anderson@uwmacc.UUCP (Jess Anderson) (08/07/86)
Here is a digest of responses received regarding Zenith 158 micros.
Brackets [...] indicate deletions and paraphrases. Regrets in advance
for editorial high-handedness :-).
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Path: uwmacc!anderson
From: anderson@uwmacc.UUCP (Jess Anderson)
Subject: Zenith 158 & Add-On Boards
Date: 30 Jul 86 18:25:46 GMT
Date-Received: 30 Jul 86 18:25:46 GMT
Educational discounts for the Zenith 158 make it a very attractive
alternative to the IBM XT. For $1599 one gets a Z-158 that runs at
4.77/8 MHz (switchable), 256K RAM on system board, one 360K 5.25"
floppy drive w/ controller, one 20 MB hard disk w/ controller, one
serial and one parallel port, battery-powered clock/calendar, a
Paradise Hi-Res video card, and a hi-res TTL amber monitor. In this
configuration, 5 expansion slots remain. [...]
1. There have been reports of problems with the video board
in graphics mode. Know anything about that, how it can be
handled/fixed/lived with?
2. My office XT has a Mircosoft bus Mouse, which I use mainly
with MS Word. I like Word real well, and wonder if the mouse
will work well with a Z-158.
3. The office XT has 640K on the motherboard. It also has a
Tall Tree JRAM-2 memory expansion board w/ 2 MB, which gives
me lots of RAMdisk space (*fast*!). Anyone used JRAM boards
in a Z-158? What experiences did you have. Note well: I'd
naturally like to drive at 8 MHz. Could I get away with
150 nsec RAM chips, or would I have to go to 120 nsec chips?
4. Eventually (though not right away) I'll probably want to go
to color. The EGA board situation is changing fast, I know,
but relevant accounts/recommendations/etc. would be useful.
5. The Z-158 is said to have excellent compatibility. Reports
on compatibility failures would be helpful.
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 86 15:09:02 edt
From: Todd Krein <harvard!dartvax!vizard>
Subject: Re: Zenith 158 & Add-On Boards
I've got a Z-150, and my father has a Z-158. I've used mine for
about three years and have had NO problems, despite the fact that I use it as a
test bed for my digtial progject in Dartmouths digital lab (Where I'm a student)
I've never found a program that would run on an IBM that wouldn't run
on a Zenith (I use Word almost every day). The only problem I've ever had is
that Zenith suplied keybuff expantion program for the Z-150 wouldn't run
on the Z-158 (ROM diff's I imagine).
As for memory, look into "RAMpal" from Software wizardry: $80 for
320k (I think).
No other problems.... Write me If you've got questions.
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 86 22:32:34 est
From: Timothy Lange <tim@purdue-asc.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Z-158.
I have used a Z-158 with bus mouse and Word (ver 3.00) for some time
with no problems what so ever. You included a battery powered clock in
your list of features, the 158 has no such feature. We have over a
hundred Z-158's on campus, I have setup and maintain about 25 of them,
and have one at home. I have the paradise card and hi-res amber monitor
too. I have yet to find software that will not work on the Zenith,
except certain basic code of course. Keep in touch
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From: sandersr@ecn-pc.UUCP (Robert C Sanders)
Subject: Re: Zenith 158, Compatibility, Add-Ons (Reposting)
Date: 3 Aug 86 22:09:48 GMT
I am going to respond to the following having just purchased a Zenith
158 w/20Meg for our studio and office (Purdue's Continuing Engineering
Education), of course at educational discount. At home I have used an
H151 (-20) for 1.5 years. I cannot get mail through, and this may be
of general interest to others.
Note that the lack of a net.micro.zenith or net.micro.heath is mentioned;
There are a LOT of Heath/Zenith users out there, as attested by the
membership in HUG (Heath users group) and the publishing of Remark
magazine by them, but apparently not enough of them work with UNIX.
First, the machine was shipped with MS DOS 3.10, MS WINDOWS, the normal
4.77/8 MHz 8088 cpu switchable, a single CGA/Floppy controller card,
Zenith's own hard-disk controller, and an extra Paradise video card that
has MONO, Hercules graphics, and CGA capability. We also aquired MS WORD
and the Programmer's tool kit (MASM, SYMDEB, LIB, MAKE, and several
UNIX-like utilities)
We did NOT get a clock/calendar.
We use WORDSTAR, MS WORD for word processing; PC/InterComm for terminal
emulation into our UNIX network (9600 or 19200 baud, VT102 emulation);
MASM and SYMDEB for programming (it is mostly a functional machine -- I
use CII-C86 for C language at home, UNIX at work).
We experience no problems with the Zenith video; the Paradise video has
MONO display problems -- it jitters. Extra fonts do load up fine though.
[re mouse]
It works perfectly -- I use an MS mouse at home with WORD, no problem.
I use AST's RAMPAGE at home in the 4.77 Mhz H151, no problem. According
to an article in PC Magazine, 150 nsec should work, at least it does in
AT clone they tested. Try it and see -- it's the only way.
See the review of many EGA cards in PC magazine (August). We tried to
put a QuadRam EGA in our Z158 -- no dice, it wouldn't even boot-up.
Originally, when IBM was dropping the PC in favor of the XT, rumors
abounded (and I think were substantiated) that Zenith paid a *BIG* sum
to be an IBM real-close clone; Zenith won the privilege of indentifying
itself in ROM as an XT; nobody else won that privalege (Kaypro bought
the privalege for their AT clone). I have used many, many programs for
the XT, and the Zenith (even the H151) has had no problems with any of
them, Lotus, Dbase, and Flight Simulator included. In fact, I have
several ill-behaved BIOS dependant programs that run perfectly fine.
The Zenith is probably the most IBM compatible there is. Note too,
that the Zenith also made things much more erogmatic than IBM, keyboard,
startup time (same diagnostics, 10 times faster), and video (true grey-
scaling). If you look inside, the machine is even more rugged AND
repairable (CPU card as a card, not a mother board), and included diagnostics
and some DEBUG capabilities in ROM instead of BASIC. You have to purchase
BASIC separately -- allowing more utilities to be distributed on the
main DOS disks.
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Date: Sat, 2 Aug 86 05:43:57 edt
From: Miriam Clifford <seismo!mcnc!ecsvax!dmimi>
Subject: Re: Zenith 158 & Add-On Boards
Please post summaries of whatever replies you get to the net, or send me
copies. I am thinking about the same kind of a set-up. I know I will get
a Zenith, but am not sure what I'll equip it with.
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Date: Tue, 5 Aug 86 13:17:37 pdt
From: seismo!hplabs!felix!fritz!zemon (Art Zemon 714-966-2344)
Subject: Re: Zenith 158, Compatibility, Add-Ons (Reposting)
I have a Zenith Z-151, the predecessor to the Z-158. It works
very well with only a couple of very minor problems running
things under Windows. This is the ONLY problem I have ever had
and it is probably not Zenith's fault.
I use Word extensively with the Logitech mouse (MUCH better than
the Microsoft mouse). Again, no problems.
The complete setup, in case you wonder:
Z151 w/256K memory, serial port, parallel port, video board, 1
floppy (the basic system as it came from Zenith)
Western Digital hard disk controller w/ 20Mb hard disk
off-brand multi-function card with 512K memory, 2nd serial port,
battery backed clock, print spooling software
Watson modem/voice management board
Logitech mouse on serial COM1 with mouse driver in config.sys
I couldn't recommend the system more highly.
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Date: Mon, 4 Aug 86 09:08:04 EST
From: ihnp4!purdue!riedl (John T Riedl)
Subject: Re: Zenith 158 information request
Please post your findings: it sounds like a nice system!
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From: access@iuvax.UUCP
Subject: Re: Zenith 158 & Add-On Boards
Date: 3 Aug 86 00:14:00 GMT
These are my own opinions and stem from my having worked with and sold
Zenith 158's for approximately 1 year at an educational institution.
The 158 originally had some problems do to the nature of its newness.
Those minor problems have cleared up as the machine has matured. The
Jram board does not work in Zenith 158 machines. I
have tried them and also talked to Tall Trees. I do know that both the
Intel above board and the AST Rampage work quite well. Same with the
AST 3g+ ega card. However, it was my experience that the STB ega did
not work.
I have been quite happy with the 158. You can get by with the 150ns
chips and don't need 120ns. I prefer to buy the 2 floppy machine and
add my own hard disk. I would buy either the Western Digital controller
with F022 rom and Seagate ST225 20 meg disk or the Adaptec 2070a controller
and ST238 30 meg. They cost around $395 or $445 depending on where you buy
them. You can place this drive BELOW the two floppies. You won't see
the hard disk light, but its nice having the two floppies.
--
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