klr@hadron.UUCP (Kurt L. Reisler) (04/04/88)
Well, after 3.5+ years of non-stop service as FidoNet node 109/74 (The
Bear's Den), my DEC Rainbow finally coughed. Actually, the fan died.
I had thought that it was running a little quieter, but didn't really
notice anything till it got warm in my appartment. I have the 100B in
a floor stand with a USR Courier 2400 modem sitting on top. This
allows for good convection cooling without the fan, but the warm air
all converged on the modem, and it went bonkers (only indictation of
the problem) when it overheated. So, this is where it gets
interesting.
Removed the 100B from the floor stand (time 5 minutes)
Opened up the Rainbow (time 10 seconds)
Confirmed the fan was DOA (time 10 seconds)
Removed the fan/switch assembly
2 molex connectors, 3 screws (time 1 minute)
Located my Rainbow maintenance manual
to get the part number (time 15 minutes)
Called local field service place to get
over-the-counter swap price (time 10 minutes)
[Digression: By now you can see where the most time consuming part of
this little excursion was :-) ]
Field Circus informed me that for a mere $187 AND my old switch/fan
assembly, they would give me a working one (NOT a new one). So, DEC
gets my old unit and $187, "refurbishes" it and then sells it to another
schmuck for another $187. At this rate, each FSO would only need two of
the assemblies and a stock of replacement fans (the fans are $18 each,
quantity 1 [your prices may vary]).
So, I smiled, called up my local Electronics Supply store and bought a
replacement fan for $17.30. To continue:
Replace dead fan with new fan F/S assembly
(4 screws) (time 1 minute)
Replace F/S assembly in Rainbow
(2 molex connectors, 3 screws) (time 3 minutes)*
Confirm proper operation (time 30 seconds)
Put it all back together (time 5 minutes)
*I should add that my wife reinstalled the fan/switch assembly. That is
not a knock at women or wives, just a point that the Rainbow was
designed to be as modular as possable, and that almost ANYONE, without
any prior experience can swap parts.
So, to conclude, I love my Rainbows. They are paractically
indestructable. However, the prices we are getting gouged for spares
and other such expendables is REDICULOUS!
Kurt Reisler (703) 359-6100
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UNISIG Chairman, DECUS US Chapter | Hadron, Inc.
..{uunet|sundc|rlgvax|netxcom|decuac}!hadron!klr | 9990 Lee Highway
Sysop, Fido 109/74 The Bear's Den (703) 671-0598 | Suite 481
Sysop, Fido 109/483 The Pot of Gold (703) 359-6549 | Fairfax, VA 22030
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