Re: Laser 3000

[ds_spen@pavo.concordia.ca (SPENCE, DOUGLAS S)]

In article <ZI950U8.lmcclure@delphi.com>, Lonnie McClure <lmcclure@delphi.com> writes...

>     "Maybe the top 15 pins and bottom 15 pins are identical?"
> 
>It is possibly the RS-232 on the Laser 3000 is set up that way, as
>Commodore's edge connector for their datasette used that method. However,

That's what I was thinking of when I wrote that. :)

>most edge connectors I have seen that have enough pins on one side for
>the active signals put ground on the other side, so that if a flat ribbon
>cable is used, every other line is ground, cutting interference and
>crosstalk.
> 
>That said, such a design make make sense for a parrallel or disk drive
>cable, but not for serial.

Well, I don't think there is a full side of ground pins.  Some of the other
connectors do have pins that are merged together, that I assume to be ground,
but the "RS232" connector has 30 fully separated pins.

However, I now find that I am free to open this L3000.  It died a few nights
ago and I was forced to break the warrantee seal in order to fix it.  Turned
out to be a bad solder joint.  A wire coming from the power socket had come
loose. :/  I almost died when it blinked out, though.

>I wish our local Salvation Army thrift shops would put more "thrift" in
>their computer prices. As an example, I dropped by the main one here in
>Little Rock today. They wanted $40 for an old NEC PC-6001A, which had
>no disk drive, only the cassette cable, and no box or manual. They also
>had a "kids learning computer" of some type made by our old friend
>Video Technology that they wanted $25 for.

Well, at this Salvation Army thrift shop, it's hard to find anything of that
sort at all.  Anything Apple compatible is gone before you even know it was
there.  Same goes with anything made by Commodore, excepting the Vic-20,
and anything that has integrated monitors or disk drives.  Basically, if it
isn't a CoCo 1 or 2, a TI-99/4A, or one of a couple of models of Atari 8-bit
system, you're out of luck.  Even the VIC-20s generally have a short stay.

All machines are almost immediately stripped of any cabling, power supplies,
or peripherals as well, and it is VERY rare to find a manual for anything.
Cartridges appear occasionally, though.

I guess the Laser 3000 had people confused enough that I was able to get it.

As for pricing, I'll give you a rundown of the prices I've payed at the SA
here in Montreal:

Atari 800XL: $3
Coco 1: $5
Coco 2: $5
Vic-20 (with French manual): $5
TI-99/4A (with PS, cassette cable, RF Modulator, tape manual, half of box): $8
Laser 3000: $10
5 Vic-20 cartridges: $5

Basically, I think they base prices on how complete a system is, what quality
it seems to be to the uninitiated eye, how they feel that day, how I'm
dressed, etc. :)  (When I bought the L3000, I had just had a haircut that day)

I always get the feeling that someone actually purposefully strips all
valuable stuff from them.  In fact, there's a store in Montreal that sells
C64 power supplies for $20, 2-prong Vic supplies for $10...  Hummm...

They don't price the units at this SA until you get to the cash (though a
few machines have prices on them - usually very high).

>It sounds like when it comes to acquiring old computers, I would come
>out better by paying you 2x the price you pay + shipping! <grin>

You probably already have all the computers that can normally be found in
this shop.  Or do you want a few dozen TI-99's? :)

>     "I had no idea it had 192K, BTW.  But I guess it's bank
>      switched, as the ROM also must be.  Any idea how to access
>      either?"
> 
>The second 64K might be accessed in the same manner as on an Apple IIe.
>However, even if so, I have no idea how the third 64K would be accessed.
>It could also be banked into the main 64K address space in small memory
>segments, like the aftermarket mods to put 256K or more in 8-bit Ataris,
>and Atari's own 130XE.

Well, I don't know how to access the second 64K in an Apple IIe.  I always
just had a II+ clone.  I guess I'll have to snoop around in some Apple
programming manuals, if the university still has any. :)


Doug Spence
DS_SPEN@pavo.concordia.ca