Msg: 6367 *Conference*

03-24-96 12:49:53

From: RICHARD HANSON

To : WILLIAM MCWEENY

Subj: REPLY TO MSG #6346 (BOOSTER PAK)

Hi William ... just now getting to your message.  Been banging on the keyboard
since early morning, attempting to get through a few hundred messages ... last
weeks stack.

In response to your questions about your BP.

The error message is probably not serious since answering N for no show no sign
of errors in files or directory.  FYI: All of the directory information in a BP
is held in the one, 8K RAM chip in the upper right hand corner of the BP,
across from the BP system ROM marked with a 1 or single line.  The 2 or double
line ROM is the application ROM that holds X-Tel and Astroids.

Anyway, there are litterly thousands of areas where something can go wrong with
a BP.  I know this by talking to the inventor, Larry Berg, Purple Computing,
Murphy, OR.  In fact, while reading your message today, I called Larry for a
chat.  Among other things, we talked about your questions.  Bottom line: If
your BP is working, then it's fine.  If it stops working it's not fine and the
first thing to look at is the 3v Lithum battery.  If that's down under 3v then
replace it, i.e. de-solder it and solder in another.

Also, just about everything on the BP board is CMOS.  This means that the
components are sensitive to static electricty.  Make darn sure you keep
yourself grounded when working on your BP.  Okay?

---

You asked about building a nicad pack for your Model 100 and asked about 4 vs.
5 nicads.  We all agree that 5 should be considered over 4 due to the nature of
the sudden fall-off characteristic of nicads.

You also wondered about using nicads in a Power Pillow.  I don't see a problem
with that setup.  As long as you supply the Model 100 with what it needs, it
doesn't who it's generated.  DC is DC and volts is volts, and amps is amps.
Just do the right thing.  Of course, polarity matters a lot as does too much
power.  I am pretty sure you would not hook up 110v AC to your Model 100 unless
it's a spare one you don't like loosing, it's the 4th of July, and you're
really, really, really curious! :)

---

ADDRSS and SCHEDL are gone when using a Booster Pac.  Why?  Because those
programs are linked directly to the built in system ROMs of your Model "T" in
such manner that their operations interfer with BP operations.  Thisis not a
technical answer, as you can tell.  If you want the details, call Larry Berg at
Purple Computing at 503-479-8087.

Hope this helps... -Rick-