Comment on 'boardswapping' as part of the computer culture.

[Tony Duell]

> 
> >> Actually I am trying to think of anything I own and depend on (or
> >> even use actively) that I am not capable of repairing....
> > Your PC's harddisk,
> 
> Tony doesn't have a "PC" (he's stated this often enough that even I

Oh, but I do. Both in the sense of an IBM 5150 (albeit with the 64K-256K 
system board), and int he sense of a somewhat more modern IBM 
sort-of-compatible (this much-hacked PC/AT). What I don't have is a 
machine that runs current, modern, PC software (and nor do I want one).

> have managed to remeber it - even if I've misremembered, I'm quite sure
> he does not "depend on" one) and quite likely does not have, and surely
> does not depend on, a modern "harddisk" - by which I mean one with

I do not depend on a PC, I do not depend on the hard disk.

> effectively unrepairable electronics (by heavy dependence on
> undocumented ASICs) and a sealed and approximately unrepairable
> head/platter assembly.
> 
> > Also the same is true for the computer CPU's.
> 
> Not for most (all, probably, given his statement) of Tony's machines.

Alas many of my machines do have microprocessors in them. I even have a 
few machines with custom ASICs or bybrid modules for the processor. In 
another thread I've been discussing the HP9845. My HP9845B with 
high-speed language processor and enhanced mono monitor contains 3 
procesors : 

The Peripheral Procesor Unit. A custom HP hybrid module

The Language Processor Unit. 3 PCBs full of AMD 29xx bit-slice, PROMs, TTL

The graphics processor. An HP ASIC

But I don't depend on that machine, and can repair it to component (i.e. 
IC or hybrid module) level, even though there is no official 
documentation on doing this.

-tony