General Stuff(tm)

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JezC
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by JezC »

Basically the chips in the package have a guaranteed period where they won't absorb moisture...so they are given a lifetime in the sealed bag & then a number of hours to be soldered before they absorb a certain amount of moisture...beyond either of those limits &
it's recommended to dry them in an oven before they are soldered onto the board.

It's a bit more complex than that, but it gives the basic idea.
Can't remember if it's the risk of moisture boiling off & breaking the plastic encapsulation in the chip and/or possible tarnishing on the pins/pads which degrades the solderability
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

I wonder if it's actually the lead free solder which absorbs water and hence that won't flow once it's hydrated.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Continuing the theme of "Ooops, I did it again." on the forums. I seem to have won an eBay auction for an Amstrad CPC 6128 + green screen monitor, modulator box and games all for £117. I'll have to drive over to Bristol to collect it the weekend after next.

Only submitting a bid 15 seconds before the end certainly works.

Given how much CPC 6128s usually go for on FleaBay these days this was a bargain.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Well, it looks like ParcelFarce aren't going to be delivering my RS Components order today given that they're apparently still stuck in the delivery office (driver shortage?), which means I won't be able to check the Apricot's bus signal timing.

Bother!
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Location: Oxford, UK.
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Designed a Cypress Semiconductor CY62167GE TSOP-I to DIP converter board this morning and seeing how much getting on assembled by PCBWay will be. A bit expensive as they're 4 layer boards though.

Let's see how that gets on.

Otherwise, I'm at a bit of a dead end due to the DIN plug units I ordered from RS Components weren't delivered yesterday so I can't look at the bus control timings on the Apricot.

P.S. In lieu of all this, and the posting about what machines we have, I'm creating a spreadsheet of all my gubbins.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Hmm.. The reviewers at PCBWay keep rejecting my Gerber files as unopenable even though they are being generated in precisely the same way as I have before. :-/

P.S. Submitting without requesting assembly worked. Submitted a separate assembly quote request now.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Location: Oxford, UK.
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Wooo! I just levelled up on PCBWay.

I went from "Bella Yu" (level 2) to "Yolanda Chen" (level 3) after ordering the assembly of one of the SRAM TSOP to DIP adapters with a CY SRAM chip soldered on top.

No bosses to fight yet though.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

I've been in Twitter conversation with the person running the retro computer festival weekend being held at the Centre for the History of Computing in Cambridge on the 9th/10th October about possibly exhibiting stuff there, along with Binary Dinosaurs etc.

I'm not sure what to exhibit though. I could do "unusual British Micros from the mid-80s" with the Memotechs and Apricots, and maybe Sinclair QL, or I could show off the ST+TF536+switcher board and the TT or I could do something completely different, early Sun SPARCstations. Too many choices!

In other news, I brought the Apricot F2 out of storage so as to measure up the expansion card slot area as I knew that the steel shield was a bit different. This has meant a slight redesign of the board.

Anyway, whilst it's here I thought I'd have a proper play with GEM version 1.2. :-)

So similar to the ST GEM and yet so different.

IMG_2368.jpg
IMG_2368.jpg (76.12 KiB) Viewed 5568 times
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Oxford, UK.
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

It looks like I'll be exhibiting stuff at the Retro Computer Festival in Cambridge in October.
http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/ ... h-October/

I've still to decide what to take. I have a 1.8m long table so I can only really have a couple of working machines, with some extra static display.

I could do:
  • Unusual British computers from the mid-80s. (Memotechs & Apricots (floppy converter and maybe RAM board) and possibly Sinclair QL (with Super Gold Card clone))
  • Accelerated Atari ST (520STFM+TF536 and CPU switch board) and Atari TT030.
  • Or something else.
I'd better decide quite quickly and start writing the display bumph and pulling together a set of software for the systems.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Very cool you're going to exhibit there, I sometimes go up in October for my birthday, it's a great little place. Sadly I won't be able to go this year, hope you have a great time and show off your machine :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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