Mystery hardware Part I

[jeff.brielmaier@yob.com (Jeff Brielmaier)]

To: neiderma@eden.rutgers.edu

K >On a ][+ ... there is a membrane-keyboard strip attached to the front
K >lip of the computer lid.  The strip has about 12 buttons on it and a
K >ribbon cable which attaches via a db-9 connector to a daughter- board
K >attached to the keyboard board inside the machine. ...  There is a
K >Videx company stamp on the strip.  What is this thing for?

It's a "function key" strip.  I never used one myself, but there was software
(keypress?) which allowed you to program the various 'function' keys (buttons)
so that when they were pressed the programmed set of keypresses would be
played back to the computer.

K >Sider message (with card in slot7):
K >Hard disk if offline
K >Version 2.02 2/16/87
K >
K >From a power-on boot, slot6 (5.25" drive) gets booted immediately.
K >We figured that the drive must take a long time to spin up, but after
K >a 3 minute wait before ctrl-apple-reset reboot, the same message
K >came up.  2 different controller cards were tried so it must be the
K >drive, right?  There is a terminator on the drive.

It sounds like either the drive and/or power supply has died.  One thing to 
check is to open up the Sider case and insure that all of the cables are
plugged in (I had a Sider drive that the power cable had worked loose
previously).

Also, look at the "jumper" on the back of the drive.  It should be on the 
vertical pair of pins all the way to the right (as viewed from the back pf the 
drive).  If the jumper is on the wrong set of pins on missing, the drive will 
not be recognized by the controller as the 'boot' device.

If you have a volt meter, measure the voltage on the power connector to insure
that the p/s is working (+5 and +12 volts).

* KingQWK 1.05 # [PK] * I give you the 15<SMASH><woops!>...the 10 Commandments!

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