (output module) on my 380Z. Can't 
remember the details now (and it's a few thousand miles away :) but I'm 
reasonably sure I remember it blowing the fuse in the PSU on the -12V 
line when the board was connected, but the machine was fine otherwise. 
Never got around to fixing it before I left the UK, but I don't imagine 
there's much on the board to go wrong!

Of course it could be a fault with the RGB board itself I suppose...

> It didn't come with a 
> monitor, and AFAIK none was speficially recomended. I do remember 
> dismantling the school's Barco colour monitor, and armed with a circuit 
> diagram, adding  RGB inputs (Back then, schools were not so dumbed down 
> that the kids weren't allowed to do anything even moderately dangerous, 
> thankfully!)

Heh, that's still pretty cool though. I imagine most schools of the time 
wouldn't want people taking expensive bits of kit apart (even if they 
thought the person was competent).The ones I went to would have extended 
to people making up their own cables etc. I think, but not delving 
inside equipment!

cheers

Jules