mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun) (07/12/89)
Several weeks ago someone posted a notice that Clarkson University
was selling off their old Z-100's at a VERY reasonable price.
Well, I just called to try to buy several, and I was told that they
are selling them ONLY to their university "community" (students,
alumni, etc.) They would NOT sell me one.
Was the original posting incomplete, or did I, perhaps, just talk to
the wrong person at Clarkson?
--
Myron A. Calhoun, PhD EE, W0PBV, (913) 532-6350 (work), 539-4448 (home).
INTERNET: mac@ksuvax1.cis.ksu.edu
BITNET: mac@ksuvax1.bitnet
UUCP: ...{rutgers, texbell}!ksuvax1!harry!macnelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) (07/12/89)
In article <2289@deimos.cis.ksu.edu> mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun) writes:
Several weeks ago someone posted a notice that Clarkson University
was selling off their old Z-100's at a VERY reasonable price.
Well, I just called to try to buy several, and I was told that they
are selling them ONLY to their university "community" (students,
alumni, etc.) They would NOT sell me one.
Was the original posting incomplete, or did I, perhaps, just talk to
the wrong person at Clarkson?
Call Weston's Book Store ((315)265-9260) and ask for Dave Thornton. I just
talked to him and he said that "he would be glad to sell one to anyone."
--
--russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu])
I'm not the NRA, and I vote twice.GUBBINS@TOPS20.RADC.AF.MIL (Gern) (07/12/89)
Clarkson Z-100 Sale Scoop (as far I see it): Clarkson issues a ZDS computer to each incomming freshman and that same machine is with them for all four years of college. Incomming transfer students get the machines from students who left/failed-out before graduation. The system is the property of Clarkson. The students tuition (as of the last known theory) has been raised by $200 per semester to cover the cost of the system, plus the student must put down a one time $200 'breakage/etc' fee. So the students have actually invested $1800.00 into 'their' machines by graduation time. Clarkson is an authorized ZDS service center, but tries to only service to the college community and occasionally to alumni (their system is based on student ID numbers for cash & carry). For anyone else, talk to the Dean. At graduation, the student can keep the system, or turn it in and get back the $200 breakage fee. Many students (mostly accounting majors or hockey players (-: ) turn in the system for quick cash. When I was up there in May (3 days before graduation), in a quick staggering glance I saw what looked from 300 to 500 Z-100 systems turned it (over the past 4 years). Students were arriving on the average of every 15 minutes to turn in their Z-100 and I was loitering just outside the door offering at least $235. At that time Clarkson and its associated Bookstore (that can deal leagally with the public) were selling 'refurbished' Z-100s for $300 plus tax. I anwered the age old question of how many Z-100s with monitors and 28 pounds of software each can you fit in a 2-door Chevy Cavalier: Answer - 7. I found good homes for them all. I scrambled for this year's class of Z-100s as they are the best units (more later). This graduating class was the last year of students with Z-100s. All the other years have variations on the Z-248. This years incomming freshman will probably get Z-248s (with real motherboards and not passive backplane???). Needless to say, all Z-100 software development has all but ceased at clarkson. Due to the overabundance of the Z-100s turned in, Clarkson changed policy and lowered the price in June (something the Dean said would never happen). The price as they distingush the units are $150 for a single (full height) unit or $200 for a dual drive unit plus sales tax. The systems include: A Z-100 low profile (Z-110) Unit of various favors A monochrome green composite monitor ZVM-122 usually or ZVM-121 (rare) MS-DOS 2.x for the Z-100 (or Z-DOS if you prefer - Don't do it) GW-BASIC 2.x for the Z-100 MS-MULTIPLAN for the Z-100 MS-FORTRAN MS-PASCAL CP/M-85 for the Z-100 uses the 8085 8-bit processor Z-100 User's Manual (the White Manual) Now the tough part: This years graduating class had stock from ZDS Z-100s with dual half-height drives, New Type Motherboard, New Type ICs, 8MHz, 256K RAM. The year before had stock from ZDS a single half-height drive, New Type Motherboard, OLD Type ICs, 5MHz, 192K RAM. (Can be upgraded to above with IC replacements ~=$90.00) The years before that had stock from ZDS single Full Height Drives, OLD Type Motherboards, 5MHz, 192K, Old Black Power Supplies that didn't have the extra harddisk power connector. Students MAY have paid extra and upgraded and forgot to restore to stock before turning the units in. You definately want to get the Z-100 dual half-height, 8MHz, 256K RAM units, with a new motherboard. Some units MAY have 512K or 768K RAM which is great! Be careful of old motherboards hacked to support 256K RAM (The 'gee, if your turning your unit in, mind if I swap some guts with my older unit' problem). I rippped every unit apart and checked it for swapped parts, I found none. I made a quick day trip to Potsdam for something just after the price drop. I bought a $200 + $14 tax unit from Westons Bookstore by just strolling in off the street, checking it out by powering it up with my testing disk and looking inside it, paid for it on Visa, and carried all 80 pounds of it off (same as detailed above - the software alone weighs 28 pounds). I found a good home for that unit too. At the time, they had 3 units there and could get as many as needed in a days notice so call ahead. If you buy sight unseen a dual drive 256K RAM unit, it will probably be 98% chance a 'pure' unhacked, new motherboard, 8MHz unit. The main purpose of this message it to let everyone considering getting a Clarkson unit what the scoop is and what might really be inside. The salesman I delt with knew it was a Z-100 with that monitor and that box of stuff for $200 and couldn't tell me anything else about it (remember - its a bookstore). I don't know what the shipping policy from them is, but a Z-100 in a ZDS original box is too big or heavy for UPS and MUST be Special Truck Freighted. I know of several persons around here who are planning to make a gang Z-100 buying run up to Potsdam soon. I estimate it will cost about $50 to UPS it to someone in pieces. So if anyone wants one, let me know. Cheers, Gern -------