HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jmd@cube.handheld.com (Jim De Arras)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: Pixel Burnout
Date: 3 Jan 1993 04:00:47 GMT
Organization: Hand Held Products, Inc.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: dale.handheld.com

In article <1993Jan1.171320.8871@mic.ucla.edu> iwelch@agsm.ucla.edu (Ivo Welch)  
writes:
> 
> At least one  of the pixels on  my monitor  has  "died." It is  a clear  
black.
> Disconcertingly, it is only slightly smaller than a period ('.') on the
> screen. Is this normal? Acceptable?
> 
> /ivo welch
> ivo@next.agsm.ucla.edu
Mono or color?  Mono screens don't have `pixels' as such, where triad masked  
color ones do.  If a particle of trash (present in all vacuum tubes) falls and  
lodges in a hole in the mask, you can lose a triad of three color dots, and  
hence see a black dot on the screen.

A word of advise:  Never transport any CRT face down, and especially not a  
color one.

Jim

--
Jim De Arras            | The opinions expressed herein are
Hand Held Products, Inc.| not necessarily those of Hand 
804.784.3090 voice      | Held Products, Inc., and may not 
804.784.3147 FAX        | even be mine. Use at your own risk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: joseph@lilliput.fdn.org (Joseph Goldstone)
Subject: Re: Flickering in new 17" Trinitron monitor
Keywords: NeXTdimension
Organization: Lilliputian Pictures - Paris, France.
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 18:21:51 GMT

Philip McDunnough writes
> In article <6116@rosie.NeXT.COM> Ross_Werner@next.com writes:
> 
> [Flickering, ND and the new 17" NeXT monitor]
> 
> Is the new 17" monitor an officially supported product with the NeXT  
Dimension?
> 
> Philip McDunnough
> philip@utstat.toronto.edu
> 

Seemingly so.  My 17" FIMI got whomped so hard in the process of being shipped  
from LA to Boston and then to Paris that the shadow mask is no longer  
completely attached internally, so I kinda have no choice but to go get a  
replacement.  By the time I could get the insurance investigation filed, the  
FIMI had been removed from the pricelist and so I called NeXT and asked them  
what the chances were of using the new monitor with my NeXTdimension.

Apparently it works pretty well.  As was told to me maybe 6 weeks ago, if you  
have an Olde Systeme like mine, Olde '040, Olde ND, Olde SoundeBoxe, Olde  
Keyboarde, &c, the display works but with the following quirk: the active area  
of the display is shifted offcenter, I forget exactly howmuch, maybe 3/16" if  
memory serves, and I forget to which side.

This I can live with.  Right now the monitor is really limping, there is no way  
you could use it to produce colored imagery that wouldn't look ridiculous on a  
correct system (there are big blotchy shadows in various places on the screen,  
in one quadrant the whites are cyanotic, and so on).  For me, 3/16" of an inch  
seems like a pretty small price to pay to fix this situation.  If your monitor  
is working as well as a decently-tuned FIMI can manage, and what you want to  
fix is the lack of the Sony sharpness, maybe 3/16" is too annoying.

------

I have been talking to NeXT about paying to get my ND refurbed from NTSC to  
PAL, which is apparently doable, but you have to ship the board to the factory,  
where they do a PAL (as in the silicon, not the TV standard) replacement, and  
then do a bunch of tuning and calibration, presumably on that equipment rack  
whose picture was in the last NeXTWORLD.  Probably this is wishful thinking,  
but maybe an old ND could be factory-adjusted to shift back that 3/16"?  I must  
be dreaming.  If I ever find out more about either the price of the NTSC/PAL  
change, or the possibility of eliminating the 3/16", I'll post something.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: jr@sade.ka.sub.org (Jochen Richter)
Subject: Re: >>>HELP<<< PLEASE: Fujitsu hard disk problems
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 09:06:32 GMT
Organization: The Home of the Pilhuhn

In article <Mta=3D@engin.umich.edu> wjabi@libra.arch.umich.edu (Wassim M. Jabi)  
writes:
> Hi:
> I've been experiencing some trouble with my Fujitsu 520MB
> external.  It happens once or twice a week. I would hear the disk
> go "click, click" and then the console window will have these messages
> scrolling by. Many times an alert window would come up telling me
> to save documents before logging out. Any idea what is going on?
> 
> Messages:
> ------ cut here -----------------------------
> Target 0: HARDWARE ERROR; block 0H retry 1
> Target 0: NOT READY; retry 1
> Target 0: NOT READY; retry 2
>              .
>              .
>              .
> Target 0: NOT READY; retry 19
> sd0 (0,0): sense key:0x2  additional sense code: 0x4
>     SCSI Block in error = 0 (front porch)
> IO error on pagein: error = 5.
> Dec 30 15:00:18 Workspace: Controller exited.
> ------ cut here -----------------------------
> HELP!!!!!!
> --
> Wassim M. Jabi                            (313) 936-0229
> Doctoral Program in Architecture, University of Michigan
> 2000 Bonisteel Boulevard  Ann Arbor  Michigan 48105-2313
> wjabi@libra.arch.umich.edu             NeXTMail-friendly

This is a general problem with this disk!!! It happens when it gets too hot  
inside a slab. Last year I had a total data loss due to this problem.

--
Jochen Richter                              Phone +49-721-696922
Zahringerstrasse 57                         Fax   +49-721-696988
D-7500 Karlsruhe 1                          e-mail: jr@sade.ka.sub.org
Germany                                             jr@resy2.kfk.de                                            
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: tlm@iastate.edu (Tom Marchioro)
Subject: Re: Modem info request
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 15:40:01 GMT

In <1992Dec30.063726.4269@netcom.com> death@netcom.com (David Burrowes) writes:

>I'm looking at buying one of these relatively inexpensive 14400 fax/V.32[bis]
>modems that I've seen advertised.  The one called the supra fax modem has 
>generally looked like a good deal.
>I wondered if anyone could offer any commentary (e.g. experience with
>this supra fax modem) to let me know whether this is actually as good
>a deal as it sounds (about $300 for the 14.4 fax and V.32 data).
>I'm also sure much of this has appeared in the past on this group.  So, if
>someone could let me know where to find archives, I'll turn my attention
>there as well.

I have the Supra V32bis data FaX modem.  Basically worked like a charm right
out of the box for dial out (but, of course, I had already set up /etc/remote
and /etc/ttys for my old 2400 baud one).  Transfers data like a shot.  Handles
noisy phone lines well, etc.  The couple of times I tried dial in things 
seemed okay, but that has not been tested extensively. Also, other than sending
one sample page using the NXfax software I've not been able to take advantage
(and, admittedly, had little need thus far) of the FAX abilities.  

I've been
waiting for the Fax software I ordered from Total Systems Software ONE YEAR
AGO which supposedly automates everything, and with the new ROM Supra will
release shortly will even implement voicemail.  Unfortunately, TSS seems
to have vanished from the face of the planet (at least for the holiday season).
Has anyone heard from them lately?  (I'll try another E-mail message myself)

The other modem in this category is the Zyxel (I think 1496e is the model #)
which is also 14.4 baud, data/fax etc.  From talking with people and reading
comp.dcom.modems it seems that the Zyxel works at least as well as the Supra, 
the probabilities of a bad unit are lower (Supra seems to be improving here, 
but quality control is still a problem), and, for a NeXT owner, the FAX 
software is already available (the NXFax package mentioned above). Zyxels
cost about $25 more than the Supras (but it all depends on which dealer you
speak to).  

Overall, even though I'm 100% satisfied with my Supra, I'd recommend going 
with the Zyxel since you may not be as lucky in getting a working unit, and
the time-delay (ultimate failure?) of TSS makes the small difference in
price meaningless.  If TSS gets their product out then things, of course, 
are different, since the features they promise would make for a wonderful
little package.

>Thanks!

No problem.  Hope this was Helpful --- Tom
From: iwelch@agsm.ucla.edu (Ivo Welch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: SCSI Treatment
Date: 29 Dec 92 18:20:13 GMT
Organization: UCLA, Anderson Graduate School Of Management

Summary:    [1]  Although  a number of   people  suggested powering down,  Sam
Goldberger told me that the  SCSI bus is silent in  the ROM monitor. (Powering
down is actually  inconvenient   for me,  because I  have    auto-startup set;
unfortunately, NeXT software does not distinguish between a controlled power
down and a pull-plug power down, and always restarts itself.)

[2]  Everyone suggested I should power  down  hard-disks first;  for one, they
set or signal their SCSI ID at power on.

[3]  Everyone  suggested powering down hard  disks before moving them, because
most disks have special head storage zones.

Thanks to everyone.

/ivo
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: giddings@fff.chem.utah.edu (Michael Giddings)
Subject: Re: IEEE Port ?
Keywords: IEEE 488
Reply-To: giddings@moraine.chem.wisc.edu
Organization: University of Utah Computer Center
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 23:52:42 GMT

In article <Bzzzqw.18E@news.cso.uiuc.edu> gmk@pegasos.ccsr.uiuc.edu  
(Gottfried Mayer-Kress) writes:
> Does anyone know if I can use an IEEE-488  8 bit bus parallel
> transfer standard on the NeXT?
> Thanks,
> 
> --
> Gottfried Mayer-Kress
> Center for Complex Systems Research, Department of Physics
> 3025 Beckman Institute, 405 N Mathews, Urbana, Il 61801
> gmk@pegasos.ccsr.uiuc.edu (NeXT-Mail)
> gmk@goshawk.lanl.gov, gmk@santafe.edu 
> (217)-244-5877 (voice/fax modem),x8371(fax), x1994 (msg)

Yes, IOTech, inc., provides a (pricey) SCSI/IEEE488 interface box and  
software for the NeXT to interface with the bus.  We now have one in our  
lab, but haven't used it yet, so I can't tell you if/how well it works  
(though it looks reasonably well designed).  I can't provide the number  
right now to reach IOTech, but it is listed in the "NeXT Shipping Third  
Party Products" guide.

Hope it helps,
Michael Giddings
Sciences NeXT user group (SNUG)
From: nzhang@umiacs.umd.edu (Ning Zhang)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Help Wanted: External SCSI Disk (From SUN)
Date: 2 Jan 93 16:57:29 GMT
Organization: UMIACS, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742

I am new to this NeXT world. I have an external Seagate SCSI disk
originally was connected to a SUN SparcStation. When I tried to
connect the disk to a NeXTstation (TurboColor), the machine complained
the SCSI error and the system would not boot. I changed the target ID
of the disk several times with the same error.

I was wondering if there is any difference between the SCSI on NeXT
and the one on SUN Sparc? Or, did I do something wrong? FYI, I used
the SCSI cable from SUN for connecting the disk to the NeXT box.

I am sure the SCSI interface of the NeXT box is OK as a scanner connected
to it works fine.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,

-Ning
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: wjabi@libra.arch.umich.edu (Wassim M. Jabi)
Subject: Re: Summary: colorstation doesn't power up
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 14:48:35 EST
Organization: The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Reply-To: wjabi@libra.arch.umich.edu

In article <BRUECK.92Dec31124648@inmsol.inm.uni-sb.de>  
brueck@inm.uni-sb.de (Stefan Brueck) writes:
>password) too. after assembling the computer together again (service 
>friendly - one screw!) i pressed the power key... ... ... WHOW the
>computer is starting!!! it tried first to check for ethernet to boot
>from - ok this was caused by the default boot parameters and could
>be fixed by setting the correct boot device according to the sysadmin
>manual...
>
>
>thank you very much!
>      stefan

Well, My colorstation 25MHz had the same problem a few months back. 
Took it in for service, result: dead power supply. A few days ago
same problem (would not start). Took the battery off for a few minutes
and put it back. It works!!  Same exact behaviour (starting from network
because of the booting parameters).
--
Wassim M. Jabi                            (313) 936-0229
Doctoral Program in Architecture, University of Michigan
2000 Bonisteel Boulevard  Ann Arbor  Michigan 48105-2313
wjabi@libra.arch.umich.edu             NeXTMail-friendly
Organization: Queen's University at Kingston
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 09:59:51 EST
From: <HARRAPR@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Re: NEC-Intersect CD-ROM drive.....

I posted a query a few days ago about the NEC Intersect CD-ROM drive
for the Mac - I wanted to use one on the NeXT. Well, having recieved
no comments except for requests for followups, I bit the bullet and
picked one up (technically the drive is the CD-36 or CDR-36, I think).

I hooked it up to my NeXT, gave it a unique SCSI address, and did a
manual boot to see what was going on. Many, many scsi access errors,
that's what. I tried several id's, tried starting with a disk in,
with no disk in, and so on. The NeXT just ignored the drive, after
initially finding a bunch of errors with it. I strongly suspect that
while this drive uses a SCSI interface on the MAC, it isn't a generic
SCSI device (one clue is that on the box there is a list of alternative
interfaces, one of the others being SCSI-Parallel, whatever that means).

Another possible problem is that this drive doesn't use eject/load, but
instead has a trap door for loading and unloading. Perhaps the NeXT can't
accept drives that don't firmly load and unload? I don't know anything
about hardware (that much is obvious? :<) ), so I'm taking the drive back.

I would appreciate information on a tested CD-ROM drive that is reasonably
inexpensive. Tested on the NeXT, obiously. And no, the PLI is not reasonably
inexpensive at $675 US (about $900 here in the land of perpetual snows).

Thanks in advance,


Rob Harrap
Dept. Geological Sciences
Queen's University
Kingston, Ont.
Harrapr@qucdn.queensu.ca
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: nathan@laplace.csb.yale.edu (Nathan F. Janette)
Subject: Re: Dimming Megapixels - why?
Reply-To: nathan@laplace.csb.yale.edu (Nathan F. Janette)
Organization: Yale University, Department of Computer Science, New Haven, CT
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 04:29:32 GMT

In article <1i2nv7INNe3a@cs.tut.fi> po87553@cs.tut.fi (Pasi 'Albert'  
Ojala) writes:
> This is a forwarded message from: Juha Tuominen
> 
> I've seen many NeXT's megapixel displays which have the
> following problem: the picture have become dimmer and
> dimmer. Does anyone know what causes this and how one can
> avoid that?  

Here is an old message that addresses the problem:

From: jdavidso@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu (Jeff Davidson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.misc
Subject: NeXT mono monitor service alert (dimming monitors)

Hi NeXT'ers

Thought I would post this as a public service. I noticed
that some of you are   talking about dimming monitors. I am
the NeXT tech for the college here, and   have the service
bulletin. Here is the straight poop:

They have extended the 1-year warranty on specific mono
monitors to 2 years. What you need to do if your monitor is
dimming is as follows: check the model   and serial number
on the back of the monitor. If it is a Model 4000, the  
applicable serial numbers are: AAA5XXXXXX (Anything
starting with AAA5). If it   is a model N4000A, the
applicable serial numbers are: AAA70000001 thru  
AAA7003200. 

Just contact your nearest NeXT service-type person,
tell him the problem, and   you should get a new monitor when
it becomes available.

--
Nathan Janette
PPP link from hilbert.csb.yale.edu

Please reply to: nathan@laplace.csb.yale.edu (NeXT)

Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: tilley@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Richard Tilley)
Subject: Re: Instructions on modifying CPU board for multi-CPU NeXTcube
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 09:17:18 GMT

In <C04DoL.L6J@sounds.wa.com> BrianW@SoundS.WA.com (Brian Willoughby) writes:


>	I have heard from other UseNet folks that there was a posting (a long  
>time ago) in comp.sys.next about how to modify a NeXTcube CPU board so that it  
>would function in a different slot than the standard one - and also so it would  
>not interfere with a second CPU board in the main position.  I believe this  
>involved electrical modifications to the NeXTbus chip so that only power would  
>come from the bus.  I don't believe there was any need to modify the monitor  
>outputs, since the NeXTcube can handle a NeXTdimension setup with nothing  
>plugged into the mono output of the main CPU (unlike the NeXTstation which  
>doesn't like an open circuited monitor output).  This modified CPU board could  
>then be networked to an unmodified main CPU for additional processing.

The backplane mod is very easy. It can be done without removing the backplane.

I am using an 030 board to drive a NextPrinter under 2.1,
but have been unable to do this under 3.0.

The headless 030 boots fine but panics when it tries to start WindowServer.
Everything else works fine, but WindowServer is needed to run the printer :-(

Has anyone succeeded in getting a headless Next to print under 3.0?

... Richard <tilley@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
-- 
This space is not blank!
Xref: sparky comp.sys.next.hardware:3155 alt.cd-rom:5408
From: ernst@opal.cs.tu-berlin.de (Ernst Kloecker)
Subject: Re: External Floppy Drives
Keywords: external floppy drives
Organization: Techn. University of Berlin, Germany
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 17:45:24 GMT

byrne@cstore-next.cl.msu.edu (Eric J. Byrne) writes:


>
>  Can anyone recommend a good brand and source for external floppy drives
>  for use on a NeXTcube?  I have a cube with an optical drive and need to
>  use a floppy as well.
>
I have been using the PLI Super Floppy for nearly two years now, no problems.
With NextOS 3.0 you can read/write Next, Dos and Mac formats.

--

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ernst Kloecker      phone: ++49-30-6181635      e-mail: ernst@cs.tu-berlin.de
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: uunet!lkba!lkb (Larry Blische)
Subject: Re: Device Block Size
Reply-To: uunet!lkba!lkb
Organization: LKB Associates, Inc.
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 17:11:13 GMT

In article <1992Dec29.153819.23066@seas.smu.edu> dleon@seas.smu.edu (David  
Leon) writes:
> In article <IfDmIJD0Bwx5I1_r4u@transarc.com> Jim_Laredo@transarc.com  
writes:
> >I installed the 1.23GB HD, and found that it came with a device block
> >size of 512Bytes. The original Seagate was formated with a 1024Bytes
> >block size.
> >
> >Do you have any idea what the performance impact is? Should I try to
> >reformat the disk to get a block size of 1024Bytes?
> >
> >
> >How hard is to reformat the HD to set the block size to 1024, can I do it
> >or is it a manufacturer's job?
> >
> >
> >thanks in advance,
> >Jim.
> 
> Do it!  When I refeormatted my drive from 512 to 1024 byte sectors, I  
gained
> about 15% extra space and about 2x faster speed up (using the speedometer
> program).  You will need the scsitools available on sonata (sense and one
> other).  Be careful, as I irreparably damaged one drive by using the GUI
> version of the program without first saving the sense file.
> 
> David L. Leon
> dleon@seas.smu.edu
> 

OK, does anyone have the files needed by scsitools for the Toshiba MK-538FB  
1.2Gb 3.5 inch hard drive?

Or can someone explain how to modify the sense file that I can dump from my  
own drive?

Or can someone lead me to the recommended reading material?

Thanks
-- 
Larry Blische              uunet!lkba!lkb
LKB Associates, Inc.
3118 Dunglow Road
Dundalk, Maryland 21222-5304 USA
From: po87553@cs.tut.fi (Pasi 'Albert' Ojala)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
Subject: Dimming Megapixels - why?
Keywords: megapixel
Date: 2 Jan 93 00:34:47 GMT
Organization: Tampere University of Technology
NNTP-Posting-Host: kaarne.cs.tut.fi

This is a forwarded message from: Juha Tuominen

I've seen many NeXT's megapixel displays which have the following problem:
the picture have become dimmer and dimmer. Does anyone know what causes
this and how one can avoid that? The same phenomena have occured in couple
Sun's grayscale monitors as well. As far as I know NeXT's monitors are made
by Philips (or Sony, I'm not sure). What I've heard, NeXT just adds a 
simple board in for NeXT spesific features (microphone etc.). 
-Juha

-- 
 Pasi Ojala            Why does my signature keep changing??
 po87553@cs.tut.fi         Am I doing something wrong?
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware
From: lemson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (David Lemson)
Subject: Re: Multi Line BBS
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 01:09:42 GMT

bostrov@flop.ENGR.ORST.EDU (Vareck Bostrom) writes:

>I keep wondering about this. My NeXTCube has never crashed though
>it's run out of disk space on "/" (Same partition as the swap space)
>many times. Some times I have several large Improv worksheets, Mathematica,
>ImageViewer and several other things running ... vm_stat reports 
>something like 20 pages free (i.e. out of real memory) and the disk is
>full..df reports 101% use on /, but the machine does not crash. I keep
>worrying about it because everyone has told me it would crash, but it never
>does. I've got 24MB in my cube..

The answer is: 101% is not a full disk if you built it in the normal
way.  Somewhere between 105% and 110% is actually FULL usually.  df
will report the proper number of kb free.  Note that non-root users
cannot write to disks that are more than 100% full, but the swapper
can continue to write until the disk is truly full.  You continue by
writing into the slack space set aside by the fast file system.

>'I have tried IComm but it kinda takes over the machine, and I hate that.
>I know there are comm programs that cost money out there but ...sigh.
>I like going down to the local "HardWare Shop" , pointing at a 
>Supra 14.4 modem and having a NeXT flow control cable and _NeXT_ 
>communication software included. This MAC software that came with the
>modem doesn't work well with NeXTs (or at all, in fact) .

>I'm one of those people who hates mail order and must HAVE IT TODAY, and
>NeXT software is simply not that available yet. Oh Well. 

MicroPhone II should do what you want, although it does cost money.
Also, regarding the modem, cable, and software: NeXTConnection
stocks them and while they can't get it to you TODAY, they can get
it to you tomorrow. :-)
-- 
David Lemson                                                (217) 244-1205
University of Illinois NeXT Campus Consultant / CCSO NeXT Lab System Admin
Internet : lemson@uiuc.edu                UUCP :...!uiucuxc!uiucux1!lemson 
NeXTMail & MIME accepted                           BITNET : LEMSON@UIUCVMD
Xref: sparky comp.sys.next.hardware:3142 comp.sys.next.sysadmin:7267