Msg: 5657 *Conference*

02-07-95 01:25:53

From: ROCCO FORTUNATO

To : ALL

Subj: NICAD BATTERY (MEMORY)

Hi Y'all!  I'm a fairly unknowledgeable but rather experienced Model 100 user
from Texas.  I have 3 of the beasties. I literally and simply pecked my first
one to death.  It served me so well, however, that it's demise was most
honorable.  I still have it for spare parts to keep the others alive, but you
can't even see some of the letters on the keys from all the use it got. 
 
        Model T #2 is floating along on love and extra screws in the case to
hold it together since the very plastic of it's being is slowly aging to the
point where it is too brittle to hold on to the original case screw receivers.
Other plastic inside is failing too, so the keyboard wobbles a little, but it
keeps on producing (like, for example, this memo...).
 
        Model T #3 is actually much younger and should be doing better than it
is, but it seems to be going senile.  As soon as I remove the batteries (or
unplug the power supply while in use) it loses it's memory (cold starts).
 
        I suspect the NiCad memory protection batteries and have ordered same
from National Parts with the intention of replacing them myself.  A friend
warned me about static concerns and told me to use a grounded soldering iron.
I don't have such.  I do have a 30 watt battery powered pencil iron.  If I use
an anti-static wrist strap while using that iron, will I be OK?
 
        Actually I'll be quite a novice using even the wrist strap.  I solder
all the time on audio studio wiring, but have never attempted working around
static sensitive components.
 
        Does anyone have any advice, methods, approaches, (prayers), that would
help me through this  MENTALLY HARROWING, PHYSICALLY EXHAUSTING,
PSYCHOLOGICALLY DEBILITATING, EMOTIONALLY DISTRESSING, INTENSELY INVASIVE
VIVSECTION OF MY BEST FREIND AND MOST LOYAL COMPANION... wait a minit!!!...
it's just my Model 100... But I do need anyone's help that I can find to get in
there and do the job right!  These little dinosaurs are hard to come by these
days and they still do what they do better than anything else I can care to
contemplate (for reasonable cost).  So I'm SCARED that I'll blow it and lose my
best friend!
 
        HELP!!! ...and THANKS!
 
                        ---Rocco