jeff@drexel.UUCP (Jeff White) (11/01/88)
We have a Tandy 1200 (XT clone) which has a blown motherboard. Since this already happened once before, and the cost to fix it was around $250, I am looking into the feasability of simply buying a new clone motherboard to replace it. I'll also have to buy a parallel port and floppy disk controller boards, since these come standard on the 1200 MB, but with motherboards going for around $100-$125, the total cost shouldn't exceed what it would cost to get the blown board fixed (plus that the new board would be able to run at 8-10 MHz, compared to just the 4.77 MHz of the regular 1200). Forgetting about specific recommendations, I already seemed to have a conflict with the power supply connector. In the 1200, this harness is a single, 10 pin connector, using round connectors. On most of the clone motherboards, and also a genuine IBM XT, the power harness to the motherboard is made up of two 6 pin connectors, using flat connectors. Obviosuly, connecting plug A to socket B will not work in the case. What I'd like to know, then, is 1) Why is there a difference in the connectors? Is Tandy/Radio Shack the only company to use the round connectors, and if so, why (my guess would be so that you can't easily replace the parts, and sort of force you to go to RS for repairs., and 2) is there any premade adapters that I could purchase? I could probably find the pinouts for both the 10 and 12 pin connectors, but finding the corresponding connectors required to actually make up a cable may be difficult. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If I can't proceed with this upgrade, I'll be forced to get the unit repaired, in which case I would like to get that done as quickly as possible, Jeff White Drexel University - ECE Dept. rutgers!bpa!drexel!jeff