Sellam:
I *think* that what you're seeing with the disk drives
is standard normal behavior. If there's a bootable
disk in the drive it'll load the DOS, if there's a
data disk there it may put out a message complaining
about it, but no disk may do nothing at all.
Normally under these circumstances you'd put the disk
in the drive and press the RESET button (not power
cycle), tho you could certainly cycle power too.
It's been a long time since I used a Model III. My
Model 4 will I think do what you describe (it's buried
at the moment or I'd check it now). Also, last I used
it my Model 4's brightness/contrast controls are still
working, but they may be different from the Model
III's hardware.
-- Frank
--- Sellam Ismail <foo_at_siconic.com> wrote:
>
> I am trying to get a TRS-80 Model III working. When
> I turn it on the disk
> drive spins for a while looking for a disk I
> presume. All I get on the
> screen are wispish diagonal lines as if the
> horizontal hold is all
> whacked.
>
> I managed to unstick one of the video adjustment
> knobs on the left
> underside but all it does is affect the brightness
> level. The other one
> requires a screwdriver to move at all (shimmying it
> up and down) and does
> not seem to affect the display. I haven't opened it
> yet to see what
> adjustments are inside. I'd rather not, but there
> don't seem to be any
> adjustment pots accessible from outside the case.
>
> What's weird is that I have access to a bunch of
> TRS-80 Model 3's here at
> the ACCRC and pretty much all of the ones I have
> played with so far are
> basically "dead" in this manner. The one I'm
> working on just came in
> today and is in the same state. Also, the video
> knobs on the left
> underside are all stuck on everyone I've tried to
> get working. What is
> the deal with that? Do they get rusted over time or
> something? Very
> annoying.
>
> The fact that the disk drive spins up when I turn it
> on is a good sign I
> hope.
>
> Any help on this would be appreciated. I know next
> to zero about the
> TRS-80 series.
>
> Sellam Ismail
> Vintage Computer Festival
>
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Received on Tue Aug 06 2002 - 23:25:00 BST