[comp.sys.atari.st.tech] GCR problem

pegram@kira.UUCP (Robert B. Pegram) (03/09/91)

From article <17776@milton.u.washington.edu>, by iho@cac.washington.edu (Il Oh):
> Has anybody been able to get Spectre 3.0 to store the control
> panel settings?  The manual seems to imply that this should happen
> automatically if you reformat your HD under 3.0, but my mouse speed
> setting keeps going back to the brain-damaged ultra-slow setting
> every time I turn it on.
> 
> il

It has to be an "oop" partition not the old "ack" one (bill the cat
lives on at gadgets 8-).  

I also have problem, and haven't been able to raise gadgets (via the
compuserve gateway).  I figure these are trying times for D. Small and
Co., so I'll ask it here.  My ancient 520 has a mouse and keyboard
problem under Spectre - the machine just loses the mouse unpredicably
(no response on the screen) after a while, and of course, the keyboard
is dead too.  I have the GCR box and 2 more Megs of memory plugged in,
so I figure the voltage to the keyboard could be low (haven't checked
yet) or I could have a flakey IKBD processor.  Anybody have any other
guesses, possible fixes and/or experiences to relate?  I don't want to
buy a new keyboard processor only to find that my problem is elsewhere.

If I have to replace my dinky external power supply (PS or PSU for the
abbreviation inclined 8-), what's best?  I have just gotten a new
shoebox w/power for the disk drive, so don't suggest a PC case 8-).
On the other hand, info on U.S. legal and well designed replacement
cases (available in the U.S.A.) would be interesting.  Remember, I *do
not have an STFM* the power supply is external.

thanks,
	Bob Pegram

pegram@griffin.uvm.edu
	or
...!uvm-gen!pegram

iho@cac.washington.edu (Il Oh) (03/10/91)

pegram@kira.UUCP (Robert B. Pegram) writes:

>, by iho@cac.washington.edu (Il Oh):
>> Has anybody been able to get Spectre 3.0 to store the control
>> panel settings?  The manual seems to imply that this should happen
>> automatically if you reformat your HD under 3.0, but my mouse speed
>> setting keeps going back to the brain-damaged ultra-slow setting
>> every time I turn it on.
>> 
>> il
>
>It has to be an "oop" partition not the old "ack" one (bill the cat
>lives on at gadgets 8-).  

The manual said that you just had to select "erase disk" from Finder to
change an ACK partition to an OOP partition.  I did that.  I guess we'll
wait until dsmall gets caught up a bit before hitting him with this
question.
--
 "I'm sorry.                            |    Il Hwan Oh
  If you were right,                    |    University of Washington, Tacoma
  I would agree with you."              |    iho@cac.washington.edu
   -- Dr. Malcolm Sayer, _Awakenings_   |

pegram@kira.UUCP (Robert B. Pegram) (03/20/91)

From article <68295@brunix.UUCP>, by mjv@brownvm.brown.edu (Marshall Vale):
> In article <1991Mar8.193900.3518@uvm.edu> pegram@kira.UUCP (Robert B. 
> Pegram) writes:
> [stuff about mouse and keyboard freezing]
 
>   Before you go about replacing hardware, I'd recommend at least doing
> a virus check with the latest version of Disinfectant (2.4 if I'm not
> mistaken). Mouse freezes are the symptoms of some Mac viruses.
 
>   It can't hurt!
 
> Marshall
 
Thanks, but that problem is unlikely, if possible 8-).  In any case, the
mouse and keyboard problems have now appeared in regular ST mode.  I
got a new Ikbd processor from Best Electronics, but that hasn't
helped.  A reset *always* fixes things for a while, so I rather doubt
that the keyboard connection is intermittent, it's hard to check!  
I am now gearing up to figure out which 6850 ACIA to remove and 
replace (I *did* get one from Best 8-).   If I foul things up, it's a
new STE for me 8-().  At least my trial run for desoldering, replacing
the connector in my mouse, went well.  I recommend the Radio Schnook
desoldering iron 8-).
	A couple of interesting things came from my talks to the Best
Electronics guy.  One is that the Mega keyboard is almost a drop in
fit for the original (external PS and floppies) 520ST, (same large
connector) and is only a little more expensive to buy ($110 vs $90
8-).  The other interesting thing is that there are two versions of
the keyboard processor.  I have an '85 ST, but luckily it used the
later processor -002.  If yours is a -001 version, you need a whole new
keyboard if it goes bad (I _hope_ that version was only on the
developer 520s, this is, after all, ancient history 8-).

By the way, sorry if I have seemed unresponsive, but we lost our news
feed here for most of last week 8-(.

ciao,
	Bob Pegram

pegram@griffin.uvm.edu
	or
...!uvm-gen!pegram