O.K. I decided to use my TRS-80 Mod III to type a story (about 100 pgs or
so) that was an assignment for my Communications class in school because it
has a good keyboard for lots of typing, and it has a clear printer. I get
it all typed up (three SCRIPSIT files), switch on the trusty DWP II, and
start printing. As the first two pages are done, I reach onto the shelf
(above the computer) to get a paperclip to hold the whole thing together
when it's done. Now the paperclip that my hand happens to grab is secretly
joined to another paperclip, which (naturally) decided that it didn't want
to leave the little cup they're all in. The whole thing spills out, sending
9 of them INTO the computer.
The screen blacks out, printer stops, I hear two sharp pops, a puff of
smoke, lights dim, and I hear the snap of the circuit breaker from across
the basement. I say a quick string of explicitives directed at the
paperclips while I'm searching for the flashlight, which (again -
naturally), has dead batteries. I start pulling all the plugs in the area
of the computer, and carefully make my way to the breaker box. I find the
tripped switch, flipped it back on, and went back over to the computer,
which was surrounded in a bit of a haze.
I grabbed a screwdriver pulled the case apart, removed the paperclip that
was shorting the main power transformer. I plugged it in, and turned it on
(at that time not knowing that 9 paperclips had went in). Smoke bomb.
White smoke was pouring out of the M/B compartment. I removed the cover and
found the other 8 clips, one partially melted into the Z80. The serial
board was almost totally black (never worked anyway). I was thinking four
words: Why me. Why NOW?!
Naturally, I have a spare P/S board, video board, and floppy controller, but
no spare M/B.
Does anyone have a spare board that they wouldn't mind selling for a couple
of bucks, or I could take it off your hands so you don't have to throw it
out :) My board had 48k RAM. Or was it 32? I forget, but it wasn't 16,
which is what the case says. I don't really care how much it has (16 will
run SCRIPSIT, won't it?), and I probably have chips laying around that'll
work in it, anyway.
If anyone has an RS-232 board laying around, I may be interested in that,
too (not a rush, though), so I can connect the 300baud acoustic modem and
have the "world's slowest computer connected to the Internet" :)
ThAnX in advance,
--
-Jason Willgruber
(roblwill_at_usaor.net)
ICQ#: 1730318
<http://members.tripod.com/general_1>
Received on Mon Dec 28 1998 - 01:53:49 GMT