no, i have not, mostly because I feel like they can't do the M100 machining. I hand grind the PCBs for M100 to expose the large vias so they can engage the molex. So, that's an issue. Next is just the $$ per hour of the offshore assembling. If you have a contact Ken, I could actually get *facts*. PC-8201 is pretty easy, but the pins needed are kinda special from what I can tell. I only have 50 of those carriers in my parts pile, and I never see them on ebay. steve
On Mon, May 16, 2016 at 8:50 PM, Ken Pettit <petti...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hey Steve, > > Did you ever look into having an assembly house build these? > > Ken > > > On 5/16/16 6:48 PM, Stephen Adolph wrote: >> >> ..re REX. IF I could release it to oshpark I would. In fact the >> boards are there. The problem is... I doubt people will be successful >> soldering fine pitch. Do you want to try? The chips can be purchased >> on ebay or digikey. >> If you want to try I will release the board design(s). >> >> Steve >> >> >> On Mon, May 16, 2016 at 8:33 PM, Brian White <bw.al...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> The figtronix link broke because I asked him a question about his main >>> rom >>> adapter a couple weeks ago, and he updated the board, just the silkscreen >>> not anything functional, and he removed the old link and made a new one. >>> I >>> don't know if that's just the way oshpark works or if he's just doing >>> something wrong. >>> >>> He ended up doing a bunch of stuff that I wanted for free and without >>> asking, so I wasn't going to complain about a little thing like it's >>> annoying having to keep finding out the new link! >>> >>> We ended up trading a lot of emails and he whipped up both the option rom >>> board and the programmer adapter after I showed him the club100 links to >>> the >>> old EME option rom module. There were several rapid iterations of both of >>> those and he did the same thing each time with those too, broke the >>> existing >>> link and made a new one. And it takes forever before they show up in the >>> oshpark search too. >>> >>> (Oh yeah, don't trust that search. Find any working link to any board by >>> that guy, then click on the guy's name, and THERE you see all his other >>> boards, including all 3 M100-related, even though they don't show up in >>> the >>> search.) >>> >>> Anyway there's lot's of ways to skin the same cat of course. >>> >>> I like your board too. I actually assembled one of your boards too, but >>> I'm >>> using the figtronix at the moment, because I don't want a combined system >>> and option rom, I want to be able to use the external accessible option >>> rom >>> socket to swap roms and install commercial roms, and I want the system >>> rom >>> to be socketed and re-programmable or at least swappable. I actually >>> found >>> ceramic uv-erasable clcc 27C256, but even replacing OTP plcc ones is >>> better >>> than needing a test-clip. >>> >>> One thing I should verify, maybe there IS actually room to solder your >>> board >>> on the motherboard and put a dip socket on the adapter, then trim the >>> legs >>> of the eprom a little so the eprom sits lower in the socket, does the >>> resulting stack come out 0.55" or shorter? That would meet all my same >>> wishes above. Takes a standard eprom, and the eprom is removable and >>> reprogrammable with no special adapters. >>> >>> Ideally I'd like both the main and option roms to use the same kind of >>> eprom. not plcc in one and soic in the other. There is just barely >>> vertical >>> room for a low profile plcc socket in the option rom, but low profile >>> plcc >>> sockets are surface mount so soldering them at home is not simple like >>> the >>> regular socket with thru pins. I have old commercial option roms that >>> used a >>> full dip28 eprom on a board. it's a tight fit but it works. The holes for >>> the eprom are actually pulled in a little closer than the proper dip28 >>> spacing, squished inside the half-holes on the edges which are at dip28 >>> spacing. No room for a socket, so a board like that you could only >>> re-program with either a test clip or a programming adapter, but that's >>> no >>> worse than what you already need for the soic board. But at least then >>> that, >>> along with your main rom board, means you'd have the same kind of part on >>> both system and option roms. >>> >>> I mean IDEALLY of course, I'd love a REX, but I emailed the address on >>> club100 a couple times and never got any answer, and the plans for REX >>> aren't published like on oshpark, so oh well. Even if by a miracle one >>> REX >>> became available from somewhere, I still probably wouldn't want to invest >>> time hacking with it if no one else could ever make use of the results. >>> If >>> the REX were reproducible at will and anyone could have one, THEN it >>> would >>> be a worthwhile target for hacking/developing. If not, then I'd rather >>> just >>> start a new public/open design even if it's cruder and reinventing the >>> wheel. >>> >>> (And now that I say that, I realize I sure like my MISE, and that's >>> basically in the same boat. The design is not public. The guy just >>> happens >>> to be actively producing and supporting it right now. So maybe I'm being >>> inconsistent. At least I made my enclosure for the MISE public, including >>> a >>> slick non-trivial arrangement to hold the cf card reader which does not >>> have >>> any nice mounting holes or anything, if I do say so myself. ;) ) >>> >>> In the 102 of course I just stuck a plain socket in and a plain dip >>> 27c256. >>> No complications there. Same goes for late m100 too apparently though >>> both >>> my m100's needed the adapter. >>> >>> -- >>> bkw >>> >>> On Mon, May 16, 2016 at 3:54 PM, Mike Stein <mhs.st...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> Thanks for posting those links. When I mentioned the various options for >>>> adding/upgrading System and Option ROMs I wanted to include this one but >>>> at >>>> the time the link at Oshpark didn't seem to work; I couldn't find any >>>> mention on his Figtronix site either so I assumed they were no longer >>>> available for some reason. Glad to see they're back and he's added a >>>> programming adapter. >>>> >>>> One advantage of those boards over the board Bill and Steve are >>>> discussing >>>> is that in a T102 you can add an Option ROM without removing the System >>>> ROM >>>> chip; however, at the risk of being immodest I should point out what I >>>> think >>>> are some advantages of the 'Combo' board: >>>> >>>> Whether you want to upgrade the System ROM and/or add an Option ROM in >>>> either an old or a new M100/T102 you use the same board; no need for >>>> separate System and Option ROM adapters. >>>> >>>> To (re)program the IC in an 'old' M100 you'll need another adapter to >>>> convert the pinout back to standard JEDEC; no problem, just assemble >>>> another >>>> adapter 'in reverse' as it were, with a socket. >>>> >>>> So the one PCB essentially does the same job as all three different >>>> Figtronix ones; since you get a minimum of six boards you might save >>>> some >>>> money. >>>> >>>> Finally, since it uses a standard 28-pin socket if you want to play >>>> around >>>> with the System ROM code without burning/replacing/reprogramming the >>>> E(E)PROM every time, replace it with a non-volatile RAM chip like the >>>> Dallas >>>> DS1230Y or the FM1808 FRAM and a minor mod to connect R/W and you can >>>> POKE >>>> around all you want.. >>>> >>>> m >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: Brian White >>>> To: Model 100 Discussion >>>> Sent: Saturday, May 14, 2016 11:42 PM >>>> Subject: Re: [M100] ROM burning questions >>>> >>>> ...Re-post without pic... >>>> >>>> Old m100 takes a non-standard pinout, new m100 and all t102 takes a >>>> standard 27C256 pinout. >>>> >>>> I just did an old m100 using this plcc adapter: >>>> >>>> https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/toQDqmVV >>>> >>>> I burned the Tandy 102 rom with y2k patches from the rex page on >>>> bitchin100. >>>> >>>> The board is easy to assemble except the only hitch is you have to find >>>> pin headers that have thinner round pins rather than the more common >>>> square. >>>> >>>> If you have a "new" m100, the chip number on the rom will not match the >>>> number silkscreened on this board. In that case you don't need any >>>> adapter, >>>> just put in a 27C256 dip28 directly, same as for T102. >>>> >>>> https://goo.gl/photos/GUKXgxxVGaUVt57k9 >>>> >>>> -- >>>> bkw >>> >>> >
