gaspipe58

13 hours ago, ianknight said:

And the monitor in the wrong output thing? Yeah - done that a few times too - a real heart stopper isn't it? ** laughs out loud **

There were bad words. And worse words when I realised it was me being stupid.

The worrying thing about the displays is they were working until I replaced the NiMH battery.

And now for something completely different - Seems Big Clive's livestream has crashed. 

On 12/3/2023 at 7:03 AM, ianknight said:

I have a box full of fader caps, keycaps and button caps for the 500 series (original & updated) so once you know what you need - drop me a PM and a picture of the existing ones so I can match them.

Thanks Ian - will be in touch once we've solved the latest problem, or before if I get bored.

Latest problem! NiMH battery replaced. Board not going passed start screen! Much frustration. Swop to other vga out - STUPID BOY! Real problem is although everything seems fine according to the monitor the LCD displays don't. The back lights are all functional but there is no display. A short prayer - 

Oh Wisdom of the Blue Room do not fail me now.

Also on the same board as the NiMH beast I find another button cell not noticed before. It appears to be wrapped in clingfilm. Any advice before I do something even more stupid than plugging the monitor into the wrong port?

Tim 

On 12/1/2023 at 11:30 PM, DrV said:

... I know I'm always bangin' on about this but don't delay replacing that dreaded NiMh...

Dave 

No worries. By 'in due course' I really mean 'ASAP' 🙂 It was providing 1.8V which I think is quite impressive for a battery that may not have been charged for a good few years. However it also has the beginnings of a nice greenish beard so it has to go - hopefully this week. The new CMOS battery has cured the time travelling.

There are only two repairs needed. A fader knob is missing from the grand master and the button between the power button and the grandmaster faders is absent. Now looking for a clear enough picture to see what it is.

Quick reply - more questions later...

Thank you so much for your replies. I have just tripped over my first computer which dates from mid 90's and I think is a Pentium something. It was replaced due to hard drive dying and replaced due to a good salesman and me not knowing any better. So we may have a doner board!

I feel this isn't just my project anymore but a real community effort - keep the wisdom flowing :-) Software is worrying me - Where do I get it?

5 hours ago, Kazeja said:

If a PS2 keyboard is connected, try toggling the numlock button.  The numlock LED on the keyboard will toggle in sympathy.   This is an indication that at least the motherboard is working.

 

That's a useful thing to know regardless of troublesome 500i's. I do have a PS2 keyboard which may be faulty in itself. Just a shame the desk and keyboard aren't closer together. I will pass on the advice.

 

8 hours ago, ianknight said:

That sounds like it could be the Intel mainboard failed or simply the PSU failed - the latter is a 'standard' type of PC PSU so easy to try a replacement, if it's the mainboard then it will be trickier to source a replacement as it's a Pentium 2 - I have no idea what would happen with a newer PC mainboard.
 

Again interesting! Is it a standard format motherboard? I have a few spare that may or may not work, one might even be Pentium 2. Can't see why a newer board would be problematic but then this is a new area and ignorance is bliss. PSU is not a problem - have loads. Software etc is another matter...

This getting difficult - thanks to the blue-room I'm not just thinking 'new board to play with' but also 'How much can I learn from trying to raise it from the dead?'

I've contacted the person offering the board. This is his reply -

Quote

Not a lot to see There is lots of whirring and the three LCD displays glow but don’t display anything. So VGA signal to the monitors.

I guess that's no VGA to the monitors. I could also guess what might be wrong and be way off target. I'd much rather trust the massive knowledge base that is Blue-room. Again very grateful for any help or advice.

Apparently it won't complete its boot up. If anyone has any ideas on how mendable it might be I'd be very grateful. I'd quite like to give it a good home but it's a long way for something that will never be more than a oversized paperweight.

Well it's been a very long time since I've posted anything here but needs must...

Having managed to get involved with a local community theatre/Arts centre project I've been asked to find a way of disposing of some xenons preferably for money. A bit of background/history may be helpful.

The venue's last job was as a 4 screen cinema. It is the intention to convert it into a theatre and arts centre over the next however many years.

The first task I've been set is to sort out the pile of xenon lamps piled in the corner. We.ve been through them. Most are intact. Some are fragmented thus proving the explosion containment works. One or two of them appear to be new. Most we guess are used but have no idea of hours. A couple have clearly been well used with blackening of the envelop, obvious erosion of the electrodes etc.   Some boxes contain only the explosion containment device - I am a little concerned as to the whereabouts of the lamps.

The question I have to ask - Mr Moneybags orders (he's actually a good guy) - is if we can sell them and if so how much? We also have three digital projectors (there should be four so one might be hiding somewhere) in various states of dismemberment if anyone is interested.

So if anyone can offer any advice on what to do with them I'd be immensely grateful - if involves money in our direction the theatre would be very grateful too.

Tim