Re: Need help with my CP290

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:jN_Ah.52774$2m6.52538@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:c8SdnduFdckapEnYnZ2dnUVZ_oipnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxx
>
> > Timing loops plagued a number of programs that never expected to be
> > running
> > on anything faster than an XT.  IIRC, (and I often don't) lots of games
> > wouldn't pause long enough for input in certain situations.
>
> I keep an old Epson Equity XT clone around for a PROM programmer with
timing
> loops so I can support automation equipment I designed over 2 decades ago.
> It has a 20MB harddrive that still worked the last time I fired it up.

Was that the unit JDR Microdevices was selling?  They sent around a frequent
color flyer of clone PC parts.  Some people bought their PROM burner for
cloning genuine IBM PC BIOS chips into cheaper clones. :-)  I got mine to be
able to insert custom text strings at bootup.  I recall it hardly being
worth the effort but an interesting experience for a non-electronics kind of
guy.  The board is still attached to the card which is wrapped up in ribbon
cable attached to a 24/28 pin ZIF socket somewhere in the basement.  I
recall it to be rudimentary but pretty effective considering its cost.  I
probably should see if it has any residual value on Ebay.  I imagine the
world's moved on considerably but I see old Intellimouse Trackballs selling
for more than they did new ten years ago, so who knows what sells on Ebay?

I've found that many of my older hard drives are beginning to show signs of
impending doom.  A 6GB Fujitsu laptop drive is emitting clicks of death and
no amount of gyroscopic "push" starting seems able to revive it.  I've
ghosted them all to CD because it's so easy to pick up a replacement for
nearly everything I depend upon on Ebay.  Good luck with your Equity.  I'm
counting on a significant number of DOS and Windows 98 machines still
running intermittently, but happily, at least thirty years from now.  Once
an older PC had burned in for a while, not much stopped it except a clogged
power supply fan or some leaky caps, both of which even a solder-challenged
guy like me could fix.

I can truly empathize with Don's unwillingness to jump to Voice over the
Internet.  On something I use every day, be it a voice recorder, a cell
phone, a PC operating system or my alarm controller, I've put a considerable
effort into learning how to operate it.  On things with lots of buttons,
there's an incredible amount of reflexive "finger" memory that develops over
time.  The best illustration I can think of is switch from a floor shift to
a steering column shift.  If you've driven a stick for 25 years, odds are
you'll be reaching for that phantom floor gearshift lever for quite some
time after it's been gone!

--
Bobby G.