Question about Sanyo Lunchbox

From: Marvin <marvin_at_rain.org>
Date: Thu Jul 3 14:04:18 1997

Robert Kirk Scott wrote:
>
> Has anyone got any ifo on a Sanyo lunchbox, model number MBC-675?
> It brings up a screen that says:
>
> 1701
> 0 Hard Disks Installed
> ROM Bios v2.33
> 640kb memory/ CPU clock 4.77MHz
>
> Then it just hangs. A boot disk will not work either.

I *think* it is an MS-DOS machine and the following system comments are
based on that assumption.

1701 on IBM and compatibles is the number for a Hard Disk error. The
first thing I would do is listen to see if the HD is actually spinning
up. If not, all is not necessarily lost. In that case, I pull the HD
and give it a quick spin. Not sure how to describe it easily in words
but the idea is that the casing is rotated quickly enough around the
platter axis to get the disk to turn slightly. If sticktion is the
problem, that will sometimes get it going again until the unit is shut
off. I don't recommend beating on the HD although I have heard people
say it works for them in cases of stiction.

If the HD is spinning up, how long are you waiting after the machine
"hangs"? Sometimes there is a waiting period of a minute or more while
the operating system waits for the HD to get itself ready.

If you are waiting three + minutes or so, I would pull the HD controller
and try again. It is possible the controller is bad or that particular
BIOS will wait forever for the HD to come to life. You could also
disconnect the two ribbon HD cables before pulling the board and see if
that makes a difference before pulling the HD controller board.

If the machine still hangs, it is possible the floppy disk or controller
is bad. The fact that you got a message on the screen tends to indicate
the motherboard works although it is possible some of the bus control
logic chips are bad and thus, any card plugged into the bus might not
work.

BTW, I am making a MAJOR assumption that the machine was working at one
time and nothing was changed from that time until the time you turned it
on. If someone has been screwing around inside with jumpers/switch
settings/etc., then you need the docs and will need to check out all
settings on the board.

Good luck!
Received on Thu Jul 03 1997 - 14:04:18 BST